Michael Armenia art

RESULTS FROM THE HEART
Kiyoshi Suzaki
The Free Press
$25.00 (Hardcover)

Reviewed by Michael Armenia

This is not just another book on management. If it were, would the Forward be written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama? Results From The Heart combines the mind of business with the desires of the heart to present a management system that makes the most of who we are, thus, maximizing our potential and happiness. Kiyoshi Suzaki explains the implementation of Mini-Company Management giving details and diagrams that are simple yet revealing.

In a recent article, I implied that taking responsibility is a prerequisite in manifesting "quality". I wrote, "In the quality of business matters, there is a definite but often neglected relationship in play, an interdependency among workers, the work process, the environment and the provided product or service. Therefore, improvement is most readily made at the system level. And, the best way to make a systemic improvement is to place emphasis on what must be considered the core of the system. This core is the human factor. The only way to truly improve the human factor is for each individual to take responsibility for his or her own system, all of the elements that are within his or her power."

In his preface, Suzaki writes, "I propose here that each of us be "promoted" to presidency of his area of responsibility, that is, his own mini-company. In essence, it is meant for the individuals and whole organization to achieve mastery in whatever we do."

While the implementation may be rich with details, there are only a few key ideas to Mini-Company Management. The most important idea is the structure of relationships. Everyone can be the "president" of a mini-company because he or she will have customers and suppliers, either internal or external to the organization. Even the CEO has suppliers by virtue of his employees, and customers in the organization's customer base. While the most abstract mission of a business is to profit (excluding non-profit organizations), thriving in any business depends upon providing quality customer service. The success of the company (or mini-company) depends on the relationship quality of its components.

Next in importance is the procedure of questioning our actions and the results asking, "So, what?", "Why do I do this?" and "What does this accomplish?" We question repeatedly - "And then, what?" - until we cannot go any farther. This is the essence of PDCA (plan, do, check, act) - a reiterative cycle in business improvement. The "checks" should keep us on target by indicating new actions. What is freshly presented here is that the "heart", as the title suggests, must be the driving force behind the questioning, the source of "our initiative and creativity". To achieve the best results, we need to find meaning and purpose in what we do.

The next important procedure is Glass Wall Management which makes the business processes of each mini-company visible and comprehensible to everyone. The transparency of the exhibited processes is necessary for establishing congruency among all members of the company and the missions of the various mini-companies. This insures that the overall mission of the organization is accomplished. There are also other benefits. One is the elimination of personal bias especially in upper management. Most important for the success of the organization, as Suzaki says, is to "match self-interest with interests of the organization." The mission is furthered without limited viewpoints. Visible acknowledgement and praise is a self-explanatory benefit. While it may sound a bit crude, motivation by embarrassment is another good benefit. The "glass wall" will illustrate not only the mission, strategies, procedures, and accomplishments, but it will also show the problems and their exact sources. This effectively propels the effected members into action in an attempt to resolve the issues.

When an organization is thought of as a web of mini-companies, all members of an organization may be seen in a lateral perspective differing only in the nature of the work and scope of the responsibility. This eliminates a hierarchical philosophy and builds confidence. Quality in the work and lives of the members thus arise from being "other-centered".

Because there is naturally a common thread running through the mission of each mini-company, the degree to which self-organization is established will determine the success of an organization. A "natural resonance", as Suzaki says, comes as a result of everyone being synchronized and this "heartbeat" must be discovered.

I have yet to put into practice the ideas Results From the Heart. It has been several years since I worked for corporate America and I have since had little interest in returning to that work force. But, in light of Suzaki's ideas I would definitely reconsider if corporations turn to Mini-Company Management and people turn to the heart. In the mean time, I plan to apply this organic nourishment to growing my own small business.