Articles

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HR Competencies and Values:

Japanese Company Perspective (JCP)

By Ernesto G. Espinosa

The writer is a faculty of Business Management (St. Scholastica's College), Former President of The Personnel Management Association of the Philippines and VP-Director of HRD and General Affairs of Fujitsu Computer Products Corp. of the Philippines

"GENCHI, GENBUTSU AND GENJITSU"

Actual Situation

The John Clark Paging Co. was supposed to deliver its JCP model products to its customers in time for Christmas. The manufacturing operations of the company cover several processes. Processes involved in the production of the JCP model contain priority lots. After the Assembly Manager, Mr. Jaime C. Pangilinan, received instructions from management to implement the production schedule, Mr. Pangilinan immediately called on his Day Shift Assembly Supervisor to concentrate on production of the priority lots. After meeting with his key personnel, the Day Shift Assembly Supervisor likewise filled up the logbook to indicate the details of the instruction so that the Night Shift Assembly Supervisor would see it when he reports to work at 8 p.m. For one reason or another, the Night Shift Assembly Supervisor failed to look at the logbook. While the priority lots of the day shift ran, the priority lots of the night shift didn't. This, they discovered only the following morning. In this particularly situation, the Assembly Manager is equally responsible as the Day Shift Assembly Supervisor and Night Shift Assembly Supervisor in ensuring the implementation of the production schedule.

If you face unexpected problems or concerns in the manufacturing process, the following are the points to consider in finding solutions to such problems or concerns:

Genchi

Do not stay at where you are. Go to the place where problems occur. Be on the scene.

Genbutsu

Do not ask someone what is happening. Go and watch it with your own eyes.

Genjitsu

Do not imagine what is happening. Look for the facts and realize the situation.

On a personal note, I sought the assistance of some of the Managers of our industrial park administration to devise a plan to avoid queuing of vehicles when Security guards posted at the entrance gate check vehicles without stickers. The entrance gate incidentally, because it is too small, can accommodate only one vehicle. If you happen to be following a passenger jeepney, it takes time for you to wait because Security guards check the license of the driver and sometimes, the IDs of the passengers. The Managers informed me that they will set up a table right after the entrance gate so that the checking of passenger jeepneys will be done there and not at the entrance gate. During the first two (2) days of implementation, I saw that Security was consistently checking passenger jeepneys at the table set up for that purpose. I was happy to note that there was a freeflow of vehicles at the entrance gate. This was three (3) weeks ago. During the last two (2) weeks, I have been closely monitoring the implementation of that plan and without exaggeration, the table is usually unmanned and there were even two (2) days when the table was not there. In our Company, this is a crime. A Manager has to check regularly once a plan is already in its implementation stage. Our jobs are not over once we delegate the work to our subordinates.