Not long after the time of your story, perhaps about 1971, I was a new
member of a large IBM group providing sales and service support to Ford
headquarters in Dearborn MI. One of our top salesmen, a very personable,
astute,
highly-educated, and self-motivated fellow, was part of a group that
visited Japan
to attend a quality conference, and he visited many Japanese companies
while on
an extended stay in Japan.

He came back absolutely alarmed, and an avid evangelist on the need for
US auto companies to get their butts in gear. He put together a very
enlightening
presentation, which he gave to auto executives at every opportunity, on
exactly
how Japan was taking over the world markets in cameras, watches, TV's,
video,
machine tools, etc, etc... one by one. He warned them that Japan would soon
focus on the auto industry and that they would succeed there, too,
unless we
made massive changes, and he outlined the needed changes.

He soon became very discouraged, because although the execs listened to him,
and nodded their heads, and thanked him for his zeal, they did not seem
moved
to action. They also were slow to recognize the potential of computers,
aside
from counting beans and tracking inventories. He soon became totally
discouraged, felt there was no future for the auto industry, left IBM and
started his own company to pursue his business interests in the high tech
and financial fields (as Ross Perot had done some years earlier).

Here, management and labor were fierce adversaries, not the innovative
partners
they were in Japan.
Auto industry execs (bean counters like Roger Smith), were far more
concerned
with averting the next strike, collecting their quarterly bonus, and the
size of their
golden parachute, than with the long-term health and prospects of their
companies or the quality, appeal, or innovation of their products.
Unions were only concerned about the size of their paychecks, next month's
dues totals, preventing labor-displacing productivity advances, and how
many more
perks, union stewards, and labor rules they could force into the next
labor contract.
Government was only interested in increasing corporate taxes, getting
the union vote,
and passing more OSHA safety laws, not in assisting industries to
compete in the world market.

They were all amply warned. Their inattention, inaction, and selfishness
has come to fruition.
Game over.