Toyota Culture Series - Part I: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way

What You Can Expect From This Seminar

The Toyota culture is demonstrated by the total systems view of the organization. All the parts of the organization are interrelated. There are no silo work groups at Toyota. The company works from the philosophy of long term thinking with long term goals. The management strategy cascades down to the associate from the long term view. Only short term goals get an organization to some selected tools to solve next week’s problems. Next, the work focus is on the process, not on results. Toyota believes that if the focus is on the process, results will follow. A focus just on results yields no standard process. Finally, the highest value is placed on people continuously improving. Developing people, training, challenging and providing an atmosphere of respect for the individual provides the environment that sustains the Toyota culture.

This workshop illustrates how Toyota selects, develops, and motivates people to become committed to the goal of building high quality products in a safe and fair work environment. Carefully selected, well trained and challenged people combined with exceptional processes leads to exceptional results. This workshop will illustrate the unique organization structure, team assignments, process development and results measures which distinguish the Toyota culture.

• Definition of lean as systems thinking
• The partnership between an organization and it employees
• One piece flow in a cellular plant
• Respect for people and continuous
improvement – how it works at Toyota
• Servant leadership
• Role of leadership and worker’s roles
• Front line supervisor roles
• Management roles
• How hiring and selection is done
• Qualifying the employee
• Objectives of standardization
• PDCA in daily work
• Three stages of problem solving
• Team based work groups
• Types of team meetings and length
• Handling conflict
• Wage and benefit philosophy
• MBO vs Hoshin Kanri
• Visual management system
• Floor management system
• Team board-floor management system
• Go see; ask why; show respect
• Connecting the product and the people-the Toyota way

Who Should Attend

About the seminar leader:

Michael Hoseus is Executive Director for the Center for Quality People & Organizations (CQPO). Mike brings both manufacturing operations and specialization in Human Resource experience to CQPO. CQPO is an organization developed in 1999 as a vision of Toyota Motor Manufacturing to share Lean Quality philosophy and human resource practices with education, business, and community organizations. CQPO current projects with Toyota include New Hire selection and training process, Team Leader and Group Leader post promotion training, Quality Circle Leader and Manager training, and Global Problem Solving for all levels. Mike is an adjunct professor with the University of Kentucky’s Lean Manufacturing Program. Mike is co author with CQPO and Dr. Jeffery Liker (Author of the Toyota Way) of Toyota Culture. Mike is also president of CMH Inc.

Prior to CQPO, Mike was a corporate leader for 13 years at Toyota Motor Manufacturing’s Georgetown, Kentucky, plant both in Human Resources and Manufacturing. As Assistant General Manager in Human Resources, his responsibilities included personnel, safety, HR development, employee relations, benefits, training, and manufacturing/human resource teams for a plant of 8000 team members. His major initiative was development of the enhanced relationship between Human Resource and Manufacturing Mike’s operational responsibilities in manufacturing started in 1987 as a front line supervisor in vehicle assembly. This included all aspects of safety, quality, productivity, cost and morale for operations. With experience as Assembly Plant Manager and eventually Assistant General Manager, his responsibilities increased to include both assembly plants including operations, maintenance, and engineering. He is a Toyota Certified Trainer in Global Problem Solving & Waste Reduction, Standardized Work and Kaizen Events.

Mike has served and contributed to numerous community boards such as the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the Lexington Mayor’s Partnership for Youth. Mike has degrees in Business and Psychology from Xavier University and a Masters of Arts in Counseling from Asbury Theological Seminary. Mike’s wife, Suzy and he are co-founders of CMH, Inc. and Life Learning Ministries and have three children, Ben, Leah and Lindsay.