Toyota

Toyota-

There is much that can be learned from the example that Toyota has done to be commonly known as the world's best auto maker. The company has risen to the top from beginning as a textile machinery manufacturer in a mill town of Koromo (Stewart & Raman, 2007). Toyota is a company that has shown the reason why a long term vision can lead to success. Toyota did not spring up and suddenly become popular. Toyota's cars were dubbed soulless in the 1980's as plush good looking cars were the popular items. Toyota's slow gain is shown by their percentages in the market. The results show 2% in the 70's, 3% in the 80's, 8% in the 90's and in 2006 it broke into 13%. This slow rise shows the companies philosophy of the Japanese word "jojo" which means slowly, gradually, and steadily (Stewart & Raman, 2007).

Toyota is now facing the challenge of growth. Their training style was to have the new managers and upper level employees come to the mother company in Toyota City to train in the Toyota Way. The company is challenged with being to big to efficiently train the employees in this same manner and keep the philosophy and communication in tact. CrysTel showed a similar situation in the simulation. CrysTel had communication complications in the marketing and sales department and had to become more effective in its communication and structure. Toyota changed its protocol for training and made it possible to keep its management and employees focused on the Toyota Way.

Mr. Mitsuo Kinoshita the Executive Vice President of Toyota states how he develops T-type leaders in his workplace (Stewart & Raman, 2007). Toyota Use to address this challenge by having everyone come to the mother company for training (Stewart & Raman, 2007). It was unable to continue to do so because much of its growth was outside Japan. It changed it philosophy to send out teachers or sensei to various headquarters in each country where it has expanded. This formal hierarchy helps ensure that the new leaders and employees are trained correctly in the Toyota Way and that the decentralization stays within the parameters of staying in collaboration with the mother company. Toyota focuses its training on long term oriented goals. The focus on the long term focuses on the leadership ability and adaptability to change (Kinicki and Kreitner Ch. 18).

Toyota remains progressive in