Does having a quality process mean not making mistakes?
No, it means continuously improving. Unfortunately, we may never see the day where we don’t make any mistakes. But putting into place processes and systems, with the entire organization obsessed with not making mistakes and with doing things fast and reliably and doing what the customer wants, doesn’t eliminate all mistakes. It’s continuous improvement. Are your quality concepts based on a Japanese way of doing things or is it an American adaptation? In other words, the Japanese also have a unique culture that has contributed to their success. That was probably the major contributor–their willingness and effectiveness in implementing those quality concepts. Many companies in America felt like they weren’t transferable to Americans because of our difference in culture. In our opinion, that’s wrong. They are very, very transferable. But they have to be modified to fit the American culture in order to get maximum results. But not only do you have to adapt the process to the country, you
