Bridging Japanese and American business procedures using SMAD (structured manuals analysis and design) and its effect on knowledge management and enterprise education

This paper discusses some results on the application of SMAD (Structured Manuals Analysis and Design Method) concerning Knowledge Management, and also tries to make philosophical and educational comments. Using a theory of transformation between a natural language and a systems language, i.e., DFDs (Data Flow Diagrams), ERDs (Entity Relationship Diagrams) and Mini-specs, SMAD has a unique methodology for analysis and design. SMAD structures business procedures, verbalizes the procedures as business manuals (natural language), converts the natural language into systems language and vice versa. As a result of SMAD application to Japanese Enterprises, Japanese Ammokuchi (tacit knowledge) becomes more explicit. Therefore, Knowledge Management has been, to some extent, successfully built into Japanese. On the other hand SMAD produces other side-effects such as reduction of traditionally preserved skills of clerks and managers´ excessive confidence in computerized decision support systems. As such issues are related to human (business) procedures, a human-related inter-disciplinary analysis is urgently required.