Management in Japanese Companies: An Evolving Strategic People Perspective

Given Japan's unique position as the first developed economy in Asia, comprehending management in Japanese companies holds significant implications for both the emerging economies in Asia and those around the world. This chapter explores the contribution of Japanese management to the Western management literature from a strategic people management perspective. The study reviews the publications on Japanese management using data obtained from the Web of Science. Over six decades, Japanese management-focused publications have evolved in tandem with changes in socio-economic contexts. The review is conducted through the lens of a strategic people perspective, focusing on key aspects such as people, knowledge, learning, culture, leadership, and networking. The literature review is supplemented with qualitative data collected through interviews and dynamic groups. This chapter is structured as follows: after introducing the motivation for this research in the introduction, the theoretical background of strategic people management is presented to explain the rationale for choosing this study, distinguishing it from the traditional field of strategic human resource management. The research methodology section is then presented, followed by results presented in three subsections. Discussions focus on the potential further development of Japanese management for sustainability, emphasizing learning from the culture within Japanese management.