Toyota – Continuous Improvement – NO 6S

Steve,
I have not posted in this forum for a while but this article was an awesome read.
‘Please tell us about your problems so we can all work on that together’. What power this statement has!
Keep up this kind of good work.
PB

Steve,
Thanks for the article.  I enjoyed it.  I’ll have to forward it to a couple of former Ford employees that I know – they put a lot of sweat into changing the culture of Ford.  Unfortunately it didn’t stick.
But then compare the two. 
Toyota’s Principles in 1935 were:
1.      Always be faithful to your duties, thereby contributing to the Company and to the overall good.
2.      Always be studious and creative, striving to stay ahead of the times.
3.      Always be practical and avoid frivolousness.
4.      Always strive to build a homelike atmosphere at work that is warm and friendly.
5.      Always have respect for God, and remember to be grateful at all times.
And today Toyota’s Principles are:
1.      Be contributive to the development and welfare of the country by working together, regardless of position, in faithfully fulfilling your duties.
2.      Be at the vanguard of the times through endless creativity, inquisitiveness and pursuit of improvement.
3.      Be practical and avoid frivolity.
4.      Be kind and generous; strive to create a warm, homelike atmosphere.
5.      Be reverent, and show gratitude for things great and small in thought and deed.
Ford on the other hand has these as their Business Principles:
Ford Motor Company is committed to creating value for our shareholders over the long term through the delivery of excellent automotive products and services and to do so ethically and responsibly. These principles will guide our decisions and actions globally. As a whole, they set the standards by which we judge ourselves and by which we hope to be judged by others.
–        Accountability.  We will be honest and open and model the highest standards of corporate integrity.
–        Community.  We will respect and contribute to the communities around the world in which we work.
–        Environment.  We will respect the natural environment and help preserve it for future generations.
–        Financial health.  We will make our decisions with proper regard to the long-term financial security of the Company.
–        Products and customers.  We will offer excellent products and services.
–        Quality of relationships.  We will strive to earn the trust and respect of our investors, customers, dealers, employees, unions, business partners and society.
–        Safety.  We will protect the safety and health of those who make, distribute or use our products.
There appears to be a big difference between the two, No?

Shhhh! Don’t get Mike excited. He has been absent for a long time, with a little luck it will be a long time again.

When six sigma’s failures are discussed and when the success of non six sigma companies like Toyota are discussed, I’m sure that intelligent readers here will notice the fear (terror ?) response from six sigma consultants like “No Child”.

Hal,
My life is shattered by the breathtaking depth of the insight of your observation … such genuius that early in the morning :-))))))

No – I don’t see a “big” difference detween the two.  What I do see is that Ford had all the tools necessary to be just like Toyota, but did not execute.  That is the “big” difference between the two companies at the macro level.  At the micro level – Ford management has always been about the politics.  That is why you have a big truck bias, short term plans, disrespect for customers, etc.  They say the same things that Toyota says – but they don’t walk the talk.

Maybe I am just reading too much into the two statements but what I see is…
Ford makes the statement immediately that they are focused on creating value for their shareholders (a result) and then goes into the various drivers.  Toyota focuses on their drivers first and foremost.
I acknowledge that ALL companies are solely in business to make a profit but it just seems atypical that Ford is focused on the results first and the drivers second while Toyota focuses on the drivers and knows the results will follow.  The cultural difference is exemplified in the answers to: 

Which one lays-off their people and which one doesn’t?
Which of the two has a great deal of focus on developing their personnel?
Like I said above, I could have read too much into this but then I have worked very closely with folks from both Toyota and Ford and there is a difference in their reverence of their former employers.
Good luck…

I’m not arguing with the central content of your message, just that it isn’t what Ford says that is the problem – it is the execution of the plan.  You say that they put shareholders first – so what, they have screwed them also.  The problem is the execution of their plans – it doesn’t matter what they say, they do not have the corporate integrity to be able to execute on the most well-laid out plans.  The TPS is no secret –
Ford hired a guy from Georgetown plant back in 1989 to help them set up the FPS.  So what if it was exactly like the TPS – Ford can’t execute.

So are you calling the majority of people on this site Hypocrites?
Are the majority of the posters on this site consultants or managers/engineers/bb/mbb’s/lean people working in industry making it happen?
Judging by your responses you have a definite bias in your view as to which approach you think is the best.  I am curious about you though, whats your background/experience?

Given your level of excitement, it looks like you finally found a job :-).

If Toyota is successful AND Toyota uses TPS. If Ford uses TPS, it will be successful.
True or False

Steve,
Interested to know about the story..can you please share!
Monk

I’m tired of your US bashing. Go live in Iran.

I  believe  all  it  needs  is  to  hire  the  service  of  either Mikel Harry or  Darth or Stan…..