We often get asked:
“So, how does Go M.A.D. Thinking differ from Lean?”
It’s a fair question – especially from leaders in engineering, manufacturing and other sectors where Lean has been the dominant improvement approach for years.
The short answer?
- Lean focuses on process improvement and eliminating waste.
- Go M.A.D. Thinking focuses on result improvement by improving the quality of thinking that drives every decision, priority and action.
Both are powerful. They just start in different places.
Lean starts with processes. Go M.A.D. starts with purpose.
Lean typically asks:
“How can we make this process more efficient?”
Go M.A.D. Thinking asks:
“How could we think differently to achieve a better result?”
In simple terms:
- Lean improves what people do.
- Go M.A.D. improves how they think about what they do.
That difference in starting point changes everything – especially when you’re dealing with complex, cross-functional challenges, not just local process tweaks.
Why organisations use both
Lean has transformed industries worldwide. It’s excellent at:
- Reducing waste
- Improving flow
- Delivering value efficiently
However, even in highly Lean organisations, we often see improvement initiatives stall. Not because people don’t care or the tools are wrong – but because the thinking behind the doing hasn’t evolved.
Typical symptoms:
- Great Lean tools, but low ownership
- Projects launched… then quietly fade
- “Change fatigue” because people can’t see the bigger purpose
That’s where Go M.A.D. Thinking complements Lean beautifully.
By helping people clarify purpose, strengthen belief, and take personal responsibility, Go M.A.D. adds the human and cognitive layer that accelerates adoption and makes change last.
It turns process improvement into a shared way of thinking, not just a toolkit used by a few experts.
How Go M.A.D. Thinking enhances Lean
When you combine Go M.A.D. Thinking with Lean, you get the best of both worlds – efficiency and effectiveness.
Here’s what typically happens:
- Faster adoption People understand why improvement matters before focusing on how to do it.
- Stronger engagement Teams design their own improvements using a practical, common language and framework.
- More self-sufficiency You don’t have to rely on a small group of Lean experts. The ability to think well is embedded in everyone.
- Greater sustainability Improvements stick because they’re owned, not imposed.
This is especially important when you’re driving strategic change across multiple sites, functions or countries. Thinking capability scales in a way that tools alone rarely do.
Thinking and doing in harmony
You can picture it as two levels working together:
Thinking Level (Effectiveness) – Go M.A.D. Thinking
- Clarifies purpose and goals
- Builds belief and ownership
- Improves decisions and priorities
Doing Level (Efficiency) – Lean and CI tools
- Improves process flow
- Reduces waste
- Standardises best practice
Put simply:
- Lean provides the tools to do things right.
- Go M.A.D. provides the thinking to decide what’s right to do.
When both are in play, you don’t just get “more efficient”. You get better, faster, more meaningful results.
In summary
Go M.A.D. Thinking doesn’t replace Lean – it amplifies it.
It helps people think bigger, better and bolder about their goals and their role in achieving them. And when people think well, Lean works even better.
If your organisation already uses Lean (or any other improvement methodology) and you suspect there’s still untapped potential in how your leaders and teams think, it might be worth exploring how the two could work together.
