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Tetsuo Agata,in the later years of his long career, doubled as general manager of Toyota\u2019s huge Honsha plant in the Toyota City complex and as the company\u2019s overall manufacturing guru. Before that, he lived for years in America and has many American friends. One was a senior manager with Dow Chemical, and they often talked about their respective employers. For Agata, Toyota was best summed up for him by his friend, who observed that Toyota people such as Agata always \u201ckept outside the comfort zone.\u201d Whenever they hit one target, they set another. In other words, the world-beating TPS is but the most visible aspect of a company culture of relentlessly embracing change, tackling challenges, and pursuing excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n