Transforming National Mindsets: Lessons from Japan on Positive Thinking and Continuous Growth
View(s):Sri Lankans are always bombarded with “negative news” like underworld murders, rapes, and natural disasters.But this is different in other countries. In this context even if it is negative news there is a need to be creative and communicate a positive message for the audience .There is one classic example of ‘positive’ news which was related to Japan. Japanese national football team and fans suffered a massive heartbreak on one Monday night in World Cup 2018 , losing to a last-gasp Belgium goal that shattered its hopes of reaching the World Cup 2018 quarter-finals. Anyway as a nation the fans who participated in that event have done something different. Refer to the following headings that appeared in world media:
Gracious in defeat, Japan leave Russia World Cup with pride – Aljazeera.com
World Cup 2018: Heartbroken Japan fans clean stadium in tears following last-gasp loss to Belgium – Sun
Heartbroken Japan players clean dressing room and leave thank you note in Russian after Belgium knock them out – Birminghammail
Japan players clean dressing room after heart-breaking World Cup defeat to Belgium – Times of India
This is how Aljazeera reported this: “…But before leaving Russia, players and fans ensured they left an indelible mark not only on the tournament but also on followers of the game. The fans cleaned up the stadium and the players did likewise in the dressing room before leaving a note saying ‘spasibo,’ which translates to ‘thank you’ in English. Off the field, fans fought back tears and wondered what could have been after their dreams were crushed late on…”.This is one of the classic stories of how people think differently and communicate positive vibes among others. Kindness and compassion are always important, regardless of the outcome. Acts of kindness and a caring attitude can create a positive atmosphere. Sri Lanka needs more on this among people, especially from opinion leaders.
We have witnessed many workshops in 5S and Kaizen in Sri Lanka. Even after the dreadful tragedy of the Meethotamulla garbage dump, I have seen some workshops on ‘Waste Management’. These activities are always not aligned with proactive strategies and only focus on reactive and money-making business.But in Japan the country that introduced 5s and Kaizen we have seen something different. They have embedded the concepts into their ecosystem. Most of the management practices in Japan deeply aligned with their culture and that always highlights continuous improvement and efficiency. And more importantly, Japanese people respect processes. The integration of 5S and Kaizen into “Japanese corporate culture” is one of the classic examples. These methods are not just business strategies; they reflect a broader cultural commitment to excellence and incremental progress. Imai(1986) defined Kaizen as “the soul of the Japanese approach to productivity improvement”.We can see how “soul” is integrated into the definition and how they practice that with different perspectives. This can be seen as the same in Japanese’s 5S —Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.It is more than just a housekeeping practice. It always goes beyond and communicates symbolizing the attention of Japanese people and culture to detail and the importance of maintaining an organized, efficient, and clean workspace!
As Sri Lankans, we need to have a boarder discussion on what we prioritise as a nation. we should understand it is not workshops that matter, the right attitude with unbranded religion/s would help you to read the universe. You should have this ‘culture’ of generosity. We have had this for more thousand years. But we do not see that among many.We need to read the big picture. It is unfortunate that we focus on the symptoms of the ailment without making an effort to find out the cause.
We find a valuable example of this situation in Buddhist thought, thus:
“Asevanacha balanan
Panditanancha sevana…”
When we examine this saying from a conventional point of view, it is interpreted as ‘associate the wise and do not associate the unwise or the balaya’. The definitions of ‘pandita’ and ‘balaya’ are not clearly understood here, and this leads to much confusion. The philosophical meaning of ‘bala’ is our thoughts that lead to the 10 defilements, while ‘Pandita’ denotes the wholesome thoughts that arise in our minds. It is the exploration of our own mind. However, the conventional interpretation leads to much confusion and conflict. This is the problem which we can see in this country at the moment.It can be discussed with an example as well.In Marketing, we discuss something called “delighting the customer”.We do have some natural, Indigenous practices as strategies exceeding the expectations of customers. Nevertheless , people have ignored all fundamentals and practice some conventional ways and means as solutions.
Anyway, there is a need to have people with the right attitude, which needs to be developed from early childhood. A right syllabus with educational reform, the gratitude of people, and positive thinking can be considered as some factors to shape a great person. But more importantly, we should have a culture that needs to respect each other.
Professor Nalin Abeysekera
(The writer is a Professor in Management Studies, Faculty of Management, Management Studies, The Open University of Sri Lanka. You can reach Professor Abeysekera on nabey@ou.ac.lk )
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