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

Nicholas O'Regan*, Saya Ogata

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)45-58
Number of pages14
JournalInternational Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking
Volume2
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2007

Keywords

  • Benchmarking
  • Culture
  • Japan
  • Japanese management
  • Leadership and decision-making
  • Process management
  • Western style management

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