Holly A Birnbaum, Soci.31 Aldrich

JAPANESE SYSTEMS IN AMERICAN COMPANIES

In the past few decades, Japanese companies have become increasingly competitive in the American market. For this reason American companies have begun using much of the Japanese system in their own factories. The amount that these systems or practices are being implemented and used varies among companies. I think that the number of American companies using Japanese systems will increase in the future for several reasons. However, I think only certain parts of the Japanese system will be commonly implemented in American factories because of the differences between American society and Japanese society.

There are many components of the Japanese system. The most widely know is the idea of Kaizen. Kaizen is the practice of continuous improvement and reduction of waste. Any business would want their workers to practice this idea, and many American companies have implemented it into their companies' practices. Most American workers agree with this concept and have readily excepted it into their work. Kaizen is the part of the Japanese system that has grown the most in American companies, and it will continue to grow.

With the implementation of Kaizen comes the requirement of higher standards of products and thus of supplies. In Japan, the standards for products are higher than in the United States. The standards for parts are also higher in Japan. Because of these standards, the finished products that come out of Japanese factories are better in quality, and thus higher in demand. American companies have witnessed the high demand for these products and are trying to raise their own product quality to match the products made in Japanese factories. If American regulation product standards are raised, the quality of the American products will increase, as will the demand for them.

Another aspect of the Japanese system is the concept of teams. In Japanese factories, workers are part of a larger team, which is part of a still larger team, the company. Teams allow for more a pleasant, social work environment and a higher quality of work. The atmosphere teams create allows for personal contact with coworkers. Teams also create a sense of team pride and loyalty. When this pride and loyalty exist, workers tend to set higher standards for themselves, because they want to do "right" by their team. American companies are implementing this team work in their factories and are seeing positive results. In California Management Review , Joel Cutcher-Greshenfeld stated that "more than one half of major US corporations are now exploring some form of team-based work system." In Cindy Skrzychi"s article in The Washington Post, workers reported that they liked working for companies with team concepts, as long as they were American companies.

Skrzychi reported that the workers perceived a chance to move up in American companies that they did not feel in American based Japanese factories. Japanese factories in America have tried to use all parts of the system they use in Japan. However, this approach does not work in America. For example, part of the system in Japan never allows men to move up in status about their elders. The young or new employees must wait their turn. Advancement only occurs among your peers, never above older coworkers. This ideology does not work in the US. People want what they deserve, when they deserve it. They do not want to wait until they are older to achieve their goals. Also, in America there are laws governing equal rights for all employees. In Japan there are two main types of employees, permanent and temporary. Only about one third of the Japanese workforce are permanent employees, and these are almost all men. Women are temporary employees and treated as second class workers. Japanese companies, such as Mitsubishi, are in trouble with American equality laws (Southwell). These practices are part of the Japanese system that needs to be left in Japan. American workers will not tolerate this part of what some believe to be a better system.

The practices of Kaizen and team concepts will contribute greatly to American companies future in the world market. American workers like these aspects of the Japanese system and want them implemented in their factories. These practices not only give the workers pride, but also give the public better products. However, other aspects of this system will never work in America. The chance of advancement is too important in American, capitalistic society. Equal rights for all employees is to great a concern to the American people and in American law. It is important to study all aspects of the Japanese system, because it works so well in Japan and because it has had such an impact on the entire world. I think the Japanese have many of the right concepts, but Japanese society is very different from that of America. As long as these differences are understood, Japanese companies will succeed in America, for parts of their system already are.

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