*My pet theory on how constraints in the form of selective scarcity became such an integral part of the Toyota organizational genetics is a simple one: necessity. World War II devastated industrial Japan, and Toyota Motor Corporation was not spared. The need to survive and thrive amid a scarcity of business essentials—land, facilities, finances, and skilled labor—required a new way of thinking and conducting business. Intent on competing successfully in the world automotive market but lacking the luxury of ample resources, Toyota did the only thing it could do: leverage the one resource it did have—human creativity.
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