This paper contains a model of waste elimination through design. It argues for the importance of managing design complexity in improving cost, quality, variety, and time--to--market performance variables. Management of design complexity is identified with creation, choice, and application of design problem representations, divisions of design labor, and product architectures that provably eliminate waste. The paper's thesis is illustrated with a comparison of Toyota's technology strategy (based on waste elimination) to that of General Motors (based on frontier--shifting investment).
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Find related papers by JEL classification: C69 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods and Programming - - - Other D20 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - General L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production O32 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D M19 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Business Administration - - - Other
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