Lean has a longer and more color ful history than most of us think, with

David vs. Goliath

Several authors have asked a very 

simple question: how can the little 

guys beat the big guys so soundly? 

Germany’s defeat of England and 

France at the Battle of Dunkirk is only 

one example of how smart strategy 

can be more important than size and 

firepower. 

To look at business examples, how 

did Dell beat IBM and HP? How did 

Walmart beat Sears and J.C. Penney? 

John Boyd, who designed not only the 

F-15 and F-16, but also the first Gulf 

War strategy, began asking this ques-

tion in 1952, and found four things 

that the German army did that success-

ful companies like Dell and Wal-Mart 

do as well.

1

,

2