Page 41 - Toyota Under Fire

TOYOT A UNDER FIRE

the production line needs to be tightly defined and performed
in the exact same way by every worker who is doing that job.
Solving problems on the production line and continually improv-
ing performance simply couldn’t be done without standardized
work—it would be virtually impossible to isolate and correct any
factors that were contributing to a defect or underperformance
with the added variation of the same job being done in different
ways. Many Westerners initially find the concept of standard-
ized work distasteful, imagining a system that treats people like
cogs or robots. On the contrary, standardized work allows line
workers to think about what they are doing, why they are doing
it, and how to improve it. Think of it this way: no one thinks of
great actors like Sean Penn or Meryl Streep as drones or cogs. But
they can’t bring their creativity and insight to a role until they’ve
memorized the script. Standardized work is like an actor’s script.
It’s the basis on which a production worker can apply her skills
to continuously improve a process. Without standardized work,
TPS and TBP would be impossible.

Building on a Firm Cultural Foundation

The Toyota Production System is the foundation that is often
credited with allowing Toyota to emerge from the small, devas-
tated market of Japan in the 1950s and become the world’s largest
carmaker. Along the way, Toyota dramatically changed perspec-
tives of what was possible in terms of the quality and productiv-
ity of design and manufacturing operations. But as any student
of industrial organization or psychology, or even anyone familiar
with the history of any large company, will tell you, processes and
procedures are never enough to ensure excellence.

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