Toyota Production System
Dr. Deming’s Impact on Toyota and the Evolution of the Toyota Production System: Lessons for Lean Practitioners
W. Edwards Deming is often celebrated as the father of modern quality management, and nowhere is his influence more evident than in the foundational principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS). While Western management largely overlooked Deming’s ideas following World War II, leaders at Toyota seized upon his teachings—sparking an industrial revolution in manufacturing that became the basis of lean thinking worldwide.
But what exactly did Deming teach, and how did Toyota apply his concepts to build a relentless culture of quality, continuous improvement, and customer focus? For quality control practitioners, lean coaches, and continuous improvement professionals, understanding this connection is essential—not just as history, but as applied wisdom for today’s organizations.