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.