The Theory of Constraints was first promulgated over a decade
ago by a little-known Israeli physicist named Eliyahu Goldratt.
Goldratt laid out the theory's principles and practices in a
1986 book called The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
(North River Press) that was part fictional novel and part
management manual. The quirky book became an international
bestseller and spawned a global group of admirers.
Today, there are numerous Theory of Constraints (TOC) books,
including several follow-up titles by Goldratt. Selling TOC videos,
audiocassette courses and seminars is booming business. Followers
include the likes of Ford, Intel and Bethlehem Steel, as well as
several large branches of the government.
Despite its broad popularity, constraint management seems more
than a little strange on first acquaintance. While almost any
management theory has its unique jargon, TOC's strikes many as
especially odd. For instance, managers who have completed a
two-week course are referred to as "Jonahs," after the
protagonist of The Goal. Consultants specializing in TOC
commonly put the label after their names, much the same way doctors
describe themselves as MDs.
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Much of the rest of TOC is populated by such curious terms.
Goldratt uses one tool called an "Evaporating Cloud."
Another special diagram is labeled a "Reality Tree," with
leaves, branches, a trunk and roots.
Even fans acknowledge that the profusion of odd jargon, coupled
with the exceedingly high regard in which adherents hold the
charismatic Goldratt, smack of a management cult. That oddball
tinge is a significant barrier to widespread acceptance.
Individuals and some organizations are trying to bring TOC into
the mainstream by sponsoring symposiums, publishing practical
manuals and, in some cases, actively distancing themselves from
TOC's roots.
"We think terms like 'Jonah' don't do the
concept well," explains John Covington, who once led Jonah
classes for Goldratt's TOC institute before founding a TOC
consulting firm, Chesapeake Consulting Inc., in Severna Park,
Maryland. "Our firm has tried to make an effort to de-cultize
this thing."
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