The Potential of Management-Dominated Work Organization: The Critical Case of Japan

A succession of studies have suggested that management-dominated work organization can deliver productivity alongside participation and reward for employees generally. Examination of the Japanese political economy before the traumas of the 1990s shows that it was a critical case of management-dominated work organization in an environment uniquely facilitative of innovation in work practice and its diffusion. However, detailed consideration of Japanese manufacturing shows that the sector was not generally characterized by comparatively participative, rewarding and productive work organization. The Japanese experience suggests that the potential for mutual gains under management-dominated work organization tends to be overstated.