著者

Yuki MITOMI Nobuo TAKAHASHI

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.14, no.1, pp.35-51, 2015-02-15 (Released:2015-02-15)

参考文献数

17

被引用文献数

2 4

---

The mutual learning model described in “Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning” (March, 1991) concludes that “slow learning on the part of individuals maintains diversity longer, thereby providing the exploration,” based on the results of computer simulations. However, the simulations of March (1991) excluded both ends of the socialization rate domain. When compensating for those missing portions, there is an optimal socialization rate that actually maximizes the average knowledge level. This is because low learning on the part of individuals actually causes frequent lock-ins and impedes learning. This optimal socialization rate may be a common rate for socialization, and we cannot deny this possibility by using only computer simulations. Moreover, this high knowledge level is achieved in a non-equilibrium state.

著者

Nobuyuki INAMIZU

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.14, no.1, pp.15-34, 2015-02-15 (Released:2015-02-15)

参考文献数

15

被引用文献数

3

---

The garbage can model created by Cohen, March, and Olsen (1972) explains organizational decision making under ambiguity. In the initial study outlining the model, a computer simulation was used for analysis. However, despite the appendix of Cohen et al. (1972) providing the Fortran source code for the simulation, subsequent studies rarely made any reference to the simulation model. In this study, we examine the simulation model of Cohen et al. by rebuilding the aforementioned source code. The results of our study clearly indicate the following three points. 1) the program created by Cohen et al. failed to detect the three decision-making styles (decision by resolution, decision by oversight, and decision by flight); 2) decision making sometimes occurred not only when choice opportunities had no problems but also when a choice opportunity had no decision maker; and 3) even when there were no problems attached to choice opportunities, the initial setting was programmed as though there were, perhaps to avoid the decision making seen in 2).

著者

Nobuo TAKAHASHI

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.14, no.1, pp.1-14, 2015-02-15 (Released:2015-02-15)

参考文献数

35

被引用文献数

3 9

---

“Iron cage” appears to be mistranslated from Weber's “Gehäuse” by Parsons. Correctly speaking, it has been noted that the word should be translated as “shell,” which presents an extremely promising possibility in management studies: what appears to be a talisman on the front has rigid persons clinging onto the other side. If a shell has a competitive advantage, this would excuse the rigidity. However, if the shell is losing, or has already lost, its competitive advantage, clinging onto it becomes a problem. For example, Ford and IBM grew rapidly by clinging onto their shells―the Model T Ford in the case of Ford and the System/360 for IBM. However, these companies gradually went into decline later as their product design fossilized. Apart from product designs, it is easy to find examples of shells in companies that have experienced periods of growth and maturity, for example, retail networks, parent company sales power, real estate, patents, and franchise. Both managers and employees are fully aware that they can no longer expect growth as long as they cling onto their shell. Even so, the shell remains a source of rent. Hence, they are clinging onto it and are being driven to their ruin by inches.

著者

Junjiro SHINTAKU Koichi NAKAGAWA Koichi OGAWA Tetsuo YOSHIMOTO

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.6, pp.353-367, 2014-12-15 (Released:2014-12-15)

参考文献数

16

被引用文献数

1 3

---

Historically, Japanese firms have been leading the optical disk industry in technological development and market development; however, Taiwanese and Korean firms are quickly catching up and have surpassed Japanese firms in terms of production volume. This paper focuses on the optical disk industry in Taiwan and analyzes the factors that have enabled Taiwanese firms to quickly catch up to Japanese firms. Our analysis show that cooperation with Japanese firms and international specialization have been the prerequisites of business activities in Taiwanese firms. This suggests that symbiotic relationships as well as competitive rivalries exist between firms in developed countries and those in developing countries that are quickly catching up.

