In his book The Beginning of Infinity physicist David Deutsch uses the contrast between ancient Athens and Sparta to illustrate the distinction between open and closed societies. Athens was an open society as it was a place where for a time criticism and innovation flourished. Athens could grow because it was open to using criticism to identify mistakes, from which they learned. Sparta was a closed society as it suppressed change so that the city’s order and structure can be maintained.

The comparison between these two city-states is similar to the distinctions between a Lean enterprise and a traditionally managed enterprise mired in Bulk thinking. Lean encourages criticism and debate to facilitate improvement in the tradition of the Socratic method. It’s no accident that Socrates is a native of Athens.

Much like the Spartans, Bulk thinking values order and structure. It may not suppress change, but Bulk thinking wants to control change from on high, relying on experts often far removed from the work to dictate any new directions for the enterprise.

Does Lean thinking make sense for your company and your projects? Where would you rather live – ancient Athens or ancient Sparta?