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The Toyota Way to Service Excellence: Lean Transformation in Service Organizations
The world's bestselling Lean expert shows service-based organizations how to go Lean, gain value, and get results--The Toyota Way.
A must-read for service professionals of every level, this essential book takes the proven Lean principles of the bestselling Toyota Way series and applies them directly to the industries where quality of service is crucial for success. Jeff Liker and Karyn Ross show you how to develop Lean practices throughout your organization using the famous 4P model. Whether you are an executive, manager, consultant, or frontline worker who deals with customers every day, you'll learn how take advantage of all Lean has to offer.
With this book as your guide, you'll gain a clear understanding of Lean and discover the principles, practices and tools needed to develop people and processes that surprise and delight each of your customers. These ground-tested techniques are designed to help you make continuous improvements in your services, streamline your operations, and add ever-increasing value to your customers. Fascinating case studies of Lean-driven success in a range of service industries, including healthcare, insurance, financial services, and telecommunications, illustrate that Lean principles and practices work as well in services as they do in manufacturing.Drawn from original research and real-world examples, The Toyota Way to Service Excellence will help you make the leap to Lean.
A must-read for service professionals of every level, this essential book takes the proven Lean principles of the bestselling Toyota Way series and applies them directly to the industries where quality of service is crucial for success. Jeff Liker and Karyn Ross show you how to develop Lean practices throughout your organization using the famous 4P model. Whether you are an executive, manager, consultant, or frontline worker who deals with customers every day, you'll learn how take advantage of all Lean has to offer.
With this book as your guide, you'll gain a clear understanding of Lean and discover the principles, practices and tools needed to develop people and processes that surprise and delight each of your customers. These ground-tested techniques are designed to help you make continuous improvements in your services, streamline your operations, and add ever-increasing value to your customers. Fascinating case studies of Lean-driven success in a range of service industries, including healthcare, insurance, financial services, and telecommunications, illustrate that Lean principles and practices work as well in services as they do in manufacturing.Drawn from original research and real-world examples, The Toyota Way to Service Excellence will help you make the leap to Lean.
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Published February 21, 2019
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About the author
Jeffrey K. Liker
143 books115 followersDr. Jeffrey K. Liker is Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan and principle of Optiprise, Inc. Dr. Liker has authored or co-authored over 75 articles and book chapters and nine books. He is author of the international best-seller, The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer, McGraw-Hill, 2004 which speaks to the underlying philosophy and principles that drive Toyota's quality and efficiency-obsessed culture. The companion (with David Meier) The Toyota Way Fieldbook, McGraw Hill, 2005 details how companies can learn from the Toyota Way principles. His book with Jim Morgan, The Toyota Product Development System, Productivity Press, 2006, is the first that details the product development side of Toyota. He is doing a series of books focused on each of the 4Ps. The first books are (with David Meier), Toyota Talent: Developing exceptional people the Toyota Way (May, 2007) and (with Michael Hoseus) Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way (January, 2008). His articles and books have won eight Shingo Prizes for Research Excellence and The Toyota Way also won the 2005 Institute of Industrial Engineers Book of the Year Award and 2007 Sloan Industry Studies Book of the Year. He is a frequent keynote speaker and consultant. Recent clients include Hertz, Caterpillar, AMD, Android, Areva, Rio Tinto Mining, Tenneco Automotive, Jacksonville Naval Air Depot, US Airforce Material Command, Johnson Controls, Harley Davidson, Eaton, and Fujitsu Technical Services.
Source: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~liker
Source: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~liker
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 20, 2020
It took me a month and a half to read this book, but it was so full of useful information. The authors referred to the Kahneman’s book “Thinking Fast and Slow” a few times, and I would say that this is “slow thinking” kind of book. I had to take my time with it. I loved the summaries at the end of each chapter- they are perfect for succinctly reviewing the main points. What I liked best about this book is that the authors illustrated how Lean can work for all different types of organizations. Yes, it is The Toyota Way, but it can be applied to all types of occupations and businesses. I also really liked the explanations of why it doesn’t always work- some companies have warped it and tried to cut corners implementing it. Another reason it can fail is through complacency. A company may use Lean and make several great improvements, but then think “Ok, I’m done.” Then they slip back into the old way of doing things. Lean is about continuous improvement, so it is never actually “done.” The author says he is often asked how to make changes when you don’t have the support of management. I like his answer (paraphrasing) that you can start with yourself. Sometimes when others see an example of how Lean can improve an individual’s job, life, etc., they may be more easily swayed to try it. On another note- some of the chapters were not as easy reads as others. I particularly enjoyed the Philosophy of Long Term Systems Thinking chapter, perhaps because of my interest in philosophy (it was my minor in college). I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about Lean and how it can help them professionally or personally.
