Managing Operational Improvement

1. Quality Practices in Modern China

Q1. Do you see any parallels between today’s Modern China and post-World War 2 Japan? What differences are evident?

Parallels

• The countries of China and Japan share numerous similarities other than their geographical proximity. They both have established extremely rich cultures and great senses of national identity.

• Both cultures are rich and traditional, unified or nationalistic, and have similar religions, and values (http://econc10.bu.edu/)

• Fast growing economies that are encouraged and supported by governments of chine and Japan.

• Both China and Japan have imported their technology, relying upon imitating the inventions and ideas of others. This is changing however as modern quality management is embraced.

• Both countries identified gaps in their quality management systems and are closing them quickly.

• Rapid urbanization – the move from an agricultural based society to a manufacturing (and thus urbanized) society.

• Democratization – from a centralized government to capitalist, moving from an insular to outward looking culture.

• Both countries have economically benefited from conflict and wars, as the rate of technology improvement and economic benefit improves in such scenarios, more so than in peace time. The Institute for Economics and Peace states that “heightened military spending during conflict does create employment, additional economic activity and contributes to the development of new technologies which can then filter through into other industries”. Whilst China has not participated in many wars since the Korea conflict, it was involved heavily in the Cold War with the west until perhaps the late 1980’s.

Differences

• Today, China is seeking to introduce new ideas like total quality management and team empowerment to adapt and integrate into business management. Further Japan appears to have adopted a far more western attitude more readily in comparison to China

• China is striving to improve its education, health, living standards and most important its manufactured consumer products, and is embracing modern quality management philosophies.

• Also, China is growing within an era of huge technological and world rapid political change. Japan, in the 1950’s to the 1980’s was operating in an era where change was not as rapid.

• Padmalingam(2002) believes that the two countries have diverged due to differing economic systems. He states that Japan used market capitalism to pursue individual and corporate material wealth. However, China has been far more conservative