--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Toyota Production System—which in the…" description: "\"“Toyota Production System—which in the United States would become known as “lean manufacturing”—relied on pushing decision making to the lowest possibl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/charles-duhigg-1088_assembly-line_toyota-production-system-which-in-the-un_1495907.png" --- # Toyota Production System—which in the United States would… ![“Toyota Production System—which in the United States would become known as “lean manufacturing”—relied on pushing decision making to the lowest possible level. Workers on the assembly line were the ones who saw problems first. They were closest to the glitches that were inevitable in any…” quote by Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/charles-duhigg-1088_assembly-line_toyota-production-system-which-in-the-un_1495907.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/charles-duhigg-1088_assembly-line_toyota-production-system-which-in-the-un_1495907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/charles-duhigg-1088_assembly-line_toyota-production-system-which-in-the-un_1495907.png) > ““Toyota Production System—which in the United States would become known as “lean manufacturing”—relied on pushing decision making to the lowest possible level. Workers on the assembly line were the ones who saw problems first. They were closest to the glitches that were inevitable in any manufacturing process.”” [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empowering frontline workers to solve problems speeds up improvement and reduces bottlenecks. **In simple terms:** Give decision power to those closest to the work. Key Takeaway Let workers fix issues directly. Themes empowerment continuous improvement lean manufacturing Mood practical analytical Type business process management When to use this quote - assembly line - product development - service operations - software debugging Key Concepts Systems thinking decentralized decision making Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure workers have the skills to decide? - What safeguards prevent poor decisions? A Different Perspective If workers lack training, decentralization can cause inconsistent solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assembly line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assembly-line/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lean/) [Lean manufacturing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lean-manufacturing/) [Manufacturing Relied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manufacturing-relied-5472780/) [Toyota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toyota/) [Toyota Production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toyota-production-559699/) ## Related quotes > [We have to grasp not only the Know-How but also 'Know Why', if we want to master the Toyota Production System.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeo-shingo/we-have-to-grasp-not-only-the-know-how-but-also-know-why-if-we-want/) [Shigeo Shingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeo-shingo/) > [Many good American companies have respect for individuals, and practice Kaizen and other TPS {Toyota Production System} tools. But what is important is having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fujio-cho/many-good-american-companies-have-respect-for-individuals-and/) [Fujio Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fujio-cho/) > [“The Toyota Production System can be realized only when all the workers become tortoises. (Ohno, 1988)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-k-liker/the-toyota-production-system-can-be-realized-only-when-all-the/) [Jeffrey K. Liker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-k-liker/) > [The Toyota style is not to create results by working hard. It is a system that says there is no limit to people's creativity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiichi-ohno/the-toyota-style-is-not-to-create-results-by-working-hard-it-is-a/) [Taiichi Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiichi-ohno/) > [Why not make the work easier and more interesting so that people do not have to sweat? The Toyota style is not to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliyahu-m-goldratt/why-not-make-the-work-easier-and-more-interesting-so-that-people-do/) [Eliyahu M. Goldratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliyahu-m-goldratt/) > [All we are doing is looking at the time line, from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiichi-ohno/all-we-are-doing-is-looking-at-the-time-line-from-the-moment-the/) [Taiichi Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiichi-ohno/) > [“Chaos is NOT a condition of doing business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-martin/chaos-is-not-a-condition-of-doing-business/) [Karen Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-martin/) > [There are various non-statistical tools that have been typically developed by lean companies, notably by Toyota for minimizing variability in production, such as standardization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaaki-imai/there-are-various-non-statistical-tools-that-have-been-typically/) [Masaaki Imai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaaki-imai/) > [Lean thinking defines value as providing benefit to the customer; anything else is waste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/lean-thinking-defines-value-as-providing-benefit-to-the-customer/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-martin/when-everything-is-a-priority-nothing-is-a-priority/) [Karen Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-martin/) > [Learning to see waste and systematically eliminate it has allowed lean companies such as Toyota to dominate entire industries. Lean thinking defines value as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/learning-to-see-waste-and-systematically-eliminate-it-has-allowed/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“Chaos is the enemy of any organization the strives to be outstanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-martin/chaos-is-the-enemy-of-any-organization-the-strives-to-be-outstanding/) [Karen Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-martin/) > [“Our own attitude is that we are charged with discovering the best way of doing everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-graban/our-own-attitude-is-that-we-are-charged-with-discovering-the-best-way/) [Mark Graban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-graban/) > [“If you want engagement, you must engage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-martin/if-you-want-engagement-you-must-engage/) [Karen Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-martin/) > [“Second, they free up capital for more-productive uses. Toyota’s production system, for example, allowed the automaker to operate with two months’—rather than two years’—worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/second-they-free-up-capital-for-more-productive-uses-toyota-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Charles Duhigg > [“If you want to stop smoking, ask yourself, do you do it because you love nicotine, or because it provides a burst of stimulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/if-you-want-to-stop-smoking-ask-yourself-do-you-do-it-because-you/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“What matters are five key norms,” he told the audience. Teams need to believe that their work is important. Teams need to feel their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/what-matters-are-five-key-norms-he-told-the-audience-teams-need-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [America has always had an apocalyptic strain. Yet it also seems to believe that if, or when, The End comes, it will still come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-has-always-had-an-apocalyptic-strain-yet-it-also-seems-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Bromates are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, but officials are required to test for them only when water leaves a treatment plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/bromates-are-regulated-by-the-safe-drinking-water-act-but-officials/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [America is the Saudi Arabia of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-is-the-saudi-arabia-of-coal/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. Left”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/habits-scientists-say-emerge-because-the-brain-is-constantly-looking/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Between calculated risk and reckless decision-making lies the dividing line between profit and loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/between-calculated-risk-and-reckless-decision-making-lies-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Older Americans are perfect telemarketing customers, analysts say, because they are often at home, rely on delivery services, and are lonely for the companionship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/older-americans-are-perfect-telemarketing-customers-analysts-say/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits - practical, emotional, and intellectual - systematically organized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/all-our-life-so-far-as-it-has-definite-form-is-but-a-mass-of-habits/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Someday soon, say predictive analytics experts, it will be possible for companies to know our tastes and predict our habits better than we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/someday-soon-say-predictive-analytics-experts-it-will-be-possible-for/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“I love Paul O'Neill, but you could not pay me enough to work for him again" one official told me. "the man has never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/i-love-paul-o-neill-but-you-could-not-pay-me-enough-to-work-for-him/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“THE FRAMEWORK: • Identify the routine • Experiment with rewards • Isolate the cue • Have a plan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/the-framework-identify-the-routine-experiment-with-rewards-isolate/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Barium, which is commonly found in power plant waste and scrubber wastewater, has been linked to heart problems and diseases in other organs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/barium-which-is-commonly-found-in-power-plant-waste-and-scrubber/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [A movement starts because of the social habits of friendship and the strong ties between close acquaintances. It grows because of the habits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/a-movement-starts-because-of-the-social-habits-of-friendship-and-the/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“In some sense, he said, a community was a giant collection of habits occurring among thousands of people that, depending on how they’re influenced,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/in-some-sense-he-said-a-community-was-a-giant-collection-of-habits/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) [Explore all 293 Charles Duhigg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## More Assembly line quotes > [Now, I love a good factory tour. Drop me into a bottling plant, an automotive assembly line, or a jellybean factory, and I'm happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-randolph/now-i-love-a-good-factory-tour-drop-me-into-a-bottling-plant-an/) [Marc Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-randolph/) > [“CRUNCH! Izzy jumped off the bench, which made Alex laugh all over again. “Chill out.” He pointed at a cloud of smoke. “Look, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/crunch-izzy-jumped-off-the-bench-which-made-alex-laugh-all-over-again/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [Historical fact: People stopped being people in 1913. That was the year Henry Ford put his cars on rollers and made his workers adopt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/historical-fact-people-stopped-being-people-in-1913-that-was-the-year/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I thought it was a stroke of genius that Hans Selye used the word stress, because it's true that if you don't know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/i-thought-it-was-a-stroke-of-genius-that-hans-selye-used-the-word/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [“That done, I sank into an uneasy sleep wherein I dreamed of an assembly line of pale, bloodless girls walking down an endless dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-rice/that-done-i-sank-into-an-uneasy-sleep-wherein-i-dreamed-of-an/) [Jeff Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-rice/) > [The bottom line is more tax money is going to be needed. Just how much will be the primary issue on the agenda when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-gumbel/the-bottom-line-is-more-tax-money-is-going-to-be-needed-just-how-much/) [Bryant Gumbel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-gumbel/) > [All the ideas in the universe can be described by words. Therefore, if you simply take all the words and rearrange them randomly enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-the-ideas-in-the-universe-can-be-described-by-words-therefore-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mr Edison gave America just what was needed at that moment in history. They say that when people think of me, they think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/mr-edison-gave-america-just-what-was-needed-at-that-moment-in-history/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [There have been some medical schools in which somewhere along the assembly line, a faculty member has informed the students, not so much by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/there-have-been-some-medical-schools-in-which-somewhere-along-the/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [Most of today's film actresses are typical of a mass-production age: living dolls who look as if they came off an assembly line and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-lawrenson/most-of-today-s-film-actresses-are-typical-of-a-mass-production-age/) [Helen Lawrenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-lawrenson/) > [I feel like a defective model, like I came off the assembly line flat-out fucked and my parents should have taken me back for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-like-a-defective-model-like-i-came-off-the-assembly-line-flat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I had been at an assembly line for films, I don't know if I would be the best driver. I think I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/if-i-had-been-at-an-assembly-line-for-films-i-don-t-know-if-i-would/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Neither an assembly line nor a stock market nor an oil well did it, simply what came from one small skull and that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/neither-an-assembly-line-nor-a-stock-market-nor-an-oil-well-did-it/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [My father worked on assembly lines in Detroit while I was growing up. 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