著者

Nobuo TAKAHASHI Hirofumi OHKAWA Nobuyuki INAMIZU

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.6, pp.343-352, 2014-12-15 (Released:2014-12-15)

参考文献数

16

被引用文献数

4 8

---

Japanese companies often criticize themselves on their own “nurumayu [lukewarm] nature”; however, in reality, according to Takahashi (1989), the lukewarm feeling felt by organization members can be explained through the effective temperature hypothesis. An organization's propensity to change as a system is measured as system temperature, while a member's propensity to change as an organization person is measured as body temperature. The lukewarm feeling felt by members can then be explained using effective temperature, which is defined as the system temperature minus the body temperature. This paper validates the effective temperature hypothesis using data from Survey X, an exhaustive survey of all employees of Japanese Company X, which is successful in organizational reform. The survey was carried out once a fiscal year, during the fiscal years 2004–2013. Like the results of the JPC Survey of Takahashi (2013), those of Survey X show the coefficient of determination of 0.9840 with a surprisingly neat straight line, demonstrating a direct relationship wherein the lukewarm feeling ratio drops as the effective temperature rises.

著者

Yuichiro MUKAI

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.6, pp.329-342, 2014-12-15 (Released:2014-12-15)

参考文献数

18

---

Brusoni, Prencipe, and Pavitt (2001) posited that the digitization of aircraft engine control systems in the early 1980s caused loose organizational coupling. During this period, the number of control parameters indeed increased significantly with the introduction of full authority digital engine control (FADEC). However, during the period categorized by Brusoni et al. (2001) as the hydromechanical (analog) generation, digital technologies such as analog electronic and supervisory controls were gradually introduced. Moreover, with regard to technological changes in aircraft turbofan engines and control systems, technological improvements in engine power systems were evident in the 1960s and 1970s in terms of the bypass ratio, overall pressure ratio, and turbine inlet temperature. Although engine power systems witnessed negligible technological innovation in the 1980s, control systems improved as the number of control parameters increased due to the advent of FADEC. Subsequently, in the 1990s, great technological strides were made in engine power systems. Hence, technological changes in engine power systems and control systems always occurred alternately. Brusoni et al.'s claim that the decline in organizational coupling was due to the even rate of technological change in engines and control systems or the predictability in their interdependence miss the mark in light of the transition history of engine and control systems.

著者

Yukihiko OKADA Nobuyuki INAMIZU

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.6, pp.315-328, 2014-12-15 (Released:2014-12-15)

参考文献数

9

被引用文献数

4 8

---

In this study, all employees (including part-time employees) of a shinkin bank were surveyed using the organizational activation diagnostic tool “oractika,” developed by Takahashi (1997). Similar to Takahashi (2014), the results of the survey confirmed a mostly linear, positive relationship between the perspective index and job satisfaction and a mostly linear, negative relationship between the perspective index and the desire to quit one's job. In other words, as the perspective index increases, job satisfaction also increases, decreasing the desire to quit one's job. A further analysis by job type showed that, among part-time employees, overall job satisfaction tended to be high. At the same time, they tended to show an equally strong or somewhat stronger desire to quit one's job in comparison with other types of employees. These findings suggest that part-time employees dissatisfied with their work often quit their jobs, whereas those who continue have higher job satisfaction.

著者

Nobuo TAKAHASHI

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.6, pp.299-313, 2014-12-15 (Released:2014-12-15)

参考文献数

27

被引用文献数

2 3

---

The price of patents is limited by four sides of business management: (1) avoiding costs of the patent in question; (2) founder's profit of inventors, such as researchers and engineers, to bear risks involved in business establishment; (3) factors supporting competitive advantage identified in the resource-based view of strategic management; and (4) negative impact of big money for the researcher's invention. This tetragon of limitations bounds the price range of patents. This is illustrated by exemplifying the blue LED lawsuit case in Japan. This study presents the four side views on the differences between what companies pursue and what employee inventors pursue. However, these various differences make it possible to coexist and co-prosper between companies and inventors, otherwise they continue the tug-of-war forever on the one-dimensional monetary scale.

