1st Edition
Amoeba Management The Dynamic Management System for Rapid Market Response
Especially effective in dynamic and highly competitive environments, the Amoeba Management System has received attention from the Harvard Business Review and has already been successfully adopted at more than 400 companies around the world. At the heart of this innovative management system is a business philosophy based on doing the right thing as a human being and the leadership potential of all employees. This philosophy, coupled with a simple and precise micro-divisional management and accounting system that enables the distribution of leadership and management responsibility into small self-supporting units called amoebas, can help organizations achieve a high degree of flexibility and market-sensitivity.
Written by the system's creator, Amoeba Management: The Dynamic Management System for Rapid Market Response provides a comprehensive introduction to this unique and time-tested method of management control and accounting. Explaining the management philosophy and principles, it unveils fresh and pragmatic insights on how to foster a culture of leadership and responsibility in your organization. Dr. Kazuo Inamori, director and chairman emeritus of Japan Airlines, founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera Corporation, and honorary adviser of KDDI Corporation, delves into decades of experience creating and implementing this system to supply you with invaluable operational guidance on how to monitor and manage every aspect of your company.
Facilitating the understanding required to divide your organization into small units with self-supporting accounting, this book supplies the tools to achieve a system of management by all whereby all amoeba members focus their strengths on accomplishing common goals. It provides a means for making the concept of "value-added" truly operational for every employee and describes the features and use of the Hourly Efficiency Report, the primary mechanism used to control profits. Even companies with stagnating profitability will be able to transform themselves into high-profit enterprises using the methods described in this book.
AMOEBA MANAGEMENT
Each Employee Will Take an Active Role in Their Own Respective Unit
A Company Started with Seven Colleagues
Establishing a Management Rationale
Grow an Organization by Dividing It into Small Groups
The Three Objectives of Amoeba Management
Establishing a Market-Oriented Divisional Accounting System
Current Figures Are Needed—Not Past Statistics
The Basis for Making Decisions: "Do What Is Right as a Human Being"
"Maximize Revenues and Minimize Expenses"
Creating Divisional Accounting Systems Based on Truths and Principles
Direct Transmission of Market Movements Followed by Immediate Responses
Developing Leaders with Managerial Awareness
Colleagues as Business Partners
Achieving "Management by All"
Dissolving Labor–Management Confrontations with the Extended-Family Principle for Management
Sharing Our Management Rationale and Company Information Enhances the Managerial Awareness of Employees
"Management by All" Gives All Employees a Sense of Achievement
Business Philosophy Is Crucial for Management
Three Requirements for Dividing an Organization into Amoebas
Continual Review of the Organization
Determining Inter-Amoeba Prices
A Fair Judgment
Leaders Must: Management Philosophy
Conflicts of Interest Destroy Morale and Profits throughout the Company
Leaders Must Be Impartial Umpires
"Do Not Lie," "Do Not Cheat," and "Be Honest"
Embodying the Philosophy in Management
Place Highly Capable Leaders
Performance-Based Pay System and Human Psychology
Turn All Operations into Businesses That Cannot Be Imitated
How to Organize Amoebas
Subdivide the Organization and Clarify Each Function
Functional Needs Are a Prerequisite for Forming Departments
Each Member of the Organization Should Have a Sense of Mission
The Subdivision of the Organization Must Satisfy These Three Conditions
Form Amoebas Where Overall Operations Are Apparent to Leaders
Assign Inexperienced People as Leaders and Train Them
Organizational Subdivisions Expand Business
A Flexible Organization Adapts to Markets
Establish an Organization That Is Well Prepared for Action
The Leader Is the Manager of the Amoeba
Management Rational Is Crucial for Autonomous Organization
Business Systems Administration Supports Amoeba Management
Role 1: Creating the Necessary Infrastructure for the Proper Functioning of Amoeba Management
Role 2: Accurate, Timely Feedback of Management Information
Role 3: Sound Management of Company Assets
The Hourly Efficiency System: Focus on the Work Floor
Use "Maximize Revenues and Minimize Expenses" to Simply Grasp Operations
A Management Accounting Method Suitable for Work Floors
The Difference between the Standard Cost Accounting Method and the Amoeba Management System
The Amoeba Form Becomes Visible
Amoeba Power Based on the Bonds of Human Minds
Creativity Comes from the Hourly Efficiency Report
Profit Management by Amoebas
Both Sales and Manufacturing Divisions Are Profit Centers
Always Express Targets and Results in Monetary Terms
Timely Awareness of Unit Profitability
Increasing Awareness of Time Management
Unifying Operations Management with the Hourly Efficiency Report
Fundamental Management Rules Based on Kyocera Accounting Principles
The Principle of One-to-One Correspondence
The Principle of Double-Checking Work
The Principle of Perfectionism
The Principle of Muscular Management
The Principle of Profitability Improvement
The Principle of Cash-Basis Management
The Principle of Transparent Management
Key Points of Performance Control
Hourly Efficiency Reports Should Accurately Reflect Activity Results According to the Functions of Amoeba Units
Hourly Efficiency Reports Should Be Fair, Impartial, and Simple
The Flow of Business Should Be Presented as Results and Balances
The Concept of Revenue Linking with Market Price: Three Methods to Recognize the Revenue of Amoebas
The Custom-Order Method
Adopting the Sales Commission Method
The Flow of Figures Shows Market Movements
The Stock Sales Business Method
No Transaction at Cost
Sales Is Responsible for Inventory Management
Minimize Sales Expenses
Internal Sales and Purchases
Sales Department Commissions
Review Profitability of Each Item
Market Dynamism Is Formed In-House
The Concept of Expenses: Correctly Perceive Reality and Control Expenses in Detail
Recognize Expenses at the Time of Purchase
The Beneficiary Principle of Expenses
Handling Labor Costs
Subdivision of Expenses
The Concept of Time Focus on Total Working Hours: Bring a Sense of Urgency and Speedy Action into the Workplace
Fire Up Your Employees
The Fiscal-Year Master Plan
Aligning Our Mental Vectors by Setting Goals
Monthly Profit Management
Monthly Planning Based on the Annual Plan
Overall Verification of Running Totals
Sharing Goals within Amoebas
All Members Need an Understanding of Day-to-Day Progress
Execute Plans with a Powerful Desire to See Their Completion
Management Philosophy That Supports Amoeba Management
Pricing Is Management
Synchronizing Pricing and Cost Reduction
A Leader’s Sense of Mission Is Essential in Adapting to Market Changes
Project Our Abilities into the Future
Running Long-Lasting Operations
Achieving Strong Cooperation between Sales and Production
Always Be Creative in Your Work
Set Specific Goals
Strengthening Each Amoeba
Sustaining an Awareness of the Entire Company
Leaders Should Take Initiative Rather Than Entrust Everything to the Work Floor
Cultivating Leaders
The Ultimate System to Elevate Managerial Awareness
Meetings Are Opportunities for Educational Guidance
Set High Targets and Live Each Day with Full Effort
Shared Awareness of the Significance of Decision-Making Criteria
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR MANAGEMENT
Q&A Case Studies from Seiwajyuku Seminars
Afterword
Index
Biography
Dr. Kazuo Inamori is the director and chairman emeritus of Japan Airlines, the founder of the Kyocera Corporation, and the founder of the KDDI Corporation.
His website is: http://global.kyocera.com/inamori