"I am Akio Toyoda of Toyota Motor Corporation. I would first like to state that I love cars as much as anyone, and I love Toyota as much as anyone. I take the utmost pleasure in offering vehicles that our customers love, and I know that Toyota's 200,000 team members, dealers, and suppliers across America feel the same way. However, in the past few months, our customers have started to feel uncertain about the safety of Toyota’s vehicles, and I take full responsibility for that."
Akio Toyoda Opening statement in his testimony before the US Congress, February 24, 2010
“Do you accept that ultimately you are responsible for this whole fiasco,” lawmaker Jim Sheridan asked.
“No,” Murdoch answered.
“You’re not responsible? Who is responsible?” Sheridan said, according to a Roll Call transcript.
“The people that I trusted to run (the tabloid), and then maybe the people that they trusted.”
Rupert Murdoch testifying before British Parliament, July 19, 2011
S Hodg says
“I’m beginning to wonder if Detroit’s intense dislike of Toyota isn’t simply because it’s the biggest Japanese competitor, but because Toyota’s leadership culture is the unassuming, unglamorous opposite of Detroit’s flamboyant tradition.”
-Edward Niedermeyer, TTAC.
I can tell by both of those statements which company has the better culture. I don’t want to steal everything for this post but Mike Rother’s website said it best – “Mindset is what produces the organizational culture”.
I find (in my limited experience) that you can get an idea of a companies culture by listening to its management. How they interact in a meeting (finger pointing, blame game?) can really determine how everyone under them acts (subconsciously).
Mark Graban says
I appreciate it when a hospital CEO states that everything that happens under the hospital’s roof is their responsibility, including every patient safety incident or quality problem.
Many hospital CEOs seem NOT to believe Dr. Deming’s admonition that quality starts at the top.
Murdoch doesn’t seem to understand that either.
With the big job title and the big paycheck comes big responsibility.