Fwd: AOTS E-Newsletter: Insight

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Subject: AOTS E-Newsletter: Insight
Date: 2026-03-31 04:30
From: ARI/AOTS <aots.jp>
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◆◇ AOTS E-Newsletter ◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

31 March 2026

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<Index>
1. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese
Companies

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1. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese
Companies
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In the previous edition, I explained the term "Shain Kagyō" (a mindset
in which employees see themselves as the manager of their own business)
passed on by Konosuke Matsushita. In my opinion, if this mindset can be
thoroughly instilled in all employees at a company, it will deliver
significant benefits for QC activities and the like.

I imagine that most readers of this column are familiar with Japanese
manufacturing. In Japan, the phrase “the next process is the customer”
is an important part of the quality control mindset.
When I joined Panasonic after graduating from university, I was involved
in hands-on work on a manufacturing line at a factory for about half a
year. I was aiming for a job in marketing, but at Panasonic back then,
it was mandatory to first gain a thorough understanding of the spirit of
manufacturing through practical experience, regardless of your future
position.

I believe this approach is still practiced today at most companies in
Japan’s manufacturing sector, whether large, medium, or small. What I
learned at the manufacturing site is the idea that the “next process is
the customer.”
On manufacturing lines and the like, the goal is to deliver the finished
output of the work process for which you are responsible to the person
who performs the next process in a way that facilitates their work.
Naturally, that means ensuring there are no defects, but it also
requires you to demonstrate consideration and ingenuity in various ways,
such as cleaning things before passing them on if they are dirty or
always placing them facing a certain way to make the next person’s job
easier.
I remain convinced that this mindset is the same as shain kagyo, which
embodies the management philosophy of benefiting three parties for both
colleagues and superiors.

This approach is not limited to manufacturing lines. There are various
processes and departments related to manufacturing at companies,
including R&D, planning, design, purchasing, production, inspection, and
sales, as well as many indirectly related departments. The output of
each process is the input for the next process. And ultimately, a
company’s output—the products it ships and the services it supplies—is
the input for customers.
As an example, designers who are dedicated to shain kagyo will aim to
produce drawings that do more than simply meet customers’ needs; they
will also satisfy the needs of the departments who handle the next
processes, such as creating designs that facilitate manufacturing at
production sites or coming up with solutions that facilitate repairs
when malfunctions occur.
I
f the idea that the “next process is the customer” is realized across a
company based on the spirit of shain kagyo, it should naturally lead to
customer satisfaction with the company’s products and services as well
as a market-in approach.

To be continued in the next edition.

Rikio Suma, Author

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