Changing acronyms for a dynamic meaning

We're certainly familiar with acronyms, at least those that pertain to our job, profession and interests. Acronyms exist for brevity and convenience as we don't have to utter or write the whole caboodle.

- REY ELBO

Imagine if you're a scuba diver forced to spell out the term "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus" to a Grade 5 pupil.

It's confusing, if not downright troublesome. Take social media, which continues to spawn acronyms. Maybe you're familiar with LOL (laughing out loud), but what about NSFW? It means "not safe for work" and is used to warn people about a sensitive photo they're about to see. The list can go on and on.

But what if we were to continue adding to the confusion, if only to build our knowledge? Take the case of TPS. It's well-known in the auto industry that it stands for the Toyota Production System. Instead of referring to it as Toyota's DNA, I would refer to it as the Thinking People Strategy, or TPS 2.0 for short.

I use that term when I'm talking to people outside of the auto industry and to those in the service sector, like banking, construction, healthcare, agribusiness, fast food, government service, and, of late, the broadcast industry.

I'm proud to have coined the term TPS 2.0 close to ten years ago to emphasize that the heart and mind of Toyota can be summarized in one root ideology: "People don't go to Toyota to 'work'; they go there to 'think'." That means building and encouraging an army of workers to give at least one percent improvement idea every day.

One percent improvement