Lessons from the Learning Curve Part 2 of Out of the Box: Overcoming Our Mind Set Legacies

Developed by Dr. T.P. Wright in 1936, learning curves projected World War II production capacities. Afterward they became standard in the aircraft industry. In defense contracting, an expected learning rate is often factored into negotiations. However, learning curves seemingly made little impact on manufacturing progress in aviation or elsewhere. The history of the learning curve illustrates our 20th century mindset in North American manufacturing, a mindset whose time should have gone, but that is too deeply embedded to easily dislodge.