I have a difficult time (sometimes) getting managers and workers to get past a manufacturing mindset that attends only to productivity and efficiency.  I know lots of managers would ask, "Why in the world would we want to get past that sort of thinking?  That's what it's all about!"

Here are the problems with the "efficiency and productivity" paradigm:

1. It encourages running fast rather than running steady,
2. It encourages running lots of rather than just enough of,
3. It encourages compensation and reward systems based on "lots of stuff, fast" rather than "just the right amount of stuff, good",
4. It seems to encourage finger pointing rather than problem solving (I don't know why this should be so but have you ever seen a plant where a strong "productivity and efficiency" mindset existed that didn't also have a lot of finger pointing?)
5. It doesn't encourage good preventive maintenance, good training, consistent work practice, teamwork, continuous improvement, good information flow, or good planning (Again, it's a mystery why this should be so.  But it is, in my experience.)

What should replace the "efficiency and productivity" mindset?  A "low variability, smooth flow" mind set.  The big question is not "How fast can we run more parts?"  It's "Can we set up tooling, run just what's needed, change the tooling, and run just what's needed again without any problems or delays? And can we do that over and over again?"