The definitive inside account of Toyota's greatest crisis--and lessons you can apply to your own company

""Those who write off Toyota in the current climate of second guessing and speculation are making a profound mistake and need to read this book to get the facts. Toyota is a company that will channel the current challenges to push themselves to even more relentless continuous improvement.""
--Charles Baker, former Chief Engineer and Vice President for R&D, Honda of America

""Toyota Under Fire" is a superb book and should prove very helpful to American industry's understanding of the problems faced and how any company can prevent similar occurrences in the future.""
--Norman Bodek, author, founder of Productivity Press, and inductee in 2010 Industry Week Manufacturing Hall of Fame

""As a former automotive supplier executive and student of Toyota, I was concerned to see the many negative reports and investigations into the quality and safety of its vehicles. Toyota Under Fire tells the story of how this great company is growing wiser and stronger by living its culture and values.""
--Michael Fisher, CEO, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

""Just as Toyota has put itself through excruciating soul-searching in order to understand what went wrong, so should we all take advantage of the opportunity for learning presented to us by Toyota's misfortune. In these pages, you will find that the actual circumstances were far more complex, nuanced, and uncertain than you saw reported in the news.""
--John Y. Shook, Chairman and CEO, Lean Enterprise Institute

""The most comprehensive and detailed review to date of the circumstances that led to the crisis, and the events and contexts that caused it to escalate.""
--Strategy & Business

About the Book

For decades, Toyota has been setting standards that are the envy--and goal--of organizations worldwide. Its legendary management principles and business philosophy, first documented by Jeffrey K. Liker in his influential book "The Toyota Way," changed the business world's approach to operational excellence.

Granted unprecedented access to Toyota's facilities worldwide, Liker, along with Timothy N. Ogden, investigated the inside story of how Toyota faced the challenges of the recession and the recall crisis of 2009-2010. In both cases, the company was caught off guard--and found that a root cause of the challenges it faced was its failure to live up to its own principles. But the fundamentals were still there, and the company has ultimately come out of the most challenging years of its postwar existence even stronger than before.

"Toyota Under Fire" chronicles all the events of the recession and the recall crisis in detail, providing valuable lessons any business leader can use to survive and thrive in a crisis, no matter how large: Crisis response must start by building a strong culture long before the crisis hits. Culture matters far more than decisions made by top executives. Investing in people, even in the depths of a recession, is the surest path to long-term profitability.

Because it had founded its culture on such principles, Toyota didn't need to amass an army of public relations, marketing, and legal experts to "put out the fire"; instead, it redoubled efforts to live up to its founding tenet, going "back to basics." Toyota began solving this crisis more than 70 years ago, when its organizational culture was first established.

Apply the lessons of "Toyota Under Fire" to your company, and you'll meet any future management challenge calmly, responsibly, and effectively--the Toyota Way.

Learning Six Sigma CAN be a painless process

Six Sigma is among the most effective process methods used today--and it's also among the most baffling topics to those new to the subject.

The good news is "Six Sigma DeMYSTiFieD," second edition, explains it all in a language you'll understand. This easy-to-understand reference teaches the methods of Six Sigma, explains their applications, and tests expertise--without confusing statistics and formulas. In no time, you'll develop the skills you need to solve problems, anticipate customer needs, and meet the demands of the most challenging markets.

Filled with practical hands-on advice and essential organizational tips, Six Sigma DeMYSTiFieD provides a complete blueprint for developing strategies, plotting growth, and performing at peak efficiency for maximum profits.

This fast and easy guide offers: Proven techniques for building a solid Six Sigma infrastructure Tips for deploying projects using DMAIC methodology Clear advice on when and how to use specific problem-solving tools Essential calculations and assumptions Case studies, quizzes, and a final exam that reinforce what you've learned

"Simple enough for a beginner but challenging enough for a more advanced student, Six Sigma DeMYSTiFieD is your shortcut to a solid foundation in this powerful improvement methodology."

