Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way (Hardcover)

Winner of the Shingo Prize for Research and Professional Publication, 2009

The international bestseller The Toyota Way explained the company's success by introducing a revolutionary 4P model for organizational excellence-Philosophy, People, Process, and Problem Solving. Now, in Toyota Culture, preeminent Toyota authorities Jeffrey Liker and Michael Hoseus reveal how Toyota selects, develops, and motivates its people to become committed to building high-quality products-and how you can do the same for your company.

Toyota Culture examines the “human systems” that Toyota has put in place to instill its founding principles of trust, mutual prosperity, and excellence in its plants, dealerships, and offices around the world. Beginning with a look at the evolution of the Toyota culture and why its people are the heart and soul of the Toyota Way, the authors explain the company's four-stage process for building and keeping quality people: Attract, Develop, Engage, and Inspire.

Drawing upon numerous examples from Liker's decades of research as well as Hoseus' insider access as a Toyota manager, Toyota Culture gives you the tools you need to:

• Find competent, able, and willing employees
• Start training and socializing your people as you hire them
• Establish and communicate key business performance indicators at every level of your organization
• Train your people to solve problems and continuously improve processes in their daily work
• Develop leaders who live and teach your company's philosophy
• Reward top performance-and offer help to those who are struggling

Fascinating vignettes of Toyota's innovative culture highlight the nuances of translating and recreating a people-centric culture in factories and offices across the globe. These exclusive, behind-the-scenes details are just what your company needs to successfully learn from The Toyota Culture.

Toyota's proven system for investing in people

"A must-read for plant managers and lean thinkers alike. The book delves deep into the business practices that took Toyota Motor Corp. from its meager beginnings in 1930 to, as Liker puts it, 'the world's best manufacturer'...[it] explores how Toyota selects, develops, and motivates its people to drive excellence throughout the production process."--Industry Week magazine

The Toyota company-wide culture is the key ingredient in its success as the global leader in operational excellence. To help your company become the Toyota of your industry, leading Toyota authorities Jeffrey Liker and Michael Hoseus give you the inside scoop on creating and maintaining a people-centric culture that sustains consistent growth, innovation, profitability, and excellence. Drawing upon their unprecedented access to Toyota executives, managers, and factories across the globe, the authors show how you can build a culture of continuous improvement by:

• Attracting, developing, and engaging exceptional people
• Encouraging problem solving at all levels of your organization
• Making management accountable to employees
• Inspiring your people to be committed to the company, family, and community
• Turning your HR department into the arbitrators of fair and consistent daily practices
• Using a top-down and bottom-up planning process to involve everyone in achieving breakthrough goals