The Japanese View of Business and Work

Abstract

Technological progress is directly related to the vocational philosophy adhered to by a society. Both East and West traditionally viewed labor with contempt. However, with the emergence of guilds in medieval Europe, each occupation had a duty to contribute to society and a position corresponding to its value. Yet, traditional, conservative views toward technology stifled innovation. A major breakthrough occurred with the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s concept of a “calling” suggested that an occupation was a job given by God and a sacred duty. The Puritans expanded upon this reconception. Profit was praised as a moral and spiritual achievement; the road to riches coincided with the road to virtue. As a result, a spiritual revolution of occupation ethics laid the groundwork for the technological advances of the industrial revolution.

The emphasis upon diligence characteristic of the Japanese work ethos derives from religion, philosophy, and culture. Attitudes towards work within Japanese society have evolved from the Tokugawa Era through the Meiji Era and into the postwar present. Basing his teachings upon a kind of natural law theory, eighteenth century philosopher Baigan Ishida preached the virtue of work and management reminiscent of Max Weber’s “spirit of capitalism”. Thrift, honesty, sincerity, rationality, and service were of the highest virtue. Moreover, the Confucian-oriented ideals of the samurai played a crucial role in producing the Meiji entrepreneurs. The ideals of Eiichi Shibusawa concerning independence and autonomy, the unity of moral-economy, rationalism, social responsibility, and other areas have exerted enormous influence. The postwar era has seen the emergence of a new type of business leader, the professional manager, as well as the maturation of modern Japanese management ideals embodied in the 1956 declaration of the “Social Responsibility” of employers by the Keizai-Doyukai. These ideals effectively demonstrate the utility of modern vocational attitudes in the development of new technology.