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Interview : The Toyota Motor approach from basic research to product realization−140 Synthesiology - English edition Vol.1 No.2 (2008) (Akamatsu)What do you think is the barrier to integrative research? Is it that people of advanced research intrinsically are unable to understand how people of preceding development see things?(Umeyama)When people of advanced research and preceding development talk, they often both think that the other is speaking a different language. For example, it’s a battle between a researcher who bring up a research theme and think, “What, this guy doesn’t understand this?” and developer who thinks, “He’s making things complicated so I won’t understand.” This is a barrier, if you wish to call it so. I do think that there is a “language” barrier. But, this is same old story. For example, the moment we see “R&D,” I think Dr. Akamatsu and I have different meaning for the term. I don’t think we can communicate unless we replace words with objectives and tasks such as “do what with for what and how,” rather than relying on one word. (Akamatsu)Certainly. Making a roadmap with vision is one way of doing it. By sharing the goal, people will face the same direction and may start talking in common language. I think this may be the way to go. (Umeyama)Yes. It’s hard to find exact match of words, so we must rephrase expressions several times and check meanings carefully “This means that, right?” and then finally common language is built between preceding and advanced teams. What are we targetting for? How are we doing it? How far are we taking it? If this sort of common understanding becomes eye contact communication like in sports, this is best. Nonverbal communication will then be possible and I think things will be progress much more rapidly. Become a connoisseur of technology and incorporate technology (Akamatsu)The work of a research manager is important in overcoming barriers. Toyota Motor’s chief engineer system is very famous. I think it can work for this purpose. (Umeyama)When making an automobile, the chief engineer coordinates the fabrication of the various parts and builds the car. For example, we made a good engine. We also have good drive transmission. The chief engineer thinks day and night how they can be combined to make something better. But in practice it’s full of conflicts. The engine people make some demand, the transmission people say they can’t, and the chassis people say that’s impossible. Then, the chief engineer steps in and says, “Well, I understand your problems, but will you please think along this line so we can create a car?” He gets the developers to talk to each other beyond their expertise. He gives his own expertise and says, “If the pressure for this part is going to be 3 times normal, you can design this part assuming 3 times normal pressure.” “I can’t do that.” “Why not?” “We’ll have other problems.” “Then let’s get the engineer to re-design this with different conditions.” He offers a type of intermediation. The chief engineer tries to build a common language by setting up a common discussion. He listens to each pearson’s claims, extracts common issues, and then throws back a solution. If it is an engine and a transmission, rather than fitting everything to the engine, he might suggests task of raising the performance of the engine through a system for transmitting torque. Then conflict subsides and collaborations begin. To make a car today, we need a coordinator that can “fuse various fields together” who can understand each researcher’s viewpoint systematically. (Akamatsu)In conducting such work, what do you think are the required abilities? Or what kind of human resources are necessary? (Umeyama)The person we need is the person who can climb half way up a mountain, but can stop and think that there may be something that can be used even if the final goal is set to be the mountain top. A person who thinks that he can get something better if he climbs a meter higher. A person who thinks how to utilize the results in hand at all times. It is ideal if the person works as a connoisseur to incorporate preceding development with product development. I really wish it would be possible for someone on the coordinating side could become a key person to bring out that sort of ability from researchers. I think a system where the leader says, “Hey, we can use this,” and the researcher responds, “Yes, you may be right. Then let’s try it.” That kind of cooperation is necessary. In most cases, a researcher says, “See, here’s something,” but rarely does the “something” fulfill the Dr. Mitsuhiro Umeyama(68)−

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