Title: Changing Japanese management: Is the trend towards western-style management sustainable?

Authors: Nicholas O'Regan, Saya Ogata

Addresses: Bristol Business School, University of the West of England, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY. ' 2-4-1, Marunouchi Building, 26th floor, Marunouchi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract: The trend towards Western management styles seems unstoppable after the successes achieved by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., since the appointment of a non-Japanese Chief Executive began its changing management ethos. This led to questions such as ||What is so special about Western management? Is Japanese management old-fashioned?|| Our findings confirm the positive impact of aspects of Western thinking such as quicker decision-making, clearer lines of responsibility, the replacement of seniority-based wage and promotion systems and the increased motivation of younger employees. However, many firms have resisted the |westernisation| of their management styles and, instead, have started to emphasise the benefits of Japanese management approaches.

Keywords: management styles; culture; leadership; decision making; process management; benchmarking; western management; Japan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPMB.2007.013317

International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking, 2007 Vol.2 No.1, pp.45 - 58

Published online: 20 Apr 2007 *

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