ABSTRACT
The most obvious example of holism in the Toyota Production System is the concept of teamwork. A central theme in teamwork is the idea of roles. In any social system, individuals have obligations toward a system in their environment. Roles create an environment in which there is an expectation that a person will perform a task correctly and on time. The discretion within the role creates an environment that is more consistent and predictable. Roles can be further understood by analyzing and dissecting its various components and interdependencies. Role theory and analysis involve an important area of study in understanding the nature of human behavior in organizations. Roles and job descriptions are often used to describe work in organizations. Roles have been described as behaviors and actions that people do and should total the behaviors of all human beings who perform that role in that context.
