Abstract
This introductory study of the applicability of the 'Japanese management style' to the South African context highlights a number of important issues relating to the study of Japanese economic progress and to the applicability of 'Japanese management methods to other contexts. It also questions the often-held assumption that the so-called 'Japanese methods' are so very different from those employed in the West.This article subsequently takes a look at the core workforce in Japan in relation to some research findings with regard to certain South African companies within which quality control circles are in use or are planned for the future. In so doing, it highlights certain problems relating not only to the delimitation of the 'Japanese' style but also its applicability to a context of cultural heterogeneity. In other words, this research questions the extent to which techniques of management which have proved successful in a relatively stable, equal, homogeneous and educated culture can be applied in a culturally and educationally heterogeneous society in which one particular group dominates the remainder.
Highlights
Since World War II, Japan, a small country with few natural resources, has made meteoric progress within the world economy, shattering the complacency of American and European managers who formerly dominated domestic and a large percentage of foreign markets
The success is obvious and measurable; the reasons for it, far less so.' The various attempts to understand and explain the growth of the Japanese economy display a number of distinguishing characteristics which tend to vary according to points of emphasis
The most pronounced human relations' emphasis, existed in the American multinational company and this, in turn, did not reflect higher performance levels. It seems that the single-minded pursuit of productive performance improvement in both Japanese companies, which was expressed in the design of the task structure, technological adjustments, performance feedback, and a reward system geared toward performance improvement and an appropriately designed supervisory role and style were key variables in building the operators' competencies necessary to achieve superior quality and productivity performance to the local and American counterpart' (Reitsperger25)
Summary
This Introductory study of the applicability of the 'Japanese management style' to the South African context highlights a number of important issues relating to the study of Japanese economic progress and to the applicability of 'Japanese· management methods to other contexts It questions the often-held assumption that the so-called 'Japanese methods' are so very dif· lerent from those employed in the West. This article subsequently takes a look at the core workforce in Japan in relation to some research findings with regard to certain South African companies within which quality control circles are in use or are planned for the future In so doing, it highlights certain problems relating to the delimitation of the 'Japanese' style and its applicability to a context of cultural heterogeneity. Box 392, Pretoria 0001, Republic of South Africa To whom correspondence should be addressed
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