180 THETOYOTAWAYFIELDBOOK
(by workstation). It typically includes an audible alarm to signal and a
visual light to pinpoint location.
In many companies that try to implement an andon system, workers
have a difficult time admitting they need support. They are concerned
they will be held accountable. The leaders develop perceptions of workers
and their abilities based on how often they need support (the “good ones”
don’t stop the line so often). This is a critical juncture in culture develop-
ment. Leadership must develop the attitude that their role is to support
and ultimately find better methods so everyone can perform the work
effectively. If resentment develops by workers or by leaders, the andon
will become ineffective.
When the leader responds to the request for assistance he or she must
take over responsibility for the problem from the operator. The operator
explains the condition, and after the leader understands, the operator will
return to his or her regular regular duties. From here on out ownership of
the problem belongs to the leader for containment (permanent correction
of the problem cause may be a joint activity with the team).
3. Evaluate.When taking over responsibility, the first thing the leader must
do is evaluate the condition. Is this an isolated problem or a major prob-
lem? If the problem is contained or easily controlled (such as when an
operator fell behind) and the leader assumes responsibility, the first con-
sideration is to restart the line or perhaps intervene before the line actu-
ally stops. If the problem appears to be large or the source is unknown
(such as a quality problem that originates somewhere else), the line will
likely stop and stay stopped until the condition can be eliminated.
If the responding leader is unable to restart the line immediately, the
situation must be elevated further. Of course, you can see by now that this
repeated elevation cycle is based on predefined standards. For example,
the team leader will have so many minutes to try to identify and correct
the problem before he or she must elevate the situation to the group
leader. When the group leader responds, there is a time limit after which
she must notify the manager if the problem is not corrected. As the mag-
nitude of a problem increases, the level of elevation must also increase.
This ensures that larger problems receive the proper amount of attention,
and also that upper management is not called upon to deal with smaller
issues that can be handled by the appropriate leader. The role of man-
agement is to ensure that resources are available to correct problems
quickly, and that corrective action to prevent recurrence is taken.
4. Control.The first consideration is to keep the problem within station and
to ensure that the problem will not reach the customer. The leader would
