JAPAN STUDY MISSION
[May 25, 2025 - June 5, 2025]

In association with the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE)*, the Global Excellence Team (GET) and David Hutchins Innovation (DHI), jointly offer another unique opportunity for individuals and corporations desiring to achieve operational excellence to explore the science that enabled Japan to transform itself from the reputation of being junk merchants to the world to unchallengeable global leadership in quality management and business excellence in just a few years.

This Study Mission will provide participants with insight into Japanese business management that encompasses the key elements of Continuous Improvement. The Study Mission participants will have the opportunity to learn directly from top practitioners in industry, who have relentlessly never deviated from the continuous development of Total Quality Management (TQM). This approach, which encompasses Total Employee Involvement (TEI), is core to its success, and now forms the basis of many of the world-beating management systems operated in China, India, and many other Pacific Rim countries. With the entire workforce being an integral part of a homogenous management system, it has achieved the Gestalt ideal of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, and not merely being a problem-solving framework.

Below are some of the key highlights for the Japanese Study Mission:

  1. Japanese Quality Revolution: This Study Mission demonstrates Japanese industry’s global leadership in Quality Management and Continuous Improvement. It highlights the collective power of the methodologies such as Lean, TQM, and Hoshin Kanri, which are generally poorly understood.
  2. Japanese Industry Links: DHI has maintained strong connections with the pioneers of this management system and related Japanese industry and business leaders since the 1970s. The collaboration with JUSE has led to many Quality Education Tours over the ensuing decades, which has included access to top companies in varying industries.
  3. Unprecedented Access: Study Mission participants will visit the offices and operations of some of the world-leading companies in different cities in Japan. This first-hand experience allows participants to witness operational excellence in both manufacturing and service industries and also engage with their topmost executive management team members.
  4. Educational Insights: With the involvement of the JUSE instructors, together with David Hutchins, Kola Olumehin, and Charlie Protzman, participants will gain invaluable insights into how Japanese methodologies can be successfully applied in their respective organizations. On return to their respective companies, GET/David Hutchins Innovation can help you to implement any of the programs witnessed on the tour and even help develop your own variants.
  5. Strategic Analysis: Participants can critically analyze their organization’s culture and strategy, enabling them to identify transformative innovations that enhance performance and drive competitive advantage in their markets.
  6. Expertise and Networking: The Study Mission also offers the opportunity to network with a growing international community of support through involvement with the Global Excellence Team.
  7. Japanese Culture Experience: The workshops included in this Study Mission will enable participants to reflect on the differences they observe between their own business practices and those of their Japanese counterparts. There will also be an opportunity to debate how much the cultural differences between what they see in Japan and the cultures of their own societies vary or are similar.

Industry Visits

A key focus of this Study Mission is visiting various companies to observe firsthand how they have implemented Total Quality Management (TQM) and integrated its principles into daily operations. Members of the top management team, often including the CEO, will be available for discussions and to answer questions. We have received consent of the companies that will be visited, and they include globally recognized, award-winning organizations that have been featured in previous study missions.

Japan Study Mission 1

Who should attend?

  • Board Chairmen and the Directors of the Board
  • Chief Executive Officers / Managing Directors
  • Members of Executive Management Teams (entire teams are encouraged to participate)
  • Executives that specialising in business strategy
  • Corporate Management Development Officers
  • Advisors to Top Management
  • Quality Management Personnel
  • Management Teams
  • Any other keen persons
Learn ‘secret’ methods of leaders. Watch them work closely and know what makes them who they are!
The Japanese presenters are selected from a number of internationally acknowledged thought leaders in this field, and they have been engaged in TQM across a broad spectrum of industry, both in Japan and internationally for many years.
  • Key aspects of the seminars include:
    • General Concepts of TQM
    • The Role of Top Management in TQM
    • Policy Management
    • Quality Assurance and ISO Standardization
    • Daily Work Management
    • How to Operate with TQM
    • Quality Control Circle Activities
    • Case Studies of TQM Implementation
    • Assistance with the development of a business transformation plan for your organization and analysis of the potential issues involved.
  • The sessions will be highly interactive, including dedicated ‘Question and Answer’ time to clarify key points with the presenters.
  • Participants will have the opportunity to engage and exchange ideas with top professionals who may share similar experiences and insights.
  • Our objective for this Study Mission is to enable participants to return to their organizations having studied, in-depth, possible practical enhancements to their own organization’s business performance improvement process, the means to network with other like-minded participants, and new contacts not only in Japan but connected, of course, with GET and DHI, who will be available beyond the Study Mission itself to enable our participants to fully evaluate the successes and challenges faced in implementing TQM.
  • Participants will have the opportunity to share insights and collaborate with us and one another in developing implementation strategies and techniques.

