His premise insisted that disciplined observation would yield improved understanding, an application of a basic scientific principle. He believed, as any progressive must, in the possibility for a vastly improved future. That he chose to 'drive' his method when he could not convince others (workers and executives) of its goodness, says more about his personal desperation than it does about the utility of his ideas. One could say that the manufacturing miracle Toyota claims arose from a deeper reading of Taylor rather than a shift further away. Slip over here for more ...