Honda is a large transnational firm with automotive design and manufacturing teams in multiple locations, trying to balance pressures of greater localization and globalization of its operationsl5. Honda provides an example of the linkages between many business processes and the recognition of the importance of human communication in managing knowledge.
Honda has taken a two-pronged approach to increasing both its turnover and profitability: each region has clear strategies within a firm-wide context, and is heading towards self reliance in production capabilities; at the same time, Honda is improving its already strong research and development (R&D) capacity and implementing lower cost development strategies in its two major locations–Wako-shi (Tokyo) and Los Angeles–to enhance its competitiveness. Essential to Honda’s approach has been the development of multi disciplinary redesign teams and the supporting infrastructure which enables those teams to quickly capture, convey and share their knowledge and development work utilizing sophisticated communications networks, particularly between Wako-shi and Los Angeles.
Honda’s competes largely through product leadership. “We like to challenge the spirit with originality and creativity,” stated the General Manager of Honda’s worldwide Systems Division. “We are putting more emphasis on R&D in major locations around the world, but with strong links for checking and testing specification and mutual learning with our Japan-based R&D.”
Increasingly, Honda has recognized the need for greater localization, particularly in styling, but in the context of sharing expertise and the learning in a firm committed to globalization of its operations. Honda has gone through several phases in its international business operations and refers to its current directions as glocalization. This refers to global operations which are increasingly self-reliant and able to source locally or from other regions, depending on the most efficient and effective arrangement.
Honda’s long term strategies focus on innovation in automobile development and production technologies, exploiting new markets, expediting global operations and stabilizing the business against currency fluctuations. Honda’s business maxims reflect these strategies and the commitment to glocalization and include:
- Continuous innovation and originality in creating and developing new products
- Rapid creation and adaptation of products for major regional markets
- Expediting global operations through maximizing the synergies of production and operations in many countries
- Continuing focus on reducing the cycle time from R&D through production and marketing
- Staff of the highest caliber who excel in working together
- Commitment to minimizing cost in all areas within the context and constraints of the above maxims
These business maxims, with their emphasis on product leadership, R&D, and cost minimization result in information and technology principles which stress information consistency, accessibility, and the importance of communication networks. These principles include:
- Information flow throughout Honda should allow all parts of the company to more easily and quickly spot trends and use these to Honda’s advantage
- Honda R&D staff in different parts of the world need ready access to each other to be able to communicate their ideas and output to their colleagues
- Communication systems must facilitate high quality person-to-person interaction amongst R&D staff and between R&D, production, operations and marketing personnel
- Communication systems must support the transfer of sophisticated design concepts, data, and documentation in a high quality and cost-efficient manner
This selection of Honda’s business, information and technology objectives shows the links between the importance to Honda of managing its knowledge base and the expertise to speed development processes. Honda’s infrastructure capability includes a full-service communication network and the management of selected databases (sales, finance, and part ordering) on a global basis. In each of these areas, there are considerable synergies and the systems are required for the effective sharing of information.
Honda’s approach to infrastructure investments is highlighted in the efforts made to establish and then upgrade Honda’s international network system (INS-III) in the past four years. The network, now named Pentaccord, was developed with three basic functions:
- International telephone/fax communication between Japan and major overseas sites using an extension number
- International high-speed LAN-to-LAN communication using standard international protocols (TCP/IP)
- International high-speed HOST-to-HOST communications (IBM SNA)
Further functions were quickly added driven by strategic needs for enhanced interpersonal communications amongst R&D staff. These included an expanded international electronic mail facility and the commencement of multimedia communication. The network provides the capability for state-of-the-art design and styling work to be shared amongst major centers, particularly Los Angeles and Wako-shi. This has made a major difference to both the speed and type of design developments which can now take place. Photographic and digital images can be transferred with very high resolution. The styling changes suggested by say, Los Angeles R&D designers, can now be checked for specifications and feasibility in Wako-shi in a short time.
The System Division and R&D groups are now experimenting with further multimedia applications. “We know that person-to-person communication and informal communication, is critical in our business–both in the design and development area and amongst senior managers, “explained the Systems Division’s General Manager. “Our people get to know one another quite well as many come to Japan or go on exchange to Los Angeles or Belgium for training. Some forms of communication need the richness of seeing the person and how they react to various suggestions. We see multi-media as an avenue for supporting high bandwidth technical information and human communication needs in the future.” Honda increasingly sees its approach to information and communications systems supporting global shared values, flatter management structures and the transparency of information throughout the company.
Honda’s sharing of expertise, rapid exchange of R&D knowledge, and technical and human communications capabilities reflects the structures and processes of a learning organization concerned with managing its knowledge and expertise base for competitive advantage. The successful implementation of such an approach assumes that the firm actively encourages the free flow of relevant information between key individuals and groups. However, this is often not the case and in discussing knowledge management a caveat is essential: know the information politics of your organization before embarking on a knowledge management program.
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Pembahasan :
Honda menyadari bahwa kompetensi perusahaan mereka terletak pada pengembangan inovasi produk-produk baru mereka, yang dapat menarik konsumen memilih produk mereka. Oleh karena itu, Honda membuat sebuah sistem Knowledge sharing dengan membangun network yang memungkinkan sharing antar R&D staff yang terletak pada dua lokasi utama yaitu Tokyo dan LA. Jaringan yang dibangun Honda menyediakan sarana penyampaian informasi secara cepat, dan mudah, staff R&D Honda disetiap negara/lokasi dapat mengakses satu sama lain dan berkomunikasi, menyediakan komunikasi kualitas tinggi diantara R&D, produksi, dan marketing, mendukung multimedia transfer dalam resolusi tinggi pada data, konsep, desain. Dengan begitu, diharapkan Honda dapat secara continu mengembangkan inovasi produk baru, dapat beradaptasi secara cepat dengan produk pasar yang menarik konsumen, dapat mengurangi siklus waktu antara pengembangan dari R&D sampai kepada tahap produksi dan marketing, dan mempererat kerjasama staff-staff expert. Sehingga Honda dapat menciptakan kompetensi dalam persaingan bisnisnya.