Writing for Reliable Plant magazine (how appropriate is that?), Lean Enterprise Institute founder Jim Womack offers insight into Toyota's management style. Womack says that ToMoCo solicit workers' opinions on job-related problems– like a lot of companies. But Toyota doesn't take the kvetching at face value. "They challenge the employees and enter into a dialogue about what the real problem is. (It’s rarely the problem showing on the surface.)" The semi-confrontational style continues through the search for solutions and a measure of success. "The manager challenges the employees every step of the way, asking for more thought, more facts and more discussion, when the employees just want[s] to implement their favored solution." Apparently, this shows Toyota's "respect" for its workers. Semantics aside, a comparison between two distribution centers lies at the heart of Womack's analysis. In plant A, "management was focused on controlling the workforce through individual metrics. Employees were told to get a given amount of work done but given considerable latitude on just how to do it." In plant B, "the management had worked with employees to create standard work for every task and had introduced visual control with status boards so everyone could see how everyone else was proceeding with their work." Guess which one was run by Toyota, and how and why Womack found it superior.
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Toyota taking a pragmatic approach? That’s novel(!) When will they take this style of thinking to their ailing reliablity?
It would help to know the history of how Toyota came to the point of being the quality leader and remember that without them we would still be mired with junk coming out of the big 2.? instead of the much improved vehicles they are making (for the most part) now. Detroit has been playing catch up for a lot of years (a lot more than it should have taken). Some one may actually overtake Toyota at some point tweaking the existing system or developing a new one. Maybe not. But lets not lose track of the fact that they led all of the other makes to this point. And anyone who appreciates reliability and quality in the autos have them to thank. And while there may be dents in the armor, no one has beaten them yet. Considering their growth, it is nothing short of remarkable. And I’m a Detroit guy!
Ralph is on the money. Course I donno why Toyota gets all the credit, the Honda plant in Ohio does pretty well too. And their quality rep isn’t tarnished these days.
I don’t know if Toyota’s much admired employee relations, which are somtimes given as reason for their success, would be acceptable in Europe and US. In Japan death from overwork is very common and at Toyota in their Japanese operations unpaid overtime is expected. People go into apoplexy if their Reeboks are made by 13 year olds, how would they feel knowing people died making their Prius?
In Japan, overtime is very common, not death from overwork. Unless you believe the recent article about the widow in Japan suing is reprsentative of deaths in Japan. Even in that article the guy worked 106 hrs overtime in a month. There are plenty of people in the US working those kind of hours. Uh, or at least that clocking in for that many.:)
You can’t foster creativity in an American auto plant w/out the Pointer Sisters blaring forth via loudspeakers. Again, this is a Toyota problem requiring the right Watanabe.
It hasn’t been “work yourself to death” in Japan for quite awhile – in fact there was a big issue with “lifers” in Japanese corporations having to deal with the fact that no, they didn’t actually have a job for life anymore with the current economy.
What there *is*, is a hell of a lot of pride in the work that’s done, and a real two-way street of respect, something that does not exist here in NA.
The confrontational attitude between workers and management is virtually nonexistent in Japan, in part because management realized long ago that 1) satisfied and motivated workers make better product, and 2) retraining due to churn sucks.
I think there is more of a worker bee mentality that corporations exploit in Japan that doesn’t exist in the US. I am no fan of the UAW but the Japanese worker should assert themselves more instead of giving in to the machine. Likewise the UAW could take a few lessons from the salarymen of Japan. It seems that Toyota is viewed as this monolithic legendary colossus that can do no wrong.
Interesting. From the article:
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Managers begin by asking employees what the problem is with the way their work is currently being done. Next, they challenge the employees’ answer and enter into a dialogue about what the real problem is. (It’s rarely the problem showing on the surface.)
Then, they ask what is causing this problem and enter into another dialogue about its root causes. (True dialogue requires the employees to gather evidence on the gemba – the place where value is being created – for joint evaluation.)
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This is pretty much what is described in “The Toyota Way” by Liker. When diagnosing a problem, one should ask “why” five times to get at the root cause. E.G., why did the machine stop? Because the bearing seized. Why did the bearing seize? Because it ran out of oil. Etc.
Another tenet is what Liker calls Principle 12: Go and see for yourself. And Principle 13 is “Make decisions slowly by consensus”.
Guess it really works.
Got to love Toyota!
They did to reliability what Volvo did for safety. But as other makers play catch-up and have IMHO reached almost the same level it frees us all up to buy their cars and not Toyotas!!!
I mean, really, from point A to B everybody is about the same today, so why not get any other car that, to the driver, conveys a better sense of beauty, pleasure or whatever than Toyota’s boring characteristics!
This is all the car maker’s paradox. As they improve very much in one area they have to outrun everybody else because everybody else catches up pretty quickly.