desired. Also, people get the sense that they do not matter as individuals if the
leader does not place importance on the training effort. It is a sure way to cre-
ate a “bad attitude.”
Building Team Associates for the Long Term
Let’s face it; some of the work done on a day-to-day basis can lose its excitement
after time. This is especially true if the work is repetitive and does not require a
high skill level. If people are going to remain actively engaged in the work
process and feel a greater sense of satisfaction, they need more than a paycheck.
Toyota recognizes this need and provides many additional opportunities for
employees to use their creativity and to develop greater skills.
The Toyota Way promotes the growth and development of all employees.
Toyota makes a tremendous investment in people, both in terms of facilities and
time. The Georgetown plant has an extensive training and development depart-
ment and an entire facility devoted to courses for manufacturing, office, and the
skilled trades employees. There are elective courses that employees may take on
their own time, and required courses that are taken during working hours (of
course, when salaried personnel take a class during work, it’s necessary to catch
up on the work that was missed during the training). Figure 11-4 shows a train-
ing matrix of “core” (required for the job) and elective courses for each position
(not including an extensive training regimen for the skilled trades).
All Toyota employees are also encouraged to participate in activities and pro-
grams. Participation is voluntary, but most people enjoy the activities because
they provide an avenue to pursue personal development and to use their cre-
ativity beyond what is required to perform their job. These activities include the
suggestion program, quality circles, leadership development, and various kinds
of kaizen teams.
Quality Circles
Quality Circles are a vital part of kaizen at Toyota, particularly in Japan. The
American quality movement in the 1980s had a brief brush with Quality Circles,
which were regarded as a tool for participative management. The results were
dismal. Hourly workers devoted much of the meeting to creature comforts, for
example, moving the drinking fountain. There were some projects that improved
quality and these were widely publicized within the company, but they were few
and far between. Eventually this “management fad” died out. It was one more
good idea gone bad. What was missing? Basically all of the fundamentals of the
Toyota Way were missing. Well-trained employees, the team leader role, well-
trained group leaders guiding the initiative, a culture of continuous improve-
ment, and the tools of lean such as standardized work were all missing.