1 I f you were an employee in Komatsu, would you subscribe to the Komatsu Way? Komatsu, the world’s second largest manufacturer of earth-

moving equipment, faced a number of issues as it sought to globalise operations. The company is based in Japan, but 80 per cent of its sales come from outside the country. Over half the workforce represents non-

Japanese citizens, with 33 manufacturing facilities in 16 countries outside Japan. The company has established a global network of plants, distributors and service centres. As Komatsu has globalised its operations, it has become increasingly important for the company to manufacture products with uniformly high product quality across the world.

Komatsu attributes its success to what it refers to as the ‘corporate DNA’ (Komatsu, 2012). Komatsu has sought to transmit and embed its culture into every operation throughout the world. As Masahiro Sakane, president and CEO of Komatsu Way Division, suggests:

‘It’s an urgent task for all of us in the Komatsu Group now to share the same values so that we will be able to drive our efforts in the same direction, as we continue to grow overseas in the spirit of global teamwork’ (Komatsu, 2012).