Page 2 Portland Observer, May 20,1962
O LD TO W N M ERCHANTS
Jimmy "Bang Bang" Walker and Charles Stou-
damira are official clowns for Neighborhood Fair.
They pose with Ockley Green students,
(Photo: Richard Brown)
Worker attitude affects production
E U G E N E — T he p ro d u c tiv ity o f
Japanese in d u s try has fa r o u t
stripped A m erican e ffo rts over the
past decade, a fact p ain fu lly fa m ili
a r to m ost A m e ric a n business
leaders.
T he causes o f th a t Japanese suc
cess, how ever, m ay prove su rp ris
ing, U niversity o f Oregon professor
Kenneth Ramsing says.
“ A m e r ic a ’ s a v e ra g e a n n u a l in
dustrial growth slowed to a mere 2.8
per cent in th e last d e c a d e ,” says
Ram sing, an associate professor o f
decision sciences in the C olleg e o f
Business A d m in is tra tio n . “ In con
trast, Japan boasts an 8 .2 per cent
average a n n u a l g ro w th d u rin g the
same p erio d .”
H o w has Japan gained this com -
petive edge?
Probably the quickest answer giv
en is th a t J a p a n has lo w e r la b o r
costs an d n ew er m a n u fa c tu rin g
e q u ip m e n t. B u t th is n o tio n is d is
pelled by Ramsing. “ These assumed
advantages simply do not exist,” he
explains.
Research seems to back h im up.
Ramsing points to a study published
last y e a r in th e H a r v a r d Business
R eview by R o b e rt H a y e s . T h e re
port concluded that the level o f Jap
anese technology is not superior to
A m erica’s and is in many cases low
er th a n th a t fo u n d in c o m p a ra b le
U .S . plants. T h e am azing robots so
often discussed are actually rare and
s till m o s tly e x p e rim e n ta l. L a rg e
scale roboticized assembly lines are
more m yth than fact.
D iffe re n c e s in cost o f la b o r are
q u ic k ly v a n is h in g , R am sin g says.
M a n y A m e ric a n firm s now u tiliz e
less expensive foreign assembly and
production.
O n the other hand, one Am erican
firm showed large increases in p ro
ductivity and product quality after it
was purchased by th e Jap anese,
even th o u g h its la b o r fo rc e re
m ained in A m e ric a . So w h a t’ s t h e ,
difference?
“ W e now a ttrib u te J a p a n ’ s suc
cess to p ro d u c tio n m a n a g e m e n t
te c h n iq u e s ,” R a m s in g e x p la in s .
There are many elements to the Jap
anese approach and some are fu n da
m en tally d iffe re n t fro m tra d itio n a l
A m erican business th in king . W o rk
er p articip ation in management de
cisions is one.
Suggestions
fo r
p ro d u c tio n
changes by Japanese w o rk e rs are
w e lc o m e d . I t seems re a s o n a b le
enough that those who do the actual
w o rk m ig h t, fr o m tim e to tim e ,
come up w ith a time- or money-sav
ing idea. But what is done w ith such
ideas is often quite d iffe re n t in this
country.
“ A m erican m iddle m anagem ent,
p a rtic u la rly , is in tim id a te d by the
’bottom up’ decision and com m uni
c a tio n s p ro c e s s ,” R am sin g says.
“ Japan’s achievements in m anufac
turing measures point to the im po rt
ance o f o p e n in g d e c is io n m a k in g
avenues to w orkers. I t is critical to
the im provem ent o f A m erican pro
d u c tiv ity .”
A nother aspect o f this attitude to
ward the workers is reflected in the
g re a te r fle x ib ilit y th ey e n jo y in
Japan. In much Am erican assembly
line p ro d u c tio n , a breakdow n a n y
where on the line causes a chain re
a c tio n an d to ta l p ro d u c tio n is
slowed or stopped altogether. T im e
and h um an resources are w asted,
Ramsing notes. In Japan, however,
w o rkers are o fte n tra in e d to d ia g
nose, ad ju st and re p a ir the e q u ip
ment with which they w ork.
In a d dition , the Japanese w orker
is n ’ t c o n fin e d to ju s t one sp ecific
ta s k . I f the m a rk e t slow s, he m ay
paint walls in the factory. Japan has
“ com pany unions” in which cross-
line w ork is acceptable. There are no
specific trade unions. A nd there are
no s h u t-d o w n s trik e s , a lth o u g h
grievances do occur.
“ T he Japanese dedication is such
that workers exhibit dissatisfaction
o r d em an ds fo r h ig h e r e m p lo y e e
b e n e fits by w earin g a rm bands or
head bands w h ile they c o ntin u e to
p e rfo rm their regular tasks,” ra m -
sey says.
T he clear result o f Japanese m an
agem ent’s attitude tow ard its w o rk
ers is re m a rk a b le w o rk e r lo y a lty .
R am sing says th a t there is a d irect
relationship between employee com
m itm ent, loyalty, increased produc
tiv ity and jo b s e c u rity . Japanese
w o rkers are so m etim e g u aran teed
lifelong em ployment.
“ Job security has m an y a d v a n
tages to an organization. One is that
em ployee resistance to new la b o r-
saving te c h n o lo g y is re d u c e d ,”
R am sing says. A ls o reduced is the
co m m o n a d v e rs a ria l re la tio n s h ip
between w o rk e r and m an ag em en t,
so prevalent in A m erica.
