Innovation and Development

Checkout the research shown in this TED video clip (see link below) found on YouTube.

Why do I talk about it here; what is Japanese about it? Both cultures (Western and Japanese) hit on the same note - when you don't know the answer to a problem, look to nature.

The fact is, Western cultures are usually superior to Japanese cultures in the field of idea generation. Japanese technology development strength typically lies in the capability to perfect good ideas.

Japanese are excellent at what is known in Japan as monozukuri, or the way of making things. The way they think through issues and apply logic allows them to investigate an idea in minute detail to clearly understand the physics behind it and to then apply the same logic in the process to make it reliably.

So the point is - use the best of both cultures for optimum benefit.

Capitalize on the idea generation capability of the West and add to it the analysis and monozukuri capability of the Japanese technology culture to create a world class technology engine second to none.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUmOKfllAEo

Excerpts from book, "Becoming Re-Successful"

Here are some excerpts from Chapter 9 that help explain the importance to Japanese companies of "thinking correctly". When one begins to master the principles associated with Japanese thinking, reasoning and the ability to apply sound logic increases at quantum levels.

Best of Success!

Demeron

...the single biggest complaint voiced by Japanese business people working with Americans: “Nihon no kangae-kata ga wakaranai,” or, “They don’t understand the Japanese way of thinking.” The US businessperson often fails to think in the manner his or her Japanese counterpart takes for granted. Overcoming this obstacle by learning to understand the Japanese kangae-kata (way of thinking) is crucial to the ability of the engineer, planner, sales person, manager, or other knowledge workers to effectively work in or with a Japanese company.

Unlike US companies, Japanese organizations place heavy emphasis on the way each employee thinks, or their kangae-kata. These companies believe that if a person has the right kangae-kata, he or she will take the proper action to solve and eliminate problems under any circumstances they encounter, from development to manufacturing to all other business issues. As a result, Japanese managers go to great lengths to coach individuals on the best way to think through a problem and to correct improper thought processes that come to their attention. Japanese kangae-kata enables Japanese companies to operate within the knowledge-based environment discussed in Chapter 6, and failure to use Japanese kangae-kata relegates US companies to a position of heavy reliance on less effective task-based development systems.

The Japanese mindset theory (or Japanese kangae-kata) is a thought process that builds upon a solid foundation of principles and facts held in place by strong logic, and these (facts/principles and strong logic) are the key components of kangae-kata.

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...When listening to proposals and evaluating ideas, knowledge workers in a Japanese organization are keenly searching to understand what logic has been applied and will expect to see the entire why, why analyses, cause-effect relationships, and logical reasoning that led to a conclusion. If they know why you say what you say, then they can either agree or disagree based on their own logic, but without knowing the “why”, it is difficult to apply logic.

For the individual who is part of the American Business Engine, success in developing products and services in a Japanese-influenced environment requires him or her to personally understand and think in terms consistent with the Japanese kangae-kata.

The four elements of Japanese kangea-kata listed below are components of the two key factors Facts/Principles and Strong Logic.

Kangae-kata elements:

1. The Story Line

Why is the product or service needed? What problem does it solve? Why should it be considered for use? Why is it any different, better, or worse than anything else available? Why should any time be spent on its consideration? Is there an overall philosophy being followed? What is the path of logic to be applied?

2. Functional Theory

What is the genesis of the design concept or service? Why start there? What must be considered in the beginning? Why? Why should the concept work? What principles are in play? What can cause the product to malfunction? Why? Why is a certain size or dimension or mass needed? Why is one material or method any better than another? What physics and theory are in play? What is the next step beyond the initial concept? Why? What options are available to move to the next step? What judgment criteria should be applied to evaluate?

3. Confirmation

Do the results confirm the design theory? Are the cause and effect relationships understood? What must be controlled? How tight must the control be? What happens outside the control limits? At what point does the product breakdown?

4. Conclusion

What conclusion can be drawn? Why does it make sense in the overall scheme? Does the conclusion support the story line? What concrete statements can be made based on data? Do the merits stand out?

These elements are points that are used by knowledge workers to evaluate most business activity in a Japanese-influenced company. Be it deciding whether or not to provide a loan, approve a product for use, purchase a machine, or evaluate a commercial quotation, these elements are considered in one form or another. Always, there must be a story line (element 1) with which the other elements must be in complete alignment.

It is a rigorous application of these kangae-kata elements that differentiate the Japanese approach to product development projects from that of Western cultures. Japanese capability to apply logic (as explained in the last paragraph of Chapter 3) with these Japanese kankgae kata elements forms a super powerful analysis technique that is used every day in product development and other business activity.

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