The authors offer a view of lean as a strategy based on an emergent process of learning. The view of lean as a strategy departs from current research substantially. First of all, it positions lean in the realm of strategic management and not in operations management or related disciplines. Second, by focusing on learning, it does not distinguish the phase of strategy development from the phase of strategy execution. The authors urge scholars and managers alike to keep studying lean through the prism of strategy by adopting an emergent learning perspective. They argue that this will help to capture the essence of lean as a competitive weapon.