Japanese Organizational Knowledge Creation in Anglo-American Environments

• Published in: Prometheus (Saint Lucia, Brisbane, Qld.) Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 421 - 439
• Main Authors: Nonaka, Ikujiro, Ray, Tim, Umemoto, Katsuhiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 1998; Taylor and Francis Journals
• Series: Prometheus
• Subjects: Case studies; global reach; Great Britain: Industries and resources; Innovation, Organisational; international management; Japan; Japan: Industries and resources; Japanese management system; Joint innovation systems; knowledge creation; Lifetime employment; Management; Manufacturing; Middle-up-down management; Motor cars; national innovation systems; Nissan Primera (Motor car); Organisations; Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi. REGA Project; Tacit knowledge; United States: Industries and resources; Universities; Western management system
• ISSN: 0810-9028; 1470-1030
• DOI: 10.1080/08109029808629292

Notwithstanding contemporary Western images of 'changing Japan', expectations of lifetime employment within a remarkably stable population of leading firms continue to underpin a distinctive style of Japanese management based on high levels of inter-employee trust and extensive transactions in tacit knowledge. After reviewing some factors that distinguish Japan's national innovation system from its Anglo-American counterparts, we develop an 'inside the black box' model of Japanese organizational knowledge creation. This highlights some aspects of Japanese management which do not sit easily amidst Anglo-American organizational turbulence and predilections for explicit knowledge. The second part of our paper uses two case studies to explore factors limiting the 'transferability' of Japanese management to Anglo and American innovation environments. These case studies illustrate differences between Japanese and Western systems, together with processes by which their respective advantages can combine to produce synergic benefits.