Is Lean an Acronym? Is it “LEAN”? “L.E.A.N.?” — Understanding the Origins of the Term

9

No.

To drive home the point, check out this video:

OK, So What Does “LEAN” Stand For?

People often ask if Lean, as in Lean manufacturing, Lean healthcare, etc. should be spelled in all-caps like LEAN.

Or, they don't ask and they just do it.

I see “LEAN” far too often in emails from hospitals, case studies, and articles online, but usually not in news sources.

I tend to capitalize the L in Lean as it's arguably a proper noun, much as people often capitalize Six Sigma or the Toyota Production System.

But it shouldn't be LEAN in this context, as it's not an acronym (unless people are making a cynical joke like “Less Employees Are Needed”). It *is* an acronym when referring to the Lean Education Academic Network, or LEAN.

Lean grammar cop signing off…. :-)


What do you think? Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Or please share the post with your thoughts on LinkedIn. Don't want to miss a post or podcast? Subscribe to get notified about posts via email daily or weekly.


Get New Posts Sent To You

Select list(s):
9 Comments
  1. […] often ask me where the term “Lean” comes from. It’s not an acronym, so it shouldn’t be spelled “LEAN” (but it often is). Lean is not a synonym for “lacking or […]

  2. David Thomas says

    I have just seen some comments on LinkedIn regarding this and would like to add a comment about “the importance of understanding the history and context” of stuff, as opposed to how it is interpreted and used by a few, promoted by organisations for their own use etc.

    In 1995 (shortly after Lean Thinking was published Womack and Jones – the fathers of the Lean movement) LEAN was an acronym (L- leadership and learning, E etc.) and introductory workshops and .ppt presentations used the acronym to help people understand what Lean was about (the codification of the Toyota Way) and it generic application to all business and sectors.

    Lean should be used with a capital L because as the title to the book and the subject (holistic) itself it is a proper noun. I do not spell my name david!!.

    1. Mark Graban says

      Thanks, I didn’t know that history. I know LEI doesn’t spell it as “LEAN” today. I do agree with you that it’s a proper noun.

      It bothers me when I see people write “lean Six Sigma” – capitalizing the one without the other (ASQ does this and it annoys me). They are both proper noun terms when used that way.

      1. Mark Graban says

        BTW, I’ve asked the Institute of Industrial Engineers magazine editor about why they say lean Six Sigma and he says that’s what the AP Style Guide says. Annoyingly inconsistent.

  3. Mark Graban says

    Thanks to NYU for saying it should be Lean in their style guide:

    Lean Management (not LEAN; capitalize when referring to the initiative at the Medical Center)

    Thanks to Brent Brewington for pointing it out.

  4. […] It’s the least important detail here, but Lean is not an acronym. […]

  5. […] event and it’s too bad I can’t make it this year. I love the folks at GBMP, even though Lean is not an acronym […]

  6. Jason Farley says

    Thank you. Couldn’t agree more!

  7. Abigail Brown says

    This has always been a question of mine because I have noticed this issue, and I’m glad I am not the only one that has seen all of these variations. Very interesting to learn about the history as well in the comments.

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.