Great title "It's not the Map that Counts". I believe this happens partly because lean teams expect "magic" to happen. Everyone should realize that any initiative goes through a "Hype Cycle". It is very important for someone in the team (champion) to pull it thorugh the "lull" period and reach the escape velocity -otherwise it will fall back!!

Many times, implementing a future state map requires the buy in and investment of time from multiple parties at different levels of management. Here is where the unambiguous commitment from the management is critical in the success of converting a map from 'paper' to the 'floor'. This is consistent with the charatcter of a typical Lean implementation which requires substantial investment in awareness and education of the masses, and which proves a challenge for many organisations. As Muthu rightly pointed out before me it invariably falls on the 'champion' to bail the initiative out. Another point in the article that makes sense is that it might be good for the top management (once convinced) to allocate dedicated resources for lean implementation, rather than on an ad hoc basis. This will ensure accountability and focus.