NCJ Number
175448
Journal
Policing Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: 1997 Pages: 600-608
Date Published
1997
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the impact of Japanese culture on police management and operations and the extent to which Japanese police institutions are influenced by culture.
Abstract
Ouchi's theory Z of corporate management in Japan involves seven principles: lifetime employment, slow evaluation and promotion, nonspecialized career paths, implicit control mechanisms, collective decision-making, collective responsibility, and holistic concern. Central to the Japanese is the concept of "groupism," the idea that collective needs and goals of all employees are more important than individual needs. Consistent with the concept of groupism, urban police play an especially important role in carrying out police affairs as a team relative to the community. Japanese police officers must interview every household on their beat twice a year to understand problems and changing neighborhood dynamics. The career of a police officer is a lifetime commitment for both the police officer and his or her family. Nonspecialized career paths are directly related to achieving rank through a tiered promotional system. Japanese culture plays a significant role in police management, and how Japanese management principles can be applied to community policing in other countries is discussed. 26 references and 2 notes