Seminar on Japanese style of management

Jasteca Institute of Management conducted a very well attended seminar on Japanese Style of Management on August 27,2012. The seminar had a hall packed attendance.

There were 4 resource persons Messrs; Sunil Wijesinha, Dammika Kalapuge, Mahinda Saranapala and Premalal Fernando, who are experts on Japanese Style of Management who made presentations at the seminar.

Sunil Wijesinha’s presentation was an overview of Japanese culture which has influenced its management practices, Japan’s employment practices, and some management techniques.

He particularly stressed that Japanese culture is extremely service oriented and one important concept is “the other person is more important than you are”. The foundation for quality is also based on this, where they would not want a recipient of a product to be adversely affected by poor quality. He spoke of the punctuality where it is considered impolite to be late.

The cleanliness and the orderliness, as well as the taking care of all equipment with great care which has resulted in the lowest breakdown rates in the world. Sunil Wijesinha recommended that the Japanese techniques should not be just transplanted in Sri Lanka.

The culture specific and culture free elements should be identified and suitably adapted to be implementable in Sri Lanka. Japanese techniques have been very successful in Sri Lanka said Wijesinha. Responding to a question he said that he had been able to successfully implement many Japanese techniques at Employees’ Trust Fund Board, Dankotuwa Porcelain, and Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka where he was the CEO.” Dammika Kalapuge delivered a lecture to a spell bound audience and explained how to fine-tune the right ‘mindset’ amongst the customer interface staff of the Institution to maintain an outstanding personal relationship in dealing with the clients.

He shared many experiences which we can learn from the great Japanese nation in providing total satisfaction to the customers by looking into several of small aspects which service personnel usually take it for granted. He explained with many examples and photographic evidence how service oriented staff could go that extra mile at no cost to the organisation which brings in so much goodwill and retention to the organisation.

Envisaging the customer need, display of politeness, punctuality, pleasant mannerisms, commitment to detail, passion to do better to support your organisation and the Nation he considered as great attributes of successful and committee service oriented staff.

Mahinda Saranapala made a presentation based on “A four pillar strategy for sustainable growth and profits”. Primarily this presentation was a stimulus for those companies who has built rock solid fundamentals or intending to build a foundation using Japanese Management Techniques.

It was explained in detail at the seminar how this can be done and how one can drive his organization to a “World Class Entity “by implementing a four pillar strategy. The four pillars as explained were 1.Total Flow Management. 2. Total Quality Management. 3. Total Productive Maintenance.. 4. Total Service Management. The entire model revolving around Quality. Cost, Delivery/Service encompassing the company’s supply chain.

Premalal Fernando delivering a lecture on Presentation commenced with showing the 5S Concept resulting in reaping benefits in Key Performance Indicators, such as, Productivity, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety & Morale. Circumstances by which, the Japanese started Seiri & Seiton in the Ship-yard & developing on such results to Seiso, Seiketsu & Shisuke to evolve the 5S Concept.

Explained what “Kaizen” is and how Toyota started Kaizen activities in their Factory. Leadership was illustrated by the Shinkanzen Bullet Train powering each one of its Wagons & Wheels to reach such a speed. Presentation was concluded by showing a photograph of square water melons produced by Japan for exports even by changing the nature. This exposed the question, if that is possible why you cannot change the workplace by 5S & Kaizen.

Panel discussion with eminent Japanese expatriate business managers

There was an interactive Question and Answer session by 3 Japanese panelists who were very open and frank in expressing their views for and against the Japanese Style of Management.

Questions answered covered very important and sensitive issues on Japanese Style Management such as difference between American and Japanese style of Management. Q &A session also covered areas such as why Japan has not produced in the recent past world business leaders such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg ; how Japan in the past copied technology from the west and adopted a policy of “catch up to the West and Overtake the USA”.

Conformist mentality that prevailed in Japanese companies “hammering down the nail that sticks out”, why women do not get a prominent roles in Japanese companies. Panelists were asked to comment on the statement that Japanese companies are regimented, almost feudal, hierarchies, plenty of numbing overtime. They afford their workers little personal freedom, choice or enlightenment. Japanese companies succeed at the expense of Japanese individuals, so many faceless pawns in the financial chess game the Japanese call “business.”

It was also queried as to how with all these culture related issues Japanese management has succeeded tremendously and have become world leaders in their products were among some of the questions that were raised.