This paper focuses on vertical cooperation in Lean enterprises in China. It utilizes the concept of ego-altruism from socio-economic theory to analyze the behaviors of workers and managers in their cooperative efforts. This study is based on two cases of socio-economic research-intervention conducted in enterprises that have implemented Lean management. The objective is to examine the behavioral causes of vertical cooperation failures and to highlight the necessity of developing active ego-altruistic cooperation from the perspective of creating comprehensive and sustainable performance.
