Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor North America, is clear about why diversity and inclusion iscritical for the company: “If we want to build great cars and trucks for the way our customers live, Toyota will strive to be a reflection of the America in which we live.”
Toyota is bringing its major North American business units and leaders together in one location for the first time at a new corporate headquarters in Plano, Texas, while also expanding its technical center in Michigan. This move is designed to achieve sustainable, long-term growth by strengthening Toyota’s ability to put customers first. The company recognizes that diversity and inclusion plays a more critical role than ever in reaching its goals. Under the leadership of Chief Social Innovation Officer Latondra Newton, Toyota is focused on improving representation and employing more diversity-management best practices, such as cross-cultural mentoring, increased visibility and conversations with high-potential employees in under-represented groups and employee-resource groups.
In the company’s cross-cultural mentoring initiative, for example, the majority of executives across its top three levels are now participating. Last year, the involvement among all managers rose 21 percent.