"All About Six Sigma" provides clear, straightforward explanations of how to apply Six Sigma so no matter what your experience, you can introduce, implement, and complete a Six Sigma project. Warren Brussee presents a simplified form of the most common Six Sigma tools, providing techniques for easy application while optimizing processes and results.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Get past the hype to discover what quality management programs really work Quality Management Demystified provides the basic terms, concepts, and tools for defining, measuring, and managing quality, from the earliest efforts at quality assurance and quality control, through Total Quality Management, to the rise and possible fall of Six Sigma.

The Quality Movement and Organizational Theory provides a framework within which organization theorists may learn from, reflect upon, and contribute to the development of new approaches to organizational change and improvement. The book includes contributions by researchers who have been at the forefront of assessing new quality approaches, how they work, and the conditions under which they are effective. It also draws upon other organizational scholars who reflect on current efforts and findings in an effort to better link them to existing knowledge. The book bridges the world of theory and practice, making academics aware of recent developments to improve organizational performance and exploring ways in which these efforts both contribute to and challenge current theories. Practitioners will profit from the concerns and insights of organizational scholars.

"The book gives a solid overview of the theory and practice of internal evaluation by one of its leading practitioners. For readers new to internal evaluation, the book clearly explains the major pros and cons of internal evaluation, how evaluation fits within the organizational context, and guidance about the development and management of the internal evaluation function." --Arnold Love, private consultant and author of Internal Evaluation "This book was written by an evaluator who has given deep thought to what it means to work as an internal evaluator. The author combines his long experience and deep knowledge of the literature in a manner that gives people the insight needed to ply the evaluation trade effectively as in-house staff in large bureaucratic organizations." --Jonathan A. Morell, Industrial Technology Institute This book shows students and professional evaluators how to effectively use the tools of internal evaluation to determine a business or program's effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and performance. Beginning with a description of the organizational context within which internal evaluation is practiced, the book covers such topics as: - Pre conditions for high impact evaluation - The value and nature of acquisition of information in organizations and how it is affected by culture, individuals and the decision-making process - The phenomenon of change in organizations from how it affects behavior as well as ways to overcome resistance to change - The staffing and structure of internal evaluation offices - The consulting role that evaluators play in organizations - The keys to successful internal evaluation practice - How to have high impact evaluations that are utilized - The art of reporting results in a manner that will influence and improve the organization.

Are you a Mess Maven suffering from Paperosis Misplacea? Do you work with a Deadline Deadbeat or have Phone-o-phobic clients? Have you ever felt overwhelmed or overloaded?

For anyone struggling with too many projects, too little time, and too much paper, organizing guru Harriet Schechter -- aka The Miracle Worker -- offers innovative methods for conquering the five types of workplace chaos: Time, Memory, Communication, Information, and Projects. And she shows you how to handle the real Chaos Creators:

* Bosses who expect you to cover for them
* Coworkers who leave messes for you to clean up
* Assistants who are even more overwhelmed than you are
* Clients who won't return your phone calls

No matter who or what is creating the chaos that drives you crazy, Conquering Chaos at Work has the practical, easy-to-adopt solutions you need to overcome disorganization now...and forever.

"I found the book very interesting, and will consider it as a supplement for my graduate statistics course, Managerial Statistical Analysis. This book covers a number of topics that graduate students need, but which we currently do not cover in our present format, such as questionnaire design, validity and reliability."

--Stanley A. Taylor, School of Business Administration,

California State University, Sacramento

"The author uses plenty of examples and the text is well written and easy to understand. The exercises at the end of each chapter were reasonable and useful."

--David J. Solomon, Michigan State University

"This book covers the most important topics involved in statistical research. It is informative, and topics are presented in a way that is easy to understand."

