The Missing Link to Toyota-Style Success--LEAN LEADERSHIP
Winner of the 2012 Shingo Research and Professional Publications Award
"This great book reveals the secret ingredient to lean success: lean
leadership. Not only is it a pleasure to read, but it is also deep and
enlightening. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested
in lean: it's both an eye opener and a game changer."
--Michael Ballé, Ph.D., coauthor of The Gold Mine and The Lean
Manager
"This will immediately be recognized as the most important book ever
published to understand and guide 'True North Lean' and the goal of
perpetual business excellence."
--Ross E. Robson, President and CEO, DnR Lean, LLC, and the original
Director of The Shingo Prize
"An excellent book that will shape leadership development for decades to
come."
--Karen Martin, Principal, Karen Martin & Associates, and author of
The Kaizen Event Planner
About the Book:
TOYOTA. The name signifies greatness-- world-class cars and
game-changing business thinking. One key to the Toyota Motor Company's
unprecedented success is its famous production system and its
lesser-known product development program. These strategies consider the
end user at every turn and have become the model for the global lean
business movement.
All too often, organizations adopting lean miss the most critical
ingredient--lean leadership. Toyota makes enormous investments in
carefully selecting and intensively developing leaders who fit its
unique philosophy and culture. Thanks to the company's lean leadership
approach, explains Toyota Way author Jeffrey Liker and former Toyota
executive Gary Convis, the celebrated carmaker has set into motion a
drive for continuous improvement at all levels of its business. This has
allowed for:
- Constant growth: Toyota increased profitability for 58 consecutive
years--slowing down only in the face of 2008's worldwide financial
difficulties, the recall crisis, and the worst Japanese earthquake of
the century.
- Unstoppable inventiveness: Toyota's approach to innovative
thinking and problem solving has resulted in top industry ratings and
incredible customer satisfaction, while allowing the company to
weather these three crises in rapid succession and to come out
stronger.
- Strong branding and respect: Toyota's reputation was instrumental
in the company's ability to withstand the recalls-driven media storm
of 2010.
But what looked to some to be a sinking ship is once again running under
a full head of steam. Perhaps the Toyota culture had weakened, but lean
leadership was the beacon that showed the way back.
In fact, writes Liker, the company is "as good and perhaps a better
model for lean leadership than it ever has been." of innovation and
growth. Yet, Industry Week reports that just 2 percent of companies
using lean processes can likewise claim to have had long-term success.
What the other 98 percent lack is unified leadership with a common
method and philosophy.
If you want to get lean, you have to take it to the leadership level.
The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership shows you how.
