The Goal: a process of Ongoing Improvement

trouble.’’
He looks me straight in the eye. He knows what’s going on, I’m thinking.
"But tell you what,’’ I hear myself saying, "I’ve got some time to kill. Why
don’t I walk you down to your plane? Would you mind?’’
"No, not at all,’’ he says. "But we have to hurry.’’
I get up and grab my coat and briefcase. My drink is sitting there. I take a
quick slurp off the top and abandon it. Jonah is already edging his way
toward the door. He waits for me to catch up with him. Then the two of us
step out into the corridor where people are rushing everywhere. Jonah sets off
at a fast pace. It takes an effort to keep up with him.
"I’m curious,’’ I tell Jonah, "what made you suspect something might be
wrong with my plant?’’
"You told me yourself,’’ Jonah says.
"No, I didn’t.’’
"Alex,’’ he says, "it was clear to me from your own words that you’re not
running as efficient a plant as you think you are. You are running exactly the
opposite. You are running a very 
in
efficient plant.’’
"Not according to the measurements,’’ I tell him. "Are you trying to tell me
my people are wrong in what they’re reporting . . . that they’re lying to me or
something?’’

---

"No,’’ he says. "It is very unlikely your people are lying to you. But your
measurements definitely are.’’
"Yeah, okay, sometimes we massage the numbers here and there. But
everybody has to play that game.’’
"You’re missing the point,’’ he says. "You 
think
you’re running an efficient
plant... but your thinking is wrong.’’
"What’s wrong with my thinking? It’s no different from the thinking of most
other managers.’’
"Yes, exactly,’’ says Jonah.
"What’s that supposed to mean?’’ I ask; I’m beginning to feel somewhat
insulted by this.
"Alex, if you’re like nearly everybody else in this world, you’ve accepted so
many things without question that you’re not really thinking at all,’’ says
Jonah.
"Jonah, I’m thinking all the time,’’ I tell him. "That’s part of my job.’’
He shakes his head.
"Alex, tell me again why you believe your robots are such a great
improvement.’’
"Because they increased productivity,’’ I say.
"And what is productivity?’’
I think for a minute, try to remember.
"According to the way my company is defining it,’’ I tell him, "there’s a
formula you use, something about the value added per employee equals....’’

---

Jonah is shaking his head again.
"Regardless of how your company defines it, that is not what productivity
really is,’’ he says. "Forget for just a minute about the formulas and all that,
and just tell me in your own words, from your experience, what does it mean
to be productive?’’
We rush around a corner. In front of us, I see, are the metal detectors and the
security guards. I had intended to stop and say good-bye to him here, but
Jonah doesn’t slow down.
"Just tell me, what does it mean to be productive?’’ he asks again as he walks
through the metal detector. From the other side he talks to me. "To
you
personally, what does it mean?’’
I put my briefcase on the conveyor and follow him through. I’m wondering,
what does he want to hear?
On the far side, I’m telling him, "Well, I guess it means that I’m
accomplishing something.’’
"Exactly!’’ he says. "But you are accomplishing something in terms of
what?’’
"In terms of goals,’’ I say.
"Correct!’’ says Jonah.
He reaches under his sweater into his shirt pocket and pulls out a cigar. He
hands it to me.
"My compliments,’’ he says. "When you are productive you are
accomplishing something in terms of your goal, right?’’
"Right,’’ I say as I retrieve my briefcase.
We’re rushing past gate after gate. I’m trying to match Jonah stride for stride.

---

And he’s saying, "Alex, I have come to the conclusion that productivity is the
act of bringing a company closer to its goal. Every action that brings a
company closer to its goal is productive. Every action that does not bring a
company closer to its goal is not productive. Do you follow me?’’
"Yeah, but . . . really, Jonah, that’s just simple common sense,’’ I say to him.
"It’s simple logic is what it is,’’ he says.
We stop. I watch him hand his ticket across the counter.
"But it’s too simplified,’’ I tell him. "It doesn’t tell me anything. I mean, if
I’m moving toward my goal I’m productive and if I’m not, then I’m not
productive—so what?’’
"What I’m telling you is, productivity is meaningless unless you know what
your goal is,’’ he says.
He takes his ticket and starts to walk toward the gate.
"Okay, then,’’ I say. "You can look at it this way. One of my company’s
goals is to increase efficiencies. Therefore, whenever I increase efficiencies,
I’m being productive. It’s logical.’’
Jonah stops dead. He turns to me.
"Do you know what your problem is?’’ he asks me.
"Sure,’’ I say. "I need better efficiencies.’’
"No, that is not your problem,’’ he says. "Your problem is you don’t know
what the goal is. And, by the way, there is only one goal, no matter what the
company.’’
That stumps me for a second. Jonah starts walking toward the gate again. It
seems everyone else has now gone on board. Only the two of us are left in the

---

waiting area. I keep after him.
"Wait a minute! What do you mean, I don’t know what the goal is? I know
what the goal is,’’ I tell him.
By now, we’re at the door of the plane. Jonah turns to me. The stewardess
inside the cabin is looking at us.
"Really? Then, tell me, what is the goal of your manufacturing
organization?’’ he asks.
"The goal is to produce products as efficiently as we can,’’ I tell him.
"Wrong,’’ says Jonah. "That’s not it. What is the real goal?’’ I stare at him
blankly.
The stewardess leans through the door.
"Are either of you going to board this aircraft?’’
Jonah says to her, "Just a second, please.’’ Then he turns to me. "Come on,
Alex! Quickly! Tell me the real goal, if you know what it is.’’
"Power?’’ I suggest.
He looks surprised. "Well... not bad, Alex. But you don’t get power just by
virtue of manufacturing something.’’
The stewardess is pissed off. "Sir, if you’re not getting on this aircraft, you
have to go back to the terminal,’’ she says coldly.
Jonah ignores her. "Alex, you cannot understand the meaning of productivity
unless you know what the goal is. Until then, you’re just playing a lot of
games with numbers and words.’’
"Okay, then it’s market share,’’ I tell him. "That’s the goal.’’

---

"Is it?’’ he asks.
He steps into the plane.
"Hey! Can’t you tell me?’’ I call to him.
"Think about it, Alex. You can find the answer with your own mind,’’ he
says.
He hands the stewardess his ticket, looks at me and waves good-bye. I raise
my hand to wave back and discover I’m still holding the cigar he gave me. I
put it in my suit jacket pocket. When I look up again, he’s gone. An impatient
gate-agent appears and tells me flatly she is going to close the door.

---

5
It’s a good cigar.
For a connoisseur of tobacco, it might be a little dry, since it spent several
weeks inside my suit jacket. But I 
sniff
it with pleasure during Peach’s big
meeting, while I remember that other, stranger, meeting with Jonah.
Or was it really more strange than this? Peach is up in front of us tapping the
center of a graph with a long wood pointer. Smoke whirls slowly in the beam
of the slide projector. Across from me, someone is poking earnestly at a
calculator. Everyone except me is listening intently, or jotting notes, or
offering comments.
". . . consistent parameters . . . essential to gain...matrix of
advantage...extensive pre-profit recovery . . . operational indices... provide
tangential proof. . . .’’
I have no idea what’s going on. Their words sound like a different language
to me—not a foreign language exactly, but a language I once knew and only
vaguely now recall. The terms seem familiar to me. But now I’m not sure
what they really mean. They are just words.