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Toyota Under Fire

CEO Blog

Instead of firing employees like many other large firms were doing at the time, Toyota embraced its mantra of kaizen (Toyota’s firm philosophy of change/improvement for the better) and held company-wide training seminars (most impressively in factories it had stopped production in).

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The Failure of “The Livonia Philosophy” at my GM Plant

Deming Institute

As I wrote about in my first post , my first job out of college was at the GM Livonia Engine Plant, outside of Detroit. Speaking of continuous improvement, my GM plant also had a very traditional “suggestion system,” not a Kaizen-style approach to improvement. Guest post by Mark Graban. What a progressive view that was back in the 80s.

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Why Dr. Deming’s Work is So Important to Me

Deming Institute

I don’t think I learned anything about Deming or his work as an undergraduate Industrial Engineering student from 1991 to 1995. I was fortunate that my father had an opportunity to be a student in the famed four-day seminar, while working as an engineer at the Cadillac division of General Motors, in the late 1980s. Edwards Deming.

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How to Successfully Work Across Countries, Languages, and Cultures

Harvard Business Review

The Japanese employees, while already fluent with Japanese concepts such as kaizen (improvement) and omotenashi (hospitality), struggled to become proficient in English. These challenges differed depending on people’s backgrounds and location. Two groups had the steepest learning curve in particular.

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Being the World's Largest Ad Agency Might Not Be Something to Brag About

Harvard Business Review

Kaizen, Japanese for "continuous improvement," is Toyota''s self-described business model. And despite some initial apprehension, it worked: Toyota engineers were able to cut down the dinner wait time from 90 minutes to 18 minutes. You Can''t Eat a Check. In Lieu of Money, Toyota Donates Efficiency to New York Charity New York Times.

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Good Leaders Don't Use Bad Words

Harvard Business Review

According to its search engine, however, the world''s largest bookseller doesn''t have a single "offers innovation" title. "Offers" liberated participants, where "products" constrained them. Language matters. Amazon, for example, lists over 3000 publications about "product innovation" and roughly 800 for "service innovation."

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