A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (General Motors) decided to

[CorvallisBMW]

because its six standard deviations from the mean of a standard deviation. essentially its perfect quality.

Actually it's just 3 std devs from the mean, but in both the positive and negative (but only until 0) directions. That makes it six sigmas (std devs) total.

[kowalski]

Actually it's just 3 std devs from the mean, but in both the positive and negative (but only until 0) directions. That makes it six sigmas (std devs) total.

right my bad. i was 4 doubles of jim beam strong while writing that:D

[moatilliatta]

lol, thats great.

[Tangent]

The worst part about that story is how plausible it is. One story I heard (I have no idea if it's true or made up) is about how the car companies dealt with the new smog regulations in the early 70s. The Japanese manufacturers immediately spent money on R&D to make their cars compliant with the new smog rules. American manufacturers immediately spent their money on lawyers to fight the new smog rules. It certainly feels like a true story considering how horrific American engines were in the 70s as they were detuned like mad and stuck with crappy equipment to pass smog tests...

My job right now is a perfect example of the crappy American style of management. When there are underperforming employees, instead of training or even replacing employees, they shuffle managers around. Management promotions are given to people based on a reward system, not based on competence. Naturally that gives us managers that know nothing about the section they're now over. Combined with an "I'm management, I know better" attitude we typically end up having to implement changes that if we're lucky simply don't fix problems instead of making them worse. When the changes that we warned management about turn out to be the mistakes we said they were, it's still somehow our fault. Despite the fact that we work our butts off to pull their butts out of the fire, they still reward us by filling any available supervisory position with outside people who know nothing about our business and once again, make things worse. Naturally these new supervisors tell the management what they want to hear: "It was the fault of those below us!"

[bolognablake]

Clarkson's views on American car companies.

"Mainly, I suspect this is because Vauxhall’s a part of General Motors which, so far as I can tell, is a bit of a misnomer. It seems to concentrate mainly on pensions and healthcare and for as long as I can remember has seen the carmaking side of the business as an expensive loss-making nuisance."

-Jeremy Clarkson

[Shoomakan]

If I may:

I studied this in Business and Management and I know exactly why this happened, and that it's very true in a way.

In Japan, children born into families enter their father's business over 90% of the time, which is usually in a big corporation. The workers in Japan are always encouraged to assist the managers, hand in better ideas, and work at their very best because they feel IMPORTANT to the company. This was called a Theory X worker in class.

Whilst in America, it doesn't happen that way, employees aren't really cared for, especially people like assembly line workers. So they have no motivation and think of this job as a non permanent thing to get somewhere. This is a theory Y worker.

Nobody ever leaves their job in Japan unless it's REALLY serious.

And this is reflected upon each nation's economy.

[Court M3]

America is lazy and does not understand a hard days work. They rather dictate to the lower skilled workers on how to do the job rather than to it themselves.

Self indulgence and greed are what is tearing apart the American fabric. We will be a 3rd world country soon if people do not wake up and realize that everyone cant drive Porsche's and have the 60" plasma.


Those words are so true. Our greed is what is killing this nation. Just as we are outsourcing our work. Companies like BMW and Toyota are out sourcing there jobs to the US. Sure the Big Three could have a market overseas, but as suggested they are too busy lobbying against innovation.

[CorvallisBMW]

...they are too busy lobbying against innovation.

Probably the best quote so far on this topic. The Big 3 spend millions fighting all kinds of laws and regulations when instead they could put that money towards actually innovating and solving problems, not just bitching about them.

I feel the biggest difference between US and Japanese auto companies is the use of Kaizen, or continuous improvement. Japanese worker culture encourages constant, continuous improvement in all aspects of work. All workers, from the CEO to the janitor are part of this system that promotes efficiency, new ideas and the reduction of waste in all areas of the company. Whereas here in America, most workers, managers, CEOs, etc are more than willing to just sit on there ass and just do things the same way over and over, never wanting to really change or 'make waves'. That is why the Big 3 have been completely left behind by foreign automakers, they refuse to change with the times.

[MattE30]

Actually it's just 3 std devs from the mean, but in both the positive and negative (but only until 0) directions. That makes it six sigmas (std devs) total.

No, it's plus or minus six std devs from the mean.

[SchnellerVert]

This kind of relates to the airlines. Your company is floundering, you are offered a pay cut in attempts to stem the bleeding? What do you do say stick it where the sun doesn't shine? Take it and hope they don't give corporate incentives to prevent them from bailing?

You don't take it the company files Chapter 11 anyway and you have little pay now.

The country is in deep doggie turd right now and greed seems to be the driving factor.