Williamstown – William Ouchi, a Williams graduate known for his groundbreaking innovations in management and education, will give a Class of 1960 Scholars Lecture in Psychology on Thursday, April 14, in Bronfman Science Center, room 105 at 4 p.m.
The talk titled "Making Schools Work" will focus on the result of an extensive study evaluating the effectiveness of management in 223 schools across six cities. The study showed a clear relationship between school performance and management, prompting Ouchi to suggest a method of decentralized management systems.
"Our education system needs to be shaken apart. No one can lead this effort like Bill Ouchi, said Richard Riordan, mayor of Las Angeles, 1993-2001. "His ability to think 'outside the box' is phenomenal."
Ouchie writes that the keys to making schools work are an entrepreneurial spirit and parents who arm themselves with information.
"Once the principal and teachers in your school realize that you know what questions to ask … they'll come up with answers for you," Ouchi writes "If you don't ask, though, they're likely to continue business as usual, with the same results as before."
Ouchi is the author of "Theory Z: How American Management Can Meet the Japanese Challenge," which has been published in 14 foreign editions and for a time ranked as the seventh most commonly held book in the more than 4000 libraries in the United States.
Theory Z was the product of Ouchi's endeavor to combine elements of the successful Japanese business model into the American model to create the best management system for American business. By merging popular Japanese business qualities such as those of collective decision-making and a holistic concern for employees with standard American protocols of individual responsibility and more specialized career paths, Ouchi offered a successful and popular hybrid business model.
He received his B.A. in political economy at Williams College, his M.B.A. in 1967 at Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in business administration in 1972 at the University of Chicago. A former trustee at Williams College, Ouchi is the Stanford & Betty Sigoloff Professor in Corporate Renewal at The Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
Gracelyn Wright struck out eight, and Genevieve Lagess went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in as the Hurricanes beat Monson, 17-3, to claim their first Western Mass title in four years. click for more
For the boys, Ward Bianchi helped lead the way with a win in the shot put and a second place in the javelin as the Mounties finished 16 points ahead of runner-up Pittsfield (pending the results of the pole vault, which were unavailable at 11 p.m. Friday night). click for more
