It is generally recognised that TQM (Total Quality Management) has its roots in Japan starting in 1960 15 years after the end of World War 2.. This was a showstopper for many in the West. Japan being diametrically on the other side of the world, the widespread impression was and for some still is, that
Many firms have dramatically improved their competitiveness by introducing Quality Circles. However, unless a culture of Total Quality Management is first implemented, such initiatives are usually short lived. To make effective use of this radically different technique, managers must readjust their attitudes towards the workforce and the entire process of corporate management. Revised in 2025
 The ‘Loose Brick’ concept is well known in Japan but virtually unheard of in the West. It is a key element in the Risk Management Element in ‘Hoshin Kanri’ (Reference David Hutchins Book) The over all objective of Hoshin Kanri is to create an organisation in which everyone from the top to the bottom is working
‘Hoshin Kanri’ (Reference David Hutchins Book) is a Japanese term that has no direct translation into English. There three key elements but each element breaks down into multiple sub elements Many ‘would be’ experts attempt to create trite simple models but there is nothing simple about Hoshin Kanri, why? Because it represents a model that