The question we set out to answer was simple: How is Lean really being practiced across organizations in 2026? Not the theory, not the aspirations-the reality.
We analyzed data from 289 organizations across manufacturing, software, transportation, and commercial activities. Companies of all sizes, different industries, and different stages of maturity. What emerged is an optimistic story of an industry building momentum while facing specific, addressable challenges.
The Overall Picture: 52% and Rising
The average Lean maturity score came out at 52%. That tells us something important: Lean is active, Lean is moving, but most organizations are still building their foundation. They’re not at zero, but they’re not at excellence either. They’re in the middle-and the data shows exactly where to focus.
Where Organizations Are Excelling
Leadership Commitment Scores Highest (60%)
This is the highest-scoring category and represents genuine progress. 63% of organizations report their most senior leader is actively involved in Lean practices at least regularly, with 25% seeing daily visible leadership. Senior leaders aren’t just talking about Lean-they’re practicing it. That’s the cultural foundation every organization needs.
Psychological Safety is Building (57%)
A combined 55% of respondents report that speaking up is common, routine, or freely encouraged. Critically, only 5% indicate an environment where problems are hidden. Most organizations have moved past fear-based cultures toward genuine candour.
Accountability Culture is Taking Hold (59%)
Over half of respondents report that misalignment issues are addressed promptly or within months, with 13% noting decisive, fair action. Only 5% report that misaligned staff stay indefinitely. Organizations are demonstrating a willingness to have difficult conversations.
Where the Opportunities Lie
Standard Work Represents the Clearest Gap (47%)
This is the infrastructure weakness. The largest single response (35%) indicates standards exist but suffer from unclear ownership and rare updates. Another 18% report few documented processes, and 8% rely entirely on tribal knowledge. Only 7% have achieved fully standardized, owned, and continuously improved processes.
Daily Engagement Remains Inconsistent (49%)
While 46% report most or all team members participating regularly, the largest segment (27%) reports inconsistent participation, and 15% have no Lean activities at all. Consistent daily engagement-currently reached by only 9%-remains a key lever for embedding Lean as a way of working.
The Leadership-Engagement Gap is 11 Points
Leadership commitment scores 60%, but daily engagement scores 49%. Leadership is modeling Lean, but those behaviors aren’t yet translating into daily habits across all team members. The mechanisms to cascade commitment into consistent daily practice represent the next frontier.
What This Means for Your Organization
The State of Lean in 2026 reveals an industry in healthy motion.
Cultural foundations are strong. Leadership is committed. Psychological safety is improving. The path forward is equally clear: strengthen the systematic foundations-standard work, skill tracking, visual management-while maintaining cultural gains.
For leaders reviewing this data, several questions emerge:
- How does your organization compare to these industry benchmarks?
- Where are your cultural strengths, and where does your systematic infrastructure need reinforcement?
- What would it take to move from the “middle majority” to true excellence?
The foundation is laid. The next phase is elevation.
Get the complete lean white paper with detailed category breakdowns, and actionable recommendations for advancing your Lean maturity by downloading the report today.
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