If Japan can, why can’t we?

During the 1970s, Japan was gradually establishing itself as a global manufacturing powerhouse. In fact, the spectacular rise of Japan's economy started in the late 1950s. This was naturally a big surprise to the world. How come the nation, which was devastated in the second World War, could turn around so fast?

Lloyd Allen Dobyns, a famous reporter from NBC Television, dug into the mystery of Japan's success. What did he find out?

Surprise! Surprise! The seeds of Japan's success as a manufacturer of 'quality products' were planted by none other than an American, William Edwards Deming. Dr Deming's contributions to Japan's economic miracle went largely unnoticed until an NBC feature called 'If Japan can...Why can't we?' by Lloyd Allen Dobyns was broadcasted on June 24, 1980.

Dr Deming had a sound academic track record. He did his graduation and master's in electrical engineering, and was awarded a PhD by Yale University. Deming's decorated career started as a mathematical physicist. He worked as a statistical adviser for the United States Census Bureau during World War 2. He was a professor of statistics at New York University.

After the second World War, the Allied Forces invited Dr Deming to assist with the Japanese census. During his stay in Japan, he was requested by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) to teach statistical control. Deming trained hundreds of Japanese engineers, managers, and scholars in statistical process control (SPC) and concepts of quality.

His key message was: improving quality will reduce expenses, increase productivity, and market share.

Dr Deming provided a universal framework for changes that can lead to major operational benefits. He summarised his approach into a four-part system that includes System Thinking, Variation, Theory of Knowledge and Psychology.

System Thinking refers to understanding the overall processes involving suppliers, producers, and customers. It encourages consideration of the whole business, the interdependencies among various functions and parties within it and how to optimise the system over time.

Knowledge of Variation helps to identify the variation that occurs in a process. Every process has got some variations and hence the objective is to minimise those as this leads to the improvement. The way to improve a product or a process economically is to increase the knowledge of the way it works. The practical steps for increasing knowledge are the 'Plan, Do, Study, Act' cycle.

Psychology is the study of the human mind, including how people act and interact in different situations.

Japanese manufacturers religiously applied Dr Deming's techniques and achieved extraordinary levels of quality and productivity. The improved quality combined with the lower cost created huge demand for their products.

Dr Deming declined the offer of royalties from the transcripts of his 1950 lectures. JUSE's board of directors introduced the Deming Prize to honour him for his contributions. The Deming Prize, which is given to companies, has exerted an immeasurable influence on the development of quality management in Japan.

Japan's experience can certainly be a great lesson for us. We all know the great potential Bangladesh has. It all requires seeing things differently; believing in ourselves. We have everything to crack. So, let's get started.

The author is chairman and managing director of BASF Bangladesh Limited