"Akio urges swift action rather than idle observation for the new Toyota members"
Toyota Motor Corporation Holds Remote Entrance Ceremony for New Employees
Toyota Motor Corporation held its entrance ceremony for new employees on April 1, 2021, with Akio Toyoda, the company's President, addressing the 1,100 new recruits and mid-career employees who had joined since May 2020. The ceremony, conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was also attended by Executive Fellow Mitsuru Kawai, who has been with the company for 55 years.
In his speech, Akio Toyoda emphasised the importance of understanding Toyota's origins, as the new colleagues would be responsible for its future. He sees sports as a great way to develop people and wants athletes to show them how to live. Akio believes that what they look for in athletes is not only whether they win or lose, but what they do to come out on top.
Akio also shared with his new colleagues the basic mindset that should guide them throughout their time at Toyota, which is the Toyota Production System (TPS). He emphasised the importance of not being surprised by difficulties and persevering, citing personal experiences.
Mitsuru Kawai, an advisor for women's softball for a long time, emphasised the importance of figuring out what each person is capable of when assigning tasks. He also advised athletes to be grateful for the chance to practice and play their hardest, as it gives employees courage, energy, and motivation. Kawai also stressed that given that athletes are watched by the outside world, they must maintain a sense of gratitude.
After the ceremony, Akio and Kawai met with representatives of the attendees for an informal talk, which took the form of a Q&A session. Toyota offers second and third careers to athletes, including as coaches or association staff, after their playing careers end.
The two older employees at Toyota faced challenges such as adapting to technological changes, physical strain from repetitive tasks, and shifting workplace dynamics; they overcame these by continuous learning, leveraging their experience, and maintaining strong teamwork and resilience.
Akio expressed that the biggest challenge in serving as president was feeling pressure due to the weight of the title, and that every year of his presidency has been far from peaceful. Both Akio Toyoda and Mitsuru Kawai view sports as a way to develop people and inspire others.
Toyota has two professional league teams: Alvark Tokyo (basketball) and Nagoya Grampus (soccer), and nearly 40 corporate sports teams in total. The Toyota Production System, developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Toyota Group, with little more than elementary school education, allows machines to stop if the thread breaks and restock when it runs out, without the need for a person to stand in front of each machine.
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