Toyota's Lean Quality Management Principles (Part II)

In the previous installment of Collegiate Chapter I focused on the first seven of 14 principles as presented in Dr. Jeffery Liker’s book, “The Toyota Way”, on Toyota’s Lean Production System. They are: “1. Base decisions on long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals; 2. Create continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface; 3. Use pull systems to avoid overproduction; 4. Level out the workload; 5. Build a culture to fix problems, to get quality right the first time; 6. Standardized tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment; and, 7. Use visual controls so no problems are hidden.”

An elaboration on principles eight through 14, as outlined by Liker, follows:

8. “Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes.” According to Toyota’s Lean Production System, technology should not be used to replace people, but rather support them. In addition, we are reminded that new and unproven technologies can result in problems affecting workflow so that management should generally choose proven technologies over untested ones.

When necessary, management should conduct pilot tests to determine if a new technology is suitable for a company’s business processes, operations systems or products. Liker stated that management should reject or modify any technology that is not in line with an organization’s culture, or that might result in disruptions or unreliability. On the other hand, he states that it is important to encourage people to maintain an open mind with respect to new technologies and new approaches to manufacturing.

9. “Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy and teach it to others.” According to the Toyota System, it is best to build and promote leaders from within the organization rather than trying to attract leaders from the outside. It is also important to remember that a leader’s job goes well beyond accomplishing goals or being good with people. Liker explains that, “leaders must be role models of the company’s philosophy and way of doing business. A good leader must understand the daily work in great detail so he or she can be the best teacher of your company’s philosophy.”

10. “Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company’s philosophy.” Company values and beliefs are at the heart of The Toyota System. Management should work to build and share these values with everyone over time. Training and the development of teams focused on accomplishing outstanding results are important components of the value building process. Liker suggested that management “use cross-functional teams to improve quality and productivity and enhance flow by solving difficult technical problems. Empowerment occurs when people use the company’s tools to improve the company.”

11. “Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve. Liker explained that it is important to “have respect for your partners and suppliers and treat them as an extension of your business.” In line with The Toyota Lean Production System, management should help outside partners grow and prosper. Management should demonstrate that it values the relationship and provide challenging goals for partners and help them to achieve them.

12. “Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (genchi genbutsu).” Managers should personally observe the process at the source when solving problems and improving processes. They should not build theories based upon what others, or computer information systems, might have told them. Managers should act upon personally verified data.

“Even high-level managers and executives should go and see things for themselves, so they will have more than a superficial understanding of the situation,” stated Liker.