THINKING BACK & FREEING UP AN OLD MIND

Today I will let my mind slip back thru the haze to Japan in 1983. We had arrived in Japan full of excitement and ready for a new adventure. Our work was with a company called Hitachi Zosen. They were a shipbuilding company, still in existence to this day, albeit in a slightly different form than in 1983. We were there because Hitachi Zosen was chosen to prefabricate a complete Gas Plant, in modules. Following which, they would turn them over to us for shipment to New Zealand.

Hitachi had one of the largest shipbuilding yards anywhere. They were highly capable of performing the tasks which we required for a successful project. I was part of a group of Engineering, Controls, Fabrication and Procurement personnel. We were tasked with ensuring that everything was completed in the time we needed. And at the cost we budgeted and in the quality required for a successful Project.

Immediately it became clear that managing and directing the success of this Project was not going to be an easy task. There was some obvious differences in work processes between our (North American style) and those of the Japanese. I think the most dramatic difference was apparent in the progress of a typical Project for us, which was from day one, we always targeted progress.

This took the form of starting and progressing on work in any manner possible. Including, the recording of such gains, in order to receive progress payments for the work completed. At this point, enter the Japanese, their philosophy was that before they incur any costs on labour or manpower they purchase everything and marshal it all on their worksite. Only at that time does serious work. start. Well from the outset we are at opposite ends of the vision.

Of course we want to demonstrate progress to our office and our client (our income probably depended on it) and they wanted to reduce the costs of screwing around with things that they could not complete. It was a battle. Us pushing and them passively resisting our pressure. Oh what fun we had. Both of us trying to make the other crazy. Now what was the “right” way to do it? There may not necessarily be an absolute answer.

Although in our system you are able to show some immediate progress and start getting paid, in theirs they save a lot of duplicate effort starting something, setting it aside and when the remaining pieces are received, digging it out and finishing it. Additionally, a frustrating reality in our world was the release of construction drawings, that were subsequently revised over and over again by head office. Their system sometimes allowed them to bypass 3 or 4 revisions by the time they had all the parts for the work.

Where is this leading you might say? It only shows a little bit of the frustrations you deal with on an international assignment. The difference between cultures was very apparent just in the normal things you encountered in a workday. Some of the other differences in cultures and work experiences became obvious each and every day. Such as:

Each and every day at the start of work all employees gathered in groups around the site and were given a short motivational talk about the day and the activities for the day. This was done by whoever was in charge of the particular discipline involved, and sometimes by the company leader. This was followed by exercise participated in by everyone.

At the end of each week employees were required to evaluate their performance and offer a suggestion for improvement of themselves and the work process. A small bonus was given to those that came up with an idea that was incorporated into the work process.

The company provided hot meals cooked in company canteens and offered to the employees for a fee of about .$.75 per day. Now let me say for that small payment you could get seriously full! Noodles, rice, veggies, meat, and a drink. Alternately you could go downtown after work and get a small piece of Kobi Beef for about $140.00 US (and this was in 1983)!

Bicycles were available in each and every area of the site. Because of the huge size of this site it made movement between different parts of the project very time consuming. Basically if you had something to do or someplace to go you went outside jumped on whatever bicycle was available and went. You then left that bicycle wherever you ended up and when finished what you were doing, you hopped on it or any other one parked there. It greatly reduced need for vehicles on the site.

We found our Japanese counter parts very polite and eager to please. They would never say NO to your request. Very early though I learned a great lesson. One of my counterparts, when asked to do something that I wanted, said “Mister that will be very difficult”. I went into a fit and told him “I don’t care how difficult, I just wanted it done, Now!” Very quickly my boss intervened and pulling me aside said Jimbo ol’ son, if you ever get one of these people saying “that will be very difficult” then back off. What he is really saying is “NO, Absolutely NOT and not an f….. g chance” at that point time to go and look elsewhere for your solution.

I know this was long and torturous, however I needed to show in what ways we found differences in our work values to theirs and what we learned in our time there. Somethings they took away from working with us somethings we learned from them. I could go on if you wish, ha.