Toyota is often cited as the inspiration for Lean, but its success is rooted in leadership behaviors, management systems, and a deep commitment to learning—not tools or slogans. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections on Toyota’s approach to quality, continuous improvement, psychological safety, and respect for people. Many of these posts explore what leaders outside Toyota often misunderstand—and what truly matters if they hope to learn from Toyota rather than copy it.
Mlive.com Article Here’s an article with Toyota (and former Chrysler) exec Jamie Bonini talking about continuous improvement: “Our 2010 vision is to be the most admired automaker through continuous improvement and respect for people,” Bonini said. A New Jersey native,…
Goldman upgrades Dell on turnaround hopes Here’s another contrast between Toyota and Dell, particularly striking in context of my recent podcast with Norman Bodek: Dell shares rallied nearly 3 percent Monday after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to “buy” from…
Here is the YouTube video of a curious Toyota ad. You might know that the phrase “autonomation” comes from Toyota and means “automation with a human touch.” The Strategos website has a nice overview of autonomation This ad’s theme is…
New Detroit Woe: Makers of Parts Won’t Cut Prices – WSJ.com Wah, the latest complaint from the “Detroit Three” (formerly known as the “Big Three”) is that they are having trouble squeezing and stomping on their suppliers for lower prices.…
Seth’s Blog: Good is not almost as good as great One of Toyota’s weak links, at least in the U.S., has been their dealer customer service. Jim Womack referred to this in our podcast last week and now business/marketing blogger…
djournal.com: Understanding Toyota Here’s an article from Mississippi, home of the next Toyota plant. A newspaper did a pretty good job with a brief history and explanation of the Toyota Way. One snippet: The company takes on problems first, he…
Tip of the hat to Jon Miller for finding this first. I have to chime in. I’m sure a lot of us have joked about it, a book called “Lean for Dummies.” Unfortunately, now it is here: Lean For Dummies.…
Toyota: America’s Best Car Company – March 19, 2007 Toyota is the only foreign-based company in the FORTUNE top 10 “America’s Most Admired Companies.” Good article, a few tidbits: Toyota decided to build a brand-new plant dedicated to this model…
In this 2007 interview, Jim Womack reflects on The Machine That Changed the World and how its lessons on Lean and Toyota’s system are still misunderstood. Episode #19 of the Lean Blog Podcast brings the return of Jim Womack. Jim…
by Mike Lopez Yesterday and today, NPR’s Morning Edition had two short stories about Toyota. Yesterday, they highlighted the Georgetown Plant. Listen Here. Today’s story was an interview with Toyota US President, Jim Press. Listen Here. Please check out my…
ChangeThis :: How Toyota Can Save Your Life…At the Hospital The page linked to above (link now dead) has an essay I was invited to write about the healthcare and the Toyota Production System, for the website “ChangeThis.” A direct…
Toyota University Opens Admissions to Outsiders – WSJ.com (Gift Article) The headline is a bit misleading; it should say “Toyota Opens, Then Closes Admissions to Outsiders.” The WSJ article is about the Toyota University site in Gardenia CA. It had…