Japanese Management in Evolution illustrates the significant changes that have been taking place in Japanese business by focusing on "emerging industries" in the relatively neglected service and "creative" sectors as well as other key industries, and to put those changes in historical perspective by providing an overview of business development since World War II. By employing state-of-the-art research techniques and unconventional innovative approaches in analysing Japanese management - including network and discourse analysis, ethnographic explorations, and more - the book reveals historical developments and in-depth analyses of established and emerging composition of sectors and industries where cultural capital matters. Throughout the book, the common theme conveyed to readers is a consistently strong message that the change is ongoing and the evolution of management style is real in the Japanese context.

The book would be of great interest to researchers, academics and practitioners in fields of global management, international management, and Asian capitalism.

About the Author
Tsutomu Nakano is Professor of Organization and Strategy at the Graduate School of International Management, Aoyama Gakuin University. He received his PhD in sociology from Columbia University and is on the external faculty of the Center on Organizational Innovation. His research interests include valuation studies, clusters, organizations and networks, and social design. In 2015-16, he took visiting positions at Copenhagen Business School, ENS Cachan, and MPIfG.

Reviews

'This book on changing patterns of Japanese management is a helpful contribution to better understand the emergence of new and creative industries within a setting of strong established sectors like the manufacturing industries. This innovative collection is an important read for anyone who want to understand new developments in Japanese business management.' - Professor Cornelia Storz, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany

'For many years, books on Japan focused on Japanese characteristics of success, contrasting those characteristics with US or Western characteristics. As Japan lost its popularity, the change and evolution in the Japanese business environment and the variation within the Japanese system should have grabbed the interest of researchers. It has not done so. This book strives to redress this neglect. The readers are taken on a tour of the current Japanese business environment in a number of key areas of business success. The 'tour guides' are some of the most capable scholars of the Japanese system, both Japanese and non-Japanese, all familiar with Japan in a wider world-wide context via joint research projects or academic training.

Variation is illustrated by a series of industry studies. Some like audio, examine an existing industry which must respond to new challenges; others in culture-based industries which continue to have appeal in a world looking for variety in experiences define a new image for Japan and its products. In contrast to the traditional focus on manufacturing, the book includes studies of service industries, and of the professional services that support the new directions presented in the book. In chapters addressing corporate social responsibility, family firms and firm management structure, the reader gets a better understanding of the tension in Japanese business between conformity to world norms and the continued value of 'traditional' Japanese business structures.

Like an elegant kaiseki meal, the reader is treated to a taste of the many flavors that is the Japanese economy and business system in 2017. The reader should enjoy the meal.' - Tom Roehl, Professor of International Business, Western Washington University, and Founding Member and Past President, Association of Japanese Business Studies

'Professor Nakano has assembled a deep and rich collection of original articles by top-flight scholars on an array of leading-edge issues in contemporary Japanese business. The book is thus a uniquely valuable contribution to understanding the structure and functioning of the Japanese economy today.' - James R. Lincoln, Mitsubishi Bank Professor Emeritus, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley

'This book on changing patterns of Japanese management is a helpful contribution to better understand the emergence of new and creative industries within a setting of strong established sectors like the manufacturing industries. This innovative collection is an important read for anyone who want to understand new developments in Japanese business management.' - Professor Cornelia Storz, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany

'For many years, books on Japan focused on Japanese characteristics of success, contrasting those characteristics with US or Western characteristics. As Japan lost its popularity, the change and evolution in the Japanese business environment and the variation within the Japanese system should have grabbed the interest of researchers. It has not done so. This book strives to redress this neglect. The readers are taken on a tour of the current Japanese business environment in a number of key areas of business success. The 'tour guides' are some of the most capable scholars of the Japanese system, both Japanese and non-Japanese, all familiar with Japan in a wider world-wide context via joint research projects or academic training.

Variation is illustrated by a series of industry studies. Some like audio, examine an existing industry which must respond to new challenges; others in culture-based industries which continue to have appeal in a world looking for variety in experiences define a new image for Japan and its products. In contrast to the traditional focus on manufacturing, the book includes studies of service industries, and of the professional services that support the new directions presented in the book. In chapters addressing corporate social responsibility, family firms and firm management structure, the reader gets a better understanding of the tension in Japanese business between conformity to world norms and the continued value of 'traditional' Japanese business structures.

Like an elegant kaiseki meal, the reader is treated to a taste of the many flavors that is the Japanese economy and business system in 2017. The reader should enjoy the meal.' - Tom Roehl, Professor of International Business, Western Washington University, and Founding Member and Past President, Association of Japanese Business Studies

'Professor Nakano has assembled a deep and rich collection of original articles by top-flight scholars on an array of leading-edge issues in contemporary Japanese business. The book is thus a uniquely valuable contribution to understanding the structure and functioning of the Japanese economy today.' - James R. Lincoln, Mitsubishi Bank Professor Emeritus, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley

'Japan keeps changing, and this book is a welcome and much needed update on current management practices as well as on Japanese academic analysis of these changes. Ranging in topics from large company reorganization to startup management, the book offers a great "lay of the land" of the discourse in Japan regarding business strategy, management practices from sushi bars to TV panel manufacturing to professional firms, ownership and CSR positioning, and HR practices in a fast-changing labor market. It is a rare treat to find, in one place, a representation of the Japanese current thinking on these issues.' - Ulrike Schaede, Professor of Japanese Business, University of California San Diego

Book Information
ISBN 9780367350680
Author Tsutomu Nakano
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 462g