Skills of Self-Governance for Grassroots Organizations

Abstract

The contemporary Japanese neighborhood associations, some of which have the names of JICHIKAI-meaning “self-governed body” -have become less autonomous in recent years. While most neighborhood associations in the United States are voluntary associations initiated by active participation of individual residents, Japanese neighborhood associations are controlled by the central and local administrative bureaucracies. Despite such a difference in organizational characters, they have some similarities : they both fulfil the function as the smallest unit of community to improve the quality of everyday life of their constituents.This paper attempts to compare the samples of bylaws adopted by the neighborhood associations in Japan and the United States. The purpose is to learn the skills of management from the American counterpart.As the results of this study, I found two different types of bylaws : The American neighborhood bylaws tend to be more communication-oriented giving a priority in detailing the process of decision and consensus-making, openness of management, and fairness in implementing a due process. The Japanese neighborhood bylaws were project-execution-oriented giving a priority to describing the contents and methods of the activities to be carried out by the neighborhood associations. I found that the Japanese sample bylaws dealt little with the general political skills such as those needed for reaching consensus, making decision and ensuring fairness in implementing a due process.We can learn following points from the bylaws of the American neighborhood associations : 1) the definition and roles of “active members”; 2) emphasis on importance of communication between members and others ; 3) the system in which board members'obligations to the whole members are clearly defined ; and 4) minority opinions are accorded with fair opportunity to be heard and respected.