CHAPTER 7Building-in Quality

We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization… . And I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced.

—Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation1

The world has seen so many success stories in quality management that it’s always a little surprising when products don’t work properly. But as each year brings many new innovations and advances, there are always a few dramatic failures in quality control.

How is it possible that the world’s largest automaker, renowned for quality, sent millions of cars out to customers with braking failures? Or that lead paint got past inspectors at Mattel in their line of Barbie dolls? Or that ...

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