This review piece is something of a first for me, here at simondgary.com.
Instead of reviewing one book, we’re going to be looking at two. The books are the hugely important “The Toyota Way” first and second editions, by the highly influential Jeffrey K. Liker.
I first read edition one of “The Toyota Way” over a decade ago, when I was fresh to my journey as a lean learner. If I am honest with myself, I probably didn’t understand a lot of it. Still, I took enough to know that it was a very significant book – after all, I had seen it being distributed as a course text for a high-level workplace course of which I was aware.
Fast-forward to the end of 2020, and I become excited to learn that a second edition is about to be released. What will be added, what will be changed? To help me understand, I immediately re-read the first edition and waited eagerly for news of the second.
A decade on, I was immediately able to understand just how magnificent the “Toyota Way” was. Further, I was able to see that many, perhaps including myself at times, had incompletely understood the message – picking up on the tools and missing the cultural side of transformation. I wondered how Mr Liker would address this in the second edition.
As a UK learner, I had to wait a little while to get my copy. I do not think it is an over-exaggeration to state that this was the most eagerly awaiting lean published event in nearly twenty years. You could not get a copy of “The Toyota Way: Second Edition” for love nor money.
When it eventually arrived, it was like Christmas morning all over again. I tore at the packaging to reveal a beautiful, bright red cover, bearing the legend “The bestselling classic – completely updated.”
And it was. Wonderfully so.
Both books are tightly structured around the fourteen TPS Management Principles, but the new copy dives straight in. It is bigger and heavier than its predecessor, but that is because Mr Liker has packed in a great deal more fantastic material.
The Second Edition feels more people-centric to me, which is a trend that I am seeing in a lot of lean books now. The tools have become secondary. People are the beating heart of all business systems. Mr Liker explores the people element of lean very thoroughly, clearly delineating mechanistic and organic business systems.
The language is clear and concise, but the book’s beauty comes in the myriad examples, not all of them from Toyota. All of the anecdotes and stories are told in a superbly engaging way, leaving ample room for reflection on the reader’s part. Though each comes with the caveat: do not copy and paste – think how you could adapt this principle for yourself.
And it is in this caveat that the biggest, and most crucial difference between the two editions exists. “The Toyota Way: Second Edition,” has a much bigger focus on scientific thinking as part of our PDCA learning cycles. Here is where Mr Liker truly pinpoints the people element of the lean business system. Develop people, and everything else will naturally follow.
In “The Toyota Way: Second Edition,” Mr Liker offers the key to a sustainable, continually-improving crucible of a workplace, in whatever industry or sector that may be. Mr Liker’s book truly is for everyone.
I think it may be obvious that I think “The Toyota Way” is a remarkable book, fully deserving of its label as a classic. Further, I will state that I believe the Second Edition is an even better iteration, and the spirit of PDCA and kata is evident.
Lean authors, myself included, owe so much to heroes like Mr Jeffrey Liker. Every book that follows will owe a great debt to this most esteemed of writers. Mr Liker has given me much to think about and has offered me much to learn and be grateful for.
What the future holds? We cannot be sure, but it is comforting to think that great companies, like Toyota, and great minds, such as Mr Liker, will have a part to play.
Please, please do read this book. Five stars.
Please use this link to order your copy of “The Toyota Way – Second Edition,” by Jeffrey K. Liker.
Simon D. Gary is the author of the groundbreaking book “Super Lean: Unlock Your Company’s Million-Dollar Edge,” which is available for purchase by clicking this link.