快色直播

Japanese industry is the envy of the world for its efficient and humane management practices. Yet, as William Tsutsui argues, the origins and implications of 鈥淛apanese-style management鈥� are poorly understood. Contrary to widespread belief, Japan’s acclaimed strategies are not particularly novel or even especially Japanese.


Tsutsui traces the roots of these practices to Scientific Management, or Taylorism, an American concept that arrived in Japan at the turn of the century. During subsequent decades, this imported model was embraced—and ultimately transformed—in Japan’s industrial workshops. Imitation gave rise to innovation as Japanese managers sought a 鈥渞evised鈥� Taylorism that combined mechanistic efficiency with respect for the humanity of labor.


Tsutsui’s groundbreaking study charts Taylorism’s Japanese incarnation, from the 鈥渆fficiency movement鈥� of the 1920s, through Depression-era 鈥渞ationalization鈥� and wartime mobilization, up to postwar 鈥減roductivity鈥� drives and quality-control campaigns. Taylorism became more than a management tool; its spread beyond the factory was a potent intellectual template in debates over economic growth, social policy, and political authority in modern Japan.


Tsutsui’s historical and comparative perspectives reveal the centrality of Japanese Taylorism to ongoing discussions of Japan’s government-industry relations and the evolution of Fordist mass production. He compels us to rethink what implications Japanese-style management has for Western industries, as well as the future of Japan itself.

Awards and Recognition

• Winner of the 2000 John Whitney Hall Book Prize, Northeast Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies