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Toyota, Honda, and Mitsubishi are making business history at AQP's Annual Spring Conference. For its 20th conference, AQP, which originated as the International Association of Quality Circles, features a combined, in-depth presentation from these three Japanese-owned, automotive giants. Unlike other Japanese auto transplants, all three utilize quality circles and have learned from each others' successes. One area where they differ significantly, however, is their view of circle competitions. The first of this two-part story highlights Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky site.
OH! WHAT A FEELING TO drive a Toyota-and not have to compete with your co-workers. Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky in Georgetown, which has learned its lesson on internal team competitions, is now a nonbeliever in such competitions. And Tom Adair, quality circle administrator for Toyota Georgetown, says it's a lesson they learned the hard way about four years ago. "We thought team competitions were the standard way to do things but found out otherwise. After a competition, the teams who didn't win thought, `We just spent three months preparing for this presentation and didn't get anything for it.' At one time I had nine great teams competing. I lost eight of them; they just folded up in disappointment," Adair recalls. Adair's concern for the feelings of employees is typical of Toyota Georgetown's management philosophy and quality circle program (groups of employees who meet on a regular basis to solve work-related problems), and throughout Toyota worldwide. Of the 32 plants at Toyota, Georgetown is the only one that doesn't compete in the best quality circle presentation. "We don't say our circle program is better than any other, but we have one of the most successful circle programs in Toyota"
Instead of judging circles on their presentations, Toyota Georgetown has circles complete a standardized survey, in which they are exclusively graded on their problem-solving ability. Even though an eventual "best" is presented at their annual Toyota North American Conference-which is intended to honor and recognize all the circles in Toyota-Adair insists that it's not a traditional competition since the focus is so clearly on a team's process. For example, the chosen circle cannot revise their presentation; they have to present it-warts and all.
Supposedly, other companies that sponsor quality team competitions believe these competitions motivate their employees...