This method was a surprisingly good way to determine a person’s charac-
ter and ability. Of course, even with all the checks and balances in this system,
every now and then someone slipped through who did not fit the culture.
Assimilating Team Associates into Your Culture
When people arrive on the first day for a new job, they’re generally filled with
hope and have “good attitudes.” It takes effort on our part to change those
hopes and good attitudes into regret and negativity. Fortunately, with some
effort we can sustain the positive attitude and even develop it further. As you
can see, Toyota exerts a tremendous effort to identify and select the best people
(choosing the best seeds). They spend just as much effort in bringing them into
the Toyota culture (preparing the soil and watering the seeds). Toyota refers to
this process as “assimilation,” and it is conducted in two stages.
On the first day of work, a new hire will report to a training room where
human resources and the training department will begin the process of intro-
ducing them to the Toyota Way. The initial stage lasts two weeks, and during
this time the new hire never visits their actual work site! They are introduced to
the Toyota culture, to the Toyota Production System (TPS), and to policies and
procedures, including general safety and ergonomics. They also participate in a
simulated work activity to “work harden” or condition them physically for the
actual job. The work hardening may begin with one hour of work and two hours
of classroom session. This is gradually increased over the two weeks until the
person is capable of a full day’s work (in stage two at the work site they will
begin the actual work on a reduced basis).
There have been occasions when new hires have decided that perhaps the
Toyota culture is not for them after all, and they decide to quit at that time. During
the initial assimilation stage, the rules and policies are carefully explained and
people understand the seriousness of the expectations.
After completing the introductory stage, the new hire is directed to their actual
work area. They now begin the second stage of assimilation into the work group.
There is no set time limit on this stage; however, there are expectations regarding
how many jobs will be learned and what each person’s participation in the group
will be. The following items are covered during the assimilation process. Group
leaders have a check sheet covering these items, and it must to be signed by the
team member and the leader and returned to human resources.
◆ Welcome and introduction by the leader.
◆ Review of group and department policies and procedures.
◆ Introduction to others members of the group (there may be a “PT” activ-
ity—Personal Touch—sponsored by the company as a “get to know you”
activity).