Participants will receive the benefit of our decades of experience with the objective of working to implement any lessons learned when they return to their own companies. Below are some of the key highlights for the Japanese Study Mission:

• Japanese Quality Revolution: Our participants that attend this unparalleled Ignite Strategy and Excellence with Global Thought Leaders – Japan 2026 would glean the practicality of Japan industry’s global leadership in Quality Management and Continuous Improvement. It features the collective power of the frameworks such as Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), etc, and how all of these can be integrated into a total company-wide corporate programme.
• Japanese Industry Links: DHIQC has maintained strong connections with JUSE, the pioneers and guardian of this Business Management Science, and related Japanese industry and business leaders since the 1970s. The collaboration with JUSE has led to many Study Missions from Europe over the ensuing decades, involving access to top companies in varying industries.
• Unprecedented Access: Participants will visit the operations of at least four of the world-leading companies in Japan. This first-hand experience provides the opportunity to witness how excellence is attained in the operations of these organisations and engage with their top management team members.
• Certified Quality Fundamentals Course: Participants are automatically enrolled, as part of their preparation for the Study Mission, in this self-paced course of the David Hutchins International Quality College (DHIQC). The completion of this 5-unit course not only provides an international certification for the participants, it also adequately prepares them for the boot camp.
• National Convention for Quality Control Circles: Participants will get to witness Japan’s National Convention for Quality Control Circles, where the candidates will compete on their presentations at this 1½-day event. This a must-see!
• Weekend Tour of Hiroshima: A Journey of History and Renewal: As part of this Study Mission’s unique experience, participants will also enjoy a weekend tour of Hiroshima. Known globally for its history and resilience, Hiroshima is a vibrant city that symbolises hope and renewal. It is home to the iconic Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Dome, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites that honour the city’s past, while promoting a message of global harmony. Beyond its historical significance, Hiroshima offers serene gardens, exceptional cuisine such as okonomiyaki, and a welcoming atmosphere that reflects its remarkable spirit of recovery and growth.
• Educational Insights and Learning Environment: With the learning to be received from some Japanese tutors that have worked industry, together with shared experiences from David Hutchins and Kola Olutimehin, participants gain invaluable insights into how the Japanese style of business management can be successfully applied in their respective domains. David and Kola would inspire participants to reflect on the differences they observe between their own business practices, and those of their Japanese counterparts and share experiences with other attendees that have come from across the globe. On return to their respective companies, we remain on hand for further engagement that includes implementing any programme they witnessed and even help develop own variants. The engagement with David and Kola will enable participants to ask multiple questions and get the chance to clarify key points.
• Strategic Analysis: Participants can critically analyse their organisation’s culture and strategy, enabling them to identify transformative innovations that enhance performance and drive competitive advantage in their markets.
• Japanese Culture Experience: Participants will experience Japan’s culture and be able to debate the relevance of any differences between those of their own societies.
• Debriefing Workshop: One full day of a debriefing workshop by David Hutchins and Kola Olutimehin will focus on transferring the learning from the classroom lectures of the international seminars and industry visits into realisable value for the participants. This workshop provides participants with an extra opportunity to seek clarification on any aspect from the prior seminars and company visits such that the concepts can be applied to their own organisations, regardless of their local culture.

• Universal Concepts of Japanese Business Management Science, which is commonly known as Total Quality Management (TQM)
• TQM, as referred to here, is different from how it is interpreted and operated in the West. The emphasis of TQM, as originated in Japanese business management culture includes, Total Employee Involvement (TEI)
• The Role of Top Management in TQM with the use of Hoshin Kanri
  • Policy Management – development of a vision and mission and how this is cascaded to the respective levels/layers in the organisation
  • Daily Work Management – with the emphasis of:
    • Kaizen, and
    • the activities of Quality Circles and Daily Management
• Relatable Case Studies of TQM Implementation

• Free Business Consultancy Day: We offer to companies who are funding their participants, a one-day free (excluding travel and subsistence expenses) business consultancy with David Hutchins and/or Kola Olutimehin (or nominated member of GET) time to consider the implications resulting from the lessons learned during the Ignite Strategy and Excellence with Global Thought Leaders – Japan 2026. Our roots stem back to the very origins of this approach to management since its origins in the 1950s and we have been involved in its evolutionary development through to and including the present day.
• Relatability of Learning to Participants’ Own Organisations: We will provide our support and assistance with your development of a business transformation plan that will suit your organisation and an analysis of the potential issues involved.
• Networking: The means to network with other like-minded participants, and new contacts not only in Japan, but connected of course with GET, who will be available beyond the Ignite Strategy and Excellence with Global Thought Leaders – Japan 2026 itself, to enable our participants to fully evaluate the successes and challenges that are faced in implementing this Business Management Science. Participants will have the opportunity to engage and exchange ideas with top professionals who may share similar experiences and insights.
• Extended Access: Participants will have the opportunity to share insights and collaborate with us and one another in developing implementation strategies and techniques.
• Availability of Mentors: A team of mentors, particularly, David Hutchins and Kola Olutimehin and complemented by the experience of other participants, will be present for the full days to provide mentoring, guidance, discussion, and clarification of any doubts. Consequently, participants will have a comprehensive opportunity for transferable learning that extends beyond the conference sessions.
• Corporation Tax Incentive: To maximise the benefit of this event we highly recommend that organisations send as many as their entire management team as possible, to join this Ignite Strategy and Excellence with Global Thought Leaders – Japan 2026, which in many countries will reduce corporation tax or possibly other forms of taxation!
• Learning through Fun: This programme is intended to combine business with pleasure, and to enable participants to use the Saturday weekend to enjoy the unique and stunning natural and cultural environment of Japan.
• Spouses/Partners or Adult Children can be allowed to travel with any interested participant for a moderate sum to stay in the same top-rated facilities. We hope to create planned events for them depending on numbers, and this is subject to our prerogative.
• Accommodation: Throughout all the cities that we will visit, beginning with Tokyo, we ensure that the participants’ accommodation are in at least 4-Star business hotels, where they are available. Participants planning to be in Japan for longer than the scheduled event are advised to check with sites such as booking.com for appropriate accommodation as fees can vary enormously from one location to another and from day to day. Also, do bear in mind that our visit coincides with the Chinese New Year that gives them a week’s vacation – many Chinese people do like to visit Japan frequently, and consequently, hotel prices are higher.
• Transportation: Participants will experience the punctuality, cleanliness, and more of the world-class Shinkansen (Bullet Train) and comfortable luxury buses. This also provides an additional opportunity to discuss any observations related to the event.