I made so many highlights in this book, I will never be able to add them all to my notes, but here are a few…”
Noteworthy quotes:
“The Toyota Way…is a generic philosophy that can apply to any organization, and if applied diligently, it will virtually guarantee dramatic improvement. It is a way of thinking, a philosophy, and a system of interconnected processes and people who are striving to continuously improve how they work and deliver value to each customer. At the heart is a passion to pursue perfection, by striving, step-by-step, toward clearly defined goals. The twin pillars of the Toyota Way are continuous improvement and respect for people.
“This disease of certainty discourages experimenting with alternative approaches….”
“It is never too late to start the process of looking with brutal honesty at where you are and where you would like to get to- your true north. Then you need to take a first step, then a second step, and continuously improve your way to vision.”
“Every step is worthwhile, successful or not, as long as you learn something.”
“America is the only country in the world in which individualism is the most dominant cultural characteristic.”
“Machine thinkers routinely lose sight of the bigger picture. Cause and effect are assumed to be simple and linear: “I do this because I want this outcome on that metric,” and the metric is usually financial. This myopic mindset is actually the root cause of many failed improvement programs.”
“A purpose is more than making money. In fact, advanced lean-thinking companies like Toyota see profits as an outcome of providing superior value to customers and society, and these companies are more profitable than their competitors.”
“When we try to tackle too many things at once, we can’t focus, and we don’t end up doing anything well. And we can’t understand why something worked or it didn’t…. Decide on one or two problems to work on and go from there.”
“When we (try too many things at once), we don’t have a way of knowing what, if any, of the things we tried moved us toward the target…. In my experience, choosing one thing to change, trying it out, and seeing what happens is a better way to learn about what works and what doesn’t” PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)
I made so many highlights in this book, I will never be able to add them all to my notes, but here are a few…”
Noteworthy quotes:
“The Toyota Way…is a generic philosophy that can apply to any organization, and if applied diligently, it will virtually guarantee dramatic improvement. It is a way of thinking, a philosophy, and a system of interconnected processes and people who are striving to continuously improve how they work and deliver value to each customer. At the heart is a passion to pursue perfection, by striving, step-by-step, toward clearly defined goals. The twin pillars of the Toyota Way are continuous improvement and respect for people.
“This disease of certainty discourages experimenting with alternative approaches….”
“It is never too late to start the process of looking with brutal honesty at where you are and where you would like to get to- your true north. Then you need to take a first step, then a second step, and continuously improve your way to vision.”
“Every step is worthwhile, successful or not, as long as you learn something.”
“America is the only country in the world in which individualism is the most dominant cultural characteristic.”
“Machine thinkers routinely lose sight of the bigger picture. Cause and effect are assumed to be simple and linear: “I do this because I want this outcome on that metric,” and the metric is usually financial. This myopic mindset is actually the root cause of many failed improvement programs.”
“A purpose is more than making money. In fact, advanced lean-thinking companies like Toyota see profits as an outcome of providing superior value to customers and society, and these companies are more profitable than their competitors.”
“When we try to tackle too many things at once, we can’t focus, and we don’t end up doing anything well. And we can’t understand why something worked or it didn’t…. Decide on one or two problems to work on and go from there.”
“When we (try too many things at once), we don’t have a way of knowing what, if any, of the things we tried moved us toward the target…. In my experience, choosing one thing to change, trying it out, and seeing what happens is a better way to learn about what works and what doesn’t” PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)
February 14, 2017
It seems that most managers within a production environment have heard about the Toyota Production System and have their own view about how it can function. Now service-orientated companies can share the benefits through this book.
