By Dr. Tomas Q. D. Andres, BLUE COLLAR, October 1988
There are some negatively oriented Filipino values that hinder the attainment of quality performance. An oversome of amorpropio, for instance, makes the Filipino oversensitive to correction and criticism. He is ever on the alert to note slights, fancy or real. A worker, when given constructive criticism by his supervisor in all candor and sincerity could get mad and retaliate by telling him: "Akala mo kung sining stockholder!" A brotherly suggestion designed to guide a worker and made with the noblest intensions tend to excite animosity against a supervisor.
Filipinos are proud winners but are unabe to take defeat gracefully. They always strive to win and are exceedingly jubilant what they do. However, Filipinos are poor losers and do not know how to lose without a feeling of bitterness. When a piecerate worker's output is rejected because of poor quality, he feels humiliated and no amount of explanation can sweeten the unpalatable fact. He is always apt to put up an excuse or alibi, blaming the machine or the material.
Another value hast has a negative dimension affecting quality is "gayagaya" or "keeping up with the Santoses" (copy-cats). The desire to compete with the neighbor's standards of living at all costs makes a worker produce quantity at the expense of quality. This sometimes leads to "pasikatan" mentality in a factory, where a worker is judged according to how many and how much he does a day.
Gaya-gaya also works adversely against quality when the supervisor himself does not give a good example. "Ang lumikha ng batas siya mismo ang bumutas".
The "bahala na"-mentality is the thief of quality, the mother of indolence, the twin sister of idleness, the natural parent of vice, the roadblock to initiative and productivity, the producer of sluggards. Procrastination -or putting off for tomorrow what you can do today - Manana habit - is also negative dimension and lack of quality. Superstition and fatalism values (talaga ng Diyos, iginuhit ng tadhana, gasat (destiny) and malas affect quality in a negative way. The baka-makalusot mentality makes Filipinos pass poor quality products to costumers.
(To be continued!)
