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Transcript: Yoshizo Shimano, Chairman of Shimano

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OSAKA, Japan (CNN) -- Yoshizo Shimano straddles two of the world's most influential corporate cultures - the U.S. and the Japanese way of doing business.

He heads the family-run Shimano group. It is a billion dollar Japanese company that makes top-end bicycle parts including the ones that helped power Lance Armstrong to an unprecedented 7 Tour de France titles.

For 27 years Yoshizo built and ran the company's North American operations before being called back home to Osaka.

Today, at 72 he is still chairman, following in the footsteps of his founder father and two elder brothers.

With 90 percent of sales and 80 percent of its staff overseas, CNN's Andrew Stevens began by asking him whether Shimano is an international company with Japanese roots, or the other way around.

Shimano: Shimano is the international company with Japanese roots. It is more closer to the American style rather than the typical Japanese style.

Stevens: What are the downsides to the American style of management and the Japanese style?

Shimano: The American style could be good for the quick change but maybe taking less time of building up the consensus so understanding the level of the people is a little bit shallower. That is the down side that I feel. And the Japanese style taking a little longer time making a decision, that is the down side. But it is a good side in understanding the level of the management people.

Stevens: I couldn't help but notice all of the employees that I see here in the headquarters wear a Team Shimano badge like you are wearing now. Just tell us what does that mean?

Shimano: This was started back in 1994 when my late brother Keizo visited different Shimano overseas operations and one day he talked to me, he said you know when I visit the overseas Shimano operations and talk to the people and they are saying "your company" instead of saying "my company". He told me hey let's promote that Team Shimano spirit. So that is how we started Team Shimano. And having the same goal and working together and all different languages and religions and philosophies. In order to improve it in 1997 I made English as the official Team Shimano language.

Stevens: Have you been able to quantify the success of that?

Shimano: I think so. You know that the business when we have the group of people it is connecting to the people to each other, utilizing one language. Instead of using an interpreter, talking directly to each other, that makes the whole difference.

Stevens: In 1965, you are 30 years old and you go to the States to establish the Shimano brand. Was there a lot of negativity associated with Japanese brands in the 1960's?

Shimano: It is that some area people thought it is a junk product through their experience and I don't blame them. And so we need to talk with them about how our products are made through manufacturing processes and quality control and so forth and people start to recognize that hey, these guys are working seriously and making good products.

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