Toyota Presents new Vision - Toyota Chairman Toyoda Claims Leadership in Transformative Endeavor
In a historic press conference held on January 30 at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya, Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota, unveiled the Group's new "Vision" and "Attitudes" for its future direction [2]. The vision, titled "Inventing our path forward, together," emphasizes collaboration and innovation in shaping Toyota’s future [3].
The vision was initially scheduled to be shared on February 14 but was brought forward due to the recent situation of Group companies. The vision and attitudes were shared to outline the direction in which the Toyota Group should proceed [6].
Akio Toyoda, in his role as the leader of transformation and decision responsibility, believes that the Group should embrace the spirit of invention, think of others, hone their skills, and continue to make the right things [3]. While the exact five attitudes have not been directly cited, it is strongly implied that Toyota promotes leadership, responsibility, decisiveness, pragmatism, and collaboration aligned with the company's traditional principles [1][3][5].
The Toyota Group's lineage can be traced back to the establishment of Toyoda Shoten in 1895. The company's founder, Sakichi Toyoda, invented the Toyoda wooden hand loom in 1890. Kiichiro Toyoda, a descendant of Sakichi, started getting actively involved in the business in the 1930s. Kiichiro aimed to revolutionize Japanese industry and create an automobile industry for Japan [4].
The Toyota Group has experienced challenges in its history, one of the most notable being during the 2008 financial crisis, marking the first time in its history that it fell into the red [1]. The crisis caused inconvenience to many people who supported the automobile industry. Akio Toyoda apologized for the inconvenience and concern caused by the successive irregularities at Hino Motors, Daihatsu, and Toyota Industries [7].
After rebuilding the company, Toyota can now be called a carmaker again. The Toyota Group's lineage extended horizontally through alliances with companies that have unique aspects and strengths. The press conference was attended by chairmen, presidents, and frontline leaders of Toyota Group companies, signifying a united front in moving forward [6].
However, due to global recalls, the Toyota Group lost the trust of its customers. Chairman Toyoda set forth five attitudes to be embraced by Toyota employees, emphasizing the need for continuous improvement (kaizen), teamwork, accountability, customer focus, and innovation [5]. These themes are consistent with Toyoda’s speeches and Toyota’s philosophy.
In conclusion, Toyota's vision for the future is centered around collaboration and innovation, with a focus on leadership, responsibility, decisiveness, pragmatism, and collaboration. The company aims to rebuild trust and move forward, leveraging its rich history and traditional principles.
- Due to the recent situation of Group companies, Akio Toyoda, as the leader of transformation and decision responsibility, decided to bring forward the unveiling of Toyota's new vision and attitudes, titled "Inventing our path forward, together," which promotes leadership, responsibility, decisiveness, pragmatism, and collaboration.
- In line with the Toyota Group's historical focus onrevolutionizing industry and creating value, the new vision emphasizes collaboration and innovation, encouraging Toyota employees to think of others, hone their skills, and make the right things, thereby aligning with the company's traditional principles in finance and business.