The authors provide a great introduction to the Toyota system – something that could be a worthwhile read for all managers irrespective of sector and responsibility – even though this is clearly aimed at service organizations and businesses. Service organizations can particularly benefit from the Toyota system and LEAN principles, the authors note, and they help companies identify and implement this process.
This is no small book, yet it remains an accessible read in any case. It is packed full of great information that evangelises and enthuses the reader. It is neither dumbed down nor made unreadable through dry, technical language. It is a great catalyst in other words. Built around the core knowledge is a series of case studies to show how LEAN can work for companies in different sectors, delivering benefits throughout the chain. The reader is given the information, inspiration and ability to implement this – then the hard work falls on their shoulders and the book can then function as an aide-memoire and trusted adviser/supporter throughout the process.
It may not be hyperbole to even suggest that this could be a great book for students of advanced business studies, such as an MBA programme, as well as an introductory text for those lower down in a company’s hierarchy who need to get up-to-speed with a key method of working. Needless to say, for those higher up the management food chain, this should be a must-read if they have so far not jumped on-board the LEAN train. That said, even those who are working at a company which is LEAN-enabled may still get a lot of good knowledge from this book to help modify or emphasis a certain point.
A book for everybody in other words.
The Toyota Way to Service Excellence, written by Jeffrey Liker & Karyn Ross and published by McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 9781259641107. YYYYY
The authors provide a great introduction to the Toyota system – something that could be a worthwhile read for all managers irrespective of sector and responsibility – even though this is clearly aimed at service organizations and businesses. Service organizations can particularly benefit from the Toyota system and LEAN principles, the authors note, and they help companies identify and implement this process.
This is no small book, yet it remains an accessible read in any case. It is packed full of great information that evangelises and enthuses the reader. It is neither dumbed down nor made unreadable through dry, technical language. It is a great catalyst in other words. Built around the core knowledge is a series of case studies to show how LEAN can work for companies in different sectors, delivering benefits throughout the chain. The reader is given the information, inspiration and ability to implement this – then the hard work falls on their shoulders and the book can then function as an aide-memoire and trusted adviser/supporter throughout the process.
It may not be hyperbole to even suggest that this could be a great book for students of advanced business studies, such as an MBA programme, as well as an introductory text for those lower down in a company’s hierarchy who need to get up-to-speed with a key method of working. Needless to say, for those higher up the management food chain, this should be a must-read if they have so far not jumped on-board the LEAN train. That said, even those who are working at a company which is LEAN-enabled may still get a lot of good knowledge from this book to help modify or emphasis a certain point.
A book for everybody in other words.
The Toyota Way to Service Excellence, written by Jeffrey Liker & Karyn Ross and published by McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 9781259641107. YYYYY
September 23, 2016
The Toyota Way to Service Excellence by Jeffery K. Liker & Karyn Ross
First, I highly recommend this book. As a retired Vice President of Quality Assurance, Plant Manager and college professor I am very familiar with and have used the Toyota methods extensively. In my experience I have found it is much more difficult to get buy-in to the Toyata way from service and administrative personnel than from manufacturing personnel. Liker and Ross have done an excellent job showing why and how the Toyota way can work in the service areas. They also did a great job showing why it must be done if organizations want to be more successful. I must caution that one size does not fit all and each organization must implement in a way that fits their organization. I received a free copy of The Toyota Way to Service Excellence by Jeffery K. Liker & Karyn Ross from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley.
First, I highly recommend this book. As a retired Vice President of Quality Assurance, Plant Manager and college professor I am very familiar with and have used the Toyota methods extensively. In my experience I have found it is much more difficult to get buy-in to the Toyata way from service and administrative personnel than from manufacturing personnel. Liker and Ross have done an excellent job showing why and how the Toyota way can work in the service areas. They also did a great job showing why it must be done if organizations want to be more successful. I must caution that one size does not fit all and each organization must implement in a way that fits their organization. I received a free copy of The Toyota Way to Service Excellence by Jeffery K. Liker & Karyn Ross from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley.
