t is both ironic and indicative that IBM abandoned its long-standing tradition of no layoffs at just the time when American business writers were fascinated by Japanese business culture. This example should serve to remind us that the differences between Japanese and American business practices are deeply rooted in their respective cultures, limiting the degree to which "Japanese management" can serve as a panacea for American businesses. This is not to say that useful lessons cannot be learned from Japan -- as the Japanese themselves learned their obsession with quality from an American consultant. But we should recognize that Japanese management is above all Japanese.
In American business, the supervisor is the boss. That simple, forceful, four-letter word is the most typical colloquial term in American English for a supervisor, and it is a word rich in connotations. In its purest form, it connotes the proprietor who answers only to himself for the fate of the business. Only by a sort o
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