Management and Leadership at Toyota Motor Corporation
Management and Leadership at Toyota Motor Corporation
Nancy Mitchell-Edwards
MGT/330
January 17, 2010
Walter Goodwyn
Management and Leadership at Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world. The name itself inspires trust in the brand and for many people around the world, purchasing a vehicle manufactured by Toyota is also a sound investment. In 1933 Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd established the Automobile Department. In 1935 the first A1 prototype passenger car and the G1 truck were made at Hinode Motors and in 1937 Toyota Motor Co. Ltd was launched (Company, 2011).
These are the facts, but to understand the culture of Toyota, one must first have a modicum of understanding the culture in which its founder was born and in which the company itself evolved. One cannot look at Toyota from a Western point of view and understand the culture developed from an Eastern point of view. This essay is written to explain the differences in management and leadership at Toyota, to identify the roles and responsibilities of each, to evaluate the effect of globalization, and to propose approaches for organizational managers and leaders to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture.
The Difference Between Management and Leadership
Management
For a person to be an effective administrator for a business, he or she must be skilled in management and be able to accomplish organizational goals. A manager is someone who can work with people and with resources to complete business objectives A good manager must adapt to changing circumstances, is flexible in his or her approach to solutions, and applies the primary principles of management to the task at hand. These principles include the four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Bateman & Snell, 2009).
These four features of management are central to the operation of any business, and Toyota is
Nancy Mitchell-Edwards
MGT/330
January 17, 2010
Walter Goodwyn
Management and Leadership at Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world. The name itself inspires trust in the brand and for many people around the world, purchasing a vehicle manufactured by Toyota is also a sound investment. In 1933 Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd established the Automobile Department. In 1935 the first A1 prototype passenger car and the G1 truck were made at Hinode Motors and in 1937 Toyota Motor Co. Ltd was launched (Company, 2011).
These are the facts, but to understand the culture of Toyota, one must first have a modicum of understanding the culture in which its founder was born and in which the company itself evolved. One cannot look at Toyota from a Western point of view and understand the culture developed from an Eastern point of view. This essay is written to explain the differences in management and leadership at Toyota, to identify the roles and responsibilities of each, to evaluate the effect of globalization, and to propose approaches for organizational managers and leaders to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture.
The Difference Between Management and Leadership
Management
For a person to be an effective administrator for a business, he or she must be skilled in management and be able to accomplish organizational goals. A manager is someone who can work with people and with resources to complete business objectives A good manager must adapt to changing circumstances, is flexible in his or her approach to solutions, and applies the primary principles of management to the task at hand. These principles include the four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Bateman & Snell, 2009).
These four features of management are central to the operation of any business, and Toyota is
References: Anonymous. (2010). Blame Toyota’s Disaster On Japanese Corporate Culture. Retrieved January 12, 2010 from http://www.businessinsider.com/blame-toyotas-disaster-on-japanese-corporate-culture-2010-2 Bateman, T Company. (2011). Toyota Motor Corporation. Retrieved January 12, 2011 from http://www.toyota-global.com/company/ de Bono, E de Bono, E. & Heller, R. (2008). Japanese Management: Business strategy lessons for the West. Retrieved January 14, 2011 from http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/management/japanese-management.php Murray, C Nilson, J. (2006). Toyota Motor Corporation. Retrieved January 14, 2011 from http://searchwarp.com/swa51648.htm Ozawa, H Wartzman, R. (2010). Toyota’s Management Challenge. Retrieved January 12, 2011 from http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/mar2010/ca2010034_000939.htm