p.2 Japanese brush calligraphy, called Shodo, is
viewed as much as a philosophy of living as an art form. Shodo describes the art of coordinating mind, body and brush. There
is no line drawn between thinking and doing in Shodo.
p.3 In a marketplace characterized by constant change... flexibility
is an obvious virtue. The mindful stream suggests an organization willing and able to turn on a dime, to abandon
the obvious and sack the conventional.
p.3 The second characteristic of Shodo management recognizes the interconnectedness
of things as well as their primacy.
p.4 Process improvement must begin first with understanding. Understanding
of the big picture - what things are fundamental, and how they are interrelated by processes.
p.4 Kaizen [ongoing improvement involving everyone - top
management, managers, and workers] is circular and reinforcing. Improvements give rise to improvements which
give rise to more improvements and ultimately to improved quality and speed as well as reduced costs and increased customer
satisfaction.
p.4 Speed represents a third characteristic of Shodo management. The new
imperative is to offer the highest quality, the lowest cost, in the least amount of time.
p.5 The fourth characteristic of Shodo management is Kami Sama,
which in Japanese means simply that the "customer is god." It reflects a saturation of the organization with
the customer perspective.
p.5 For the Japanese, winning in a market or an industry was the objective,
not profits. There is a difference. The philosophy in Japan is that profits follow market success, not vice versa.
