Corporate leaders are studying countries like Japan that have mastered the art of work. What I want to do here is to share the 14 principles taught to and embraced by the Japanese that landed them as world super work centers. I have paraphrased them for easy reading.
There was a time when everything made in Japan was junk. But then Sony, Toyota, Toshiba and Honda began showing up in every home around the world with Quality items.
PRINCIPLE ONE
Be the best we can be, reach our potential, and serve people better. To do this we must be intentional and perpetual.
It means innovation, research and education, continuous improvement, and even the maintenance of equipment, furnishings and facilities reflect who were and what we do.
It's the idea that we have to improve every aspect of our corporate existence as a nation, to create a mindset of excellence.
PRINCIPLE TWO
Lets practice what we preach and put thorns in our laurels. Don't ask for commitment from others and be the first to duck out of work at noon on Friday. The point of human nature is that we tend to rest on our laurels - accomplishments of the past. By putting thorns in our laurels, we learn not to rest on them. Like someone rightly said, "if you're too impressed with yesterday, it means you haven't tried much today".
PRINCIPLE THREE
Everyone on the team is involved in analyzing what we do, how we do it and how it can be done better to serve people better. When people horn the groundup give their ideas and implement them, they will develop a sense of belonging. The commitment grows! The excitement of perpetual improvement and participations increases. We become owners versus renters in our thinking.
PRINCIPLE FOUR
The best people for the task, the best resources we can afford.
Like it or not, times have changed. People in this· age are more quality conscious than before. The temptation is to find the cheapest provider, the least expensive furnishings, and the lowest bidder for service. Sometimes the cheapest way to go is the worst stewardship. Prioritizing good pay for good plant and hard work goes a long way in attracting and keeping quality people.
PRINCIPLE FIVE
We need to discuss the quality factor when we plan a project. We learn the most by reviewing our performance soon after the experience. If we wait too long, our memories and perspective fail us. Without this we tend to repeat our performance.
PRINCIPLE SIX
Invest the time and money to teach, train· and retrain people to develop their skills and to implement quality. We put people quickly into positions with little or no training and we wonder why they can't perform. I have observed that the advanced countries spend billions of dollars in workshops, seminars, and training sessions for its employees. My observation for Nigerian workers is that we are significantly under trained.
The following are good reasons why we must trail others:
{I) Trained Staff members are more effective. Aptitudes, gifts, and talents are merely potentials unless effectively developed.
(II) Trained staff members are more fulfilled.
Effective people tend to be more fulfilled. Ineffectiveness eats away at our confidence and satisfactions.
(III) Trained staff members are less transient.
Training helps people stay on the cutting edge, and improves their skills, which makes them better committed. We often test the dedication of people by asking them to do tasks for which they have been inadequately trained.
(IV) Trained staff members attract quality associates and members. When we raise the standards for participation, we are apt to attract others who are quality oriented.
(V) Trained staff members raise the quality quotient. Just as a gallon of ice lowers the average temperature of a bucket of water, so does the quality of staff raise or lower average performance.
Read more in the Book.
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