How many pillars and principles are there in Toyota Way?
Two pillars and fourteen principles.
The Toyota Way rests on two enduring pillars—Long-term philosophy and the right process to create value—and is guided by fourteen principles that shape decision-making, leadership, and improvement across the company.
Pillars of the Toyota Way
The framework rests on two foundational pillars that guide what Toyota believes and how it operates.
- Long-term philosophy
- The right process to create value
These pillars define the overarching goals and the means by which Toyota seeks to achieve sustainable quality and efficiency.
The 14 Principles
The fourteen principles translate the pillars into concrete guidelines for leadership, process discipline, people development, and continuous improvement.
The following fourteen principles are commonly presented as a single list under the Toyota Way, spanning philosophy, process, people, and problem-solving.
- Base decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals.
- Create a continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface.
- Use pull systems to avoid overproduction.
- Level out the workload (heijunka).
- Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time.
- Standardize tasks and processes (standard work).
- Use visual controls so no problems are hidden.
- Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves people and the process.
- Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others.
- Develop exceptional people and teams who follow the philosophy.
- Respect your extended network of suppliers and partners by challenging them and helping them improve.
- Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (genchi genbutsu).
- Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering alternatives and then choosing a few that will support the long-term philosophy.
- Become a learning organization through relentless reflection (hansei) and continuous improvement (kaizen).
These fourteen principles collectively define Toyota's approach to leadership, process discipline, and organizational learning, guiding continuous improvement across its value chain.
Summary
The Toyota Way is built on two pillars—long-term philosophy and the right process to create value—and expressed through fourteen guiding principles that cover leadership, process excellence, people development, and relentless problem-solving. This framework informs Toyota's manufacturing approach and its emphasis on quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
What are the 8 steps of the Toyota Way?
Consider these eight steps as you start on the path to continuous improvement.
- Clarify the problem.
- Break down the problem.
- Set a target.
- Analyze the root cause.
- Develop countermeasures.
- Implement countermeasures.
- Evaluate Results and Process.
- Standardize Successful Processes.
What are the pillars of the Toyota Way?
The two pillars of the Toyota Way are respect for people and continuous improvement. Jeffrey K. Liker popularized the philosophy in his 2004 book, The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer.
What are the 4 P's of the Toyota Way?
Let's dive into the 4Ps of Toyota's lean management principles: Philosophy, Process, People & Partners, and Problem Solving.
What are the 5S principles of Toyota?
Overview. Five S (5S) stands for sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. This method results in a workspace that is clean, uncluttered, safe, and well-organized, which can help reduce waste and optimize productivity. The approach is designed to help build a quality work environment—physically and mentally.