著者

Fumihiko IKUINE Hideki FUJITA

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.5, pp.283-298, 2014-10-15 (Released:2014-10-15)

参考文献数

21

被引用文献数

3 4

---

In terms of software, “continuous development” of the software is the best quality assurance. Continuous development requires either the original developer to continue development, or the next generation of developers to take over the development. It has been noted that when the original developer has used “open source,” a development paradigm in which the source code is kept open to all, highly motivated and competent developers will participate in development. This makes it easier for a project to survive. However, at the same time, when the source code is opened to a broad audience a fork in the source code tends to occur. When this happens, those with a high level of competence and motivation abandon the development and go their separate ways. In such a situation, it is difficult for a project to survive. In the case of Denshin 8 go, a guardian for the source code was appointed, and the original developer and the guardians avoided this dilemma. Richard Stallman of the GNU project and Linus Torvalds of Linux project act as legitimate guardians to avoid fork.

著者

Hidenori SATO

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.5, pp.271-281, 2014-05-26 (Released:2014-10-15)

参考文献数

28

被引用文献数

2 4

---

Organizational identity is a set of characteristics that reflect an organization's distinctiveness. The solution to the issues of organizational identity requires an individual and specific comprehension. Therefore, cross-sectional quantitative research for a pre-established category established by the researcher was difficult to perform. As a result, until now, the mainstream organizational identity studies have been qualitative rather than quantitative. However, while one aspect of organizational identity studies is to solve the question of organizational identity itself, another aspect is to solve the question of its impact on the organization. Qualitative methods may be appropriate to solve the question of organizational identity itself, but quantitative methods are better suited to solve the question regarding its organizational impact. In other words, it is possible to utilize qualitative methods to comprehend an organization's identity while using quantitative methods, for example, to measure the organizational identification of its members and conflicts that arise from the differences in directivity among its members. Research utilizing quantitative methods of this type may increase in the future.

著者

Ryusuke KOSUGE

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.5, pp.255-269, 2014-10-15 (Released:2014-10-15)

参考文献数

33

被引用文献数

2 4

---

Though lean production has its origin in the Toyota Production System (TPS), it has become popular across various industries. During this process, a striking situation has occurred in Sweden, particularly in its service industry. This paper aims to discuss the background and context of this phenomenon. In Sweden, work and management styles based on the tradition of socio-technical systems (STS), as embodied in Volvo's Uddevalla plant, used to be competing with lean production as a collection of practices observed in the Japanese automobile industry. However, once lean was viewed as a management approach that aims to create a smooth flow of value towards the customer, the integration of the two occurred. To illustrate this point, a case of a school is considered. It shows that reflection by autonomous teams of teachers play an important role in problem solving that accompanies the implementation of lean. Such an integrated style draws out workers' intrinsic motivation through involvement in problem solving, and thereby embodies the “respect for the people” philosophy in TPS. It is expected to be suitable particularly for the service context.

著者

Nobuo TAKAHASHI Hirofumi OHKAWA Nobuyuki INAMIZU

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.5, pp.243-254, 2014-10-15 (Released:2014-10-15)

参考文献数

19

被引用文献数

3 15

---

In most Japanese companies, regular employees work under a lifetime employment system and a seniority-based pay system. Under such conditions of no contingent money payments, we can accurately observe the phenomena associated with intrinsic motivation. Therefore, we conducted Survey X, an exhaustive survey for all employees of Company X carried out once a fiscal year, during the fiscal years 2004–2013. Using the total 13,019 employees' data of Survey X, we test a version of Deci's (1975) hypothesis that if a person's feeling of self-determination is enhanced, his or her job satisfaction will increase. As a result, there is a strong linear relationship between the job satisfaction ratio and the degree of self-determination. However, occupation and rank tend to determine the band of fluctuation with respect to the degree of self-determination. This indicates a strong likelihood that there is a spurious correlation between a degree of self-determination and a job satisfaction ratio.

