What Jonah also made clear to Alex is that the old formula ("economical batch quantity" - EBQ) has "a number of flawed assumptions underlying it (232). And therefore, by using the newer strategy - of reducing batch sizes by 50 per cent - it has meant (233) faster delivery, more sales, shorter lead times, and the ability to increase bonuses because sales are up.
The good news too is that (235) by making the adjustments - changing from the old way of doing things to more efficient strategies - Alex's plant is now ale to predict "to within twenty-four hours one way or the other" exactly when an order will be shipped out from the plant.
Conclusion
Much of what Jonah has taught Alex, and in turn Alex has taught his staff, involves a new kind of strategy and a more logical formula for success and profit. but, in conclusion, it should also be noted that what Jonah has shared (318) - which has helped Alex turn his plant around, and even helped him turn his personal life around - has been "much more than techniques." It has involved a "thinking process"; Jonah asked Alex "not to develop the management techniques" necessarily, but rather to "determine what they should be." So it can be safely assumed that what the mentor needs to teach the student is how to think; hence, problems can be solved.
Also, by thinking things...
Indeed, the book revolves around the process of first looking at what is going on now, and then looking at what should be going on instead, and thinking it all carefully through, to become more productive and profitable.
On page 332, it is mentioned that the strength of a chain is determined "by the weakest link"; and therefore, when one sees the company needs improvement, the organization first must look to find the weakest link. That said, Alex still needs to learn to identify the "core problem," and so the discussion takes the form of deciding what Alex should ask Jonah to teach him next. The larger question for readers is, what should be asked of those who are leaders, in terms of accepting changes that will lead to better strategies and more success in the workplace? "I must learn these thinking processes," Alex states on page 337, and "only then will I know that I'm doing my job." This line of thinking has applications for future books and future strategies to help companies find more effective and cost-saving ways of doing business.
Works Cited
Goldratt, Eliyahu, and Cox, Jeff. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement. New Haven,
CT: North River Press, 1992.
