The last couple of months has been painful for Toyota. Several large recalls have been initiated. Toyota executives have appeared in front of a several congressional hearings. Sales and customer loyalty numbers are declining. And now news that unintended acceleration in cars that have been fixed have been reported. What else could possibly go wrong?
If you’re a business leader, it doesn’t get any more challenging than this. The ship has a gaping hole in its fuselage, you’re taking on water, and your future is unsure. Which leads me to the question, “What did Toyota know about their problemn and when. Was it 6-months ago? 1 year ago? Possibly 6-years ago?
When you look back at history, the story eventually surfaces through an autobiography, a whistleblower lawsuit, or an internal leak. And when the truth finally surfaces, I expect the findings will be revealing. What might we learn?
- We might learn the how, the why and the where the problem started.
- We might learn who made the decision and who supported it.
- We might learn how Toyota was able to keep it silenced for so long.
- We might learn what they hoped to achieve by their decision, and what they feared if it leaked out.
- We might learn that they were unable and unwilling to take on such huge problem.
The “What Did Toyota Really Know and When” questions are the basis for the congressional hearings about Toyota’s safety problems. So far, these hearings have achieved little in answering this question. Although the Toyota problem is now visible, and the pressure is on to get to the bottom of it. Eventually we will learn the answer, and when this emerges, a certain war analogy will likely sum up the findings.
Every military defeat can be explained by two words - “too late.” Too late in anticipating danger - too late in preparing for it - too late in taking action.
