“From the time Toyota first started its operation, the leaders believed that the key to success was investment in its people. Toyota culture has evolved since the company’s founding and is the core competence of the company.… The Toyota Way is first and foremost about culture — the way people think is deeply rooted in the company philosophy and its principles. At the core it is about respect for people and continuous improvement and this has not changed since the company’s founding.” 

Toyota Culture  by Jeffrey Liker & Michael Hoseus (McGraw Hill, 2008) p. 4.