June 28, 2019
Because the author published a streak of great complementary books on Lean (from the Toyota Way to Toyota Way for Leadership) that actually built on each other, my expectations were high on this one.
For my surprise it was a book for starts and lack any novelty despite the accumulation of experience the author had in the last decade (since the Toyota Way).
Still it’s a good book and I would recommend it to beginners. But if you ready any of his previous publications, I would advise to skip this one.
For my surprise it was a book for starts and lack any novelty despite the accumulation of experience the author had in the last decade (since the Toyota Way).
Still it’s a good book and I would recommend it to beginners. But if you ready any of his previous publications, I would advise to skip this one.
November 6, 2016
The gist of Liker/Moss' assertion here is that lean is not a process or a tool, but a philosophy. Toyota shows how lean is an evolution of Deming's original management work transforming 20th business process from mechanistic to cyclical. Told through both process/philosophy discussions, as well as fictional case studies that illustrate a diversity of engagements - this book is very useful for B2C and B2B organizations. I'm currently working to apply in a professional services context.
December 12, 2021
As an Agile Coach I would recommend to read/listen to this book to everyone who works in an agile environment!
March 23, 2025
Este livro expande os princípios do The Toyota Way para o sector dos serviços, destacando constantemente a importância da melhoria contínua (Kaizen), do foco no cliente e, principalmente, do desenvolvimento das pessoas.
É uma leitura interessante para quem deseja aprofundar os seus conhecimentos na metodologia Lean e perceber como esta se aplica a empresas do sector terciário, tal como a qualquer outra. Desmistifica-se, assim, a ideia errada de que apenas a indústria pode beneficiar desta forma de trabalhar.
A abordagem não se limita à aplicação de ferramentas e técnicas, mas sim a uma transformação que passa pelo entendimento profundo dos valores da empresa e da forma como estes se alinham com os valores morais dos trabalhadores. Sem essa correlação, por mais bem aplicadas que sejam as ferramentas do Lean, todo o esforço acaba por ser desperdiçado com o tempo, levando ao regresso aos antigos hábitos de trabalho.
O livro tem uma forte componente filosófica, deixando claro que o Lean não é um conjunto de regras rígidas ou soluções pré-definidas, mas sim uma forma de pensar e agir. No entanto, essa mesma abordagem pode tornar a leitura densa para quem procura um guia mais prático e estruturado. Ainda assim, para quem compreende que a verdadeira mudança ocorre ao nível da cultura organizacional, esta obra oferece uma visão clara e fundamentada sobre como alcançar a excelência nos serviços.
É uma leitura interessante para quem deseja aprofundar os seus conhecimentos na metodologia Lean e perceber como esta se aplica a empresas do sector terciário, tal como a qualquer outra. Desmistifica-se, assim, a ideia errada de que apenas a indústria pode beneficiar desta forma de trabalhar.
A abordagem não se limita à aplicação de ferramentas e técnicas, mas sim a uma transformação que passa pelo entendimento profundo dos valores da empresa e da forma como estes se alinham com os valores morais dos trabalhadores. Sem essa correlação, por mais bem aplicadas que sejam as ferramentas do Lean, todo o esforço acaba por ser desperdiçado com o tempo, levando ao regresso aos antigos hábitos de trabalho.
O livro tem uma forte componente filosófica, deixando claro que o Lean não é um conjunto de regras rígidas ou soluções pré-definidas, mas sim uma forma de pensar e agir. No entanto, essa mesma abordagem pode tornar a leitura densa para quem procura um guia mais prático e estruturado. Ainda assim, para quem compreende que a verdadeira mudança ocorre ao nível da cultura organizacional, esta obra oferece uma visão clara e fundamentada sobre como alcançar a excelência nos serviços.
December 31, 2016
TPM applied to services. Fictional stories, case studies and even some actual work products. Principles are insightful, but 13 years since The Toyota Way, the idea feel dated. Learning organization aspect is even more applicable in service. But the book isn't caught up with advances in technology and continues to treat it as a 'heating oven' - a simple static tool. Ideal of one piece flow is still very valid along with continuous thinking & improving people. One major gap still exists: given American company's purpose = maximize shareholder return, why would employees work against their self-interest of measurable short term financial gain (for the benefit of system's long term health)?
