Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Toyota Way 2001

'The 'Toyota Way 2001' is an expression of the values and conduct guidelines that all employees should embrace -- this is the basic philosophy for working at Toyota' (Toyota Labour Union, 2001: 3).

The two pillars of the 'Toyota Way' are 'wisdom and kaizen (continuous improvement)' and 'respect for human nature'. The first has the following three components:

Challenge -- following a dream, upholding a vision, challenging with courage and creativity.

Improvement -- the continual pursuit of evolution and innovation, a ceaseless quest for improvement.

Genchi genbutsu -- 'to thoroughly understand a situation, go and see for yourself'; grasp essentials, come to swift agreement, make a decision and pursue implementation wholeheartedly.

The second pillar comprises the following two factors:

Respect -- respect for others, honestly striving for mutual understanding and fulfilling mutual responsibility.

Teamwork -- nurturing talent and gathering together individual abilities.

Toyota Production Systems: The 'Toyota Way' and Labour-Management Relations
Masaki Saruta. Asian Business & Management. Houndmills: Dec 2006. Vol. 5, Iss. 4;

Faculty of Management, Chukyo University, 101-2 Yagoto Honmachi, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi-ken 466-8666, Japan. E-mail: msaruta@mecl.chukyo-u.ac.jp

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