Mahmoud Ahmad
MY recent visit to Japan was a real eye-opener, especially while witnessing the work ethics of the people in that country. Till this visit it was all hearsay. I have been hearing a lot about a country where a person’s motto is work first, and some would even die from excessive work. I was told about a country where work addiction and workaholism is widespread and common. And also spoke about a country where work is deep rooted in their culture and where taking a long vacation is considered laziness.
This I got to see first hand when I visited Japan for a week, and was able to ascertain that one of the major reasons for their rise to the top was their work ethics. No wonder Japan is now an economic superpower and the reputation of Japanese products is solid. Even today the ‘made in Japan’ tag carries the tag of trust with it. For people relate that innovativeness and precision of Japan has gone in making it.
The reason for their continuous success is not only their work ethics, but also their philosophy. No one should worry about a country that adopts and then adapts to the kaizen philosophy, a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, personal efficiency. This I witnessed to the max in the short stay I had in Japan.
Our government has been working over the past years on 'Saudization', which is simply replacing foreign labor with Saudi youth in jobs where the qualifications match. The process has been commended and criticized at the same time by both expat workers and Saudi business owners. Despite the initial teething problems, they claim there are other shortfalls.
Those who laud the 'Saudization' process have said that it helped in reducing the percentage of unemployed Saudis while those who are against it, mostly business owners, said that it forced unqualified Saudis on them when they could have given the same job to a qualified expat worker for half the salary.
The best way, in my opinion, to bolster the process is to prepare our youth for the job market. This, in addition to education, means injecting the value of work in their hearts and minds. Yes it is important to be educated and be prepared with knowledge, but what is more important is building and strengthening values.
To instill these values, what is the best possible route that needs to be taken? Before Saudizing the jobs we actually have to begin ‘Japanizing’ our youth. We need to focus heavily on the kaizen philosophy. And the best way to start it is through our schools. There is a missing link between the school and the job market when it comes to many aspects including the values of respecting work and time. If we make that connection, then our youth will be 100 percent ready and adjust properly at any jobs.
Japan, which already had a deep-rooted culture of respect and hard work, did not lose it even after the ravages of the World War II. But they used this to prepare the Japanese youth for the modern age through careful tending and opening up of the world of knowledge. Amid all this they sustained the values of respect, hard work and time management as facets that add to the youth’s character, thus building a solid foundation, especially from school.
Prominent Saudi TV personality Ahmad Al-Shugairi, many years back, did a whole segment of his TV show on Japan and Japanese schools. He visited a number of schools and just showed it, as it is, a live picture of what was happening inside the Japanese schools and Japan. He also described the relationship between the student and his teacher, which is based on respect, as the key to the students’ growth.
A Japanese student learns how to be organized from early childhood. Even the fact of respecting their neighbors and things is taught early through small actions and gestures. After standing up, a student puts his chair back in place. This enables the Japanese youth to stay organized. This among many other positive things that we as Saudis only dream of happening in a dreamland are basics that begin at home and school for the Japanese youth. Imagine if a student’s behavior is like this from the young age, then he/she will grow up more disciplined at work. I have witnessed that when I saw young Japanese students visiting the Toyota Creative Center and getting an up close and personal look at the latest Japanese inventions. They were disciplined, respectful, inquisitive and receptive. Most of the characteristics needed for success.
If we look at our schools then we will see the total opposite. Teachers are not respected. We have students who hate school and celebrate any day that they get to spend away from school. We have teachers who are attacked by students in high schools. I am not generalizing here but this is a problem that’s spread in many schools. What do we expect from such an environment? Is it going to produce students who love and respect people and work?
From what I see so far, from my experience, our new generation looks promising as the vast majority has shown seriousness toward work. This is not based on any statistics but according to the many managers I met in the industrial sector. We need to inject the principle of discipline and hard work in the minds of our youth. They need to know that a job is not just a job to make money, but an engine and a wheel in the country's development.
Some may say that light years separate Japan and us. This is absolutely true. But we need to start somewhere. Japan was completely destroyed after World War II and picked itself from the ashes. It took them long years of hard work and discipline and the fruit is what we see now. Again, starting late is better than not starting at all. Lets focus on our youth today for a better tomorrow.
— The writer can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa. Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
