Enlightenment...

The early Industrial Engineers, Frederick Taylor and Lillian and Frank Gilbreth, helped to improve productivity, resulting in more and better products that enriched people’s lives. Advances in manufacturing gave us better living conditions with home appliances, automobiles, healthier foods and medicines, etc. At the same time it took the creativity from people’s work. Home life – after work life – was better, but work life had become boring, repetitious, and often hostile. We ask people to improve the quality of products and services but rarely, if ever, do we ask them to improve the quality of their work lives. The Toyota system is the light of positive change, with workers being asked for their creative ideas and being asked to participate in problem solving activities. By involving them in their jobs, we improve the quality of the products and the work environment.

- Norman Bodek, from his and Bill Waddell's excellent book, Rebirth of American Industry: A Study of Lean Management. If you want to learn more about taping the potential of American manufacturing thereby improving out economy, taking care of the environment, and improving people’s lives, check out Bill and Kevin Meyer’s blog, Evolving Excellence.