ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION This chapter examines life inside a single Japanese auto transplant located in the Midwest corridor of the United States. Although it is a case study, management characteristics of this non-union transplant are typically found in other Japanese auto transplants including schemes such as workteams, systems of task rotation, a minimum number of job classifications, and worker involvement in quality control (Florida and Kenney 1991). Each transplant has a flat management structure, a single cafeteria, the same type of uniform is worn by top executives and workers, and all levels of management work together in a single, open office (with the exception of Nissan which has status distinctions such as private offices and no uniforms for top level management) (Florida and Kenney 1991). Beyond similar organizational arrangements and management schemes, with few exceptions, the auto transplants have located in areas with similar geographic and economic characteristics (Perrucci 1994). The majority have chosen to locate in the Midwest corridor where the economic context is sustained unemployment, factory closures, and a collapse of manufacturing (Perrucci 1994). Therefore, it is safe to say that this particular transplant is not exceptional and, on the whole, appears to be a fair representation of the Japanese auto transplant ‘model’.
