Deployment of the Ford System in Japan after the Second World War: “Re-framing” in the Americanizaton of Business Management

Abstract

European and Japanese enterprises and industries, as well as their overall economies, were developed by deploying and adapting US technology and management methods after World War Ⅱ. The major American management methods implemented in Japan and Germany were those for the Ford system. The Ford system played an important role in realizing of mass production and the development of Japanese economy after the World War Ⅱ. However, many factors influenced the introduction of such American management method in Japan. In this paper, the deployment of the Ford system, the rollout of the mass production system, and Japanese manufacturing are analized. This paper first analyzes Japan’s deployment of the Ford system in relation to the characteristics of its domestic market, the synchronization of manufacturing processes, the features of work organization, and small-group activities in the workplace. Furthermore, such “Americanization” will be captured from the angle of “re-framing” as the author’s original framework. This paper examines the manufacturing, as well as the characteristics of the rollout of the mass production system, in Japan. The overall purpose of this chapter is to clarify the Japanese characteristics regarding the deployment of the Ford system and the significances of the Japanese-style manufacturing.