What would Ohno-san do?

Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990) is considered the father of the Toyota Production System. During nearly six decades at Toyota, Ohno-san, as he was respectfully referred to by colleagues and pupils, was the first to put management practices to work that have since become familiar in the West. Think Jidoka, Just-in-Time, Kanban and Kaizen. An industrial engineer by training, Ohno-san integrated lean principles into a system of flow and human accomplishment that encompassed Toyota?s suppliers and distributors. Ohno-san believed unwaveringly in his people?s ability to use their intellect and mastery for the purpose of solving problems of the shop floor, the company, and society at large.

About the editors: Niels Pflaeging is an entrepreneur, consultant, researcher, creator of socio-tech and practitioner of organizational transformation. Stefan Schmeing has over two decades of experience in risk, quality and sustainability management. He works for a Japanese trading company.

"Let the flow manage the processes, and not let management manage the flow." Taiichi Ohno