Engineers, management and work organization: a comparative analysis of engineers' work roles in British and Japanese electronics firms

Article Abstract:

Many commentators have attributed the poor performance of British manufacturing to the 'under-representation' of engineers in management, and have proposed policies for bringing more engineers into management so as to develop a technologically oriented management culture. This paper argues that the under-representation of engineers in management is a symptom not the root cause of the problem, which lies in the split between technical and managerial expertise at the enterprise level. Based on a comparative analysis of engineers' work roles and the relationship between technical and managerial functions in British and Japanese electronics firms, the paper argues that the mechanistically structured organization systems in the British firms generate a vertical polarization between technical and managerial roles, inhibit knowledge sharing and lead to the gross under-utilization of engineers in product development. A technologically oriented management cannot simply be achieved by getting more engineers into management. It requires, instead, organizational restructuring and changes in work practices to enable a better integration between technical and managerial expertise. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing, Electronics, Electronic Components and Accessories, Human resource management, Corporations, Electronics industry, Engineers, Corporations, British, Corporations, Japanese

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Organizational learning in multinationals: R&D networks of Japanese and US MNEs in the UK

Article Abstract:

The author comparies subsidiary management of Japanese and United States subsidiaries, finding that United States companies follow an intellectual path, while Japanese companies are more heavily organizational.

Management dynamics, Multinational Corporations, Parent-to-subsidiary activities, Subsidiary-to-parent activities, Subsidiary corporations, Subsidiaries, International business enterprises, Company business management, Subsidiaries, divisions and units

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Are German, Japanese and Anglo-Saxon strategic decision styles still divergent in the context of globalization?

Article Abstract:

A research on strategic decision making in Britain, USA, Germany and Japan is presented. The study examines the impact of globalization on investment decisions and other components of strategic decision styles.

Germany, Decision-making, Decision making, Analysis, Comparative analysis, Strategic planning (Business), Globalization

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