It is seven o’clock in the morning. The sun starts to rise. It is still quiet on the beach. There is no wind therefore almost any wave. The only noise is coming from a couple of workers cleaning the boulevard and some vans delivering groceries for the busy day to come. I’m sitting on a terrace observing the sea. The restaurant is officially still closed but a lady cleaning inside asks what I would like to drink. I order a cappuccino. Complete rest. These moments are priceless. These moments free your mind and help you become more open and more creative. The perfect moment to write a summer column.
In the last years I have investigated several lean, kaizen and other process improvement implementations. I have always been fascinated by the question why lean implementations in organizations appear less successful in the Netherlands than in Japan. Cultural differences between the two countries seem to have a major impact on success. All my argumentation was based on personal experience, gut feeling and common sense. Recently I read the book Cultures and Organizations by Prof. Dr. Ir. Geert Hofstede. This gave me the longed insight based on 40 years of academic research. In his book regarding cultural differences, Hofstede describes culture as the unwritten rules of the social game, the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others. He compares countries on five different cultural dimensions: Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Risk Avoidance and Pragmatism. The Netherlands and Japan differ on all dimensions, on some dimensions more than on others. But especially on the dimension Masculinity we are each other’s opposites, two extremes. Japan is one of the most masculine countries in the world and the Netherlands is one of the most feminine countries in the world.
A high score (masculine) on this dimension indicates that society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in field. A low score (feminine) on this dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what you do (feminine). This difference in masculinity gives an explanation for the differences in implementation successes of lean process improvements: Japanese organization members are improving processes to become better and to be able to do more in the same time. And the Dutch, as process members, have the intrinsic desire to make their life easier and more enjoyable, to do the same in less time.
This does not mean one is better, the intrinsic motivation is just different. The output per hour worked in the Netherlands is among the highest in the world and even higher than in Japan. But the Japanese culture fits better with kaizen, continuous improvement, doing the things right, while the Dutch culture fits better with disruptive engineering and innovation, doing the right things. Of course to be really successful as an organization you need both, one cannot flourish without the other, Yin and Yang. Therefore our Japanese company in the Netherlands, with our Dutch innovation and trading spirit combined with Japanese precision and service mentality, has all the ingredients to become a diamond.
Back to the terrace. It does not matter if your cultural roots are from Asia, America, Africa or Europe, ideas need space to grow. Ideas need a free brain, an open mind. Enjoy your holiday and absorb your surroundings. In the current hectic life the summer holiday can give you some moments for reflection, to inspire yourself to create new ideas.

Together we will move the world forward!