Taiichi Ohno didn’t believe progress came from working harder or moving faster.
He believed it came from learning to see waste — the quiet inefficiencies hiding inside otherwise “busy” work.
That belief is what made the Toyota Production System so effective. Not hustle. Not heroics. Visibility.
Most teams don’t lack effort. They lack a shared way to recognize what isn’t adding value.
That’s why we created the Operational Waste & Efficiency Assessment — a practical audit based on the 8 Wastes framework, designed to help leaders identify where time, money, and energy are being consumed without moving the business forward.
👉 Access the Operational Waste & Efficiency Assessment here
Because improvement starts when waste becomes visible.
Taiichi Ohno on Waste, Efficiency, and Why Visibility Drives Real Improvement
Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System (TPS), revolutionized manufacturing and business processes with his pioneering ideas.
His philosophy and principles, including Kaizen’s focus on continuous improvement, have found applications beyond manufacturing, transforming the service industry as well.
Ohno’s profound insights into efficiency, waste reduction, and innovation continue to shape the way we approach work and problem-solving.
We explore 12 quotes by Taiichi Ohno, offering a glimpse into the mindset of a man whose ideas continue to inspire.
1. “Progress cannot be generated when we are satisfied with existing situations.”
Ohno challenges the status quo, emphasizing the importance of a restless pursuit of improvement.
2. “Having no problems is the biggest problem of all.”
Ohno highlights the paradox of stagnation masked as stability, urging us to recognize and address challenges for true progress.
Every problem is an opportunity. This profound wisdom from Toyota, often overlooked due to its long-term nature, emphasizes that operations are designed to be ongoing. There’s no endpoint where improvement is considered perfect because people and their needs evolve continuously. It challenges the notion of short-term benefits and encourages a perpetual commitment to enhancing lives and adapting to changing circumstances.
3. “Without standards, there can be no improvement.”
Ohno underscores the foundational role of standards in fostering a culture of continuous enhancement.
4. “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. People don’t go to Toyota to ‘work’ they go there to ‘think’.”
Ohno uses the metaphor of the tortoise and the hare to advocate for sustained, consistent effort over sporadic bursts of activity.
5. “All we are doing is looking at the timeline, from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point when we collect the cash. And we are reducing the timeline by reducing the non-value adding wastes.”
6. “Make your workplace into showcase that can be understood by everyone at a glance. In terms of quality, it means to make the defects immediately apparent. In terms of quantity, it means that progress or delay, measured against the plan, and is made immediately apparent. When this is done, problems can be discovered immediately, and everyone can initiate improvement plans.”
7. “Standards should not be forced down from above but rather set by the production workers themselves.”
8. “When you are out observing on the gemba, do something to help them. If you do, people will come to expect that you can help them and will look forward to seeing you again on the gemba.”
9. “No goal, regardless of how small can be achieved without adequate training.”
10. “The slower but consistent tortoise causes less waste and is more desirable than the speedy hare that races ahead and then stops occasionally to doze. The Toyota Production System can be realized only when all the workers become tortoises.”
11. “The key to the Toyota Way and what makes Toyota stand out is not any of the individual elements…But what is important is having all the elements together as a system. It must be practiced every day in a very consistent manner, not in spurts.”
Ohno’s emphasis on the holistic nature of the Toyota Way encourages organizations to view their operations as interconnected systems. By doing so, they can create a more resilient, adaptable, and continuously improving environment, fostering sustained success over the long term.
12. “The only place that work and motion are the same thing is the zoo where people pay to see the animals move around.”
Ohno playfully highlights the distinction between activity and meaningful work, urging us to avoid mindless motion such as fire drills in the workplace.
Taiichi Ohno’s quotes transcend the boundaries of manufacturing, offering timeless wisdom applicable to any domain that values innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
His legacy lives on through the principles he espoused, challenging us to rethink the way we work, solve problems, and pursue progress.
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Strategy Spotlight
Quick Win: The “Standard or Guess?” Test
Choose one recurring task your team performs every week.
The Rule: Ask a simple question: Is there a clear, documented standard for how this is done — or are people guessing?
The Result: You’ll quickly see where variation is creating friction, rework, or slowdowns. Clarity beats effort every time.
Progress doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from doing the same important things well — consistently.
Want to Work With Us?
Have you ever wondered how to actually get to the root of the problems in your business?
Or noticed that you’re constantly creating processes, but they don’t actually work?
In the Flowstate Workshop, we spend a full day breaking down the current state of your business so you gain real clarity on what’s happening and why. You’ll leave with an accurate picture of where things are breaking down and the confidence to solve problems and build processes that actually hold.
No guesswork. No surface-level fixes. Just clarity that makes improvement possible.
👉 Learn more about The Flowstate Workshop here
In your service,
Hilary Corna
