The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement: Linking Strategy and Operational Excellence to Achieve Superior Performance Author: James K. Franz | Language: English | ISBN:
B004W2O8O6 | Format: PDF
The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement: Linking Strategy and Operational Excellence to Achieve Superior Performance Description
Building upon the international bestselling Toyota Way series of books by Jeffrey Liker, The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement looks critically at lean deployments and identifies the root causes of why most of them fail. The book is organized into three major sections outlining:
Why it is critical to go beyond implementing lean tools and, instead, build a culture of continuous improvement that connects operational excellence to business strategy
Case studies from seven unique industries written from the perspective of the sensei (teacher) who led the lean transformation
Lessons about transforming your own vision of an ideal organization into reality
Section One: Using the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) methodology, Liker and Franz contrast true PDCA thinking to that of the popular, superficial approach of copying "lean solutions." They describe the importance of developing people and show how the Toyota Way principles support and drive continuous improvement. Explaining how lean systems and processes start with a purpose that provides a true north direction for all activities, they wrap up this section by examining the glaring differences between building a system of people, processes, and problem- solving that is truly lean versus that of simply trying to "lean out" a process.
Section Two: This section brings together seven case studies as told by the sensei who led the transformation efforts. The companies range from traditional manufacturers, overhaul and maintenance of submarines, nuclear fuel rod production, health care providers, pathology labs, and product development. Each of these industries is different but the approaches used were remarkably similar.
Section Three: Beginning with a composite story describing a company in its early days of lean implementation, this section describes what went right and wrong during the initial implementation efforts. The authors bring to light some of the difficulties the sensei faces, such as bureaucracies, closed-minded mechanical thinking, and the challenges of developing lean coaches who can facilitate real change. They address the question: Which is better, slow and deep organic deployment or fast and broad mechanistic deployment? The answer may surprise you. The book ends with a discussion on how to make continuous improvement a way of life at your company and the role of leadership in any lean transformation.
The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement is required reading for anyone seeking to transcend his or her tools-based approach and truly embrace a culture of continuous improvement.
- File Size: 3268 KB
- Print Length: 448 pages
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 4 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 19, 2011)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B004W2O8O6
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,871 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #12
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Industries > Automobile Industry - #17
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Industries > Transportation - #25
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Management & Leadership > Total Quality Management
- #12
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Industries > Automobile Industry - #17
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Industries > Transportation - #25
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Management & Leadership > Total Quality Management
I have just finished my first read through of the latest offering in the Toyota Way series by Jeff Liker and James Franz. This book, in my opinion, is the best addition to the series and gives the original Toyota Way a run for its money when it comes to pure value.
The book is broken into three distinct sections beginning with the purpose of the book, which is dead on, the philosophical and theoretical constructs around PDCA. It continues with a tremendously diverse section of case studies from around the globe and finished up with a final novella about a company undergoing its own transformation and the lessons learned by all involved.
I'm glad to see the authors attribute to Shewhart/Deming the heavy lifting of developing the conceptual framework of P-D-C-A almost a century ago. Too often books on Toyota are superficial and miss this important part of their competitive DNA. I agree with a prior reviewer about the importance in Chapter 5 about the distinction between a typical `lean it out' approach and truly building what the authors call a `lean system.'
The case studies were a valuable addition to the book as they took real people in real industries that aren't automotive and allowed the reader to join them on their respective lean journeys. There were varying levels of successes in the stories, but all showed the power of developing people into problem solvers.
The final section starts with a `case study' of a company just starting on their journey and the successes and setback that they encounter. The last two chapters deal with the topics of leadership and sustaining the improved system, which haven't been emphasized enough in other publications, in my opinion. The typical narrow-minded thinking around what the authors call mechanistic hits very close to home.
I have read and reviewed all of Jeffrey Liker's previously published books and think this one, his latest co-authored with James Franz, is his most valuable because it will have much wider and deeper impact than has any of the others, notably The Toyota Way, Toyota Talent, and Toyota Culture. As is also true of most other outstanding business books, the wealth of material in this one was driven by research and analysis to answer an especially important business question: "How to link strategy and operational performance to achieve and then sustain superior performance?" Once again, Liker draws heavily upon nearly three decades of his close association and central involvement with the Toyota Motor Corporation.
Others have their own reasons for thinking so highly of this book. Here are two of mine. First, as I correctly anticipated, Liker and Franz clear the air and set the record straight with regard to the facts concerning Toyota's widely-publicized, widely-perceived "problems" that led to the recall of more then 10 million vehicles between late-2009 and early-2010. I hasten to add that Liker and Franz in no way come across as apologists for Toyota. Rather, they address head-on the major issues to assess the legitimate claims while ensuring that the soundness of Toyota's management principles is reaffirmed.
I also appreciate the participation of six guest contributors who play major roles when Liker and Franz focus on a series of case studies of lean transformation in Section Two. They are world-class authorities who invest the narrative with an even richer texture of experience and, more importantly, of wisdom in combination with "street smarts.
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