Two article links, sent to me by a few readers:
Court: Toyota Employee Was Worked to Death
Widow of Toyota worker questions labor practices
At a first quick read, this seems like a “Japan problem” more so than a “Toyota problem.” But, even if that is the culture in Japan, where people work themselves to death (and the law/regulatory structure allows it to happen), shouldn't Toyota hold itself to a higher standard, given their “respect for people” ideal? Shouldn't we hold Toyota to a higher standard?
To those who have read more or thought more about this, what do you think about the situation? To those who know Japan better, how do you read this situation? I'm curious what you think, click “comments.”
Here's Kevin Meyer's take over at Evolving Excellence.
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Mark Graban
Mark Graban's passion is creating a better, safer, more cost effective healthcare system for patients and better workplaces for all. Mark is a consultant, author, and speaker in the "Lean healthcare" methodology. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. His most recent project is an book titled Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also the VP of Improvement & Innovation Services for the technology company KaiNexus.
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