RESPECTED MR TOYOTA, DID YOU UNDERGO MILITARY TRAINING?

Reading the heading, you may call me nuts or being crazy to dare to ask such a question on an such a phenomenal platform, to an “somebody” who name reverberates absolute respect and any Operations Management program is incomplete without invoking essential lessons of Toyota as brand. Mr S Toyoda did not serve army, but his life story is worth undergoing "Manthan".

So back to KLMDC at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad , class of IIM Ahmedabad - Armed Forces Programme on the subject with Chetan Soman shredding the case study and drawing the lessons out for 54 absolute diverse military background souls listening in awe. The air was filled with “Kaizen”, “Muda” and so on… Nah, we were not learning the Japanese language, but the Toyota case study was in full roll. While moving back to my room in Dorm 17, I straight away invoked Mr 谷歌 (my saviour always) to understand the newly learnt “Jargons”. It dawned that the names/jargon we learnt in the Toyota Motor Corporation case study are in fact religiously preached & practiced by Indian Army . Let me brag about them then.?

-?????? Mission Focus?? Both Toyota and the Indian Army prioritize the mission or objective above everything. Mission statement sets the theme. As Green Horn, I learnt the “ZKITBAG” acronym, wherein mission was always laid out first and dictated formulation and adherence of the plan. Toyota, we know that its foundation purely rests on quality, innovation, environmental stewardship with customer as the main theme. And they follow it. ask millions of their fans.

-????Leadership Development.?? Both the organizations invest heavily in leadership development programs. Toyota, for instance, emphasizes developing leaders at all levels of the organization through training and mentorship. Similarly, in the army the lowest appointment granted to a soldier finds him in the list of “Non-Commissioned Officer” and to earn it, he must go through the mandatory training. I still remember that as young officers, we were allowed only to enter offices at 1230 PM. Till then it was only planning, formulation, preparation and imparting of training programs. God is my witness, to thousands of training programs prepared for all levels of leadership.

-???Adaptability and Flexibility.?? Are we military leaders stiff like our moustaches (pun intended). Absolutely No. We generally operate in dynamic environments where situations can change rapidly. Adaptability and flexibility are key attributes for our and teams’ survival. Toyota’s response to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan is worth reading. Adaptability and flexibility stand out as bold letters.

-????Teamwork and Collaboration.???? Battalions/regiments (Body of troopers of 600 – 800 persons) deployed in most difficult places devoid of basic human requirements pull off the three-year tenure with huge successes. How do they do it. Its only Teamwork. They train, nurture, and empower their teams. They accept mistakes and derive lessons and move on. An excellent example of teamwork at Toyota can be seen in its production system, particularly in the concept of "Jidoka" or autonomation, wherein every worker is empowered to stop the production line if they encounter a quality issue or identify a potential problem.

-???Kaizen (Continuous Improvement).?? Toyota is famous for its philosophy of Kaizen, which emphasizes continuous improvement in processes and operations. Similarly, the army through its inspections, exercises, discussions strive the Kaizen. Monday mornings used to be a terror for all of us military leaders, wherein robust feedback on all round development was taken.

-???Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?? Both Toyota and the military rely heavily on standardized procedures to ensure consistency, efficiency, and safety in their operations. Clear SOPs help in streamlining processes and reducing errors.

Few of my bragging. Many are still there. If you can think of any commonality, do suggest. Enjoy reading.