To most it is obvious that Lean has it’s roots in a society and culture very different from our own. One sign of this is how Japaneese companies organize to cooperate.

Zaibatsu:

Used to be Japanese family-controlled business conglomerates organized with one bank part and one or several industrial parts. Litteraly “Wealth Group”. Later replaced by Keiretsu.

Keiretsu:

The Keiretsu replaced the Zaibatsu by the mid 2000th century. It is a system of interlocking business relationsships. The companies own small portions of the shares of each other centered around a core bank. The purpose of this is to create a stable marked and protect the companies from hostile action from outsiders.