New Book: Connecting the Dots...

I’m super excited to announce the details of an upcoming book co-authored by Harish Jose and Venkatesh Krishnamurthy!

The book is titled “Connecting the Dots… Reflections on The Toyota Production System” and is scheduled to be published next month (more details as we get closer) and can be downloaded for free by all the community-tier members of Cyb3rSyn. Hard copies will also be available.

The book helps you to go beyond the buzzwords and discover the real thinking behind the Toyota Production System (TPS). Instead of offering a simple checklist to copy, this book takes you back to the origins of TPS to understand the ‘why’ behind the methods, exploring the core principles of Just-in-Time, Jidoka, Continuous Improvement, Respect for People, and more. Tech. practitioners, executives, and entrepreneurs will significantly benefit from reading and reflecting on the insights in the book.

You can find the latest Cyb3rSyn Community publication schedule here. We now have a lineup of 9 books full of multidisciplinary insights. In the spirit of lifelong learning, the membership is a one-time payment for lifetime access and we’ll keep adding more multidisciplinary insights as books, guest podcasts, online/video tutorials, deep-dive podcasts, newsletter posts, and more.

Today’s guest post is an excerpt - the preface of the book, in which Harish and Venky provide a lot of important context about the book.

This book began with a simple question: Where did the ideas behind the Toyota Production System come from? Many books describe what TPS looks like today, yet few explore the roots of its thinking or the cultural soil in which it grew. We wanted to go back to those origins. Our goal is not just to understand what Toyota did, but why—and to honor the wisdom of the people who shaped this system.

The project started as a conversation between two friends from different continents, different careers, and different perspectives. What began as an exchange of ideas soon became a shared curiosity. Why is TPS so often reduced to a collection of tools? And what would it take to present it in a way that helps people think differently, rather than simply copy what Toyota did?

TPS is widely recognized for its visible elements — kanban cards, andon cords, value stream maps. These are easy to see and even easier to imitate. But TPS is not a checklist of tools. It is a way of thinking. It is a philosophy about how to learn, solve problems, and continuously improve in the face of change.

A note on terminology: throughout this book, we use “TPS” intentionally—not “Lean.” While Lean grew out of interpretations of TPS, our goal is to return to the origin, to understand the thinking of the people who shaped TPS and to honor their wisdom. Lean, as practiced in many places, often diverged from that intent. This book is about connecting with the source.

This is not a step-by-step manual. It is a collection of reflections on TPS—its origins, its underlying principles, and its cultural roots. We explore connections between Japanese history, philosophy, and the ideas that shaped Toyota’s approach. More importantly, we ask what these ideas can mean for you and your organization today.

Toyota is not perfect. TPS is not perfect either. And that is the point. The goal is not to become Toyota or to solve Toyota’s problems. It is to understand how and why Toyota approached its challenges so that you can apply similar thinking to your own.

The essence of TPS is not imitation. It is curiosity. It is asking “why” before asking “how.” It is about improving frameworks—and improving the way we improve. That means going beyond first-order thinking, which asks “What tool should I use?” to second-order thinking, which asks “Why am I using this tool? What problem am I trying to solve?” This book is an invitation to think in that way.

In the chapters ahead, we explore the two Houses of Toyota and the pillars that support them: Just-in-Time, Jidoka, Respect for People, and Continuous Improvement. We also examine ideas such as Genchi Genbutsu (go and see), cultural influences on TPS, and what it means for leaders to learn from Toyota without becoming Toyota. Finally, we look at the ethical questions that arise when efficiency and job elimination dominate the conversation. These questions feel even more urgent today in the age of AI.

Recognizing similar patterns across different domains can deepen our understanding of the topic at hand. This is what we refer to as connecting the dots. When we encounter recurring structures, behaviors, or dynamics elsewhere, they can enhance our grasp of similar ideas within TPS. The Toyota Production System is not just a set of practices—it is a way of thinking. And like all deep ways of thinking, it resonates with insights that reach far beyond its immediate context.

This book contains many interrelated ideas, and you will notice overlaps across chapters. That is intentional. Systems thinking cannot be reduced to isolated parts, and TPS is no different. We encourage you to read slowly, one chapter at a time, and reflect before moving on. Think of this as a conversation rather than a prescription. If this book helps you question, connect ideas, and see TPS as a philosophy rather than a toolkit, then it has done its job. Welcome to this journey of connecting the dots…

Here is an exclusive podcast - a sneak peek deep-dive into Chapter 10 of the book. Listen and start a conversation on the Cyb3rSyn Community group chat or ask a question on any of the online forums.