Corporate management of productivity—An empirical study

The results are reported of a questionnaire survey of corporate managerial approaches to productivity. The sample comprised 146 large industrial companies, of which 96 were American, 25 British and 25 Japanese. Responses from the total sample were used to construct a managerial interpretation of productivity. A comparison was then conducted among the three national samples. Although productivity improvement was reported as being a matter of significant corporate concern in all three countries, greater priority was expressed by the British and Japanese than by the American managers. The British and American managerial approaches to productivity appear to be broadly similar, but with the exception that the British focus much more single‐mindedly on labour productivity as the central issue. The Japanese responses convey a proactive, long‐term approach to the management of productivity, with research and innovation being accorded to pre‐eminent role. The implications of the findings are briefly discussed and directions for further research are suggested.