The need to continually gain competitiveness is undeniable in any company and becomes not only a temporary but also a permanent requirement in order to achieve the goal of “make money today and in the future” as Eliyahu Goldratt said.
Assuming the company is viable locally, we understand competitiveness as the ability to reach international markets with attractive prices. This achieves the goal of breaking through the boundaries of the local market.
Competitive Advantages through TPM
The global market brings with it the immediate inevitability of competing with companies from anywhere on the planet. And while one can live for some time with the illusion of closed markets protected from the “external threat”We know that this only results in greater underdevelopment, greater impoverishment, greater isolation and less competitiveness.
The word competitiveness is related to the word competent.
To be competitive, we must be competent. You can't be competitive if you're incompetent at making your company continually progress, adapting to new demands of all kinds, from generational to management, including technological advances and growing environmental requirements.
Today, businesses are doing poorly for the same reasons they used to do well. This means that “solutions” of the past became problems of the present.
To grow and develop, a company needs to continually acquire skills that, when applied systematically and systematically, make it increasingly competitive. It requires offering increasingly innovative and attractive products and services at reasonable prices.
Gone are the days when a Ford could say “Ask for any color as long as it’s black”The demand for greater innovation and faster response times is growing, and those unable to deliver them will, at the very least, lose their leadership position. On the other hand, we should also abandon the false illusion that competitiveness is guaranteed by the currency's relationship with the dollar. This mirage has had serious consequences for the Argentine economy, and yet the same blind people continue to demand the same solution.
If we want different results we must do different things.
When it comes to competitiveness, the smartest path is to delve into your own organization in search of opportunities. And when you learn to look, you'll find them by the thousands.
The Japanese demonstrated almost 50 years ago that in every company, there's another company just like it hiding behind the losses. That is, if your company invoices 1,000. Look for 1,000 in losses. Logically, this is a statistical average, so it could be less... or more!
In this internal search, in this decision to see what we can contribute from within, having the right tools is a critical success factor.
Of the many possible tools, TPM, developed by the Japanese and extended worldwide, undoubtedly plays an essential role. Of course, to be useful, it must be understood as Total Performance Management and not merely a maintenance program. step by step, explaining how to detect, quantify, and eliminate organizational losses, has been helping tens of thousands of companies around the world gain competitiveness and maintain it over time. The only requirement is to take it seriously and be willing to make the necessary changes. It seems obvious, but it isn't.
Where does your secret lie?
Basically in its systemic understanding and its comprehensive view of the human being.
A systemic perspective helps us understand the interrelationships and problems generated by "departmental" visions. Instead of working collaboratively to compete in the global arena, we find areas that function as silos competing with each other within the organization.
From a practical point of view, it teaches how to search 16 Great Losses which, if ignored, threaten competitiveness.
A holistic view of the human person helps capitalize on the strengths of each employee, achieving a win-win that translates into a work-life balance. A balance between personal and corporate missions. People find their place in the company, and with that flows a unique energy and motivation.
At this time when a good part of the West needs to grow urgently and prepare itself against the "threat" of countries like China, Korea, India etc. we see in the TPM a tool available to all organizations to dramatically improve their performance and thus survive over time.
Eng. Raul A. Perez Verzini
TPM Instructor No. 723 – JIPM
Master in Organizational Development and Behavior
