Toyota Helps Less Fortunate with the Power of Kaizen
Most companies donate money to help those less fortunate. The maker of Lexus donates priceless knowledge.
We’re fortunate enough to live in a society where even the stodgiest of mega corporations does their part to help those in need. So it’s not really news when a company donates money to a noble cause, even if funds are obviously needed. Money obviously buys food to feed the hungry, but Toyota decides to take a slightly different approach to chipping in. Rather than just writing a check, they donate something even more valuable: the power of kaizen.
As you likely already know, kaizen is Japanese for “continuous improvement.” It is also the singular philosophy behind the rise of Toyota and is one of the most critical keys to their sustained success. Everything from the boardroom to the production line undergoes constant scrutiny, with an eye toward efficiency. This type of process can obviously save companies a lot of money. Not to mention enable them to produce more product at a higher quality.
So if should come as no surprise that the process also made a big difference in The Food Bank for New York City’s ability to feed the hungry a few years back. The New York Times reported that after Toyota’s assistance, one soup kitchen in Harlem cut down its wait time from 90 minutes to 18 minutes. A Staten Island food pantry was able to shave five minutes from their shopping times. Even a Brooklyn warehouse packing supplies for hurricane victims benefited, slashing packing times from 3 minutes to just 11 seconds.
The moves, at least initially, originally faced heavy skepticism. After all, what would a car company know about running a kitchen? But Toyota got right to work on the kitchen, which sits 50 people and filled to capacity immediately after opening. They changed an obscure rule that only allowed people in 10 at a time. Toyota set up an outside waiting area and earmarked one employee to fill empty seats as soon as they opened up. Those simple changes resulted in a significant 72-minute reduction in wait time.
All of which just goes to show you that sometimes, knowledge trumps money. And in a few cases, it’s worth even more.
