The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence through Leadership Development [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Liker (Author), Gary L. Convis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2011

The missing link to long-term Lean success! Despite the fact that companies worldwide have adopted Lean production, none has sustained the same levels of excellence as Toyota. Why? Leadership. In The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership, Jeffrey Liker and Gary L. Convis, a former executive V.P. and managing officer of Toyota, help executives and senior managers get employees to refocus their efforts--from simply performing their singular function to continuously improving in collaboration across the organization. Case studies from Toyota clearly illustrate the methods that create powerful, effective Lean leadership. Jeffrey Liker, author of the popular Toyota Way books, is the acknowledged expert on Toyota processes. He is professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. After his executive leadership at Toyota, Gary L. Convis became the CEO of Dana Holding Corporation, a $6.1 billion supplier to the global automotive, commercial vehicle, and off-highway markets, and helped lead it to a successful turnaround from bankruptcy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (October 17, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071780785
• ISBN-13: 978-0071780780
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Transportation

Editorial Reviews

Review

Thank you, and Mr. Convis, for sharing the "The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership," it is my favourite book of 2011.  It has become a work-book for me and I am sure to learn many more lessons from it on my journey.   --Marius de Beer, PAM

From the Back Cover

"The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership will immediately be recognized as the most important book ever published to understand and guide "True North Lean" and the goal of perpetual business excellence.  The book clearly describes altruistic leaders, concerned with the interest of others, and process vs. individual focused leadership as required ingredient's of Lean." 

Ross Robson, President & CEO, DnR Lean & Ex. Director, Shingo Prize (retired)

"This great book by Dr. Liker and Gary Convis reveals the secret ingredient to lean success: lean leadership. Not only is it a pleasure to read, but it is also deep and enlightening. This book is an absolute must read for anyone interested in lean: it's both an eye opener and a game changer. It will transform how you think about lean, and open the way to spectacular results in your job."

Michael Ballé, PhD, co-author of The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (October 17, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071780785
• ISBN-13: 978-0071780780
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Transportation

More About the Author

Jeffrey Liker is Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan and president of Liker Lean Advisors, LLC--a collection of top-notch lean advisors. He is author of the international best-seller, The Toyota Way and the related books Toyota Way Fieldbook, Toyota Talent, The Toyota Product Development System, Toyota Culture, The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement, and Toyota Under Fire. His newest book, with Gary Convis, is The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership. His articles and books have won eleven Shingo Prizes. He plays golf, watches football and basketball, and is relearning classical guitar which he stopped playing over 30 years ago. His wife Deb and daughter Emma, support his writing and his son Jesse is his toughest critic and best editor.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant: a new breakthrough book on the Toyota Way November 2, 2011

By Michael Balle

Format:Hardcover

This is another groundbreaking book, and I meant it. Those of us who've been involved with the Toyota Way and the lean movement for decades have known all along that it's really about leadership - but not the kind of leadership you read about in leadership book. In reading Ohno, we can feel there is a special kind of leadership there. In reading about Sakichi, Kiichiro and Eiji Toyoda as well. The puzzle has always been that this is another kind of leadership, so hard to articulate and key to making the whole thing take off.

Jeff Liker and Gary Convis have cracked the code. Jeff's insights into the Toyota Way are combined with Gary's unique experience of living the Toyota Way and being taught by the old time senseis come together to present a truly different model of leadership to sustain thelean enterprise. It's a model starting from self development, then coaching others, keeping a clear direction, and supporting kaizen until the big changes are possible. It completely turns the tables on two basic assumptions in modern business: 1) that the leader is hired because he or she already knows everything and needs to get other to execute and 2) that competence is hired in because it's the employee's personal responsibility to sharpen their skills outside the context of the company. If you feel that both of these assumptions are profoundly misguided but don't know what do do about it? Read this book.

The Toyota way to Lean Leadership will blow you away and revolutionize how you see yourself as a leader: are you developing more leaders or more followers (I have to confess I personally failed that test earlier or and I'm trying to mend my wicked ways - but it's real hard :)).... This books opens up the way for a new kind of leadership where the emphasis is on learning by doing, and then teaching by doing. more than just a high level programme, the book also shares great stories about real life events, and practical help as how to go about it.

