Does lean production support Innovation or new product process development ?

This question has always bothered me for some time, now that I am getting ready to take a class on Lean Operations management for executive MBA students, have to find a solution to this.. Or carry out research to prove that lean system may or may not support innovation ..

Why I am putting this question is that, in lean system all efforts are to satisfy the customer. If the customer does not want any radical innovation ( or is not aware of radical innovations which can make his life better and easier), how will he support such moves ? Yes, lean supports incremental innovation, which can bring down costs, improve functionality etc..

That is the reason why US is still the innovation capital of the world, they do not have any problem in spending more on R & D which brings in occasional radical innovation, like the Internet etc , which can change generations itself..

This question I plan to ask many friends and await what they say about it.. And look out for my articles on this question soon ..

ge.