Global standardization of participative gemba kaizen : the historical development process of 3 Pillar activity in Toyota, Japan

This study examines the historical development process of the 3 Pillar activity in Toyota, thereby providing a contextualized explanation on how participative gemba kaizen, that is closely linked to Japanese values, can be transferred to multinational companies’ (MNCs’) overseas subsidiaries as a globally standardized system. This case is extreme, as Japanese MNCs (JMNCs) have largely given up trying to incorporate Japanese values globally, and instead have introduced market-based Western values. In contrast to such JMNCs experiencing difficulty in sustaining their global competitiveness, Toyota has embraced participative gemba kaizen to strengthen its global competitiveness.