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.
Not breaking news, but more article about Toyota’s expected leap to #1 in global auto sales in 2007. The NY Times and the International Herald Tribune both chimed in. All quotes below are from the IHT article. Toyota Motor said…
Sir Richard Branson: Making the Skies Green – Enterprise Management – MSNBC.com Thanks to blog reader Marc for sending this my way. He points out the parallel between waste elimination (a typical lean concept) and the environmental push to reduce…
Toyota poised to get GM’s top spot | The Japan Times Online: Analysts thought it might be 2006, but now 2007? “Analysts say 2007 could be the year Japan’s top automaker overtakes General Motors Corp. as the world’s top-selling carmaker.”…
Fortune Article In an article that reminds us that the uber-leader is merely human: “He’s not a superman, only a human being, but he gets results,” says Garel Rhys of the Cardiff University Center for Automotive Industry Research in Wales.…
As Rivals Catch Up, Toyota CEO Spurs Big Efficiency Drive – WSJ.com Not sure if there will be a free version online (if so, I’ll try find it or someone post a link). Welcome, WSJ readers who found me via…
Here’s a flock of articles about the new Toyota San Antonio plant that opened last week: Off to an aggressive start (Houston Chronicle) Plant President Hidehiko “T.J.” Tajima said the goal was “to build trucks where they are sold —…
No Satisfaction – Toyota – Georgetown – Car Factory Thanks to a blog reader, Dan, for pointing this article out to me. This past week included a celebration of the opening of Toyota’s new factory in San Antonio. But what…
MySA.com: Metro | State The Toyota truck plant in Texas has started production. For all of the talk this week from the Big 3 about yen/dollar valuations and advantages that Toyota has with importing vehicles, it sure is strange that…
Mulally: Ford needs to become one global company – 11/10/06 – The Detroit News Online: Isn’t it funny how it takes an outsider to come in to point out the obvious? New Ford CEO Alan Mulally: “‘The best in the…
What’s Driving Toyota? Baseline Magazine: Here is a fairly broad overview of Toyota, written for a tech magazine audience. There are good details about the Kentucky plant and TPS (including some quotes from Jeff Liker), so it’s a good read…
WSJ.com – Toyota May Delay New Models To Address Rising Quality Issues: I posted this article last week, but I looked at it again before recording a new Podcast interview with Norm Bodek. This part at the bottom of the…
My guest for episode three of the Lean Blog Podcast is Dr. Jeffrey Liker, professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan and author of The Toyota Way. Liker has spent decades studying how Toyota actually works,…
