I thought this was a good article to share as it clears some misconceptions of Toyota and their management philosophies and technology. This article was written by Stewart Anderson who is president of http://www.kaizenimprovement.ca a Toronto-based consulting and advisory firm in the areas of continuous improvement and business strategy.

The tools and techniques of what is commonly called "lean manufacturing" have their origin in the Toyota Production System (TPS). While the lean movement deserves much credit for popularizing these tools and techniques, a number of misconceptions appear to have developed about how Toyota itself actually practices continuous improvement. This article looks at some of these misconceptions. Readers should note that this article is not meant to be a definitive study of Toyota, nor is it meant to supplant the excellently detailed analyses of Toyota published by Jeffrey K. Liker (The Toyota Way, McGraw-Hill, 2003), Steven J. Spear (Chasing the Rabbit, McGraw-Hill, 2008), and others. Rather, it offers the author’s own personal perspective and insights on Toyota, drawing from observation and study of Toyota production and distribution operations, supplemented by interviews with Toyota employees, managers, and suppliers held over the years. Some of the thoughts expressed below also find deeper expression and treatment in Mike Rother' excellent new book, Toyota Kata (McGraw-Hill, 2009), and readers are referred to that book for a full exposition of Toyota's thinking and behaviors.

First, let it be said at the outset that the word “lean” is not one that is often seen or heard at Toyota. Rather than applying lean tools and techniques, Toyota focuses instead on establishing and propagating a basic pattern of thinking and behavior which makes the tools of TPS effective. Toyota’s basic pattern for improving a process is based on a simple