Challenging 'Challenge' Within the Toyota Way
There is a Japanese expression, muri ga toureba douri hikkomu (無理が通れば道理引っ込む), which means that when we begin accepting behaviors that are unreasonable, immoral, or wrong, eventually reason, logic, and correct behaviors fade away and the unreasonable becomes the norm. A similar English phrase is, "When might is master, justice is servant." There is a fine line between muri and challenge, one that Toyota has been accused of crossing more than once in its labor practices, supplier management, and vehicle sales plans. Even Toyota can confuse challenge with muri.
Impossible... burdensome... challenging... trivial. A task that is an unreasonable burden or even impossible for an individual may merely be a challenge for a team. Perhaps this is the magic that makes the Toyota Way work (teamwork, respect) despite the vague and divergent notion of challenge.
Challenging challenge. It is ironic that this notion of challenge has not been challenged to a greater degree. There is more ambiguity here than would seem to be acceptable for such a high-profile element of the culture at Toyota.
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