--J.L. Madrigal, Department of Statistics, Brigham Young University

Aimed at students who do not plan to be academic researchers but rather who will use measurement and comparison methods in their work, this book teaches readers methods for sampling, data gathering, developing questionnaires, reliability and validity, and quantitative and qualitative measurement methods through the use of frequent examples and exercises. In addition, the book covers the use of quality improvement tools and techniques in measurement. Readers who do measurement activity in their workplace will find that this book provides them with all the research, statistical, and qualitative tools that they?ll need.

Given the trend toward improving quality and customer satisfaction, measurement has become an increasingly necessary skill for business managers to possess in order to assess change and improvement. This book provides upper-division undergraduate students in business and management with these general measurement principles.

Through the use of frequent business examples and exercises, the contributors cover such topics as sampling methods for data gathering, developing questionnaires, measuring instruments, quantitative and qualitative measurement methods, items analysis, reliability and validity, measurement for quality, and computer uses in data analysis. Professors who have been frustrated with the lack of measurement materials for their business and management students will find this text answers their needs.

The concept of Quality Management began in the manufacturing sector, but a growing concern with quality in other areas of the economy has led to its wider application in service industries, government, education, and other not-for-profit agencies. A great quantity of material related to quality management has been produced in recent years, much of it by small presses, professional and trade associations, and consultants. The Quality Management Sourcebook is the first in-depth, international guide to the most useful material and sources of information.
The book begins with the origins of quality management, explains how it evolved, examines its current situation, and explores the future. The book is divided into five main sections:
* Introduction: General sources for information
* Applications of total quality management
* Focus on specific aspects of quality management
* Quality in the future
* Resource materials
The Quality Management Sourcebook is an essential reference for everybody involved in either the theory or practice of quality management: in manufacturing, retail, banking, and insurance, the utilities industry, the transportation industry, health, education and other public services. Over 900 citations cover books, journal articles, technical reports, video training materials and software. Each is followed by a descriptive annotation. Resource materials include strategies for locating additional information; training materials; organizations; and consultants. The book concludes with a glossary of quality management terms, a name index, a title index, and a detailed subject index.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203071190

An indispensable guide for students who consult to businesses. --Jerry Katz, Series Editor Thousands of students participate in fieldwork experiences every year. Field Casework addresses the common questions and concerns of students engaging in consulting projects for small and startup businesses. Offering practical guidance, this informative text supports and directs the reader from the initial project assignment and client meeting to the closing presentation and exit meeting. Primary chapters are devoted to establishing client relationships, conducting the information search, maintaining a cohesive student consulting team, and developing recommendations for the client business. A unique feature of this book is the incorporation of student reactions, responses and advice in each chapter. Information about the role of the Small Business Administration, and Small Business Institutes, confidentiality, and ethical considerations is included in two appendixes. This book is an excellent resource and essential guide for students of management, organizational studies, economics, and marketing or a variety of other courses that require consulting projects. The real-world examples, sound methods, and student feedback provided make Field Casework an extremely relevant text. ^B^

Now available in trade paperback, this mega-seller brings the timeless message of "the leading evangelist of quality" (as Time called Philip Crosby) to an ever-widening audience. Drawing on quality lessons learned from hundreds of corporate and government clients and presenting them through practical step-by-step guidance, Crosby shows managers at all levels how to build quality into all aspects of their operations.

Statistical Methods for SPC and TQM sets out to fill the gap for those in statistical process control (SPC) and total quality management (TQM) who need a practical guide to the logical basis of data presentation, control charting, and capability indices.
Statistical theory is introduced in a practical context, usually by way of numerical examples. Several methods familiar to statisticians have been simplified to make them more accessible. Suitable tabulations of these functions are included; in several cases, effective and simple approximations are offered.
Contents
Data Collection and Graphical Summaries
Numerical Data Summaries-Location and Dispersion
Probability and Distribution
Sampling, Estimation, and Confidence
Sample Tests of Hypothesis; "Significance Tests"
Control Charts for Process Management and Improvement
Control Charts for Average and Variation
Control Charts for "Single-Valued" Observations
Control Charts for Attributes and Events
Control Charts: Problems and Special Cases
Cusum Methods
Process Capability-Attributes, Events, and Normally Distributed Data
Capability; Non-Normal Distributions
Evaluating the Precision of a Measurement System (Gauge Capability)
Getting More from Control Chart Data
SPC in "Non-Product" Applications
Appendices

