Fourteen Principles
one of these is KaiZen. When these are all integrated well, then companies reached the nirvana of LeanManufacturing.
WikiPedia entry on this is quite comprehensive. Read it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toyota_Way
But is it TheWay ?
RJ Crawford HBR 1998 article "Reinterpreting the Japanese economic miracle" concluded:
- much of Japan’s remarkable success came from stifling constraints unlikely to be tolerated in the west
The http://www.maaw.info/ArticleSummaries/ArtSumCrawford98.htm summary stated 6 reasons for success of Japan and flaws in the system including "management bullies", obsession to having sanitized communications, etc.