The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement: Linking Strategy and Operational Excellence to Achieve Superior Performance

by Jeffrey K. Liker

Book Overview

Building upon the international bestselling Toyota Way series of books by Jeffrey Liker, The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement looks critically at lean deployments and identifies the root causes of why most of them fail. The book is organized into three major sections outlining: Why it is critical to go beyond implementing lean tools and, instead, build a culture of continuous improvement that connects operational excellence to business strategy...

Customer Reviews

Clearly shows you why so many fail to copy them

I've read this book a few times, and got our factory excited by it as well. We read it 2 chapters a week as a group, with a volunteer facilitator reviewing the content of the chapters in a weekly session. Suggest you start with this one and then read "Creating a Lean Culture" by David Mann and then "The Toyota Way Fieldbook" by Jeffrey Liker. A must read for those interested in Lean Manufacturing or Self-Directed Workteams. Pro: -Shows the commitment of Toyota to their methods and philosophies. By commitment they mean a willingness to pursue your transformation for at least 10 years, which is why I think so many fail... lack of commitment. -Provides building blocks upon which to apply lean tools or lean toolkit -Philosophy is quite detailed for a few hundred pages, appears thorough and complete so if you want to, you can create a similar systems-based approach Con: -Not a recipe for you to copy... no shortcuts or cutting corners here. Neutral: -Not much detail on "tools" which is out of scope for the content of this book Bottom line: I think that this book is true to the philosophies of Toyota as I've directly observed from the 4 or 5 different senseis (former Toyota executives turned consultants) I have had the chance to work with. I only recommend a few books, this is one of them. Pairs well with "Creating a Lean Culture," by David Mann as a way to extend the lessons learned in The Toyota Way.

Finally, a book on more than Lean Tools!

When I was hired as a Process Engineer by Toyota and shipped off to Japan to learn how to be a Toyota engineer, I was lucky enough to be a part of the system that Dr. Liker describes in his book. I can, and do, use the text as a guidepost as I look back at the things we did and can better understand the 'Why' versus just the 'What'. The book does an excellent job in laying out a solid structure for the sometimes ethereal concepts within the Toyota Production System and ties them together in a way that is both easy to understand as well as communicate. With this book, we finally have a body of work that transcends the basic Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull, Perfection framework (don't get me wrong, I strongly support the Womack/Jones framework at operational levels) and gets the reader behind the results and into the thinking processes that drive the behaviors that deliver the results. While some readers that have written in and panned the book seem to think that Dr. Liker is trying to say Toyota is 'perfect', I think that they have, unfortunately, missed the real message in the book. That is too bad for them, because the message is clear and powerful. One respondent sounded like a frustrated UAW organizer, in fact. I can only encourage them to re-read the text and try and gain a deeper understanding of the concepts that are presented. I'm on my sixth reading and the pages are quite dog-eared, sticky noted, and written all over. Long story short: If you want to get 'into' the thinking processes that drive the most successful automobile company on the planet (can this be disputed?) and begin to apply these processes to your own area, plant, or company, this is the book for you! Let's not forget, Toyota is building a successful business by bringing manufacturing jobs TO America, not rushing headlong to China, India, or some other Asia-Pacific destination. That speaks volumes to the inherent power of Lean to deliver Value to the customer.

Never said it was perfect

I was one of the first members hired to work in the Toyota manufacturing plant in Kentucky (first 100). As such I was trained by true TPS experts from Japan. I can honestly say that Jeff captures more of the true essence of the Toyota Way than I have ever read. Now I am working with other companies that are attempting to adopt the Toyota philosophies for themselves. It was nice to see information that factually describes the philosophies of Toyota and to be able to share that with these companies. Unfortunately, some people will read the book and assume that Toyota professes to be (or Liker is professing that they are) perfect. Far from it! Toyota (referring to the leadership of the company) would admit that they have much to improve, and that there are still many opportunities. They do not think they are "lean." In fact, word is that Eiji Toyoda himself said that the book exposed some weakness within Toyota and was an opportunity to reflect on how to become better. This is the true essence of Toyota. Team Member Mike in his review assumes that Liker is suggesting that Toyota is perfect. This is not the case. As with any organization there are many problems. For goodness sake, even though Toyota regularly ranks at the top of the JD Powers quality ranking they still average over 100 problems per vehicle! The notion of greatness is generated from outside of Toyota, not within. The management works hard to stay grounded in reality and certainly is aware of imperfections. I think this argument is silly and not related to the book. The book is about the philosophy that Toyota embodies to manage their operations. Are there managers that do not live up to the ideal? Of course there are. Does that implicate the entire organization? No, it does not. The book does a good job of illustrating the intention of Toyota as an organization. You may not find here some of the common misunderstandings that are being spread around as "lean manufacturing" because honestly many of those concepts are not based in the Toyota Way. The results of Toyota speak for themselves. They are outstanding, but not perfect by a long shot. This book does an excellent job of outlining the main concepts, but it would not be possible to outline the entire company with details of how to achieve the results in a single book. It is a very insightful look into a great company, not a blanket praising and blind admiration, but there are many good points about how Toyota intends to operate now and in the future.

Highly Recommended for Managers Worldwide

We help companies in USA and Asia implement TPS and Lean manufacturing. This book, now available in Chinese version, has always been the first book we have recommended to our clients. The philosophy of The Toyota Way is the key to assure the success of implementing lean. The 14 management principles Dr. Liker reveals through his tremendous efforts in studying the TPS really teaches you "know why" while many books only teach you "know how". Unless you understand the "know why" and live with it, your lean system is superficial no matter how well you have applied those lean tools, as the author points in the book. For managers in today's competitive global economy, it is worth your time to read this book once, twice and more to learn from the best, The Toyota Way.

Highly Recommended!

This book is like a Toyota vehicle: not necessarily fancy, but extraordinarily capable of getting you from point "A" to point "B." Author Jeffrey K. Liker's thorough insight into the continual improvement method known as "The Toyota Way" reflects his experience with the Toyota Production System (TPS) and his knowledge of its guiding philosophies and its technical applications. He explains why Toyota has become a global symbol of passionate commitment to continual improvement and efficiency. Toyota's success as the world's most profitable automaker is no accident and now, thanks to this book, it's no mystery, either. Liker drills down to the underlying principles and behaviors that will set your company on the Toyota Way. The book reflects years of studying Toyota's philosophy: it is well mapped out, straightforward and exceedingly although not daringly innovative. We highly recommend it to anyone striving to improve their organization's operational efficiency.