When the manufacturer long upheld as a shining example of Gemba kaizen and the use of PDCA, quality management and all things ‘lean’ gets it wrong, it does so in the unrelenting glare of the global media!

Toyota car recall hits US, Europe and China pulls no punches and shows the far reaching ramifications not only to Toyota but, by implication, the impact on its workforces and their communities in several countries around the world.

In contrast, when small businesses get it wrong, ‘it’ can often be contained, kept under the radar and fixed with minimal brand damage.

The good thing about the Toyota situation that we can and should all take on board is:

There’s not the slightest element of “Not our fault” or heads in the sand from the company. It’s “Let’s get this sorted out.”

Putting ourselves in the customer/client position: What kind of company would we be inclined to stay with?