ues employed are not at the root of the problems faced by American industrial firms, whether such firms are American owned, or whether they are Japanese subsidiaries (Maher, p. 32). In other instances, opposition is based on a contention that, as a result of cultural differences between Japan and the United States, techniques which are successful in Japan will not be successful in the United States (AD-AMS Research Group [AD-AMS], 1984, pp. 77-78). This opposition, however, has not stopped many American firms from adopting Japanese management techniques, nor has it prevented Japanese firms from introducing their practices in American subsidiaries.
A COMPARISON OF AMERICAN AND JAPANESE
MANAGEMENT PRACTICE AND TECHNIQUES
A broad comparative summary of Japanese and American management techniques is presented in Chart 1, which may be found on the following page. Lifetime employment, non specialized career paths, and a holistic concern are the characteristics of Japanese management which are most often emphasized in American management literature favorable to Japanese management techniques (Peters & Waterman, 1982, PP. 37-41). While these
Chart 1
Summary Comparison of Japanese and American
Management Techniques
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Factor or Japanese American
Philosophy Orientation Orientation
Employment Lifetime Short term
Personnel evalu Slow Rapid
Career paths Non specialized Specialized
Control Implicit Explicit
Decision Collective Individual
Responsibility Collective Individual
Organizational Holistic ...