M4A1: Final Project: Preparation 3 If viewing this through the Assignment tool, click the title above to go to the Submissions area. An icon of paper with lines and a pen symbolizing assignment. Final Project Preparation 3 One person explaining a bar chart to another Continue to work on your Final Project. Review the information you gathered about your selected organization. Write an evaluation of the leadership. Write a paper addressing the following: Leadership theories applied to the organization and its difficulties Evaluation of the leadership of the organization The paper should be two pages and in APA style. Write the paper in a Word document. Evaluation criteria Review the SBT Weekly Assignment Rubric located in the “Start Here” section of the course for more information on grading criteria. Keep the following points in mind: Relevant theoretical perspectives are correctly applied to the organization and its difficulties. Evaluation of the leadership is based on theory and research information.

 

M4A1: Final Project – Preparation, 3

Student’s Name

Date

 

 

Abstract

Leadership theories applied to the organization and its difficulties

Evaluation of the leadership of the organization

 

M4A1: Final Project – Preparation, 3

Toyota Leadership Theories

The operations of Toyota are highly sophisticated and aligned to the leadership theory that focuses on improving industrial and administrative processes. The approach to Toyota’s leadership entails the “Toyota Way” and “Approach to Lean Leadership.” The combination of the two approaches to leadership in Toyota provides the best opportunity for efficient functioning, maintaining competitiveness, and realization of long-term goals and objectives of the company (Lussier & Achua, 2015). The ability to induce effective leadership has been essential for the company to sail through turbulent times following various challenges along the way. The stiffest challenge that the company faced was the 2008 global financial crisis affecting the products purchasing, the 2010 recall, and Japan devastating earthquake in history. The one that carried the day was the 2010 recall crisis drawing the attention of the media and affecting the company’s reputation.

The Toyota Way

The leadership approach entailed in the Toyota Way approach comprises of a set of principles and behaviors that guide the company’s managerial approach and productivity systems. The principles summed up in 2001 provides an aspect that focuses on the improving the company’s productivity through effective leadership that aimed at enhancing respect for the people and continuous improvement. In a world of competitive automobile production, innovation and effective leadership is key to the success of the company (Liker & Convis, 2011). The Toyota Way approach of leadership induces a philosophy that guides both short-term and long-term operations. The incorporation of the right processes assures right productivity that is critical to continued growth of the company. The strategy aims at constant value addition through products that aim at respecting the will of the people and enhancing customer satisfaction (Marksberry, 2012). In turn, the leadership approach guarantees the incorporation of improved performance of the company and ensuring value addition, problem-solving mechanisms, and elevation of the company’s goals and objectives.

The Lean Leadership Approach

The aim of the lean leadership is to ensure continued innovation and transformation of the industrial and administrative processes. This puts in place mechanisms for developing effective strategies for dealing with various issues in the company. In turn, steer effective leadership and improved services delivery and quality improvement (Keough, 2012). The leadership approach aims at improving the operations of their employees globally with a special focus on the customers as the principal source of their innovativeness and cause of the need for transformation. The critical assessment of market demands and customer requirements helps the company’s leadership to accommodate the urge of introducing transformational agendas in the company that can seek the best solutions and alternatives to the company’s issues (Goodridge et al., 2015). The lean leadership approach is a critical ingredient that considers the development of strategies that aim to elevate the company to global competitiveness through enormous investments and carefully selected leadership salient features like corporate culture, innovation, and creativity.

Evaluation of Toyota’s Leadership

The leadership of Toyota has proved to be an effective course for the company that has elevated the company’s global competitiveness and success. The company has a global reputation for increased sales and profits that have to the continued years of innovation and growth. Through the implementation of the primary leadership features, Toyota has always been able to come back from worse situations one of which was characterized by bad media publicizing following the 2010 recall crisis. The top leadership being marred by the scandal of transparency posed a profound threat to the long-term reputation of the company. Hence, the urge for the development of a strategy that would seek the restoration of the company’s reputation and respect in the world corporate arena. Thus, the installation of the lean leadership approach to train, nurture and motivate strong leadership skills to elevate the company’s performance and productivity.

 

 

References

Goodridge, D., Westhorp, G., Rotter, T., Dobson, R., & Bath, B. (2015). Lean and leadership practices: development of an initial realist program theory. BMC health services research, 15(1), 362.

Keough, W. (2012). The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence Through Leadership Development [review]/Liker, Jeffery K. and Gary L. Convis. Journal of Applied Christian Leadership, 6(2), 135-136.

Liker, J., & Convis, G. L. (2011). The Toyota way to lean leadership: Achieving and sustaining excellence through leadership development. McGraw-Hill Education.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. Nelson Education.

Marksberry, P. (2012). The Modern Theory of the Toyota Production System: A Systems Inquiry of the World’s Most Emulated and Profitable Management System. CRC Press.