This Study Mission is distinguishable from many other alternatives as a consequence of our unchallengeable history of experience in this field, not simply the Study Tours themselves, but most importantly ‘hands-on’ implementation of all of the concepts experienced in a broad spectrum of industries.

  • Availability of Mentors: A team of mentors, including David Hutchins, Kola Olumehin, and Charlie Protzman, complemented by the experience of other participants, will be present for 12 full days to provide mentoring, guidance, discussion, and clarification of any doubts. Consequently, participants will have a comprehensive opportunity for transferable learning that extends beyond the seminar sessions, making this experience surpass a standard JUSE event.
  • Debriefing Workshop: Two full days of debriefing workshops by David Hutchins, Kola Olumehin, and Charlie Protzman will focus on transferring the learning from the classroom lectures of the international seminars and industry visits into realizable value for the participants. These workshops provide participants with an extra opportunity to seek clarification on any aspect from the prior seminars and company visits such that the concepts can be applied to their own organizations, regardless of their local culture.
  • Four (and possibly Five) Industry Visits: We typically organize more industry visits than similar programs, offering participants enhanced learning opportunities through firsthand experiences of TQM implementation at Deming Award-winning companies.
  • Free Business Consultancy Day: We offer companies who are funding their participants a one-day free (excluding travel and subsistence expenses) business consultancy with David Hutchins and/or Kola Olumehin (or nominated member of the GET team) to consider the implications resulting from the lessons learned during the Japan Study Mission.
  • Continuous Professional Development (CPD): Participation in this event will prove an enviable opportunity to gain CPDs appropriate to a broad spectrum of professional qualifications.
  • Submission of a Dissertation: Participants in this International Seminar have a unique opportunity to submit a 10,000-word dissertation (or an equivalent presentation) reflecting on their experience. To take advantage of this complimentary opportunity, we recommend that participants maintain a daily record of their experiences at each venue and capture photographs or videos where permitted. The dissertation should outline how participants propose to promote and implement various TQM concepts within their own organizations. They may highlight what they learned that differs from their current practices and identify specific aspects of TQM that they believe are particularly important to promote and implement upon their return.
    • For current and future participants in the DHIQC Diploma in Quality Leadership, because the content of this Dissertation will cover the entire content of two of the three Units in the Higher Diploma and several Units in the Diploma, exemptions will be given for this dissertation.
    • Subsequently, if the participant so wishes, they will be at liberty to publish this work in both their Company’s own media, open media, or DHI publications.
  • Corporation Tax Incentive: To maximize the benefit of this event, we highly recommend that organizations send as many as their whole management team to join the tour, which in many countries, including the UK at least, will reduce corporation tax or possibly other forms of taxation!

This Study Mission is intended to combine Business with Pleasure and to enable participants to use the middle weekend to enjoy the unique and stunning natural and cultural environment of Japan.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • Season Timing: Early summer is usually a good time to visit Japan weather-wise.
  • Overcome Jet Lag: An extra day is recommended at the beginning of the program to allow participants to recover from jet lag, if necessary, or to enjoy free sightseeing in Tokyo at their own pace. This is not included in the schedule, but advice can be given if delegates wish to arrive earlier than the scheduled date. Drawing from our extensive experience from past visits, we can offer invaluable advice on how best to spend these days based on individual preferences.
  • Accommodation: Throughout all the cities that we will visit, beginning with Tokyo, we ensure that the participants’ accommodations are in 4 and 5 Star Business hotels. Participants planning to be in Japan for longer than the scheduled event are advised to check with sites such as Booking.com for appropriate accommodation as fees can vary enormously from one location to another and from day to day. Also, do bear in mind that our visit coincides with Expo 2025, which takes place in the Osaka area from April onwards – you may wish to consider attending this in addition to the Study Mission.
  • Transportation: Participants will experience the punctuality, cleanliness, onboard service, and more of the world-class Shinkansen (Bullet Train) and comfortable luxury buses. This also provides an additional opportunity to discuss any observations related to the event.
  • Tourist Attractions: The Study Mission will feature special visits to breathtakingly scenic locations and sites that showcase the ancient heart of Japanese culture.

ARE YOU INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE JAPAN STUDY MISSION?

If Japan can, so can we!

Take your first real ‘Gemba Walk’ and see for yourself how it’s done.

Observe the real roots of Lean, Six Sigma, TQM and Hoshin Kanri at their source. Meet those who originated it all and see first hand in a range of different organisations. See for yourself not only how it all came together but how it looks today and where it might be going in the future. Formulate your own plan of how to emulate the best of what you see.

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