The Toyota Way shows the 14 principles that Toyota has implemented to achieve global success. Founded in 1933 by Kiichiro Toyoda, Toyota has become the most important company in all of Japan and one of the most valuable in the world in the automotive sector.
Principle 1: Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, at the expense of what happens to short-term financial goals.
Principle 2: Create continuous flow processes to bring problems to the surface.
Principle 3: Use pull systems to avoid overproduction
Principle 4: Level the workload (heijunka). Work like the tortoise, not like the hare
Principle 5: Create a culture of stopping to solve problems, to achieve good quality the first time
Principle 6: Standardized tasks are the foundation of continuous improvement and employee autonomy
Principle 7: Use visual control so problems are not hidden
Principle 8: Use only proven, reliable technology that serves your people and processes.
Principle 9: Grow leaders who fully understand the job, live the philosophy, and teach it to others
Principle 10: Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company philosophy
Principle 11: Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers, challenging them and helping them improve
Principle 12: Go see for yourself to fully understand the situation (genchi genbutsu)
Principle 13: Make decisions by consensus slowly, carefully considering all options; implement them quickly
Principle 14: Become an organization that learns through constant reflection (hansei) and continuous improvement (kaizen)