Translating And Incorporating American Management Thought Into Japan

This book focuses on the establishment process of the Japanese style of management (JSM). Traditionally, it has been widely believed that the JSM is native to Japan and consists of three pillars: lifetime employment, a seniority-based wage system, and company unions. This book opposes these traditional views on the JSM and argues that it has been shaped by the influence of management theories and ideas of other countries. The JSM has not only adopted the ideas and concepts of other countries, but also has refined, translated, and customized them to make such ideas and concepts acceptable in Japan. The hypothesis presented here is that in the postwar period of rapid growth, the JSM was a hybrid set of management theories and techniques greatly influenced by American ideas about management. This book concentrates on the impact of American management theories and ideas on the JSM. Taking the historical point of view, it clarifies that impact not only for academics but also for business people. The hypothesis propounded here is that some of those theories and ideas have been accepted whereas some of them have been rejected and eventually made irrelevant. The following issues are discussed: scientific management, the human relations school, Barnard’s organizational theory, Drucker’s management thoughts, strategic management, human resource management, and corporate culture.

This book discusses the growing interest in realism in social sciences of the twenty-first century. The first part of this book provides recent discussions on realism in philosophy. The second part describes specific problems that have returned to realism in various fields of the social sciences, such as economics, cultural anthropology, management science, and statistics. This book clarifies what kinds of movements are taking place and consequently the direction in which the social sciences are heading in the future. Readers would also find that there is great diversity in the way realism and reality are perceived and understood, depending on the objectives and circumstances of each field of social science. This suggests that rather than having a unified view (stance) of realism and reality, it may be more meaningful to value the differences, diversity, and range itself. Therefore, this book does not present a unified view of realism, reality, and actuality. Although the definitions of realism and reality may differ from chapter to chapter, this represents a corner of the current state of the social sciences. This book is unique in that it examines how the issues of realism and reality are viewed, understood, and dealt with in the various fields of social science, instead of examining them by philosophers and philosophers of science. This would clarify how philosophical discussions have been translated into the various fields of social science.

This book looks at Chester I. Barnard’s theoretical and practical contributions to organization theory by examining his life, career, experience, intellectual relationships, philosophy, method, and theory. Barnard (1886–1961) is considered an innovator in the field with the publication of his seminal work, The Functions of the Executive, in 1938. But why was Barnard able to publish such a groundbreaking book despite the fact that he was a practitioner, not an academic researcher? In pursuit of that question, this book carefully investigates the background of his ideas about management, such as his experience, philosophy, and method. It then traces the process of how Barnard built his concepts of organization as it examines his books, published papers, unpublished manuscripts, and correspondence and systematically summarizes how he built his theory of organization and management. Finally, the author explores how Barnard’s theory has the potential to be developed and put into practice by examining his important works after his publication of The Functions of the Executive, which is well known as abstract and difficult. Readers of this present book will come away with a clearer and more systematic understanding of Barnard’s theoretical and practical contributions to the field.

The purpose of this book is to clarify the mission and history of Kobe University Business School (KUBS), not only for the development of management education but also for the familiarization of industry in Japan with the ideas of modern management. Kobe University was the first in Japan to establish a faculty of business administration and has continued to conduct research and education in the field to this day. Under the influence of Germany and the USA, the academic area of management in Japan has achieved unique development not witnessed in other countries. Since 1902, when its predecessor, Kobe Higher Commercial School, was established, KUBS has been a pioneer of research and education in management studies in Japan by overcoming many obstacles and difficulties. Even now in the age of globalization, the spirit of innovation and liberal academic style, from the time of its establishment, are inherent in KUBS, and the faculty members have made great efforts to be innovative in management studies. This book aims to explore the mission and history of KUBS and to elucidate the development process of Japanese-style management research and education by introducing the diverse areas of management studies and the profiles of researchers.

For many western managers the approach taken by successful Japanese organisations and their managers has tended to inspire awe, envy and incomprehension in equal measure. But what is so special about 'Japanese' management? And how 'special' is the response of Japanese managers to global business pressures ? This textbook addresses these questions. It presents case examples generated from interviews with Japanese managers in Japan, Europe and the USA, contextualising their comments by reference to recent research in the fields of international and intercultural management. The book explains how and why individual managers variously perceive threats or opportunities in the business and career environments currently evolving both inside and outside Japan. It combines vivid images of the expected and the exceptional, the traditional with the new and unfamiliar. The Changing Face of Japanese Management offers management students with little prior knowledge of Japanese business and society, critical insights into what is happening inside Japanese management today. It also offers clear and immediately transferable insights to management practitioners who are preparing to work or negotiate with Japanese business partners.

Abstract: This book addresses the practicalities of applying an understanding of Japanese management to the American setting. The author explains why, what, and how we can learn from Japanese business success and improve business management practices in th e U.S. Topics include: styles of management and decisionmaking; Theory Z; methods of adjusting management style; and, camparing U.S. and Japanese management styles.

With numerous books on the market describing the wondrous lessons to be learned from the successful Japanese management system, why another volume? The Japanese Management Mystique by Jon Woronoff brings to light something all the others have overlooked - the weaknesses and failings of the Japanese management system. As in all cases, taking into account one side of a story and ignoring another produces a warped sense of reality; it is hardly a contribution to improved perception of increased comprehension. By understanding good and bad points, strengths and weaknesses, achievements and failures, companies wishing to enter the Japanese market, on their own or as part of joint ventures, are better positioned to succeed in their undertakings. Everyone is familiar with the achievements of Japanese blue collar workers and factories, but there is a larger picture to view. The Japanese Management Mystique uncovers the lesser known truths of white collar workers. This comprehensive book examines a number of issues that come into play as part of the Japanese management system, including modern factories, yet backward offices, workers' changing thoughts toward lifetime employment, indifferent human relations, and bloated bureaucracies. Jon Woronoff drives home three main points. First, the Japanese management system has strengths, but it also has weaknesses. Both need to be examined, studied and understood to produce and maintain a realistic picture of the system as a whole. Secondly, if the United States and other countries are to go head-to-head with the Japanese, it is most important for companies in these markets to capitalize on their own strengths and seek out the Japanese weaknesses inorder to take advantage of them. At the same time, companies entering into joint ventures with the Japanese also should be aware of the system's weaknesses to prevent them from destroying the business relationship. And finally, no management system is perfect. When considering the mythical excellence of the Japanese system, it is critical to look at it with an analytical eye, borrowing what is "good" and translating the "bad" into marketing advantages for your company.

Japanese management is currently considered to be in crisis. This book analyzes the degree to which the Japanese management model is changing, in order to regain its competitiveness. It brings together up-to-date research on this important topic by a number of the best known American, Asian and European scholars of Japanese management. A broad variety of management areas such as strategy, corporate governance, globalization, organization, finance, HRM, production, innovation, organizational learning and retailing is covered.