Back in the late 1970s, as a consultant to several Japanese computer giants, I read everything I could about Japanese business. It was all very interesting—interesting, but not particularly useful. When I became a line manager in 1981, I realized how little of what I’d read had any practical value. I couldn’t control interest rates, the education system, or the culture. Wasn’t there something to learn from the Japanese that I could actually apply in my own managerial role?
A version of this article appeared in the November–December 1990 issue of Harvard Business Review.
