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Training Within Industry, by Donald Dinero, explores a crucial piece of a Lean initiative that has been overlooked throughout U.S. industry. The Training Within Industry (TWI) program — developed by the United States during World War II — has been used by Toyota for decades! This powerful program standardizes training processes and assists front-line supervisors in teaching new operations to workers quickly and effectively.
Dinero completely explores the history and application of the four modules that compose TWI:Job Instruction — in which employees are trained to perform their tasks as quickly as they are capable with minimal waste; Job Methods — in which employees are taught how to improve their processes using existing resources; Job Relations — in which personnel problems are solved in an analytical, non-emotional manner so that employees are focused on a stated objective; and Program Development — in which robust training plans are developed to meet the particular needs of a specific plant.
The TWI program can:
- Drive a culture change from one of mass production to one of Lean flow.
- Help transform autocratic organizations into learning organizations.
- Offer a simple analytical method for employees to take action, implement changes, and improve their jobs.
- Make learning stick because the participants learn by doing and demonstrate their skills through on-the-job applications.
Readers of Training Within Industry will see that standardized work imparts measurable continuous improvement because it sets a baseline. It establishes a framework for efficiency and innovation. In addition, the book includes a CD containing the text of original TWI bulletins issued by the U.S. government in the 1940s.
