The Elegant Solution: Toyota's Formula for Mastering Innovation

by Matthew E. May, Kevin Roberts (Foreword)

"Toyota is becoming a double the world's finest manufacturer and a truly great innovator . . . that formula, a combination of production prowess and technical innovation, is an unbeatable recipe for success." -- Fortune, February 2006 For the first time, an insider reveals the formula behind Toyota's unceasing quest to innovate and do more with less, a philosophy that has made it one of the ten most profitable companies in the world (and worth more than GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and Honda combined). In a rare look into Toyota's ability to consistently achieve breakthroughs that outperform the competition, The Elegant Solution explains what Toyota associates have known all it's not about the cars. Rather, Toyota's astounding success is just the visible result of a hidden creative process that begins with a seven-digit number. One million. That's how many new ideas the Toyota organization implements every year. These ideas come from every level of the organization -- from the factory floors to the corporate suites. And organizations all over the world want to learn how it's done. Now senior University of Toyota advisor Matthew May shows how any company can achieve an environment of everyday innovation and discover the kinds of elegant solutions that hold the power to change the game forever. World-class benchmarks like Lexus, Prius, Scion -- even Toyota's vaunted production system -- are simply shining examples of elegant solutions. A tactical playbook for team-based innovation, The Elegant Solution delivers powerful lessons in breakthrough thinking in a provocative yet practical guide to the three core principles and ten key practices that shape successful business innovation. Innovation isn't just about technology -- it's about value, opportunity, and impact. When a company embeds a real discipline around tapping ingenuity in the pursuit of perfection, the sky is the limit. Dozens of case studies (from Toyota and other companies) illustrate the universal power and applicability of these concepts. A unique "clamshell strategy" prepares managers to successfully lead and sustain the innovation effort. At once a thought-starter and a taskmaster, The Elegant Solution is a vital prescription for anyone wanting to truly master business innovation.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Management

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2006

Reviews

[أحمد الدين · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب حلو جدا، مش بس بيتكلم عن تجربة تويوتا المبهرة إداريا لكن بيقارن بينها وبين باقي النماذج المماثلة الناجحة اللي بتطبيق أفكار كويسة جدا وشبة تجربة تويوتا، وفي نفس الوقت مكتوب حلو قوي وفيه شوية قصص لطيفة أحب أحكي منهم:
سيدة فرنسية عجوزة تعاني من صوت لعب الأطفال المزعج للغاية فتقرر في يوم من الأيام أن تحاول معه بطريقة مباكرة، فجمعت الاطفال واخبرتهم أن أذنيها أصبحتا ضعيفتين للغاية وتحتاج منهم لرفع صوتهم أثناء اللعب لأن هذا هو ونسها الوحيد وفي المقابل ستكفائهم بنص دولار يوميا، فرح الأطفال وراحوا يلعبون ويصدرون أصواتا أعلى من زي قبل وفي نهاية اليوم حصل كل واحد فيهم على النصف دولار، في اليوم الثاني وبعد مجهود مضني في اللعب والازعاج عاد الأطفال ليجمعوا مكافأتهم فقالت لهم العجوز أنها لا تمتلك الكثير من المال وستعطي كل واحد ربع دولار فقط، في اليوم الثالث خفت صوت الأطفال قليلا مع انخفاض المقابل فلما عادوا في الليل للحصول على مكافأتهم، أعطت كل طفل سنت واحد فقط، أمتعض الأطفال وغضبوا وقرروا أن من الغد لن يصدروا أي صوت.
مورال الحكاية انك تقدر تحبط ناس عن حاجة كانوا بيعملوها بشغف وبدون مقابل بمجرد وضع مقابل بطريقة خاطئة، تماما زي ما الشركات اللي بتحط مقابل مادي للابتكار بتواجه مشكلة ضخمة في تدفق الأفكار مع الوقت، في اليابان تويوتا بتستلم ١٠٠ ألف فكرة من موظفيها في السنة، في أمريكا متوسط الشركات ٠٠ فكرة بس، والمقابل المادي للأفكار في أمريكا مائة ضعف نظيره في كوكب اليابان الشقيق

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away". This quote from Antoine de Saint Exupery is included in "The Elegant Solution" and perfectly sums up the premise.

