After all, his responsibilities to his company do not change even if his perceptions of his employer have. They've had to learn to pretty much stay in step as a group in order for life to proceed as comfortably as possible. So the Deming, with its strict rules and regimented approach works for them. The Americans have always been more free-wheeling, more willing to go off and do things a different way, to follow guidelines but to push the limits of those guidelines and look for new ways to do things. So ISO 9000, with its emphasis on specifying the correct standards at hand-off points, works for them.
Confusion begins when one area tries to apply a system that is culturally correct for another area.
It is also why, I suspect that the Baldrige fits well in New Zealand and Australia . If you haven't seen it, click here for a complimentary issue. All rights reserved.