Some people overcomplicate things because it makes them look smart, some people do so because they're dyslexic, and then there's Shigeo Shingo from Toyota. He figured out that at the core, a lot of us are simple, predictable, and consistent in the way we work. That's why we believe that his ideas are very elegant in its simplicity. His early work was primarily focused on reducing setup time. Much of his work focused on mistake-proofing equipment to ensure quality (Poka-Yoke), producing only what is needed (Just-In-Time), and reducing machine setup times from hours to minutes by separating tasks that can be done while machines are running from those that required stopping production (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies).
Shingo stated that the Toyota system, where he works, is an enlarged progression of the Ford system. During an interview with Norm Bodek, author of The Power of Magic of Lean, Shingo stated that the Japanese keep things simple, whereas the Americans make things complex. He went on to state that this explains why the Japanese have thick black hair, whereas Americans have thin grey hair.