I would hate to classify this as just a lean book because I think it can have value for non-lean organizations since innovation is needed everywhere. For the people who have practiced Lean, this book is of value because it taps into something important - CREATIVITY.

I enjoyed the constant theme for innovation through the balance between science and art.

I appreciate the structure of the book for chapters starting out with Problem, Cause, and Solution and then ending with Hansei (reflection). Modeling Toyota thinking within the pages is impactful.

A major learning I have from the book is identifying problems two ways: 1) What is broken (and keeping you up at night)? and 2) What is blocking perfection? Matthew E. May delves into the thought process behind these two approaches and the second type of problem is a way I never considered before.

The book discusses many obstacles to creating innovation. It is easy to just say "change is hard" but the book calls out specific biases and challenges. Knowing specifically what makes change difficult allows you to create counter-measures.

The chapter about intangible value added service/products is a fresh way to look at your organization's deliverables.

I have never seen stretch goals defined as well as the book and really learned a lot about Dynamic Tension. Gaining a deep understanding of the problem by going to the site where the work is done AND verifying through data is explained in actionable detail.

I highly recommend this book to anybody. For organizations beginning their Lean Journey, this should be one of the first books to read before you dive into the technical details of tools because it will inspire you to keep your heart in innovation.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a pretty strong problem solver and creative thinker in my own right, and I came away with a number of good ideas from this book. I especially liked comparing the lifecycle of an idea to the Scientific Method. I've known from my own work that there's a definite process to ideas, but I really hadn't thought about how that process worked.

I think anybody would benefit from reading this book.

[Céleste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultra inspirant. Comment mettre en place une organisation qui délivre des “elegant solutions” (= simples, qui résolvent un vrai problème et qui font mieux le job que la concurrence, avec un faible coût économique et environnemental)

Je retiens trois points clés :

1. Break your misconception and capture the intangible
les techno existent, ce qu’il manque c’est une compréhension profonde des problèmes que les users rencontrent, une compréhension obtenue par des interviews et des gemba walks. Il faut essayer de comprendre ce “je ne sais quoi” qui va faire que les clients vont adorer la solution.
“There’s nothing new in the understanding that to build a profitable long term close knit relationship with the customer, you need to constantly connect on two levels, rational and emotional. One Is tangible the other is intangible.”

2. Keep it lean
Le lean engineering permet d’utiliser la tech avec raison pour ne proposer que ce dont les users ont besoin.
Ce qu’il se passe généralement est que pour répondre à la pression du marché tu complexifies le produit à tel point que les gens ne peuvent plus entrer dans le produit. Le challenge est de ne pas tomber dans cet écueil et de garantir la cohérence globale du produit
“There is absolutely nothing elegant in excess”

3. Constantly raise the bar
Il faut trouver des points de tension, des trade off et rendre le kaizen obligatoires pour encourager le développement d’idées nouvelles pour mieux servir les clients. Ne pas accepter le “good enough” et encourager le développement de “profound knowledge”
“Pursuing perfection requires great discipline. Create standard, follow it, find a better way”

[Mike Thelen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Matthew May's writing style, and his views of TPS are highly valuable.

[Barry OGorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into lean, innovation and leadership. Perhaps has as much applicability in personal life as business life.

[Blanko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to understand (not in depth) toyota’s approach on keeping up with innovation

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lección completa de cómo desarrollar procesos de innovación; bien documentada y con ejemplos concretos.

[L.G. Estrella · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Elegant Solution delves into the processes and culture behind Toyota's success in developing and applying innovative practices in manufacturing and management.

