The Japanese

Attempts made to explain the secret of Japanese business success in the 1970s by such writers as Ouchi (1981) and Pascale and Athos (1981) led to the theory that the best way to motivate people is to get their full commitment to the values of the organization by leadership and involvement. This might be called the ‘hearts and minds’ approach to motivation, and among other things it popularized such devices as quality circles.


The baton was taken up by Peters and Waterman (1982) and their imitators later in the 1980s. This approach to excellence was summed up by Peters and Austin (1985) when they wrote, again somewhat idealistically, ‘Trust people and treat them like adults, enthuse them by lively and imaginative leadership, develop and demonstrate an obsession for quality, make them feel they own the business, and your workforce will respond with total commitment.’


Problems with the Concept of Commitment


A number of commentators have raised questions about the concept of commitment. These relate to three main problem areas: first, its unitary frame of reference; second, commitment as an inhibitor of flexibility; and third, whether high commitment does in practice result in improved organizational performance.