The first time I read it came away with the familiar feeling: I am the problem, not all the others. Oddly, I've learned to like that feeling, because it usually signals a leap forward. This book has led me to reconsider how i look at lean and enterprises at large, and I am grateful to both authors for that gift. We know the puzzle inside out. Here's the bit of missing code that's the key. Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What we appreciate February 3, 2012

By CHM DE BEER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

*What we appreciate*
- The book provides missing link to fully understand how a lean organization is built up, nurtured and continuously improved. Simply speaking, you cannot say lean organization without saying lean leadership. Through a balance of theory, practical steps and story telling, Liker & Convis describe the essential ingredients for organizations to prosper in the decade to come. It is an easy read, with concepts that challenges thinking of most contemporary businesses, and once you start thinking of the implications, it even challenges your individual contributions to the world of work.
- Confirmation that the five values that define Toyota Way: spirit of challenge, Kaizen, genchi genbatsu (go and see to deeply understand), teamwork, and respect, do not automatically result in leadership. Trust is an essential, if not the key, element of leadership. Hard cuts, though sometimes inevitable as the Dana case study shows, must be a last resort.
- Liker & Convis offer a clear explanation of Toyota's leadership development model. Basically, this model consists of 4 levels: (1)commit to self-development, (2) coach and develop others,(3) support daily kaizen, (4) create vision and align goals. We see the importance of "True North" as overarching vision, which is central to decision making. We see the importance of lean leadership throughout the hierarchy, a need for shared responsibility according to expertise and the concept of leadership as a team sport. Last but not least, we see the importance of first line managers to provide a role model for the behavior they want to see in place.
- The Toyota Way focuses on culture of leadership rather than metrics or processes, and links the cultivation of leadership, as a leader's primary responsibility.... Personally, we were especially impressed by the ways Toyota dealt with its triple crisis (recession, recalls due to technical problems, earthquake & Tsunami). Although facing severe economic problems, the company resisted the temptation to "manage" the crisis by layoffs and used this it as an opportunity to learn and improve instead. In Liker's words: "The recommended solution to these problems wasn't fundamental change but increased attention to fundamentals." This also underscores the interconnection between corporate culture, strategy, and leadership. In other words: attention to culture and leadership is not optional as both have strong impact on the company's business value and success.
- Acknowledgement that not all individuals are predisposed to leadership and that an enabling environment is not enough. An emphasis on self-development, a passion to learn and grow in pursuit of mastery. What we appreciated most was the emphatic exclusion of quick fix solutions and the repeated emphasis on ensuring you start with the right people and deliberately grow leaders from there. Progress is discussed in terms of decades, not even years and definitely not in months. This underscores the long-term if not life-long commitment required to grow a lean organization. If there is a recipe for Toyota's success, according to Liker & Convis "it is a deep, time-consuming, and expensive investment in developing everyone in the organization, and truly believing that your employees are your most precious resource."
- Valuable reference points and benchmarks of lean leadership presented in a way that encouraged us to think "how would we have behaved in that situation," which is an enriching exercise even if you are well versed in the values and principles of lean leadership.

*What we ask ourselves*
- Is leadership still privilege of line management? There are some hints towards leadership as a team sport but it is not fully explored. Isn't there more interplay between coaching employees and receiving feedback from them, aligning and developing yourself by helping others, getting fresh impulses for your vision?
- What are the risks or downsides of lean leadership? What could be a potential pitfall to lead in a lean way? How do lean leaders cope with conflicts fostered by fear as much as denial? Does "Toyota Way" necessarily mean there is no disagreement let alone resistance at all?
- How does it work in other areas than the automotive industry? Are the case studies of lean leadership outside of Toyota? What about the broader context of economic turbulence? Is the Toyota Way to be applied anytime anywhere? Does it guarantee infinite success?
- How we can truly recognize culture in all its dimensions and how would existing cultures map, over time, to lean leadership? Where to start when an organization and its management are not lean yet? What exactly is the path that leads us from traditional command-and-control to lean management?
- Where does the broader context of management, its improvement and renewal fit into lean leadership, as discussed by other authors such as John Kotter, Henry Mintzberg, Stephen Denning, Seth Kahan?
- How do employees perceive and experience lean leadership? Clearly not all employees are destined to be lean leaders, and some that are, will not be on an "accelerated" path. How do lean leaders position themselves relative to employees, and how do they draw on the potential and insights of employees?
- How many organizations would have the capacity and appetite to embark on a journey of lean leadership? It feels to us there is an intermediate step that is buried in Toyota's past that we are not privileged to. Liker & Convis however state that you should be able to reach it in 10 to 30 years. Is that a realistic, let alone attractive option for organizations which face an average life-expectancy of less than 20 years?

