JIT: a way to get strategic results from the shop floor

Abstract

Just-in-Time (JIT) is a proven management innovation which is assuming international importance for achieving industrial excellence. It is necessary to understand JIT for improving the efficacy of our own industrial policy and management. Yet JIT seems to have been virtually ignored by Indian authors so far. Thomas argues that Indian industry must not develop a blindspot to important management innovations originating abroad. He introduces JIT, summarizes its main elements, and discusses the way it gets strategic results from the shop floor. Thomas feels that JIT enables top management to push strategic thinking to all parts of the organization thus linking day to day actions of all employees with the top management's long term strategies.