The Toyota Way
Toyota established Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK) in 1989. TMUK has two manufacturing plants in England, employing over 4,000 people. TMUK wanted an event that would develop the behaviours that support the core competencies of the Toyota Way.
The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way is a management philosophy used to drive consistency across the corporation globally.
These guiding principles lead open business practice, fairness in corporate activities, innovation in cleaner and safer car making and ultimately to making the world a better place to live.
Impact UK worked in partnership with the TMUK’s Management Development team, to design a programme that would challenge thinking around the competencies and bring the Toyota Way to life.
By using a mix of experiential projects and facilitated reviews, the programme allows the Section Managers to learn, practice and reflect on the competencies whilst developing the required behaviours in a safe and supportive environment.
To reflect Toyota’s key philosophies each project was designed around a Plan, Do, Check, Action framework. Participants experienced Genchi Genbutsu – go, look, see, find out through first hand direct observation. Kaizen opportunities allowed for continuous improvement and after each project they practiced Hansei – personal reflection on their own behaviour.
Results from the initial Section Managers’ programmes have exceeded expectations and TMUK are seeing real business benefits. TMUK have witnessed improved confidence, ownership, commitment and motivation from the Section Managers in alignment with the Toyota Way philosophy. This is reflected in significant improvements in competency assessment scores and most importantly in how they are performing on the job.