East, West & the Deming Philosophy

                    David and Sarah Kerridge

We often hear that the Japanese succeed because of their culture.
For example, a Swedish industrialist on a visit to Japan met
Kaoru Ishikawa. He asked "Could we do in Sweden what you have
done here?".

   Dr Ishikawa said that it could be done, but that it would take
longer, perhaps 30 years. He gave two reasons. In the West, we
use a phonetic alphabet, instead of symbols, and our religion is
Christian rather than Buddhist or Confucian. In Ishikawa's book,
"Introduction to Quality Control", these are just two of a list
of 14 cultural factors which he regards as important.

   He and others think that these differences affect the whole
Western outlook. We pronounce words by dividing them into
letters, so we take everything apart to understand it. Or perhaps
we use the alphabet because we like taking things apart. The
Japanese, on the other hand, look at matters as a whole. To them
calligraphy is a major art form, with the shape and balance of
words on a page almost as important as their meaning.

   Christian teaching emphasises responsibility for our own
actions, and so it is harder to blame the system. This sounds
convincing until we remember that Dr Deming himself was an active
Christian, and used the alphabet.

   Before Dr Deming taught management in Japan, he studied
Japanese culture deeply. He spent hours, for example, watching
Noh plays and the Kabuki theatre. Then he put his message across
in ways that made sense to the Japanese mind, and took advantage
of the strengths of their distinctive culture. If the Japanese
now think that the Deming Philosophy only works in their culture,
it just shows how successful he was.

   This suggests a quite different conclusion from that of
Ishikawa. If we try to copy the Japanese, and apply the Deming
Philosophy exactly as they do, it could easily take thirty years,
or fail altogether. Instead, we must do for the West what Dr
Deming did for Japan. This agrees with his approach to education:
"People learn in different ways". Each person, and each culture,
has strengths, and they should be identified and developed.

   Of course, it is for us hard to stand outside our own culture,
and see what is important about it. But surprisingly, Dr Ishikawa
may have identified two important strengths: our Christian tradi-
tion, and our use of the alphabet. We believe in fair play, in
humane treatment, and the value of the individual. We do take
things apart to see how they work: this is what makes Science,
which arose only in the West.

   Looking at the whole makes it natural to be a perfectionist.
But taking things apart suggests new ways to put them together.
This leads to innovation, which is far more important in the long
run. Why else did the industrial revolution start here? In other
words, everything is a strength, or a weakness, depending on how
we respond to it. The Deming Philosophy is very flexible, and
helps us to make the most of whatever abilities we have.

   The Japanese do have an advantage just because they are so
different. It is like that of the left-handed boxer or tennis
player. The right-handed majority find it hard to play against
them. But more important is that the Japanese believe in them-
selves, and in their own culture. So should we. It is no use
wishing we were like them. We are  different. Let us take
advantage of our differences, and make them our strengths.


Reproduced by permission from VARIATION, the newsletter of the
              British Deming Association