Page 23 - Toyota Under Fire

PREF ACE

our best to provide a fair and accurate assessment of the most im-
portant events in this period. Tim and I spent hundreds of hours
in interviews. We learned of heroic moments at Toyota, and exec-
utives did not hesitate to reflect harshly on serious gaps between
current practices and the ideals of the Toyota Way. Throughout
the book, we quote Toyota sources based on these interviews, ex-
cept in cases where we explicitly cite a news report that quoted
someone at Toyota. We also talked to independent automotive ex-
perts from Consumer Reports, Edmunds.com, thetruthaboutcars
.com, and universities, as well as journalists, who shared detailed
information and data that they had collected.
The worst thing to do in hard times is regress, which unfor-
tunately is what too many companies seem to do. Toyota’s great-
est contribution to the world is as a model of real continuous
improvement. Continuous improvement does not stop when
there are setbacks. Setbacks are opportunities to look in the mir-
ror, identify your weaknesses, and move to a new level of perfor-
mance. The dual crises were yet another opportunity to galvanize
all Toyota team members and partners toward a vision of improv-
ing quality and safety to a level never seen before in the auto in-
dustry. As always, there was no shortage of problems to work on.
The path through the crises to improvement was guided by the
Toyota Way. The Toyota Way is a very deep philosophy, and there
are many specific methods to be studied and mastered. But in an-
other sense, the basic concepts are very straightforward. Face chal-
lenges with a clear head and positive energy. Hold fast to your core
values and your vision for the company. Always start with the cus-
tomer. Understand the problems that you face by analyzing the facts,
including your own failings, and understanding the root causes.
Thoroughly consider alternative solutions, then pick a path, de-
velop a detailed plan, and execute with discipline and energy.

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