Lean TRIZ is a new workshop-based process that brings together teams to focus on specific processes, evolutionary product designs, and improvement opportunities. It combines the insight of TRIZ with the simplicity of Value Engineering, EXPRESS, or FAST methodologies. TRIZ is the most advanced problem solving tool available. By combining TRIZ's simplest concepts with those in the EXPRESS methodology (used by Ford and Ernst & Young), it is feasible to apply this new methodology to new concepts that are not traditionally applicable to the TRIZ methodology. This combination is guaranteed to greatly improve the quality and breakthrough results of a team that works on the problem within two days.

Unlock new levels of quality, performance, customer service, and profits

Written specifically for managers with little or no experience on the subject, "Six Sigma for Managers," Second Edition, provides step-by-step guidance and examples for implementing a Six Sigma initiative.

Written specifically for today's busy manager, Briefcase Books feature eye-catching icons, checklists, and sidebars to guide managers step by step through everyday workplace situations. Updated with the latest in implementation strategies and tactics, tips from insiders in the field, and new stories and insights from the Six Sigma experiences of others Clear definitions of key management terms and concepts Practical advice for minimizing the possibility of error Examples of successful management Specific planning procedures, tactics, and hands-on techniques

Greg Brue is CEO of Six Sigma Consultants and is a master six sigma black belt.

Small businesses face many challenges today, including the increasing demand by larger companies for ISO compliance. Compliance is a challenging task for any organisation and can often be time consuming and costly, particularly for small businesses who are unlikely to have quality assurance experts on the payroll. However, it is still possible to achieve compliance without the need for expensive consultancy or training that takes you out of the office! Ray Tricker has already guided hundreds of businesses through the challenge and this, the 5th edition of his life-saving ISO guide, has been rewritten and refined following 5 years' field use of working with the standard. The one area that an organisation (particularly a small business) always wants to know is `how much is it going to cost to implement and operate a QMS compliant with ISO 9001: 2008 - and is it going to be worth the trouble?!' Due to popular demand, Edition 5 now includes a brand new chapter on the cost of implementing ISO 9001:2008. This edition provides: Relevant examples that put the concepts and requirements of the standard into a real-life context Down to earth explanations to help you determine what you need to work in compliance with and/or achieve certification to ISO 9001:2008 An example of a complete, generic, Quality Management System consisting of a Quality Manual plus a whole host of Quality Processes, Quality Procedures and Work Instructions Access to a free, software copy of this generic QMS files (available from the author) to give you a starting-point from which to develop your own documentation. ISO 9001:2008 is the most widely followed quality management standard and the rewards can be great, opening up new business opportunities, as well as bringing real improvements to your processes and outputs.

Lean? Six Sigma? or Lean Six Sigma?

Which is the right approach for effective continuous improvement? While much has been written on merging Lean and Six Sigma initiatives, this is the first book to detail a logical alternative - a no-nonsense strategy for maintaining the best of both initiatives without diluting either.

In "Using Lean for Faster Six Sigma Results," Mark Nash, Sheila Poling, and Sophronia Ward lay out the differences between Lean and Six Sigma, define the distinct power and focus of each, and detail why and how to use them together in a synchronized and complementary way. While Lean focuses on the elimination of waste, Six Sigma addresses variability and reliability. Organizations that initiate Lean early in their continuous improvement efforts create culture change, immediate results, and streamlined processes, paving the way for faster and more effective Six Sigma results.

This practical, easy read shows how to choose the right projects, approach, people, and toolset to achieve bottom-line results faster. Readers will benefit from the authors' years of experience implementing Lean with Six Sigma, through detailed case studies from both manufacturing and service companies.

