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Team Work in Japan: Revolution, Evolution or No Change at All?

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  • Anne Sey

    (Nijmegen Business School)

Abstract

That 'in Japan, they work in teams' has become 'standard knowledge'. Because of this, 'team work in Japan' is a less fashionable topic today than it was a few years ago. Perhaps, the topic would have been totally marginalized if reports about changes in traditional Japanese management concepts had not caused so much excitement in the scientific community. In literature on the Japanese automobile industry, references are being made to an evolution in the way teams are being organized at the final assembly lines. The question this article poses is whether it is possible to conclude with certainty that an evolution in the degree of selfregulation of teams has actually taken place. The conclusion is that given the lack of theoretically founded, empirical evidence, it is as yet impossible to find a scientifically and analytically sound answer to that question.

Suggested Citation

  • Anne Sey, 2000. "Team Work in Japan: Revolution, Evolution or No Change at All?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 21(4), pages 475-503, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:21:y:2000:i:4:p:475-503
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X00214004
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aertsen, F. & Benders, J., 1993. "Tricks and trucks : Ten years of organizational renewal at DAF?," Research Memorandum FEW 627, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    2. Thomas Murakami, 1997. "The Autonomy of Teams in the Car Industry a Cross National Comparison," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 11(4), pages 749-758, December.
    3. Hikari Nohara, 1999. "The Historic Reversal of the Division of Labour? The Second Stage of the Toyota Production System," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Jean-Pierre Durand & Paul Stewart & Juan José Castillo (ed.), Teamwork in the Automobile Industry, chapter 0, pages 37-53, Palgrave Macmillan.
    4. Andrew Mair, 1994. "Honda’s Global Local Corporation," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-37485-0, April.
    5. Jos Benders, 1996. "Leaving Lean? Recent Changes in the Production Organization of some Japanese Car Plants," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 17(1), pages 9-38, February.
    6. Aertsen, F. & Benders, J., 1993. "Tricks and trucks : Ten years of organizational renewal at DAF?," Other publications TiSEM cd52f3da-ea3d-4021-bc22-0, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
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    Cited by:

    1. Randy Hodson, 2002. "Worker Participation and Teams: New Evidence from Analyzing Organizational Ethnographies," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 23(4), pages 491-528, November.

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