Toyota's lean manufacturing strategy and organizational learning culture

¶ … Environment and Resources outputs in the context of your "Best 100" company. Be thorough, and be specific-Toyota Corporation

The Toyota Corporation is located in one of the most competitive industries in the world. Although barriers to entry are high in the automotive sector, competition between rivals remains fierce. Toyota has often had to distinguish itself against flashier competition with innovations such as its hybrid technology, as embodied in the Toyota Prius. However, Toyota does have considerable resources in the form of its research and development and the congruence of leadership throughout the organization over many generations. Toyota is a global company, although it has a very Japanese outlook in terms of the way it views its employer-employee relationships and its emphasis on quality and a lack of waste. This has also become a source of strength: The more plants Toyota builds in different countries, the more stable its finances will become, because the company will be able to hedge against fluctuations in the yen vis-a-vis euros, dollars, and other currencies" (Stewart & Raman 2007).

WEEK 2:

Please discuss the Organizational History and Strategy outputs in the context of your "Best 100" company. Be thorough, and be specific. Toyota Corporation

The Toyota Corporation began as a rather humble, family-based automobile company. "Even in the early 1980s Ford and GM marketed bigger, better-looking, and plusher cars than Toyota did -- although its soulless creations were more reliable and fuel efficient. The Japanese manufacturer closed the gap little by little, improvement by improvement" (Stewart & Raman 2007). Toyota's strategy was two-pronged. First, it emphasized lean manufacturing and total quality improvement. It stressed that customers could feel secure that they had purchased the very best car possible at a reasonable price by emphasizing its reliability and durability. It also minimized waste in its supply chain, keeping costs low through just-in-time manufacturing (which requires close relationships with suppliers and minimal inventory to reduce waste generated through stockpiling).

Reference

Stewart, T. & Raman, A. (2007). Lessons from Toyota's long drive. HBS. Retrieved from:

https://hbr.org/2007/07/lessons-from-toyotas-long-drive

Module 4

Please discuss the Outputs -- at all three levels -- of your chosen "Best 100" Company. Be thorough and be specific-Toyota Corporation

Individual: On an individual level, Toyota focuses on encouraging employee loyalty and teamwork. All employees are trained in multiple functions so they can easily step in when required by the production process. "At Toyota, everyone within the organization, from executives to shop-floor workers, is challenged to use their initiative and creativity to experiment and learn. We often hear labor advocates criticize assembly line work as being oppressive, and claim that menial labor robs workers of their mental faculties. However, this could not be further from the truth with respect to lean. When Toyota sets up assembly lines, it selects only the best and brightest workers, and challenges them to grow in their jobs by constantly solving problems" (McBride 2014).

Group: As well as investing in the individual, Toyota also encourages teamwork. As with many Japanese companies, employees are judged based upon their performance in relation to others, rather than alone and in isolation. Teams receive holistic scores based on successes; individual do not.