A Comparison of American and Japanese Styles of Management

Masaaki Livai in Total Quality Handbook, 1990 by G. Dixon and J. Swiler

Figure 1.6 Hierarchy of KAIZEN involvement

Top Management Be determined to introduce KAIZEN as a corporate strategy Provide support and direction for KAIZEN by allocating resources Establish policy for KAIZEN and crossfunctional goals Realize KAIZEN goals through policy deployment and audits Build systems, procedures, and structure conducive to KAIZEN Middle Management and Staff Deploy and implement KAIZEN goals as directed by top management through policy deployment and cross-functional management Use KAIZEN in functional capabilities Establish, maintain, and upgrade standards Make employees KAIZEN-conscious through intensive training programs Help employees develop skills and tools for problem solving Supervisors Use KAIZEN in functional roles Formulate plans for KAIZEN and provide guidance to workers Improve communication with workers and sustain high morale Support small-group activities (such as quality circles) and the individual suggestion system Introduce discipline in the workshop Provide KAIZEN suggestions Workers

Engage in KAIZEN through the suggestion system and smallgroup activities Practice discipline in the workshop Engage in continuous selfdevelopment to become better problem solvers Enhance skills and job-performance expertise with cross-education

Figure 1.1 The KAIZEN umbrella

Customer orientation TQC (total quality control) Robotics QC circles Suggestion system Automation Discipline in the workplace TPM (total productive maintenance) Kamban Quality improvement Just-in-time Zero defects Small-group activities Cooperative labormanagement relations Productivity improvement New-product development

Figure 1.2 Japanese perceptions of job functions (1)

Top Management Middle Management Supervisors Workers Improvement Maintenance

Figure 1.3 Japanese perceptions of job functions (2)

Top Management Middle Management Supervisors Innovation KAIZEN Maintenance

Workers

Figure 1.4 Western perceptions of job functions

Top Management Middle Management Supervisors Workers Innovation

Maintenance

Figure 1.5 Innovation-centered job functions

Innovation Maintenance

Figure 1.7 Deming Wheel

Design

Research

Production

Sales

Japan West

KAIZEN Strong Weak

Innovation Weak Strong

Figure 2.1 Features of KAIZEN and Innovation

1. Effect 2. Pace 3. Timeframe 4. Change 5. Involvement 6. Approach 7. Mode 8. Spark 9. Practical requirements 10. Effort orientation 11. Evaluation criteria 12. Advantage KAIZEN Long-term and long-lasting but undramatic Small steps Continuous and incremental Gradual and constant Everybody Collectivism, group efforts, systems approach Maintenance and improvement Conventional know-how and state of the art Requires little investment but great effort to maintain it People Process and efforts for better results Works well in slow-growth economy Innovation Short-term but dramatic Big steps Intermittent and nonincremental Abrupt and volatile Select few champions Rugged individualism, individual ideas and efforts Scrap and rebuild Technological break-throughs, new inventions, new theories Requires large investment but little effort to maintain it Technology Results for profits Better suited to fast-growth economy

Figure 2.2 Ideal pattern from innovation

Time

Figure 2.3 Actual pattern from innovation

Time

Figure 2.4 Innovation alone

What should be (standard) What should be (standard) Innovation Maintenance What actually is Maintenance

What actually is

Time

Figure 2.5 Innovation plus KAIZEN

KAIZEN

Innovation

KAIZEN Innovation

Time

Figure 2.6 Total manufacturing chain

Science

Technology

Design

Production

Market

Innovation

KAIZEN

Figure 2.7 Another comparison of Innovation and KAIZEN

Innovation Creativity Individualism Specialist-oriented Attention to great leaps Technology-oriented Information: closed, proprietary Functional (specialist) orientation Seek new technology Line + staff Limited feedback KAIZEN Adaptability Teamwork (systems approach) Generalist-oriented Attention to details people-oriented Information: open, shared Cross-functional orientation Build on existing technology Cross-functional organization Comprehensive feedback

Figure 2.8 Western and Japanese product perceptions

Technology Level
Western perceptions High technology

Preferred Process

Product

Technologyoriented innovation

Innovative product

Japanese perceptions

Low technology + KAIZEN

Peopleoriented + KAIZEN

KAIZEN-oriented product

Figure 2.9 Upcoming Japanese product perceptions

Technology Level Preferred Process Product

High technology

Technology-oriented innovation

Technology-oriented innovation

Technology-oriented KAIZEN

Low technology

Technology-oriented innovation

Technology-oriented innovation