It is often thought that in Latin American society, there is a tendency to put barriers to change and the continuous improvement of organizations, whether they are for-profit or non-profit.
Well, that is not so.
The eminent Japanese guru Kaoru Ishikawa informs us that there are several factors that prevent control and the improvements that result from it. These factors that he lists make it valid for Japanese companies, as well as for other countries and latitudes.
We effectively consider that they are extensible to the behavior of entrepreneurs, executives and managers of Latin American organizations and institutions.
The attitudes listed are:
- Passivity among senior executives and managers: those who evade responsibilities People who think that everything is going well and that there is no problem: they are satisfied with the status quo and lack understanding of important aspects People who think that their company is by far the best. Let's say they are self-centered, people who think that the best and easiest way to do something is the one they know. People who trust their own insufficient experience People who think only of themselves or their own division. People imbued with sectionalism People who have no ears for the opinions of others People who yearn to stand out, always thinking of themselves Discouragement, jealousy and envy People who do not see what is happening beyond their immediate surroundings. People who know nothing about other divisions,other industries, the outside world or the world in general People who continue to live in the feudal step. These include "people dedicated solely to business affairs, commonsense managers and line workers, and doctrinaire unionists."
Undoubtedly these situations can be observed in any company, be it Japanese, European, North American or Latin American.
The fundamental question is how much they are inclined to raise walls, build barriers, embalm ideas, harden paradigms and be governed by myths.
Thus, from a score of –10 to + 10, how close each company is to one or the other rating, and how inclined to either extreme are the organizations as a whole.
From this qualification and summation we will undoubtedly have the greater or lesser progress of societies and their economies.
It is through the management of change and knowledge that companies can and should get out of the situations outlined above.
When you want to put something new into practice, the main enemy of this effort will be within the company itself and within the person. If this enemy cannot be defeated, there will be no progress ”.
That mentality that nothing can be improved, that the ideas of others do not work, that we have always done it that way, that if we change we do it based on a fashion or who transmits it, are the factors that limit and restrict the growth and potential of organizations.
The idea that if a methodology or system does not meet all expectations, it should be abandoned in its entirety regardless of the positive aspects that it may have is also very incarnate.
It is not through dogmatisms that societies progress, but through their pragmatic, utilitarian and eclectic aspects.
Making use of everything that is practical depending on the utility that it can report to the organization and the environment that depends on it is without a doubt the best option.
There is no place for strategy or improvement in a social and cultural framework marked by the obstacles described above.
You cannot think strategically, thinking and acting based on these obstacles, and today more than ever companies require strategists for their survival.
Destroying the paradigms that prevent growth and improvement, and building new and valuable paradigms that facilitate and enhance the competitiveness of the company is the fundamental issue when devising new schemes and structures of thought.
Think seriously and find out what obstacles you, your employees, bosses and colleagues face. And then analyze to what extent this hinders the current and future competitiveness of the organization.
