Buddhism and TQM: An alternative explanation of Japan's adoption of Total Quality Management

The relatively rapid adoption of Total Quality Management (TQM) in Japan has been attributed to several causes, including the efficacy of American trainers or the Japanese adoption of Scientific Management techniques before World War II. An alternative reason considers Japanese culture and spirituality as a dominant explanation, but there does not appear to have been a previous, detailed examination of why Japanese spirituality might be compatible with TQM. This article identifies a series of underlying similarities between Japanese Zen Buddhist philosophy and TQM ideas, such as both emphasising empirically-based practices, scepticism about received truth, encouraging continual improvement, and an assumption of change or variation. The implications of these underlying similarities are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.