Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System
Understanding the success of Toyota in the market entails decoding its production system. This type of production system molds and creates a community of scientists, which are responsible with defining and establishing sets of hypotheses that can be tested. The success of Toyota’s Production System uses a rigorous process of problem solving, including a detailed assessment of the current state of affairs and plan for improvement of the company. In general, the production system of Toyota involves teaching its workers the scientific method at every level of the organization. The scientific method involves ‘Four Rules’, which is regarded as the DNA of the Toyota Production System.
The first rule emphasizes how the employees of Toyota work, which is highly specified with regards to content, sequence, timing, and outcome. Exactness is applied in all of the activities of the workers, regardless of their functional specialty or hierarchical role. As a part of the scientific method, the first rule forces the workers to test hypotheses through action, where the first hypothesis states that the person doing the activity is capable of performing it correctly, and the second states that performing the activity actually creates the expected outcome or result. Variations and providing solutions to problems independently is not tolerated in the production system of Toyota, as each worker in the production line must be guided by his or her supervisor to prevent further problems once shipped and delivered to clients. In this sense, the production system of Toyota aims for perfection, even in how workers or employees do their individual job. The second rule emphasizes how people connect with one another, including workers, suppliers and customers. This rule specifies that the connection between people must be standardized and direct, thus, in the event of encountering problems within the production line, the possibility of variance is reduced. In this way, the persons involved in the production system of Toyota continues to constantly test hypotheses, thus, keeping the system flexible and adjusting the system constructively. The third rule of Toyota’s Production System emphasizes the construction of the production line, such that every product and service flows along a simple, specified path. This rule points out that all individuals connected to the pathway or specific assembly line is essential. With this, it can be perceived that every individual involved in the process of production is equally important. The fourth and last rule in the production process of Toyota involves the improvement of people and the process of production. The last rule emphasizes that Toyota continually teaches its workers to improve, and not expecting them to learn strictly from personal experiences. This rule stresses that any improvement in terms of the production process must be made accordance with the scientific method, under the guidance of a teacher, and at the lowest possible organizational level. Improvements are continually achieved through continuous learning, stating of logic, and through the supervision of teachers. In essence, the success of Toyota’s production system involves the implementation of a scientific method in all stages of development, providing improvement in the entire organization at every level.
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