If you are struggling with the dilemma of how to integrate Lean and Six Sigma, or deciding which approach to use, read this practical, down-to-earth book to inspire and guide your strategy.

Managing Quality provides a comprehensive review and critical analysis of quality management discourses and techniques by drawing on a number of management disciplines such as operations management, HRM, organizational behaviour, strategy, marketing and organization theory.

The book:

- introduces readers to key concepts and issues in quality management

- provides an overview of both managerial and critical perspectives on quality management

- presents the 'wisdom' of quality management gurus

- documents the way quality is pursued in manufacturing, service and public sector organizations

- compares and contrasts hard and soft technologies of quality management

- critically reviews the rhetoric of TQM and business process re-engineering (BPR)

- examines the consequences of quality on stakeholders

- scrutinizes the language of quality management

- documents the mundane nature of quality managemnt practices through the use of real life case studies

Managing Quality is an up-to-date and student-centered treatment of quality management that will be essential reading for undergraduate students of operations and quality management. It will also be extremely relevant to all MBA students, and useful reading for students of HRM, organization theory and the sociology of organizations.

Quality improvement: it's an attractive concept on paper. So why do the vast majority of quality improvement efforts fail? William Roth knows from experience: as a Ph.D in systems theory, an ex-corporate manager, a professor-and the designer (with the AQP) of a national program to deliver training for quality credentials in the systems approach. His belief: enduring quality improvement is an "all or nothing" situation-requiring a systemic approach, with all the key components and integrations in place and fully integrated right from the start. Quality Improvement: A Systems Perspective explains the sometimes surprising historic roots of the quality improvement movement, and outlines the systems theory on which successful models must be built. Readers then gain access to the hands-on, nuts-and-bolts, how-to-get-it-done details of the five critical phases. Three case studies (two in industry, one in health care) support this traditional but currently shunned model. Along with his unique unified view of quality improvement, Roth explains why it is shunned, and why alternative approaches usually do not produce the desired results. Key obstacles to success are directly identified-top-level management, local union leaders, management education. The ultimate culprit, though, is culture-to which Roth suggests how to move organizations in the right direction, from a systems perspective. With one of the most comprehensive overviews of quality management essentials in one volume, Quality Improvement: A Systems Perspective balances theory and modeling with the details of real-life implementation and success.

Global competition, corporate downsizing and corporate restructuring have forced many firms to reevaluate their operating methods. Today, corporations must do more with less while still watching the bottom line and improving profitability. ISO 14000 and ISO 9000, because of their similar management system requirements and auditing procedures, are good candidates for integration. This is the driving force behind Environmental and Quality Systems Integration.
This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instruction for companies wishing to cut costs and integrate their Environmental Health and Safety System (ISO 14000) into an existing Quality Management System (ISO9000). Environmental and Quality Systems Integration serves to ease this transition and offers companies a way to meet quality assurance standards.

Adopting a hands-on approach, this work shows how to achieve ISO 9000 registration efficiently and economically, through the TAP-PDSA (Train, Audit and Plan / Plan, Do, Study, Act) method. It explains issues encountered in registering, providing real examples, and addresses the functions of a registrar, the importance of choosing a registrar early, and the criteria of registrar selection. The primary goals of registration - to improve quality, achieve customer satisfaction and increase profitability - are stressed.

"Comprehensively covers all phases of the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) to product design and development--from initial concept to customer support--addressing statistical quality control, manufacturing engineering, processes and procedures management, and motivation management. Provides rigorous definitions of the principles of TQM."

