The Biggest Lean Six Sigma Myth: "Lean Is Just About Speed"

Lean Blog Audio

The blog post

In this episode of the Lean Blog Audio podcast, Mark Graban reads and reflects on one of his classic posts: “The Biggest Lean Six Sigma Myth: ‘Lean Is Just About Speed.’”

Far too often, consultants and trainers claim that “Lean is for speed” while “Six Sigma is for quality.” Mark calls out this false dichotomy and explains why both Lean and Six Sigma—when properly understood—aim to improve quality, flow, safety, cost, and morale together.

Drawing on his own experience in manufacturing and healthcare, Mark reminds listeners what Toyota has always taught: quality and productivity go hand in hand. If someone tells you Lean is about “making bad stuff faster,” that’s your cue to run the other way.

🎧 Listen to learn:

• Why the “Lean = speed” narrative misrepresents Toyota’s intent

• How “quality at the source” and “flow” reinforce one another

• Why misunderstanding Lean leads to failed transformations

• How to correct common Lean Six Sigma misconceptions

Lean is not about efficiency alone—it’s about building systems where people, quality, and improvement are inseparable.

Hashtags:
#Lean #SixSigma #ToyotaProductionSystem #ContinuousImprovement #QualityAtTheSource #PsychologicalSafety #LeanThinking