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THE MATSUSHITA EXCELLENCE

*WE MAKE PEOPLE BEFORE

WE MAKE PRODUCTS'

This was the main theme at the seminar on In all the Matsushita companies, company in terms of contribution to the
25th and 26th May, 1988. 126 senior accountability for results in key job areas company's goals.
management staff from public and private throughout the organisation is clearly
enterprises crammed the ballroom of the established. There is also evidence of In managing his company, K M always
Hotel Equatorial eager to find out the secret regular evaluation of the performance of considers it important to listen to as many
of the success of Konosuke Matsushita and every department, job and person in the people as possible before making decisions.
his industrial empire. Communication is encouraged in the
Matsushita environment. Information is
Matsushita's performance as an sought and shared through Managers'
industrial giant is impressive. It is a tightly meetings, Executive/M.D. dialogues,
knit sub-society with a comfortable fit to Union/Management dialogues, super-
Japanese culture and values. Matsushita has visors' meetings, the daily morning
become an organisational system that meets assembly and the monthly general morning
the needs of Japanese society, its customers assembly. People always feel happy when
and its employees. they are given an opportunity to express
their opinions and they feel even more
What is Matsushita's S E C R E T ? proud when it is a manager or supervisor
The founder of the giant corporation who is asking for their opinions. This is the
(
is Konosuke Matsushita KM). He is now essence of the open management style.
92 years old-A commoner, he started as an
apprentice in a bicycle shop. K M is Throughout K M ' s management, his
singularly responsible for building up a aim to develop the person is central to his
small family business into one of the 50 company's success and to his personal
largest corporations in the world today. growth. The responsibility of developing a
climate of motivation and productivity lies
His reliance on people as the most
important asset in an organization is the squarely with the manager. He would try
much
reason for his phenomenal success. K M to delegate his as managers. responsibility as
He
to
possible
would
then
believes that the pursuit of business make a constant effort to motivate those
competitiveness demands a high level of who have been given these responsibilities
return on all of an organisation's resources. to deliver their best.
The most significant benefits will be gained
from the return on the investment in human Senior managers have been told that
resources and the energies and intelligence they cannot allow themselves to fail in
of its people. After all, it is people who business because their employees depend on
make the organisation. Hence, Matsushita's Konosuke Matsushita them.
apt slogan 'We Make People Before We President, PHP Institute
Make Products'. In short, K M has shown the ability
and the vision to bring together different
K M makes sure that his management parts of an organisation. Through his
team spells out clearly the company's leadership style, he has ensured that there
objectives and directs the strengths, is opportunity for employees in Matsushita
aspirations and energies of his people to to be flexible, creative and productive.
achieve these objectives. Matsushita's
has
He
through
his
companies
excellence also lies in selecting the right worldwide left a legacy of managerial tools
people for particular key tasks and defining for other organisations to utilise and adopt
job duties and performance requirements. to suit a company's corporate culture.
This is to ensure that all employees know
the 'what, when, who, how and why' of Khoo Gaik Bee
their jobs.
Human Resource Division
12