Book Note - Nicolas Hatzfeld

Beyond Japanese Management

Paul Stewart's introduction presents the approach of the book: to get away from the limits imposed by the adherents of Japanese management, who by relying on globalization, assert the superiority of their model and the transferable nature of the techniques of lean production. Hence the plan to look at what lies behind the managerial model, coercive or based on consensus: to use the contradictory aspect of the notion of hegemony to reintegrate the conflict to the analysis, to examine the forms of management in different countries which go beyond the Japanese paradigm.

In Japan itself, industrial development has leaned heavily on a favorable national environment in terms of market and of social climate; the deterioration of these advantages has contributed to Japanese manufacturers recent difficulties (C. Haslam and K. Williams, with S. Johal and J.Williams). Besides, the organizational arrangements are not identical in the three principal Japanese companies with their unions, and even between factories within a same company. The efforts to make work more human have mixed results (K. Ogasawara and H. Ueda).

From the standpoint of the workers themselves in 16 Canadian firms, work conditions have not improved with lean production. The workload is greater, things are more rigid than in classic Fordist factories (W. Lewchuck and D. Robertson). Another study compares 3 Ford factories derived from the same concept as the Mazda-Ford "team concept". Their social organization, however, differs a lot according to the attitude and the strength of the trade unions (S. Babson). Japanese methods spread widely in Latin America, and were accompanied by a tendency to stabilize the labor force by making a change in social relations which emphasized individualization rather than relations with trade unions (J. Humphrey).

The alternative innovation of Kalmar and Uddevalla, which had met with resistance when introduced in Volvo itself, is spreading in other forms, and the reopening of Uddevalla brings up the question again (K. Ellegård). In France management practices and worker relations held the spread of Japanese methods in check, confirming the strength of national configurations (J.-P.Durand). As for Germany, the weaknesses in its productive model prompted management to use "Lean Production" as a reference to reduce costs, especially by relocation or by a negotiated flexibilization (U.Bochum and C. Dörrenbächer). Finally, following the changes in the organization of work and skills in the assembly line is maybe less significant than the mare complex sectors such as presses (M. Rawlinson and P. Wells).

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