Behind the learning curve: Linking learning activities to waste reduction

This exploratory research on a decade of Total Quality Management in one fa ctory opens up the black box of the learning curve. Based on the organizati onal learning literature, we derive a quality learning curve that links dif ferent types of learning in quality improvement projects to the evolution o f the factory's waste rate. Only 25% of the quality improvement projects-wh ich acquired both know-why and know-how-accelerated waste reduction. The ot her 75% of the projects either impeded or did not affect waste reduction. I n complex and dynamic production environments, locally acquired knowledge i s difficult to disseminate. The combination of know-why and know-how facili tates its dissemination.