Inside the Kaisha

Inside the Kaisha is an in-depth and sensitive exploration by a Japanese middle manager - a salaryman now in his thirties, who spent five years at Sumitomo Bank - and an American professor. Only after leaving Sumitomo could Noboru Yoshimura write this book; no Japanese employee currently inside a Japanese organization could report and interpret with such honesty and perspective without fear of rejection. Collaborating with Anderson, who was determined to teach his management students from a global perspective, Yoshimura interviewed dozens of salarymen to paint a distinctive picture of Japanese organizational life - as told to one of their own. Yoshimura and Anderson unravel six apparent contradictions in Japanese business conduct - such as why Japanese firms emphasize cooperation yet display fiercely competitive behavior, and why so much ambiguity can coexist with careful attention to documentation, precision, and clear rules. The results of their investigation will help all those who do business with the Japanese (whether as suppliers, customers, allies, or rivals) understand and step into the world of the salaryman.