著者

Nobuo TAKAHASHI Hirofumi OHKAWA Nobuyuki INAMIZU

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.4, pp.231-242, 2014-08-15 (Released:2014-08-15)

参考文献数

21

被引用文献数

8 15

---

The perspective index (Takahashi, 2014) was tested in a company that has been successful in the process of organizational reform, Company X. An exhaustive survey (Survey X) for all employees was conducted once a fiscal year from 2004 to 2013. According to Survey X, over 13,000 employees showed near-perfect linearity between perspective index and job satisfaction ratio/turnover candidate ratio. Each occupational and rank category also showed a near-straight line, although the values greatly varied per year before and after organizational reform. However, the incline and intercept points of the lines somewhat differed contingent on the occupational and rank category. This might explain the difference between data from Survey X and that of the JPC Survey conducted in Takahashi (2014).

著者

Kenichi KUWASHIMA

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.4, pp.215-230, 2014-08-15 (Released:2014-08-15)

参考文献数

22

被引用文献数

2 5

---

When explaining organizational decision making, there is often an implicit assumption that an organization makes decisions based on rational principles. However, there are situations in which rationality cannot explain all phenomena. Moreover, even a single organizational decision can be subject to heterogeneous interpretations depending on the model used in an analysis. This paper examines the significance of the models of organizational decision making as an analytical framework by referencing classic studies by Allison (1971) and Lynn (1982). Allison (1971) and Lynn (1982) use multiple models to explain organizational decision making in an effective manner. However, the method in which they use these models differs. Allison (1971) analyzes the Cuban Missile Crisis using three models, and provides three different interpretations concerning decisions made by the U.S. and Soviet Union. In other words, Allison uses more than one model to analyze a single phenomenon to explain the event from different perspectives. On the other hand, Lynn (1892), who explains the decision-making process of Japanese and U.S. steelmakers by analyzing their adoption of new technology, chooses a single model for each company. In providing an analysis, Lynn compares several models and selects the one that is likely to have the most explanatory power. To provide an analysis of organizational decision making in an effective manner, it is necessary to remember the importance of models as an analytical framework and then decide whether to adopt Allison's method (the use of multiple models that provide explanations from several perspectives) or Lynn's method (an explanation using the most optimal model). It is important to decide which method to use based on the purpose of the analysis.

著者

Koji YAMADA

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.4, pp.199-214, 2014-08-15 (Released:2014-08-15)

参考文献数

23

被引用文献数

2 2

---

It is common knowledge that expansion in the scale of production leads to economies of scale. A correlation between economies and scale does exist. However, the reality on the shop floor, in Japanese, “gemba,” in actual manufacturing is that productivity increases and that there is expansion of production volumes through “flow creation” for the entire production process. Previous studies demonstrated how flow creation has led to increased productivity and expansion of production volumes even in relation to the production system for the Model T Ford, which is considered as a typical example of a large range cost reduction (i.e., an increase in productivity that was achieved through mass production). For example, expansion of production volumes occurs simultaneously as productivity increases due to a succession of standardizations such as the standardization of components, production processes, and operations. That is, there is highly likely a spurious correlation between productivity and production volumes. Increased production does not guarantee increased productivity. In fact, that was the case with the Model T Ford.

著者

Mizuki KOBAYASHI

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.4, pp.183-197, 2014-08-15 (Released:2014-08-15)

参考文献数

13

被引用文献数

1 2

---

Present literatures highlight that the presence of Japanese-speaking human resources in Dalian, China has formed a high-tech agglomeration in Dalian, which attracts many Japanese companies. However, that is a simplistic answer. This paper identifies that the software development outsourcing industry in Dalian is formed by three phases, First, the major role played by Japanese companies in China on the creation of skilled labor in the initial phase of the agglomeration. Second, Chinese companies that have become the core companies of the agglomeration through doing business with Japanese companies developed Japanese-speaking human resources as their own as a means of attracting Japanese customers. Third, new comers can utilize the skilled labor market which is formed by those human resource spun off of foreign-owned firms and core local firms.

