The Iron Fist in the Velvet Glove: Management and Organization in Japanese Manufacturing Transplants in Wales

This paper assesses the transferability of a Japanese form of manufacturing organization to an alien institutional environment ‐ the Principality of Wales in the UK. After characterizing what we mean by a ‘Japanese form of manufacturing organization’ and the arrival of Japanese companies in Wales, we describe the forms of organization, day‐to‐day management and working practices which have been established. Our conclusion is that the Japanese form of manufacturing organization has been re‐created on Welsh soil, and that any ‘adaptations’ are not such as to alter the fundamental features of the new organizational form.