MIT Sloan Management Review

Companies that pursue a number of improvement initiatives at once risk creating information overload for employees.

To manage relationships with subordinates, colleagues, bosses and others, executives first need to know how to classify those people accurately.

What can the plant manager at a Japanese soy sauce producer teach us about reengineering? In this case study, the authors describe Toshio Okuno’s five techniques for managing major changes in his company. By focusing first on changing people’s attitudes toward change and encouraging them to be creative, Okuno brought about significant improvements in processes and results. And the managers and workers, rather than reengineering consultants, began to propose ideas for change. Okuno’s techniques work as an integrated system that allow his company to innovate continuously and present many lessons for making change fun.