Invasion of the Salarymen: The Japanese Business Presence in America

(Hardback)

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During the 1980s a host of books on management proclaimed the triumph of Japanese companies' emphasis on corporate values, loyalty, lifetime employment and consensus. In the first full-length study of Japanese direct investment in the United States, Sullivan shows that Japanese companies generally have not performed well and that part of their problem is poor management. Contrary to popular belief, management practices in Japan are rooted in the clever use of power rather than the development loyalty or values. While the system of highly authoritarian but benevolent managers and submissive employees has transferred well to some rural manufacturing firms in the U.S., it has fared poorly in urban areas. Using the result sof extensive interviews and surveys, Sullivan begins by profiling both an effective and an ineffective Japanese manager in the US. He describes their reactions to America's individualism, patriotism, and day to day work practices. Broadening the focus, he describes economic and strategic reasons for the rush of Japanese direct investment and summarizes the data on profitability (low), productivity (less than US owned firms), and the impact on the American economy (generally beneficial or at least harmless). Japanese maangement philosophy and practices are analyzed in terms of the idea of work, the nature of a company, and the function of profit. Also discussed are lifetime employment, trust-building, decision making, and communication in the organization. These practices are shown in use both in Japan and in Japanese firms in America. Several chapters describe training of Japanese managers for work in the United States and of Americans in Japanese-owned companies.

Reviews

"Invasion of the Salarymen benefits greatly from the author's own research and experience with the Japanese in Japan and in the U.S., and the author's conclusion about the actual feebleness of the Japanese invasion is presented very persuasively. It is a different view from that of most American commentators, but one that is sure to ring true to many in Japan . . . Highly recommended."-Johny K. Johansson McCrane/Shaker Professor of International Business & Marketing George Washington University
A good addition to collections at the undergraduate and graduate levels.-Choice
Salaryman is a word that is now part of the Japanese language. Originally appropriated to mean white-collar or office worker, it now implies middle- or upper-level manager. Sullivan, professor of international business at the University of Washington, reports that as many as 50,000 Japanese managers and their families now live in the U.S. as a result of massive Japanese investment here. Sullivan thoroughly details both the advantages and disadvantages of such investment, but he supports the argument that it lowers the trade deficit, creates jobs, and results in better products through increased competition. He also challenges the conventional wisdom that Japanese management is superior. He claims that Japanese enterprises here have, for the most part, yet to show a profit and that most are at a point where decisions whether to continue will need to be made. The critical factor, he suggests, will be whether the Japanese can adapt their style of management to the American worker. Sullivan believes that, contrary to popular opinion, Japanese management is based on power and fear rather than on loyalty. He also provides an interesting description of the problems faced by the salarymen and their families who are sent here.-Booklist
Sullivan, a professor of international business at the University of Washington, draws some surprising conclusions. Profitability of Japanese companies in the United States tends to be low, he says, and productivity of Japanese companies in the United States tends to be lower than that of US-owned concerns.-Orange County Register
"A good addition to collections at the undergraduate and graduate levels."-Choice
"Sullivan, a professor of international business at the University of Washington, draws some surprising conclusions. Profitability of Japanese companies in the United States tends to be low, he says, and productivity of Japanese companies in the United States tends to be lower than that of US-owned concerns."-Orange County Register
"Salaryman is a word that is now part of the Japanese language. Originally appropriated to mean white-collar or office worker, it now implies middle- or upper-level manager. Sullivan, professor of international business at the University of Washington, reports that as many as 50,000 Japanese managers and their families now live in the U.S. as a result of massive Japanese investment here. Sullivan thoroughly details both the advantages and disadvantages of such investment, but he supports the argument that it lowers the trade deficit, creates jobs, and results in better products through increased competition. He also challenges the conventional wisdom that Japanese management is superior. He claims that Japanese enterprises here have, for the most part, yet to show a profit and that most are at a point where decisions whether to continue will need to be made. The critical factor, he suggests, will be whether the Japanese can adapt their style of management to the American worker. Sullivan believes that, contrary to popular opinion, Japanese management is based on power and fear rather than on loyalty. He also provides an interesting description of the problems faced by the salarymen and their families who are sent here."-Booklist

Author Bio

JEREMIAH J. SULLIVAN is Professor of International Business at the University of Washington Graduate School of Business. He is the author of Pacific Basin Enterprise and the Changing Law of the Sea and Foreign Investment in the U.S. Fishing Industry. His scholarly articles have appeared in the Journal of International Business Studies, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, Business Horizons, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, and many others. Professor Sullivan is a member of the Association of Japanese Business Studies, Academy of International Business, International House of Japan, and the Academy of Management.