Theory Z [antikvár]

ItlTRODUCTlOW WHY WE NEED TO LEARN Not long ago, I arranged a luncheon for two of my Ph.D. students with the vice-president of one of the most respected and largest firms in the United States — a company that regularly appears on lists of the "ten best-managed companies." The luncheon provided an opportunity for these educators of the future to ask our guest questions for which his position and experience had given him a unique perspective. After a discussion ranging over many issues, the students summarized their interests in a single question: "What, in your opinion, is the key issue facing American business over the next decade?" His answer: "The key issue will not be technology or investment, not regulation or inflation. The key issue will be the way in which we respond to one fact — the Japanese know how to manage better than we do." A case in point: A team of engineers and managers from the Buick Division of General Motors Corporation recently visited their dealer in Tokyo, who imports Buick automobiles and sells them to the Japanese. The operation appeared to be a massive repair facility, so they asked how he had built up such a large service business. He explained with some embarrassment that