In manufacturing, intense pressure to accelerate output can tempt leaders to take shortcuts that degrade quality. However the Toyota Production System provides a powerful example of why slowing down to fix problems systematically yields better products, innovation and outcomes in the long run.
The High Costs of Rushing
Pushing assembly line workers for maximum productivity leads to predictable negative consequences:
Product quality is compromised as validation steps get skipped to speed up throughput. Eliminating safety and quality checks results in products that break sooner and cause harm. Remediating issues late in the process becomes exponentially more expensive.
Employee morale and retention fall as people are treated like cogs rather than respected experts. Loss of skilled talent then reduces overall craftsmanship and institutional know-how. Hastened work breeds fatigue, frustration, and burnout among employees.
Band-aid solutions create enormously expensive failures down the road. Customers who receive poor quality products lose trust. Companies suffer massive costs remediating or replacing defective products, often after much damage is already done. Entire product lines get scrapped or recalled.
Brand reputation suffers for years when customers experience the results of cutting corners. Regaining consumer trust after releasing shoddy products is difficult, if not impossible. The race to market has long-term impacts on stock value and competitiveness.
Toyota's "Andon Cord" Fosters Quality
Toyota empowers any assembly line worker to stop the entire line by pulling a cord (called an Andon cord) if they spot a defect or improvement opportunity. Work ceases until the team swarms to address the root cause, implement countermeasures, and validate solutions - thereby preventing future recurrence and enhancing overall system resilience.
While this may temporarily slow output, it builds collective mastery, pride, and quality assurance. Workers gain autonomy to perfect processes, not just comply with quotas. They develop expertise in root cause analysis and creative problem solving.
Enabling frontline workers to halt production reflects Toyota’s core belief that quality must never be sacrificed for speed. They understand that defects become exponentially more expensive to fix the longer they go undetected. Catching issues at source prevents gigantic downstream costs.
Shortcuts Reflect Lack of Systems Thinking
Leaders who pressure teams to bypass steps, overlook anomalies, and rush through issues demonstrate deficient systems thinking skills. They fail to comprehend interdependencies or long-term ripple effects.
In complex manufacturing systems, seemingly small changes can cascade catastrophically. For example, adding a single bolt hole to the wrong place can render an entire airplane fuselage useless. Allowing time to correct course prevents massive future expenses.
Short-term thinking invariably backfires. As Sidney Dekker explains, “Meeting your schedule and budget today is no guarantee for meeting your schedule and budget tomorrow. Sacrificing resilience for short-term efficiency is dangerous.”
Developing Systems Thinking as a Leader
As awareness grows about systems thinking, many leaders recognize the need to adopt more holistic mental models but struggle to implement them. Old habits are hard to break.
If these concepts resonate but you need help applying them in your context, I offer coaching services tailored to developing systemic wisdom as a leader. Some common focus areas include:
Mapping complex interdependencies between teams, processes, and metrics
Facilitating root cause analysis when problems occur rather than blame
Identifying latent systemic risks before they become crises
Embedding leading indicators and early warning systems
Encouraging frontline worker expertise and feedback
Incentivizing long-term thinking not just quarterly results
Let's explore how developing systems mastery could transform your organization and avoid painful pitfalls. Reach out to begin the journey - sustainable success starts with a single step.