Work in Japan’s Mainstream Modernity: The salaryman, the OL, and beyond
I. Introduction to Japan, Inc.
A. Savers and workers: What the world admired (and feared) about Japan from the 1960s to the 1990s
B. The geometries of Japan, Inc.
II. The Japanese company as the pangolin of economic modernity
A. Its features
- Full-career employment commitment (“lifetime employment”)
- Bottom-up recruitment of high school and college graduates
- Pay and promotion primarily by years of service
- Company unions and other secondary features
B. Was the Japanese company form rational? Was it modern?
III. How did the Japanese company work?
A. The circle of teamwork, the rectangle of seniority, and the triangle of competition
B. How to mediate these vectors? Small work groups, senior-junior dyads, organizational culture, and corporate socialization
C. Where did the OLs fit in? Their structural location, their behavioral expectations, and the balance of power in the workplace
D. Where did the blue-collar factory workers fit in?
E. And what happens when the model didn’t work?
IV. The cushions around the core
A. Limits of the Japanese company
B. Subsidiary companies, satellite agencies, and subcontractor chains
C. Temporary workers (part-timers and contract workers)
D. Small businesses (factories and retail shops)
E. Day laborers and other marginal workers
V. Questions to think about
A. How can we use our three concepts (national projects, mainstream consciousness, and structured diversity) to understand this organization of work?
B. What are some of the ways that this organization of work connects with the organization of schooling and family life?
C. How can we use evidence from our three companies (Ueda Bank, Brother Industries, and Fuji Film) to illustrate this organization of work?
D. Is the periphery of cushions for second-choice, last-resort jobs or does it offer desirable work alternatives?