a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty

Toyota "andon" cord lets any worker stop production to fix defects

TL;DR; Giving teams tools like Scrum events or defect reporting only works if you also create a culture where people feel safe to speak up and address problems. Without psychological safety and genuine empowerment, process changes alone will not lead to real improvement. Development managers should focus on building trust and openness so teams feel comfortable raising issues.

Published on
1 minute read
Image
https://nkdagility.com/resources/BIT0P3MRDj9
Subscribe

In manufacturing, Toyota introduced the “andon” cord, a simple chain any worker could pull to stop the entire line if they saw a defect.

When American car companies copied the idea, they installed the cord… but workers were too afraid to pull it.

The tool was there. The empowerment was not.

The same failure happens in Agile and Scrum adoptions every day.

Installing Scrum Events without building a culture of transparency and continuous improvement is cargo cult thinking. You’re copying the tool without the ethos.

Scrum is not your safety net. Your culture is.

If you punish people for raising issues, don’t be surprised when they stop speaking up.

How safe is it in your organisation to pull the metaphorical andon cord?

Also published on: LinkedIn
Smart Classifications

Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.

Subscribe

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

Sage Logo

Sage

Alignment Healthcare Logo

Alignment Healthcare

Hubtel Ghana Logo

Hubtel Ghana

Kongsberg Maritime Logo

Kongsberg Maritime

Freadom Logo

Freadom

Deliotte Logo

Deliotte

Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company) Logo

Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company)

Lean SA Logo

Lean SA

Schlumberger Logo

Schlumberger

ProgramUtvikling Logo

ProgramUtvikling

Genus Breeding Ltd Logo

Genus Breeding Ltd

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd Logo

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd. Logo

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.

Microsoft Logo

Microsoft

DFDS Logo

DFDS

Big Data for Humans Logo

Big Data for Humans

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG) Logo

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG)

YearUp.org Logo

YearUp.org

Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Ghana Police Service Logo

Ghana Police Service

Royal Air Force Logo

Royal Air Force

Washington Department of Transport Logo

Washington Department of Transport

Washington Department of Enterprise Services Logo

Washington Department of Enterprise Services

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation Logo

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation

Freadom Logo

Freadom

Lockheed Martin Logo

Lockheed Martin

ALS Life Sciences Logo

ALS Life Sciences

Workday Logo

Workday

Trayport Logo

Trayport