Toyota VS. The Americans

**Sarge** · 11-10-2008, 03:51 AM

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford) decided to
have a canoe race on the Missouri River . Both teams practiced long and
hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate
the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior
management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person
steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a
consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second
opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat,
while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent
another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was
totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering
superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1
person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the
'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens
for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and
other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor
performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and
canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was
distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing
team was out-sourced to India .

**JoshieDoom** · 11-10-2008, 04:00 AM

Trust me on this one, deal with it everyday for up to 12 hours, japs can cut costs, keep the quality high,AND the toyota production system is damn amazing and effective at preventing accidents and keeping things organized, inventoried, and in stock.

I really dont have many people above me, only my supervisor, his manager, then the president of an entire multibillion dollar company...

They usually end up changing our job descriptions and giving incentives(sp?.) to do more instead of hiring complete new people. Dont know much about gm way of production but i play to get some friends together to see the vette factory... its a shame i pass by it almost everyweekend...

**astyles** · 11-10-2008, 04:09 AM

Originally Posted by Sarge

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford) decided to
have a canoe race on the Missouri River . Both teams practiced long and
hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate
the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior
management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person
steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a
consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second
opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat,
while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent
another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was
totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering
superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1
person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the
'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens
for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and
other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor
performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and
canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was
distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing
team was out-sourced to India .

wow.......talk about hitting the nail on the head!

**mmciau** · 11-10-2008, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by astyles

wow.......talk about hitting the nail on the head!

And stuff all can be done about it because the inept executive is quarantined from the glare and questioning of the blood pumping shareholder by all the 'institutionalized' shareholders!!

The institutionalised shareholders get their capital gain, sell and move onto the next sucker public company and start all over again.

The blood pumping shareholder is completely at the whim of the IS

Mike

**1MileCrash** · 11-10-2008, 10:06 AM

too true too true. and ya know it's completely our own fault. detroit has been weaseling out of the cafe regulations for decades now. when the first standards came about in the 70s and 80s and the domestics got subsidies from the government to help in developing technology to increase mpg and reduce emissions japan got scared. they didn't get the government money and so they independently invested their own cash heavily so that they would be able to stay in the game. and now look who is ahead. domestic brands still can't compete due to labor costs and technology despite government subsidies and companies like toyota are a decade ahead of the curve when it comes to the technology...prius being the best example.

it's our own fault and it sucks.

**bigrondownhiller** · 11-10-2008, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by Sarge

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford) decided to
have a canoe race on the Missouri River . Both teams practiced long and
hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate
the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior
management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person
steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a
consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second
opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat,
while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent
another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was
totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering
superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1
person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the
'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens
for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and
other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor
performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and
canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was
distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing
team was out-sourced to India .

Sounds like most American corporations.