The Machine that Changed the World

by James Womack, et al.

Recommended for: Beginners to Lean, car enthusiasts, change agents, managers and leaders

I’m a little embarrassed. I’ve been such a Lean advocate and never actually read this book. I thought it would be a good follow on to my review of My Life with General Motors so went ahead and read it.

I was challenged to make my blog posts smaller, so instead of listing out points, I’m going to list out the biggest thing that jumped out at me.

The book’s authors were often asked by traditional mass production managers what key organizational strategy Lean plants used. The answer: transfer the responsibility to the workers and create a system that quickly traces defects to its ultimate cause. This means creating a dynamic workforce that is founded upon team work that uses a simple and responsive system for detecting problems and understanding the overall status of the plant. Sounds like an Agile team, huh?

Researchers said this is not easy to create. Workers have to know all the other jobs in their group. They also need to be coached to think proactively. These are things we try to do as Agilists.

The authors concluded this type of work force can only be created if the workers believe management values them and are willing to sacrifice to retain them and delegate responsibility to them. This creates a reciprocal relationship between worker and manufacturer. They share a fate and creates a willingness to participate toward the betterment of the company because everyone benefits.

If we take this lesson into our own work as Agilists, how do we reconcile the contract-workforce model so prevalent in IT? When budgets are cut, the human ‘ballast’ is jettisoned. Contractors are under no illusions their employer will stick with them through thick and thin. This creates a lack of commitment between worker and organization. What does it mean for our Agile initiatives if the company choses to stick to this model?

The book can be found here.