NOTE DE RECHERCHE: ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING IN PRACTICE: THE BEHAVIOUR OF SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGERS IN BRITAIN AND JAPAN

Abstract

Japanese firms recognize they cannot sustain their past performance and they are considering reviewing their management methods. To an extent, such management reviews of organizations are not confined to Japan, they are a global phenomenon - often called business re-engineering or some such term. It is postulated that refining the learning style of the company is a better way to build up sustainable competence rather than engaging in an organization revolution that may upset all the staff. However, as a first step, one has to understand one's current learning style: this can be defined more clearly by comparing one's own style with the styles of others - akin to the process of bench-marking. This appear concerns analysis of the learning styles of Japanese and British managers. Two large surveys were carried out - on in the United Kingdom and the other in Japan. The analyses have revealed the UK and Japanese managers are quite different in some respects and similar in others.