Working under these conditions produces constant change, putting high premium on managers' and team members' abilities to adjust to a dynamic environment. Empowering workers to stop the line was a radical change from the old GM plant. Team members still try to avoid stopping the line because their old beliefs and habits are hard to change. Managers, however, want to see the line stopped, because they have learned from Toyota that perfection is an unattainable goal and that it is the process that is important. Another principle that helps to reinforce a sense of interdependence is making performance data publicly visible.
Visible information keeps everyone abreast of changes and individual contribution is easily seen.
First, a force to induce change must lead any transformational effort. Existing beliefs that form an organization's culture are deeply embedded in humans' makeup. Because these beliefs help individuals make sense of their daily lives while directing their behavior, they are remarkably resistant to change. It was not until individuals learned that they would share fairly in the fruits of the company's success, that they could begin to embrace the system's principles and let go of old and dysfunctional beliefs. In light of the intractable nature of deeply-held beliefs, it is little wonder that it takes considerable force to induce change of this kind and to sustain it over time.