Every year I read "The Toyota Way" and every year I give the copy I just bought for someone else to read. Honestly, Jeffrey Liker owes me at least one drink. However, there is an aspect of the Toyota Production System (TPS) that I don’t think gets talked about often enough. Japanese culture and Japanese history in relation to the Toyota Production System. Specifically, What about the Toyota Production System is characteristically Japanese and what is uniquely Toyota? Did this

Culture and the Methods for Solving Problems Go Hand-in-Hand

Statistical control methods are a founding concept in Japanese manufacturing. However, Six Sigma as a problem solving methodology* causes many hang-ups for Japanese managers. Many Americans seeking training in Six Sigma in Japanese organizations face resistance with little explanation as to why. This often leads to frustration and contempt towards management. They write off the Japanese resistance to the training as resistance to change, preventing growth and feeling unrepre