*What we got out of the book*
- A stark reminder that true leadership is an essential yet endless, time-consuming and expensive commitment that regresses the moment you stop injecting energy.
- There are no quick fixes and no recipes. Even with lean leadership baked into the culture of Toyota, they still have to pay constant attention to its development.
- The true depth of concepts, like Kaizen and gemba walks, that have been watered down through poor interpretation.
- The significant relationship and context required when coaching leaders.
- Respect for people, not as a gentle approach but offering constant challenges to encourage individuals and teams to reach beyond their comfort zone. Respect must not be an excuse for letting things go. As Akio Toyoda puts it in his foreword: "If we do not give people accurate feedback based on real behavior they are not growing and we are not respecting them."
- A benchmark for what investment in people can be.
- When selecting people, mindset and culture are more important than skill.

Joint review: Dr. Siegfried Kaltenecker and Marius de Beer Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Summary June 5, 2012

By Edward G. Kemmerling

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jeff Liker has a unique and effective way of portraying what is required for Lean Transformation. Lean Leaders are the key enablers to a sustained transformation, and Jeff Liker shows us how to develop this culture.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book on your shelf April 2, 2012

By Reg Nordman

Format:Hardcover

The two authors are very experienced in the Toyota Way and how it applies to American workers. The effectiveness of Toyota's responses to whatever comes its way is amazing - and the profits show it.. My takeaways are:

There are no quick fixes
Top leaders need to commit to continuous improvement ( their operations and themselves)
Top leaders develop others - continuously teaching (discovery method)
Commit to long term R&D at the floor level.
Leaders position teams to win
The approach is contextually dependent - people, division, plant, country
Metrics are used as a tool for self improvement - not a basis for rewards
You don't go home until the problem is fixed.
The company commits to leadership development
The desire to want to be excellent is in us all.

This book is essential management reading. A must have on your shelf.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Definately, another great work from Jeffrey February 8, 2013

By M. Hamed Soliman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book guides you through the Toyota way of developing their leader. Much useful information for those who want to learn from the other's success. Please read my comprehensive review.

The Toyota way of self-development focus on developing leaders so they can develop others, the main function of the leader is to produce more leaders not more followers.

Toyota don't carry traditional trainings like what other companies do in the most of the United State. The learning journey is very comprehensive, actionable, and effective for developing strong capable leaders that are able to impact everywhere in the company.

Also, you are going to see why Toyota prefer to bring problems to the surface rather than hiding them beyond a frustrating production system that is based on a lot of inventory and mass productivity. And how this affect the leadership development process.

The book pass greatly through the most common Toyota approaches of leadership development, and didn't miss either the main pillars of the TPS such as JIT.

There are a lot of stories, and a lot of interesting read.

Chapter 1 & 2 is a great introduction for the self-developing program. Also the book has started with how Toyota managed successfully to turn the recall crisis into lessons for continuous improvement to reach the perfection!

Chapter 3 focus on the coaching process, and Toyota way of Leadership and developing bottom, middle, and senior leaders as well as the Toyota approach of problem solving and how they use Kaizen in coaching people.

Chapter 4 is all about the removal of wasted motions and walking through innovation thinking using the daily Kaizen which would never relay on Copy & Paste from other plants....

Chapter 5 is my favorite chapter. I call it the Toyota way of Business Practice. It is like a MBO chapter (management by objectives) but with the unique and incredible Toyota Way. How Toyota perform the Strategic Planning process and set goal, targets, and plans and align them with the Company's vision.

It is just another great job from this author.

Enjoy ;)

Thanks Jeff Read more ›