Sep 9 2015
“Wisdom” and “Continuous Improvement” in the Toyota Way
Toyota’s Japanese documents and their English versions often mean different things. Recently, looking at the Japanese version of The Toyota Way 2001, I was surprised to find that what is translated into English as “Continuous Improvement” is “Chie to Kaizen” (知恵と改善), which means “Wisdom and Continuous Improvement.” In the English version, “Wisdom” was not only dropped from the main header, it appears nowhere. Continue reading…
Sep 15 2015
About Strategy, Tactics, and Lean
Originally “the art of the general,” strategy is about which armies or fleets you deploy where and for what purpose. It goes hand in hand with tactics, which is the way each unit then engages the enemy. Always fond of military metaphors, business people have chosen to use the term”strategy” for their plans and decisions on products or services, markets, promotion methods, technology, organization, and financing. To Harvard Business School’s Michael Porter “the essence of [business] strategy is choosing what not to do.”
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By Michel Baudin • Management • 3 • Tags: business strategy, Lean, Lean management, Lean manufacturing, Lean Product Development, Lean Startup, Strategy, Toyota, TPS