Learning Organisation and WOW Expansion Pack

My colleagues and I were on return flight from Toyota factory tour. Starting with topics of organisations and skill-acquisition-based career path rather than role-based path, which tends to limit one's growth opportunities in my opinion, the discussion moved on to Toyota and their career promotion structure. How it is extremely long and challenging process to become a chief engineer and the enormous skill acquisitions on the way.

I like the idea of skills-acquisition-based career path and having long list of skills that would take ages to master as similar to chief engineer concept in Toyota. It is similar to playing MMORPG such as WOW. The best part of WOW is leveling up from level 0 to max level 60 (for initial launch). You get the sense of progress all the time. Once you hit max level, it feels great for a while but soon becomes less exciting because the rate of learning slows.

Luckily Blizzard publishes expansion pack every 1-2 years and increases max levels by 10 or so. Certainly all maxed out players get new things (skills) to learn. Cool. Joy of learning!

I think a learning organisation should do the similar by constantly generating expansion pack for members to learn. Identify new list of skills required to achieve organisational objectives and to articulate what they are and to generate content (training programs) for them to acquire new skills so their increase levels (effectiveness, growth, capability). Leaders in an organisation would be just like content developers for MMORPG. After all, everything is trainable, I believe.

Chief Engineer

The top product development program at Toyota is the chief engineer (CE). CE is the project leader, project manager and technical leader all rolled into one. CE designs the system and is ultimately responsible for delivering value to the customer and the program's commercial success. CE therefore is usually sponsored by someone in vice-president level.

In Toyota product development, managers with no technical skills are moved to manage other things. Knowledgeable engineers without interest in people and money are sent to R&D.

During the program, CE becomes the primary voice of the customer. Because of this, a person with the background and experience to establish an emotional connection with the target customer is selected as CE for a program.

Therefore selecting chief engineer for a program is the critical first step of Toyota product development process.

Once selected, CE focuses on value discovery process and value definition. CE then communicates customer-defined value & vehicle-level performance objectives and aligns the vehicle-level performance goals of the entire program team.

Another interesting thing is the document called shijisho produced by CE. This is a concept paper that outlines the CE's vision for the new vehicle. The literal translation of shijisho is "direct order document" almost like a military order.

Elements of Toyota's Lean Product Development

This is from Lean Product and Process Development by Allen C. Ward.

• All Toyota developers spend about half of their first year assembling and selling cars. The final customers & the customers for the product development process.


• Identifies the critical skills associated with each job.
  
  1. Understands the basic engineering principles
  2. Works fast enough to keep up with the team
  3. Takes responsibility for the work
  4. Can teach the skills


• Keeping people in position long enough to become expert and to get good feedback on their decisions.


• Require engineers to "get their hands dirty".


• Developers must be evaluated on their contributions to project success.