If it's not the boss's orders or an unfinished job, what brings these Toyota employees together after the workday ends?
Charting a new course
Former A-1 participant Yumi Tanaka (Advanced Project Promotion Division) is now part of the contest’s organizing team.
Although then-President Toyoda’s call to “step up to the plate” kindled a desire to tackle new challenges, Tanaka says she was unable to take that first step toward execution.
Tanaka
Despite wanting to push myself, I constantly questioned what I could do and struggled to turn those thoughts into action.
I didn’t know what to do or how to go about it. Despite those doubts, I decided to start by doing and took the plunge to join the A-1—I figured that even signing up was a new challenge. There, I met new people, and my world expanded.
For Tanaka, the A-1 sparked an interest in business planning, and by continuing to put her hand up, she was transferred to a related role. “Rather than being satisfied with the status quo, I want to keep developing myself to help make the A-1 even better,” she says.
Despite doubts, Tanaka’s true self broke out of her shell.
In his comments following the 2023 presentations, A-1 originator Shimanuki expressed his hopes that such a platform will continue to exist at Toyota.
Shimanuki
Where are the real issues, what are the true causes of these problems, and what can we do to solve them?
All the teams continually refined their ideas by grappling with customer concerns on the ground. Through this genchi-genbutsu approach, you demonstrated the essence of Toyota’s problem-solving.
The A-1 brings together people who want to change themselves, to do something for the world but don’t know how.
I hope the contest will remain a place where such people can share their thoughts, support each other outside the bounds of work, and pursue challenges that take them off their current course.
Startups, volunteer work, individual careers—the extracurricular activities of the A-1 contest have borne fruit in many different forms.
After the event, Shimanuki offered us insights from his HR perspective: “As a company, I believe Toyota has always emphasized connections outside of work. That is how it has been able to foster teamwork as part of the corporate culture. I hope the after-hours activities of the A-1 will serve as a model for creating value in these ever-changing times.”
Changes in our private lives can create new value further down the line.
The A-1 contest encourages participants to chart a new course and create as-yet-unseen innovations. We can’t wait to see what its future holds.