ABSTRACT
Ohno acknowledges the contribution of Taylor’s ‘scientific management’ to his work which aligns very closely with the ‘machine’ view of organisations potentially having the same limitations, particularly a reliance on the ‘rightness’ of the designer of the organisation. Ohno might be thought of as Shaw’s ‘unreasonable man’ by adapting the world to himself rather than adapting himself to the world. In addition to ‘demand-pull’, the assumption that ‘multi-kind, small quantity’, just-in-time production is more cost-effective over time was the fundamental operating difference between Toyota and its competitors. The current situation suggests that, at least for now, Ohno was right. Whilst effective, trained workers are recognised by Ohno as fundamental to success; he clearly sees them as necessary rather than desirable – and their contribution, whilst perhaps wider than their Western equivalents, is constrained to their own working area. The customer requirements are shifting. In the medium to long term this may threaten employment numbers throughout the world.
