Blackwell Reference Online

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Japanese-style management (JSM)( nihonteki kei-ei ) is a loosely defined term used to indicate the way employees are managed in firms and other organizations in Japan. Accordingly, its meaning changes as micro-economic realities change. At the same time, the term is used to distinguish from management practices in Japan more generally ( nihon no kei-ei or nihon ni okeru kei-ei ) those employment practices that are alleged to be uniquely Japanese ( nihonteki ) and to have a peculiarly Japanese cultural imprint. Using the term to indicate the packaged set of practices which are described below, many acknowledge that what they refer to exists mainly in Japan's large firms. In this context, JSM was popularly used in the 1970s to delineate a number of interrelated practices demarcating the way work was organized in Japan (or at least in Japan's largest firms) from how it was conceived elsewhere. The practices initially receiving attention were lifetime employment, seniority wages, and enterprise unionism. These came to be known as the three pillars, the three sacred treasures, or the three sacred emblems of industrial relations in Japan. Although the cultural uniqueness of each has been challenged, some have argued that it is the overall mix as an integrated system that has been unique. The belief that these practices were unique to Japan was bolstered by references to other phenomena ... log in or subscribe to read full text