Standards should not be forced down from above but rather set by the production workers themselves.
Taiichi OhnoRead
The slower but consistent tortoise causes less waste and is more desirable than the speedy hare that races ahead and then stops occasionally to doze. The Toyota Production System can be realized only when all the workers become tortoises.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Consistency and sustainable progress are preferable to rushed and erratic efforts.
This quote emphasizes the importance of steady and consistent progress over hasty actions that lead to inefficiency and waste. Taiichi Ohno compares the ideal approach to work and production with the tortoise's methodical pace, suggesting that through committed teamwork and perseverance, a more effective and desirable outcome can be achieved, particularly in systems like the Toyota Production System.
Themes
ConsistencyProgressEfficiencyTeamworkProduction
In practice
Example use cases
In a team meeting, you could reference this quote to emphasize the value of consistent work habits.
More from Taiichi Ohno
All quotes →Where there is no Standard there can be no Kaizen
Taiichi OhnoRead
The key to the Toyota Way and what makes Toyota stand out is not any of the individual elements…But what is important is having all the elements together as a system. It must be practiced every day in a very consistent manner, not in spurts.
Taiichi OhnoRead
I’m proud to be Japanese and I wanted my country to succeed. I believed my system was a way that could help us become a modern industrial nation. That is why I had no problem with sharing it with other Japanese companies, even my biggest competitors.
Taiichi OhnoRead
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