Exploring the 2 Second Lean Approach — Lessons from Japan

“Improvement isn’t an event. It’s a daily habit.”

How do you build a culture where improvement happens every day — everywhere — without relying on big budgets or consultants?

That’s the question that the 2 Second Lean philosophy, created by Paul Akers, answers so elegantly.

I recently had the opportunity to dive deep into its origins during a study tour in Japan — the home of the Toyota Production System and the birthplace of continuous improvement.

What I saw there wasn’t just process efficiency. It was human ingenuity at scale.

The Power of the 2 Second Lean Mindset

The core idea is simple:

Make tiny, consistent improvements every day — even if they save only two seconds.

These “micro improvements,” applied by everyone in the organisation, accumulate into massive productivity gains over time.

2 Second Lean isn’t a management system. It’s a mindset shift.
It turns every employee into a problem-solver.

Inside the Heart of Lean Thinking — Lessons from Japan

During the study tour, I met industry legends like:

• Mr. Amezawa, former President & CEO of Toyota Georgetown, who moved from engineer to global leader through relentless process discipline.
• Mr. Umemura, an 81-year-old Toyota supplier still on the factory floor solving problems daily.
• Mr. Yaba, the mind behind Japan Railway East’s “7-Minute Miracle,” where Shinkansen cleaning teams turn entire bullet trains around in under 10 minutes.

Everywhere we went — from factories to construction sites to schools — we saw the same spirit:

Respect for people + obsession with improvement.

Key Takeaways for Leaders

1. Slow is Smooth — Smooth is Fast

Rushing leads to rework.
Precision and consistency create speed.

Start by slowing down to:

• Understand the process
• Define “standard work” (the best-known way to do a task)
• Eliminate variation

When everyone works from a defined standard, improvement becomes measurable and repeatable.

You can’t improve what you haven’t standardised.

2. The Foundation: Standard Work

Standard work is the blueprint for excellence.
It’s not bureaucracy — it’s freedom through clarity.

Once the baseline is defined, teams can continuously:

• Innovate new methods
• Quantify improvements
• Orchestrate the best version into everyday practice

This is how Toyota achieves continuous evolution — one tiny refinement at a time.

3. The Power of SMED — Speed Through Structure

Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) is a lean tool for reducing setup or changeover time between production runs.

By separating tasks into:

• Internal setup (done when machines stop)
• External setup (done while machines run)

Companies can cut downtime dramatically — often from 30 minutes to 5 minutes.

The lesson: every process hides wasted motion. Find it. Eliminate it. Repeat.

4. SSEI — The Digital Parallel

Where SMED shortens machine setup, Single Second Exchange of Information (SSEI) shortens communication setup.

It focuses on removing friction from information flow — so data, decisions, and feedback move instantly.

In a world drowning in emails and meetings, SSEI may be the most important modern lean principle of all.

5. Customer First, Always

Every improvement exists to serve one purpose — the customer.

Lean thinking means every department, from finance to HR, aligns around this central question:

“Does this action make life better for our customer?”

If not, it’s waste.

6. Leaders Must Go to the Gemba

In Japan, leaders don’t manage from the boardroom — they lead from the Gemba (“the real place”).

That’s where work happens, problems appear, and learning begins.

When leaders regularly go to the Gemba, they:

• See the truth firsthand.
• Build respect with their teams.
• Spot inefficiencies that reports never reveal.

The Two Most Important Questions for Every Leader

1️⃣ Are my people improving every day?
2️⃣ Is my company improving every day?

If the answer to either is “no,” your improvement system needs attention.

Toyota Thinking — 1 Second, 1 Step, 1 Yen

At Toyota, the obsession with improvement goes beyond grand strategy. It’s about micro-focus:

• 1 Second Improvement: Eliminate seconds of waste from every task.
• 1 Step Improvement: Simplify motion and sequence.
• 1 Yen Improvement: Find even the smallest cost efficiencies.

Tiny improvements. Massive results.

Final Thought — Lean Is a Way of Seeing

Japan taught me that lean isn’t a set of tools. It’s a way of seeing the world.

Every process hides waste.
Every person has ideas for improvement.
Every second counts.

2 Second Lean is about empowering everyone — from the CEO to the newest recruit — to look, learn, and improve continuously.

Want to bring a culture of continuous improvement into your business?

Take our Scaling Up / Four Decisions Needs Assessment to see how your organisation stacks up.
Or contact tedb@strategyandexecution.com.au for a free 30-minute discovery session.

TED BONEL, SCALING UP PRACTITIONER – STRATEGY & EXECUTION BUSINESS ADVISORS

Are you looking to scale your business and execute strategy with clarity and impact? I help CEOs and founders turn big ideas into real-world results, guiding small to mid-market companies through tailored strategic insights that drive growth.

My expertise lies in simplifying complexity – bridging high-level strategic frameworks with the practical realities of running a business. Unlike many consultants who focus solely on theory or execution, I specialise in both—translating strategy into actionable, transformative steps that deliver lasting results.

Want to bring a culture of continuous improvement into your business?

Contact me at tedb@strategyandexecution.com.au to schedule a free 30-minute discovery meeting.

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