My job recently sent me through two weeks of Lean Six Sigma training, and it reminded me of this 1986 movie. Michael Keaton stars as the American foreman of a Japanese car manufacturer [Toyota] that acquires a Pennsylvania factory. A culture clash follows between the Japanese executives and the American workers. In the end, the American workers show they can work hard to produce just as much as the best Japanese factory.
I remember it as one of the movies that sparked my fascination with Japan, but now -- after a pair of business degrees, a few years of Japanese glasses, and some Six Sigma training -- I find it irritating.
The movie's feel-good ending comes as a result of hard work, unpaid overtime, cut corners, and management largesse. It's the exact opposite of what made Toyota successful in the real world: a focus on quality, waste reduction, and management/worker cooperation.
The writers came up with a good narrative, but it wasn't by "working hard" that the Japanese got ahead so much as "working smart," and by constantly improving things over a long period.
If you want a happy story, the movie's OK, but if you're looking for some real-world management tips, here's a better source: [Link]
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