If you want to build a truly customer-centric company, there is a thing or two to learn from Toyota. Kevin Meyer writes about Toyota's philsophy of ' A presumption of imperfection':
Although their sales, profits, and market share are increasing at the same time GM and the rest of the big three are in a tailspin, there is reason for them to be concerned. Over the past ten years they have reduced the average number of hours it takes to build a car from 21.6 to 21.3 while GM has reduced from well over 30 to about 23. Rapid global growth has led to design flaws leading to quality problems. An internal study a couple years ago found that Toyota paid more for almost half its parts than other car companies, a conclusion that Mr. Watanabe found "outright humiliating" and "unacceptably mediocre."
You can get a sense for how much they worry when they are willing to question - and change - even the most fundamental reasons for their success:
Within the company , he has even questioned a core tenet of Toyota's corporate culture - kaizen, the relentless focus on incremental improvement.
Mr. Watanabe wants kakushin, or revolutionary change. He wants to cut the number of components in a car by half and create a new generation of fast and flexible factories to build these cars. Just think about that challenge for a moment... cutting the number of components by half.
At Toyota there is a presumption of imperfection.
No one at Toyota Georgetown can talk about his work without explaining how it has just changed, or is about to change. Simply working at Toyota transforms even your home life. Consider Howard Artrip...
The way he does his work is so compelling it has become part of his personal life. "When I'm mowing the grass, I'm thinking about the best way to do it. I'm trying different turns to see if I can do it faster," he says. He has analyzed his morning routine. "I do the same standardized work in the shower every morning. I have to get here at 6 a.m., and I know it takes 19 minutes, including walking into the plant." He smiles. "I've maximized my sleep time."
Inspiring stuff!