著者

Atsushi AKIIKE

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.3, pp.169-181, 2014-06-15 (Released:2014-06-15)

参考文献数

31

被引用文献数

1 6

---

There are two types of innovation: technology innovation and design innovation. Each type has a positive effect on corporate performance. However, results of our analysis on the appearance, user friendliness, and technological functionality of cellular phones between 2005 and 2010 show that in the years 2005–2007, when TV functionality was introduced in cellular phones, cellular phone manufacturers sacrificed appearance instead of improving functionality. However, this issue was resolved in 2008–2010, and companies succeeded in simultaneously attaining appearance and user friendliness. In other words, it has become clear that companies in the Japanese market first tend to prioritize functionality through technology innovation than appearance (i.e., industrial design), and then later tend to simultaneously pursue both appearance and user friendliness through design innovation.

著者

Yukari MIZUNO

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.3, pp.153-168, 2014-06-15 (Released:2014-06-15)

参考文献数

25

被引用文献数

2

---

Collective strategy, which allows small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take on orders that a single company with its limited technical resources cannot, does not function in practice. However, Kyoto Shisaku Net (literally, “Kyoto Prototyping Network”) is a group of companies that uses collective strategy to aggressively take on projects that other companies turn down for reasons such as “the specifications aren't finalized,” “there is no way to estimate the cost of this project,” and “common sense tells us that is an impossible request.” There are three reasons for the creation of this virtuous circle: 1) In the Kyoto Shisaku Net participation stage, member companies of the Net participate with the understanding that it is a place to practice the “five percent rule,” wherein companies devote five percent of their profit and time to new efforts, company growth, and opportunities for innovation. 2) In the prototyping stage, employees are motivated by participating in cutting-edge R&D, and the companies gain knowledge related to R&D. 3) After the prototyping stage, companies accumulate experience by taking on cutting-edge projects and can stop the vicious circle SMEs find themselves wherein they do not have the experience to win orders. In this manner, Kyoto Shisaku Net has created a virtuous circle mechanism that functions as a collective strategy by aggressively working on cutting-edge prototypes.

著者

Hidenori SATO

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.3, pp.141-151, 2014-06-15 (Released:2014-06-15)

参考文献数

19

被引用文献数

6 8

---

Changes in organizational identity have been a particular focus of discussion in research to date. Prior studies have noted that organizational identity changes through interactions with images from external sources and that this changes behavior in organizations. However, because it is unclear what agent is choosing a new organizational identity, the dynamism of the phenomena is not well understood. Thus, when considering changes in organizational identity, why a particular organizational identity is selected and a determination of whether there are changes are necessarily vague. This study asserts the importance of managers as agents of choice in understanding changes in organizational identity. Within organizations, a better understanding is required regarding the role of higher-level managers in an organizations hierarchy in the process of political negotiations and decision making, in which a certain organizational identity acquires legitimacy.

著者

Nobuo TAKAHASHI

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.3, pp.129-140, 2014-06-15 (Released:2014-06-15)

参考文献数

27

被引用文献数

11 17

---

Do members of Japanese companies behave according to Takahashi's (1996a, 2013b) leaning on future principle? This paper attempts to directly validate this, focusing on organization members' decision to participate, that is, whether organization members continue to participate in the organization or leave the organization, and to clarify the underlying reasons behind the decision to participate from the viewpoint of the future parameter. This paper adopts Takahashi's (1996a) “perspective index” as a future parameter. Using data from the JPC Survey, an annual survey of around 9,000 people taken from 1992 to 2000, the perspective index can adequately explain job satisfaction and turnover candidates: Near-perfect linearity between perspective index and job satisfaction ratio/turnover candidate ratio. This paper also shows that as the perspective index rises, the correlation between job satisfaction and turnover candidates disappears. Only when the future parameter remains at a low level, we can observe the correlation between job satisfaction and turnover candidates in Japanese companies.