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I have been resisting writing about the Toyota case because so little is actually know about the defect itself, and cause and effect isn’t clear. But I have been getting enough questions about it. I don’t think this changes anything about Toyota’s success. They still have dramatically fewer recalls than others. And of course no one that knows lean would say they were anything close to perfect.

I did write up some of my thoughts and lessons in observing the story on my blog here: http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2010/02/the-fall-of-the-mighty-toyota/
.-= Jamie Flinchbaugh´s last blog ..The Fall of the Mighty Toyota =-.

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http://leanjourneytruenorth.blogspot.com/2010/02/lean-roundup-toyota-recall.html

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Unfortunately today you have to totally idiot proof everything or face being sued. The end result is that although Toyota could have changed the pedal design, the vehicle was never supposed to last for ever or not need to be maintain. People that panic instead of reacting to a situation get themselves into trouble other people handle with ease. The real solution lies in people becoming better drivers and using their brain when something goes wrong.

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We in the real world soon forget most of their genius suggestions, before we finish reading the page.

Only the truly committed should get envolved in Lean, trying to do it half way leads to GM. Toyota has done what they needed to and more than most of their competition would do. In the end they will come out of it stronger then ever.

Being in the Canadian food industry most of my working life. I have seen two major recalls work out to the companies benefit. First Nestle recalled a lot of baby formula publicly when they knew that not a single can had left their warehouse. They opted to put the safety of babies ahead of profit. Their reward was a double digit increase in marketshare. Maple Leaf had a problem, they identified it, solved it, and showd it to everyone. The end result is that they are still the biggest player in the field, and they retained their share of the market.

People accept their will be problems, after all businesses are run by humans (and we are all less than perfect). Customers want to see how you react to problems, Toyota, like both Nestle, and Maple Leaf, reacted in favour of the consumer. Only enterprises that perpetually deny their problem lose customer respect and marketshare.

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As far as the cultural elements and root cause analysis, I am assuming many of you remember the floor mat recall for many of the same vehichles. In my mind I can see Toyota hearing of the gas pedal thing, looking into it and finding that the floor mat can cause the stuck accelerator issue. This is a repeatable cause, that will cause the same symptoms. Root cause #1 found and countermeasures in place. Then people continue to have the problem, so there is another root cause to the “same” problem. Just imagine what you would do if you were in Toyota’s place, it would be super frustrating, but what could you have done to prevent it? If they are producing the accelerator modules to spec, and they are working fine for years only to find out that occasionally less than 1% doesn’t work right, how could they have foreseen this or prevented this? I don’t know the answers, and I don’t know if the numbers etc. are correct, but this is how I see it in my mind. I don’t think that this is a “lean” failure by any means, and I don’t think it shows that Toyota’s system is broken, or that Toyota needs to make drastic changes. I would ask as practitioners and change agents, what can we learn from this?

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I strive to remain mindful of the fact that every “news organization” is a business. Those businesses are all trying to make money by reporting what is “new”, not necessarily what is true. If they can sell advertising consistently, usually by demonstrating that people will access their medium, then they will succeed. I first learned this lesson when I was at the scene of “breaking news” in the 80′s while deployed to the Sixth Fleet. I was puzzled, but amused at the “news” that came out of the event.

I’ve recently faced numerous challenges to my advocacy of Crew Resource Management principles and techniques as a logical extension of lean thinking, mostly due to the Northwest (Delta) Airlines overfly of Minneapolis. “If this stuff is so good, then why can’t the pilots find the airport where they’re supposed to land?”

Similar to the issue at hand, the remarks are largely based upon fear, envy, or ignorance. The simple answer is that CRM actually made this event a non-event (zero fatalities, injuries, damage, and very few itinerary delays) because the flight attendant knew it was her job to call the cockpit and question something that didn’t seem normal, thereby alerting the cockpit crew that they were logging extra flight time.

While I am merely an initiate when it comes lean thinking and methodology (though I’ll be getting smarter in the next two days thanks to Mark), I have to believe that Toyota will return to the tools, systems, and thinking that have served them well over the past 60 years. Those of you who are further down the road than me will know more, but wouldn’t A3 problem solving, “5 Why’s”, and a focus on what’s right, not who’s right be a significant part of the response?

I enjoy this blog, and especially the thoughtful comments from all of you because it increases my understanding. Thank you.

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That said, “lean” is not just engineering tools, but also a management system. Hospitals are embracing both pieces of this equation.

Hospitals are often lacking in both categories: 1) basic process engineering and 2) having any semblance of a management “system.” So lean is helpful and hearing of the success from other hospitals inspires them to improve. This is mostly a good thing.

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