The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way is a management philosophy used by the Toyota corporation that includes the Toyota Production System. The main ideas are to base management decisions on a "philosophical sense of purpose" and think long term, to have a process for solving problems, to add value to the organization by developing its people, and to recognize that continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning. Liker, J. 2004. blank">"The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS", p. 37. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan. Retrieved: 2007-04-24

Toyota began to be recognized in the 1980s for the quality of its vehicles and its responsiveness to customers. Liker, J. 2004. The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer. The various Toyota and _Lexus models are consistently ranked higher than other car makes in owner satisfaction surveys. For example, in 2004, seven out the fourteen highest ranked cars by owners in the annual Consumer Reports survey were Toyota or Lexus models. This pattern has been consistent for many years. According to Jeffrey Liker, a University of Michigan professor of industrial engineering, it is the way Toyotas are engineered and manufactured that makes them successful. Liker and other observers believe that the basis of Toyota's success stems from the business philosophy that underlies its production system.