Japanese Management - Is It Possible in Western Cultures?

Conclusion
Perceptions of Japanese management have fundamentally altered. Following the country’s downturn in economic fortunes, many Japanese practices have been criticised as outdated and suitable for a developing rather than a mature economy. Some features, such as kaizen, just-in-time, and total quality management, have been adopted into mainstream management practices. The majority of Japanese management practices, however, are increasingly seen as unsuitable in the global knowledge economy, where the ability to respond to unpredictable and rapid advances in technology is a key factor in developing a competitive edge.
The culture of Japanese management so famous in the West is generally limited to Japan's large corporations. These flagships of the Japanese economy provide their workers with excellent salaries and working conditions and secure employment. These companies and their employees are the business elite of Japan.
Some of the main characteristics that Japanese management have are: participative decision making, bottom-up management, lifetime employment, "amae-dependency relationships", lean production, total quality management, total cost management, and infrastructure support. To take all these elements from the Japanese management and try to use them in the west as goals would probably be beneficial. However, to take them as a methodology without realizing the enormous cultural base on which they rest and which makes them successful in their setting is to risk to failure.
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