268 THETOYOTAWAYFIELDBOOK
Reflect and Learn from the Process
Developing team associates that fit your culture and build your
system begins with a selection process and continues with assim-
ilation once they’re on board. The following questions should
challenge you to honestly evaluate your commitment to hiring
and developing the highest quality people.
- Evaluate your current selection process and develop specific
plans for improving weak points.
a. Do you have a preselection process to narrow the potential
candidates to the most ideal? If not, or if it isn’t effective,
develop a plan to improve within the next year.
b. Make a list of the primary selection criteria used for hiring.
Are the important criteria part of your selection process? If
not, make a specific plan for how you will incorporate them.
c. The criteria should be based on a predisposition to actual
behavior and ability. Does your process provide awareness
of desired behaviors and abilities? Identify specific changes
necessary to create a selection process based on behavior
and ability.
- The expectation for future behavior concerning an individual
is established within the first moments after they are hired and
continues for several months afterward. Evaluate the methods
used in your organization during this critical time.
a. During the assimilation process, do you set the company’s
expectations from the beginning?
b. Are new hires given personal attention and shown they’re
an important part of your team, or are they handed off to
someone in human resources who reviews the rules and
sends them to work?
c. Are the top leaders involved in the assimilation process?
d. Do your supervisors take personal responsibility for the
assimilation of new hires into the group or do they pass
responsibility to others?
e. Is a specific training plan developed and reviewed with
each of the new hires?
f. Do you have a checklist to ensure that all aspects of the
assimilation are completed?
- Complete an assessment of your current training process.
a. On a “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” type scale,
conduct an employee survey using the following state-
ments to rate the overall process:
