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The
Long-Term Effects of Globalization
Mervin E. Muller
Globalization
is posing challenges to all countries regarding their productivity
and the free flow of information. If these challenges are not addressed
effectively, countries can face serious problems with respect to
their: (1) standard of living, (2) competing in the world market
places, (3) making good use of natural resources, (4) financial
stability, (5) national security, and (6) providing information
technology to their citizens.
One
critical success factor to achieving and sustaining productivity
is to attain quality improvement in the presence of rapid changes
in technology as well as the rapid shifting of production from one
country to another. Another key factor is openness and sharing of
information necessary to achieve global standards. A remarkable
example is Berners-Lee's unselfish sharing of information that led
to the world wide web.
Dr.
H. Edwards Deming was very successful in helping people worldwide
understand that to achieve increased productivity requires focusing
on improved quality of products, services, and processes. However,
Dr. Deming assumed that organizations and nations would take a long-term
perspective, especially with the way leaders and managers treated
employees.
My
concern is that the long-term perspective may be absent in the current
climate. It is far from clear what are the long-term consequences
of ignoring Deming's insistence that leaders of countries and companies
need to take a long-term view of their customers and their work
forces. I believe that now is the time to focus on how to achieve
sustainable productivity with concern for people in the presence
of globalization.
Influential
Readings
- Becker,
Ernest, The Denial of Death, Free Press, 1973
- Berners-Lee,
Tim, Weaving the Web, Harper, 1999
- Box,
G.E.P.,and K. Wilson, Experimental Attainment of Optimum Conditions,
J.R. Stat. Soc, 1,1951
- Box,
G.E.P, and Jenkins, GwilymTime Series Analysis, Forecasting and
Control, Holden-Day, 1970.
- Deming,
W. Edwards, Out of the Crisis, MIT, 1986.
- Diamond,
Jared, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Norton,
1999
- Friedman,
Thomas L., The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Farrar,Straus, Giroux,
2000
- Gleick,
James, Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything, Vintage,
1999
- Muller,
M.E., A Foundation for Modern Tools of Management, Proc. Intern.
Conference, IIE, 1963
- Senge,
Peter M., The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday, 1990
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Mervin
is Professor Emeritus of Computer and Information Science at
The Ohio State University where he was Department Chair and
headed a Performance Analysis Laboratory. He has held academic
appointments at other universities in Computer Science, Statistics,
and Mathematics as well as senior management and technical positions
at the World Bank and IBM. He continues as a consultant and
management advisor. He has provided consulting, technical assistance
and lectured in 36 countries on information technology, statistics,
quality improvement, systems performance analysis, international
development, financial planning and analysis systems, and educational
planning systems. He is a Fellow, American Statistical Association
and the World Academy of Productivity Science and an elected
member of the International Statistical Institute.
e-mail: mmuller@columbus.rr.com |
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