Page 46 - Toyota Under Fire

THE MOST ADMIRED COMP ANY IN THE WORLD

of its causes and the impact of proposed solutions. The role of
more senior leaders is not to judge the solution of those close to
the problem as much as it is to judge the problem-solving process
used to arrive at the proposed solution.

Teamwork
Most companies say that teamwork is critical to success, but say-
ing this is much easier than living it. Dig a bit below the surface
in most areas of human endeavor, whether it’s a company or a
sports team, and you’ll find that people talk about teamwork, but
are interested first in their individual accomplishments. At Toy-
ota, the view that individual success can happen only within the
team and that teams benefit from the personal growth of indi-
viduals is built into the promotion process (which focuses heavily
on team behavior) and incentives for performance (where indi-
vidual incentives are only a small component, while team-based
incentives predominate). Teamwork does not mean that individ-
uals are not responsible. Critical to Toyota’s success is single-point
accountability—one person’s name goes up next to each item in
an action plan. But in order to succeed, the individual responsible
must work with the team, drawing on its collective talents, listen-
ing closely to all team members’ opinions, working to build con-
sensus, and ultimately giving any credit for success to the team.

Respect

In many ways, this is the most fundamental of the core values.
Respect is a broader concept than the pillar of Respect for People,
starting with the desire to contribute to society through produc-
ing the best possible products and services. This extends to re-
spect for the community, customers, employees, and all business

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