Comments on Lean Blog: Updated: GM Shows "Standard Work" to Journalists?

Dave - You're right, I hold GM (and Toyota) to ver...

2007-07-29T14:53:00.000-05:00

Dave - You're right, I hold GM (and Toyota) to very high standard. The standard to measure anyone against is the goal of perfection. Does Toyota always practice what it preaches? No. But, we can't let "Toyota isn't perfect" be an excuse for not getting better ourselves. So, will I continue to hold GM to high standards? Of course.

Mark,I did see your follow up post and I also your...

2007-07-29T12:45:00.000-05:00

Mark,

I did see your follow up post and I also your response about GM not understanding Standardized Work the same way that Toyota does.

Having listened in on two Webinar sessions with an ex-Toyota manager and Dr. Liker, they both stressed that Toyota's system has been evolving for over 50 years and has had at times to "get back to the basics" during that journey. That also applies to Standardized Work.

Your measurement stick seems to be an idealized concept that Toyota doesn' always achieve.

As a Lean Leader, the measurement is if improvement is being made and the rate of improvement is fast enough.

Dave

Dave-Thanks for the comment and the elaboration on...

2007-07-12T12:48:00.000-05:00

Dave-

Thanks for the comment and the elaboration on the kaizen aspect of the training. Did you see the follow up post where I tried to correct the record, that GM is indeed teaching kaizen along with standard work?

Having taken the GMS class, I can give you some in...

2007-07-12T08:44:00.000-05:00

Having taken the GMS class, I can give you some insight. With anything new their has to be a starting point. The initial standardized work is put in place as that starting point. Just as Toyota would do with their Team Leaders on a new model. As the Team Members learn their operations, they would then use their experience to eliminate the waste. This is a continous improvement activity and that is why there are 3 rounds of building the product, integrating the improvements into the system. It is a snapshot into the way the system works. It is the elementary course to get a basic concept established as a baseline for everyone to remember. It is mandatory training for all GM Salaried Manufacturing employees. I had to make sure that my tema and I attended and I have participated in over 50 kaizen events. The use of Standardized Work coupled with the other tools in a Lean Toolbox, has helped GM reduce the variation in the builds and improve the first time quality.

Will a one shot event get the message across? Hardly. It is a start though. Did GM or the reporters blow it? If the proper message wasn't received then we at GM need to improve so that it will be.

Several years ago, Toyota annouced their in plant operator training centers to reinforce standardized work into their workforce. Obviously they did that in response to a problem of having their workforce not following standardized work. Where were your comments then?

I don't know if they're "that bad", but if the GM ...

2007-06-17T11:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know if they're "that bad", but if the GM folks understood Standard Work the way Toyota does and they were trying to get a news article out of it, they should have made sure the reporters got the true story about standard work, kaizen, and employee involvement.

Either GM has it wrong or the reporters blew it. You decide.

Hmmm, perhaps they should stick to shooting basket...

2007-06-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, perhaps they should stick to shooting basketball and folding t-shirts ... check out my recent standard work post [http://tinyurl.com/2wgvs5]

Rob

Do you really think GM is THAT bad? I'm guessing ...

2007-06-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

Do you really think GM is THAT bad? I'm guessing the reporters didn't really understand what they're saying and reported part of the story that made sense to them. Why keep bashing GM?

So I'm thinking about buying a GM car and I read t...

2007-06-16T09:46:00.000-05:00

So I'm thinking about buying a GM car and I read this article... you mean GM workers were NOT following instructions in previous decades? Holy schnickes.

Does GM still have that far to go to catch up to Toyota? Cripes.

What on earth are they talking about? The precise ...

2007-06-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

What on earth are they talking about? The precise definition of work--the idea of "the one best way"--dates from Taylor, Ford, and the Gilbreths. It is a century old. Did they really present this to journalists as some kind of innovation, and did the journalists really believe them?

To the extent that this GM hype means anything at all, it must mean standardization *across* assembly plants as well as *within* an assembly plant. But is this really a good idea, when carried to the micro level? How does it interact with worker suggestions? If the people at the Podunk plant come up with an idea, are they forbidden to implement it until it is approved by some global authority and also implemented at the Atlanta plant, the Birmingham plant, and the Mexico City plant?