Historical parallels are never exact. But, they are often eerily similar to one another in circumstances and outcomes. Let's have a look at the parallels between Scientific Management 100 years ago and Toyota Management (combination of Toyota Production System and The Toyota Way) today. Frederick … [Read more...] about Spooky Historical Parallels
Archives for October 2016
Lean Strategy
Fifteen years ago, Art Byrne suggested to me that the title of our book about The Wiremold Company's Lean transformation should be Lean Strategy. I resisted that suggestion because I did not view Lean as a corporate strategy, despite Art's firm belief that it is. Who was right, me or … [Read more...] about Lean Strategy
Generic Brand or Name Brand?
Here are 13 words that I appreciate more and more with each passing day: “Our way of thinking is very difficult to copy or even to understand.” Fujio Cho, former president and chairman of Toyota (and who worked under Taiichi Ohno), said this about Toyota's management practices in the context of … [Read more...] about Generic Brand or Name Brand?
A Little Bit of Knowledge Can Be…
...very helpful when it comes to learning from history to better understand the present. One of my great interests is to read books and papers from the early days of industrial engineering its transformation into progressive management. This time period, circa 1890-1935, interests me because … [Read more...] about A Little Bit of Knowledge Can Be…
Lean Thinking vs. Kaizen Thinking
Is Lean thinking the same as kaizen thinking? Kaizen thinking is a unique way of thinking that is learned when one participates in Toyota-style kaizen. This type of kaizen is rooted in industrial engineering (IE) methods and is practiced for the purpose of improving productivity, with a goal of … [Read more...] about Lean Thinking vs. Kaizen Thinking
Interview in Production Manager Magazine
Interview of Professor Bob Emiliani in the 20 October 2016 issue of Production Manager magazine (Poland). According to you, Toyota Production System has its roots in the American Progressive Era. Why? The technical basis of the Toyota Production System (TPS) is rooted in Industrial Engineering … [Read more...] about Interview in Production Manager Magazine
Unbundling Higher Education
A recent article, “If Colleges Are Dismantled, Consider the Impact on Their Cities” (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 16 October 16), makes a good argument for the negative effect that unbundling university services can have on a community. But what is more important is the impact that unbundling … [Read more...] about Unbundling Higher Education
Toyota’s One Best Way
Think deeply about this: What activity did Toyota employees engage in to eventually get to what became known as the Toyota Production System and The Toyota Way? What was Toyota's secret? It was kaizen. But, not just any type of kaizen. It was Toyota's own creative adaptation of kaizen to meet its … [Read more...] about Toyota’s One Best Way
Eight Questions I Get From My Students
Here are eight questions that my students ask me from time-to-time, along with my answers, which you may be interested in as well: All your degrees are in engineering. How did you get into Lean management? Dilbert cartoons frequently present a stereotype of engineers as those who seek facts, … [Read more...] about Eight Questions I Get From My Students