Toyota President Urges Genchi Genbutsu. Toyota juggernaut vows to improve (Detroit News):

Toyota's president is urging his own company to remember the principle of "Genchi Genbutsu," or "go and see." David Mann, author of Creating a Lean Culture: Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions, puts it real simply: "Go the place, talk to the people, see the problem."

"Watanabe, a former purchasing chief who became president in 2005, said Toyota was working hard to improve quality and coordination with its parts suppliers, acknowledging that it had fallen short. 'There are cases where our efforts aren't adequate,' he said.

He said the company also was urging managers and workers to return to the basic tenets of the renowned Toyota Production System, and go to the site of any problem to analyze what went wrong. 'This is something shameful for us to share with you, but it is important,' he said, speaking through an interpreter."