The book provides a number of clear examples that are explained in an easily digested narrative style. The focus on first describing and then explaining what Toyota does serves a valuable purpose: it allows the reader to more readily grasp why Toyota does things the way they do. Too often books examining innovation find themselves mired in jargon and technical analysis. The Elegant Solution prefers to keep the discussion very much anchored to the concrete - to what is actually done as opposed to hypothetical speculations of how things could be done. The narrative style also allows the reader to follow the logic presented in the same way they might follow the plot of movie or novel.

The book is also well written and concise. It is a lean book, short but to the point. This is something of a contrast to some of the more voluminous (and often pointless) management handbooks that have come to fill the market. Brevity is not merely the soul of wit, it is the key to genuine understanding. By not obscuring the point under layers of padding, The Elegant Solution cuts to the chase.

The Elegant Solution is not perfect. The innovations described are within-company. If you wish to understand how innovation applies on a broader scale, in particular in a disruptive way, then the works of Christensen will prove more educational. The Elegant Solution does, however, provide a solid grounding upon which a more thorough understanding of innovation in a larger sense can be built upon. Once you understand how Toyota has innovated to improve its own performance, it is much easier to understand how innovation could be used to bolster its competitors or fight them off.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to May, "Elegance isn't about being hoity-toity. It's not about lofty concepts and grand designs. It's not about beauty or grace, or anything to do with aesthetics - ugly is okay. Elegance is about something much more profound. It's about finding the `aha' solution to a problem with the greatest parsimony of effort and expense. Creativity plays a part. Simplicity plays a part. Intelligence plays a part. Add in subtlety, economy, and quality, and you get elegance...Elegant solutions relieve creative tension by solving the problem in finite as it's been defined, in a way that avoids creating other problems that then need to be solved. Elegant solutions render only new possibilities to chase and exploit. Finally, elegant solutions aren't obvious, except, of course, in retrospect."

This book takes a close look at the mindset and the process by which Toyota continues to formulate elegant solutions. In fact, the Toyota organization implements a million ideas a year. May also includes within his narrative dozens of non-Toyota cases that indicate that none of the individual concepts are new, or even unique to Toyota. All organizations that formulate elegant solutions have people at all levels and in all areas of operation who possess both an ability and a determination to collectively and completely master all of the concepts as "a way of life, not a program centered on select teams led by specialists with artificial agendas." Once again, when it comes to innovation and designing solutions, the emphasis remains the same: "whatever you do, keep it lean. Scale it back, make it simple, and let it flow." And that is what elegance really is all about.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book a while ago. It has a lot of platitudes which makes it a little annoying, but there is some good solid info in there. There is concrete advice on how how you can develop elegant solutions for your organization. The book is partially about the people and innovation strategy of Toyota. The movie "Gung Ho" was based on Toyota's management takeover of an American car company (I can't remember offhand which one it was) and totally turned it's quality of the cars and morale of its workers around. The author's blog is at http://elegantsolutions.typepad.com/e...

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The results that Toyota has had with their philosophies and strategies are almost unequalled. They have proven that what they do works. In my opinion, to try and implement some of these ideas in ones own business is a no-brainer. Great stuff!

[T.M. Mullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best business book I have read. Well written and a great explanation of the principles that make the Toyota Production System work. Great for anyone interested in applying innovation and creating a learning organization.

[X · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good case for continuous improvement both at a corporate and personal level. the author talks about the tools and principles involved and provides a framework of how things fit together; and describing it all without resorting to jargon or obfuscation.

[Brian Cuban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grat book that follows up on the Toyota Production and Innovation theories which are followed by countless business outside of manfacturing, I would read this in conjunction with The Toyota Way

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for people with jobs that are project based.

[Gerry Divino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solutions don't always have to be earth-shaking or mind-boggling. Sometimes the simplest solution, the elegant solution is the best.

[Mindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading for a work project

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read company profile for knowledge workers, managers, directors, C-levels, and entrepreneurs.

[Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

soo cool

[Anne G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting one