Leading Toyota - Organizational Behavior Application

AoL Leadership Assessment

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Toyota Motor Corporation

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– Perspectives Relative to Toyota Financial Services

Kelly E Smith

November 21, 2011

University of St. Thomas – Opus College of Business

MGMT 600, section 221, fall 2011

Management of Organizational Behavior

Instructor: Dr. John Mirocha

Bolman and Deal (2008) introduce the concept of reframing; a systemic means to help understand an organizational phenomenon that requires the ability to contemplate situations from multiple perspectives. In order to facilitate this process, they identify four distinct frames – structural, human resource, political, and symbolic – each logical and powerful in its own right. Collectively, they provide the means to untangle a web of relevant clues, capture a more comprehensive view of what is going on, and determine what to do about it. These frames provide the analytical foundation for the following case study. The objective is to analyze the organizational situation specific to Toyota’s Financial Services operations in the U.S. led by George E. Borst, CEO and president.

Structural Framework

The Structural frame is intended to accommodate an organization’s need for standardization, efficiency, clarity, and predictability given its goals and environment. Structure is more than a set of connected lines and boxes on a chart – it is a thoughtful arrangement of roles and relationships central to inspiring desired patterns of activities, expectations, and exchanges among employees and with external constituents. There are two basic considerations in an organizational design structure. The first element, differentiation, is related to how tasks (or efforts) are allocated. The other element, integration, is defined by how to coordinate diverse efforts after the tasks are assigned.1

Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is a service mark that acts...