SASless has it right, applying Lean in a half assed way, or in a system led by an individual who sees it as a personal opportunity can lead to:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...t=lyneham+lean which led to rather a lot of discussion, and IIRC upon the appointment of the successor, many changes back to the old way of doing things.
That is not to say that the 'way things have always been done' is the best. The Pi Master indicates that the Front Line is benefitting from efficiencies, unfortunately I feel that the tail could have some Leaning carried out as well, see the recent
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=255738 not to mention the ongoing use of personnel for guard force etc.
Essentially the thing that should be coming across about Lean is that is more than a tool, it is a
philosophy and a way of life. Treating it as anything else dooms it to failure and almost certainly guarantees organisational atrophy or even failure. The oft quoted 'There is no I in Team' certainly applies to this philosophy and real change management must come from the bottom up, if the troops aren't onside then it will be nearly impossible to properly institute changes in the Lean style. Yes they can be imposed, but the loss of morale and goodwill will inevitably be crippling, and in the present climate I feel those two assets are particularly fragile.
In short I think Lean, properly applied, trained, funded, monitored and verified works. Miss out any essential part and it will be the proverbial crock of brown stuff that promotes growth.