Ram sing em phasized the need to
reduce this adversarial relatio n sh ip
now c o m m o n am o n g A m e ric a n
w orkers, unions, m anagem ent and
g o v e rn m e n t. B ut he w a rn s , “ T h e
ad versarial re la tio n s h ip w il not be
easy to change. Basic attitu d e s are
hard to change.”
One attitude Ramsing says A m e r
ic a n business needs to q u ic k ly
change is th a t to w a rd s w aste. F o r
years, A m erican industry has to le r
ated a certain percentage o f defect
ive units. C o n tra c ts usually d e te r
m in e w h a t th e p e rc e n ta g e w ill be
and additional units are produced to
guarantee the required num ber o r
dered. O ver tim e . Ram sing argues,
“ this practice has created an insidi
ous b e lie f am o u n g w o rk e rs th a t a
c e rta in level o f d e fe c ts is a c c e p t
ab le.”
In contrast, the Japanese continu
ally strive to im prove the q u a lity o f
their products, Ramsing says.
J a p a n also e n jo y s th e w o rld 's
highest rate o f personal income sav
ing per capita. H ence, its fin a n c ia l
in s titu tio n s have m o re m o n e y to
loan and invest.
H o w can A m erican industry over
co m e these Japanese a d v a n ta g e s
and restore a high rate o f industrial
grow th? Ram sing calls on business
leaders to “ throw o f f our own bias
that A m erica is the best in terms o f
management education, innovation
and p ractice.” H e sees encouraging
signs in that direction.
“ Recent la b o r union settlements
at Ford and G M show a growing co
o peration between lab o r and m an
a g e m e n t,” R a m s in g says. “ A n d
there are symptoms o f a change in
a ttitu d e by com panies w ith regards
to q u a lity .”
“ C hrysler now o ffers a five-year
g u a ra n te e on its A m e ric a n -m a d e
cars and M a y ta g has bought some
o f its p a rts s u p p lie rs so as to in
crease pro du ct q u a lity . T h e y w an t
some products to last nine years,”
he adds.
R a m s in g ac k n o w le d g e s th a t
ch ang ing basic business a ttitu d e s
and lo o k in g to o th e r countries fo r
help is no easy business. “ B ut o ur
present n a tio n a l standards can no
longer compete in the global arena.
A d o p tin g a new view o f co rp o rate
m a n u fa c tu rin g s tra te g y is tim e ly
and offers U .S . industry an o p p o r
tunity that it cannot ignore.”
T h e sagging A m e ric a n econom y
seems to agree.
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T
The am ount o f p relim inary work
th a t w ent in to p re p a rin g P o rtla n d
C o m m u n ity C ollege’s 1982-83 bud
get fille d a b in d e r a lm o s t th ree
inches th ic k . T h e end result was a
$33.7 m illio n operating budget that
has been subm itted to the M u ltn o
m ah C o u n ty T a x S up ervisin g and
C o n servatio n C om m ission fo r a p
p ro val. But D r. John H . A n th o n y ,
P C C president, said that because o f
th e G o v e r n o r ’ s recen t a n n o u n c e
ment that deeper cuts w ill have to be
m ade, “ we have already had some
p re lim in a ry discussion in the event
we have to m ake a d d itio n a l cu ts.”
H e estim ated the a m o u n t could be
another h a lf m illion dollars.
In a d d itio n , w ith in the last year
the college has lost $ 1 .6 m illio n in
state aid and fo r the past tw o years
the loss stands at $2 m illion.
A n th o n y , s o m e w h a t p e rtu rb e d
over the state o f the economy locally
and n a tio n a lly , s a id , “ T h e th in g
that bothers me is that nothing posi
tive is being done. There is no posi
tive action being ta k e n . I th in k we
need to lo o k a t s tim u ltin g the
econom y— look at w h at we can do
to keep those in d u s trie s th a t a re
m o v in g o u t o f th e state fro m
m o vin g .”
A n s w e rin g
in
p a rt to
his
“ . . .w h a t we can d o . .
he said,
“ L o w e r th e in c o m e an d p u t in a
sales ta x .”
O f the specifics fo r the 1982-83
b u d g e t, he said , “ W etp u t n o th in g
to ta lly . H a rd h it were student ser
vices and ad m in istratio n.”
A ccording to A n th o n y , fo u r a d
m inistrative and one or tw o classi
fied positions w ill not be replaced.
T h e co lle g e w ill go on a fo u r d ay
work week fo r the summer term; the
farm at P C C ’s Rock Creek Campus
w ill p o s s ib ly be e lim in a te d ; th e re
w ill be fe w e r class o ffe rin g s n ext
year and there w ill be a cutback on
th e n u m b e r o f classes ta u g h t by
part-tim e faculty.
W h ile negotiating w ith the P o rt
land P ub lic School D is tric t fo r the
purchase o f A d a m s H ig h S ch o o l,
contingent on the sale o f its Stadium
C enter, P C C “ is looking into what
the (students’ ] interests a re .”
P ro jectin g a 4 .3 to 3 per cent in
crease in to ta l e n ro llm e n t fo r the
F a ll T e rm , the school w ill continue
to concentrate on lower division col
lege classes and v o c a tio n a l educa
tional programs.
A lth o u g h the A dam s site has its
disadvantages in freeway accessibil
it y , he s a id , “ T h e a d v a n ta g e o f
Adam s is that it doubles our space.
W e w a n t to put a lo t o f c o m p u te r
science p ro g ra m s o u t th e r e .” H e
added that it’s ideally suited because
o f its accessibility to m ain arteries
th a t w o u ld a c c o m o d a te th e p r o
g ra m . T h e o b je c tiv e “ is to m o ve
into the Adams site for Fall T e rm .”
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