Marketing Planning in a Total Quality Environment is a how-to book designed for the marketing practitioner. It provides detailed information on how to prepare and implement a marketing plan based in a total quality environment.For the last twenty years, the authors, as marketing practitioners and educators, have been deeply involved in the planning processes of many corporations. This book, Marketing Planning in a Total Quality Environment, is the product of what they've learned over the years from working with these diverse corporations and their executives. The authors provide readers with each step in the total quality planning process, complete with check sheets and plan formats. After readers finish the book, they can prepare a quality-driven marketing plan that will be used and followed throughout the year--instead of becoming a shelf item.This book is for you and the many other marketing professionals who are faced with one or more of these situations: You're doing a good job, but you'd like to do even better. You're spending valuable time putting out fires. You lack time to do the things that need to be done. You're always having a hard time coordinating major marketing programs. You're faced with a major discrepancy between where you are and where you'd like to be; you've got a planning gap. You realize that you've got to offer your customers more quality if you're going to be competitive in the new market environment. You'd like to have a professional annual marketing plan--one that will be well received by management and will also keep you and your staff focused throughout the year. Because each step on how to develop a marketing plan is covered, Marketing Planning in a Total Quality Environment is ideal for presidents of smaller firms, marketing directors and planners, product managers, and planning specialists. The authors include a sample fact book which can be used to store and analyze data, planning forms which help convert data into information, and marketing plan formats which ensure that the plan will get used.

Books in the Quality and Business Excellence series can help readers enhance customer value and satisfaction by integrating the customer's voice into design, manufacturing, supply chain, and field processes. Although there are many Six Sigma books on the market, few clarify the essential aspects of its implementation across various industries. The Tactical Guide to Six Sigma Implementation fills this need. Simplifying a complex subject and removing the intimidation of using statistics, the book takes readers through the five phases of the Six Sigma methodology-Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC). In ten clearly written and easy-to-understand chapters, readers learn the purpose of each phase and what activities must be performed in each phase. The book illustrates the layout of the interaction of organizational processes-defining product and information flows separately such that each process receives product or information and, after completion of the process, supplies the output to the next process. The author identifies organizational processes through turtle and SIPOC diagrams, defining the process owner, inputs and outputs, and process customer for each process. He also explains how to determine the measures and goals of the process, and how to document the process so that further process improvements can be implemented through management reviews. The text presents a comprehensive process control plan assessment to comply with automotive, aerospace, and all types of manufacturing and service processes. It details 17 global quality management system processes covering management responsibility, resource management, product realization policies, and management analysis and improvement policies. It also provides comprehensive root cause analysis and problem solving techniques. Numerous figures, charts, formulae and forms are included throughout the book and all statistics are described to the exact level of understanding required. Books in this series are suitable for use as basic textbooks for Green Belt, Black Belt, BBA, and MBA courses in global quality, Lean Six Sigma, and business excellence.

It is no secret that Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is not as popular with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as it is with larger ones. However, many SMEs are suppliers to larger entities who are pushing for superior quality and world-class process efficiencies from suppliers. Lean Six Sigma for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: A Practical Guide provides a roadmap for the successful implementation and deployment of LSS in SMEs. It includes five real-world case studies that demonstrate how LSS tools have been successfully integrated into LSS methodology. Simplifying the terminology and methodology of LSS, this book makes the implementation process accessible. Supplies a general introduction to continuous improvement initiatives in SMEs Identifies the key phases in the introduction and development of LSS initiatives within an SME Details the most powerful LSS tools and techniques that can be used in an SME environment Provides tips on how to make the project selection process more successful This book covers the fundamental challenges and common pitfalls that can be avoided with successful introduction and deployment of LSS in the context of SMEs. Systematically guiding you through the application of the Six Sigma methodology for problem solving, the book devotes separate chapters to the most appropriate tools and techniques that can be useful in each stage of the methodology. Keeping the required math and statistics to a minimum, this practical guide will help you to deploy LSS as your prime methodology for achieving and sustaining world-class efficiency and effectiveness of critical business processes.

Updated yearly to match changing requirements, this guide is designed to help you understand the criteria for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige criteria are being used by thousands of organizations around the world to evaluate their progress toward becoming the best in their fields. This 17th edition of The Pocket Guide to the Baldrige Criteria begins with commonly asked questions about the Award criteria. It then breaks down the 19 items under the seven category headings of the Baldrige criteria with concise explanation and quick tips of what excellent companies do in each area.