Toyota-ism in short

The Toyota system of production was developed in the 1950s by Taiichi Ohno, a Japanese engineer who in turn was inspired by Henry Ford. The Toyota system aims to rationalize the production process by avoiding all stock losses and by managing the work time of the workers. It is based on “just in time” — that is to say continual stream management : producing what is needed when it is needed and in the required quantity. The worker is the keystone of the system. In Henry Ford’s system, the worker is accountable only for his production. At Toyota, the worker has greater responsibility. He must show commitment within his “team,” which is supervised by a “team leader,” who in turn is under the command of a “group leader,” who reports to a “team manager.” The worker must promote the continual optimization of production by suggesting new ways of doing things.