Design of Organizations and Jobs: Sociotechnical Principles and Japanese Practice

Principles for the design of jobs and organizations have evolved from both theory and experiences in the application of sociotechnical and “quality of work life” concepts. In parallel with this development, the Japanese have put in place some organizations that perform well and have quite distinctive features from those generally seen in the U.S. This paper examines some of the Japanese designs in the context of the “Western” sociotechnical theory.