August 3, 2017
It never ceases to amaze me that, after all these years, we are still continuing to learn how to apply the Toyota Way in new ways.
This is now the 4th "Toyota Way" book I have read. The nice thing with Dr Liker's books are that you can read them in any order and not feel lost. He does a very good job of outlining the Toyota principles and how Toyota uses them before going into how to apply them to the specific topic.
In this book, Dr. Liker and Karyn Ross detail how to apply the Toyota Way to service organizations. Dr. Liker brings his decades of experience chronicling the Toyota Way while Ms. Ross brings her experience applying TPS to service organizations. The combination has created quite a gem that uses both fictional and real case studies, to illustrate how to bring the Toyota Way into a service organization.
You're not in a "service organization"? You may be surprised how transferrable the lessons in this book are!
One of the biggest takeaways I got from this book was actually through the fictional story of NL Corp. Through the "fictional" story you sit in and hear the sensei coaching verses teaching. She could have told NL, what to do but instead made them figure out what to do and how to do it. This lesson is applicable no matter what kind of coaching you were doing not just Toyota Way coaching. Coaching is so highly emphasized in this book that there is one chapter dedicated to Toyota Kata. Although it will not make you a Kata expert, the entire chapter is dedicated to the Improvement and Coaching Kata methods.
Initially, I picked up this book as I had not read anything on lean service. After reflecting on a brief dialogue I had with Ms. Ross on Linkedin, I realized every organization has some level of service built in. Take my position as an Operational Excellence Leader in a manufacturing company. That job boils down to provide "service/support" for the production line. My "personal service organisation" is to supply my company coaching and problem solving support to help them succeed. Through the course of reading tis book I developed a theory: "Every person in every organisation has a customer and every customer needs to be satisfied".
One last thing about the book that I did enjoy was the authors did a good job at the end of each chapter providing key points or take away from the chapter. These one or two page summaries reinforced what you learned in each chapter. Be warned, it may be tempting just to read the key points, but built into many of the stories and cases are the real pearls of wisdom that will be forgot or missed.
This is now the 4th "Toyota Way" book I have read. The nice thing with Dr Liker's books are that you can read them in any order and not feel lost. He does a very good job of outlining the Toyota principles and how Toyota uses them before going into how to apply them to the specific topic.
In this book, Dr. Liker and Karyn Ross detail how to apply the Toyota Way to service organizations. Dr. Liker brings his decades of experience chronicling the Toyota Way while Ms. Ross brings her experience applying TPS to service organizations. The combination has created quite a gem that uses both fictional and real case studies, to illustrate how to bring the Toyota Way into a service organization.
You're not in a "service organization"? You may be surprised how transferrable the lessons in this book are!
One of the biggest takeaways I got from this book was actually through the fictional story of NL Corp. Through the "fictional" story you sit in and hear the sensei coaching verses teaching. She could have told NL, what to do but instead made them figure out what to do and how to do it. This lesson is applicable no matter what kind of coaching you were doing not just Toyota Way coaching. Coaching is so highly emphasized in this book that there is one chapter dedicated to Toyota Kata. Although it will not make you a Kata expert, the entire chapter is dedicated to the Improvement and Coaching Kata methods.
Initially, I picked up this book as I had not read anything on lean service. After reflecting on a brief dialogue I had with Ms. Ross on Linkedin, I realized every organization has some level of service built in. Take my position as an Operational Excellence Leader in a manufacturing company. That job boils down to provide "service/support" for the production line. My "personal service organisation" is to supply my company coaching and problem solving support to help them succeed. Through the course of reading tis book I developed a theory: "Every person in every organisation has a customer and every customer needs to be satisfied".
One last thing about the book that I did enjoy was the authors did a good job at the end of each chapter providing key points or take away from the chapter. These one or two page summaries reinforced what you learned in each chapter. Be warned, it may be tempting just to read the key points, but built into many of the stories and cases are the real pearls of wisdom that will be forgot or missed.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews