Dear Yoshiaki Obara:
I am coordinator of student affairs of Collège Montmorency in Laval, Province of Québec, in Canada. I am completing a master's degree in school administration.
Here in Québec, business and government talk a lot about the urgency of using TQM to “save our society and economy.” I chose to do my thesis on the application of TQM to education to “protect” education against what I was perceiving as a mechanical-rational way of improving cars, but not a good model to use in a human, fragile, and complex environment like school.
I read a lot of articles and books on the topic. I heard W. Edwards Deming speak at a conference in Houston, Texas. The more I learned, the more enthusiastic I became about the possibility and promise of Deming's deep knowledge theories in education. The concept of TQM is great, but there is one apparent contradiction: although the Japanese are the ones who apply and develop with spectacular success the quality management philosophy, the school system that prepares the worker for TQM doesn't seem to be based on this philosophy. From my limited understanding, the Japanese school system is very hierarchical, exhibiting a traditional management style, with an emphasis on competition, fear of failing, and total submission to the teacher's authority.
In the United States, where TQM in education is a very important movement, no one seems to be aware that the “TQM miracle” in Japan was made possible in a cultural context of a feudal tradition of obedience to strict rules and order, a tradition of extreme hard work, and a code of honor. During my research, I pondered the question, “Can the TQM philosophy be applied with success in the Japanese school system?” I asked this question of many people who are specialists in TQM or in charge of education study centers. While everyone answered that it was a good question, no one was able to give me a response. At last, I saw your name in the member list of the Total Quality Network of the American Association of School Administrators.
The Japanese school system seems to function like a fundamental contradiction with the Deming philosophy, but it looks like an effective system, with a very low dropout rate and first place in world ranking. And it is this school system that prepared workers for the TQM miracle in Japan.
I would appreciate any information you can provide on TQM philosophy in the Japanese school system. Thank you very much for your attention, and please accept my respectful salutation.
Sincerely,
Claude Desjardins
Dear Claude Desjardins:
Thank you for your recent letter. You have raised a very interesting but difficult question. There are very few people in Japan that I know of who can respond to it. First, those who are experts on TQM do not understand education, particularly elementary and secondary education. Second, those who understand schooling do not know of TQM. There is a cleavage between industrial scientists and educators. To the latter, any idea or concept coming out of engineering or the industrial sector is foreign. There are not many who can bridge TQM on one hand and schooling on the other.
We do not train TQM practitioners per se at schools in Japan. However, I am about to form a project team to do a feasibility study on TQM in education and will let you know of our findings. We need time to fully respond to your question.
However, here are some possible answers in the meantime. I say “possible,” because they are not yet fully substantiated empirically. TQM (in Japan, TQC: Total Quality Control) is understood here as a tool for any organization that seeks to maximize profits by increasing its market share and/or reducing cost. As the school or university is not a profit-maximizing entity, we regard TQM as a nonviable tool for administration. Faculty members study TQM, but universities do not do TQM. Also, there is still common understanding among academicians in Japan that schools do not function as training centers per se for industries or corporations. Thus, people do not see any contradiction between TQM in industry and non-TQM characteristics found in our educational practice.
Three elements characterize our system of education. These elements are not directly related to TQM, but I do see a small but significant contribution for implementing TQM in companies. First, Japanese schools are known for producing uniform and norm-conforming adults. This de-individualization process also seems as if to implant the value of teamwork and of putting one's own value second to the group's. Having learned to be less individualistic, they are prone to accepting team effort and sacrificing personal values for the company's.
Second, schools teach the value of competition, or the fear of losing to one's rivals. Under this conviction, students work hard lest they lose to their fellow students. This competition reaches the highest point when they face entrance into universities. Later, when they become workers, this rivalry is redirected to workers in rival companies. Because they fear losing their market share due to their lower productivity, inferior quality, and/or higher production cost, Japanese workers “willingly” accept TQM as an effective tool, so that they will have an advantage over their rivals.
Third, Japan is a society based on seniority or authoritarianism; so is school operation. Through daily activities, children internalize the value and function of the seniority system and become obedient to orders from the top. A significant reason for well-disciplined students is this authoritarian-based operation in our schools. Students listen to and take directions from the ones whom they regard as leader or the authority. When they enter the workplace, they are ready to listen to and take directions from the top. As the top takes up TQM, so do the workers.
As I said earlier, these three answers may not respond to your question. They are more speculation than anything else. We need further research in this area. As noted, I will take up your question with my project team and advise you of our findings. Please feel free to ask me further regarding TQM in our school system.
Sincerely yours,
Yoshiaki Obara
