This is a huge headline. Jim Press, the first and only American Director for Toyota has left Toyota to become the Vice Chairman and President of the new Chrysler Corporation. I will let other blogs debate what that means for Tom Lasorda who holds the same title, but what I question is why, after 30 years, leave Toyota?
I guess another question may be how can a guy like that not have a "non compete" clause. Well, I submit the answer is quite simple. Because the Toyota secret is "the way" and "the culture", no one person can export that to another company. Don't expect, overnight, the UAW workers or the tainted management for that matter, to begin acting and behaving like Toyota workers. It will not happen because it is not in the culture of these people (Detroit Auto) to do that. They may be hoping that he can do it, but I do not believe he can. Remember when Nardelli was going to bring the "discipline of GE" to Home Depot? We saw how far that got him.
Companies that have ingrained cultures (whether good or bad) will not change fast. Given Press' age, and given the general impatience of private equity turn around companies, I am assuming they expect this to happen quick. Sorry, it will not. Culture is too big of a topic.
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