TL;DR: Archival GM and NUMMI documents reveal how deeply Toyota embedded kaizen, problem-solving, and respect for people into daily work–principles that contrasted sharply with old GM management practices and still offer timely lessons for Lean leadership today. These firsthand materials show that sustainable improvement comes from engaging people to think, question assumptions, and continuously improve their own work. Archival NUMMI and GM documents show that Lean was never about tools–it was about engaging people to … Continue reading What Old GM and NUMMI Documents Reveal About Lean, Kaizen, and Respect for People