A Historical Path of the Systems

Abstract

In the first years of the 20th century the famous entrepreneur Henry Ford used to say, half serious, half joking, that “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black” and “What doesn’t exist cannot break” (referring to a car’s optional features). Considering the interruption of the markets development due to the two world wars, in 1960s and 1970s companies all over the world found themselves doing business in a sort of calm sea where the route wasn’t difficult to choose. The consumers requested products they did not have which could significantly improve their daily lives and for marketing managers it was relatively simple to satisfy their needs. The post-war generation, for example, used the moped as means of transport, but for obvious reasons desired a car.

This section is adapted from the first chapter of the book: Chiarini A (2012) Lean Organization, from the Tools of the Toyota Production System to Lean Office. Springer, London.