Commitment, Quits, and Work Organization in Japanese and U.S. Plants

INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS REVIEW, Oct. 1996

Posted: 19 May 1998

See all articles by James R. Lincoln

James R. Lincoln

University of California, Berkeley - Organizational Behavior & Industrial Relations Group

Arne L. Kalleberg

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Sociology

Abstract

This comparative analysis, using early 1980s data from management interviews, employee questionnaire surveys, and personnel office employment records in 41 manufacturing plants in Japan and 45 in the United States, explores how employee commitment to the firm is shaped by organizational structure, employment practice, and other attributes of factories. The authors investigate both behavioral and attitudinal dimensions of commitment, measured respectively by quit records and survey responses. The results for both dimensions generally support the model of "welfare corporatism" as a commitment-maximizing organizational form in Japanese and U.S. industrial capitalism. Qualifying that conclusion, however, are several noteworthy differences between the countries: unionization, formal work rules, and on-the-job training, for example, appear to have negative effects on the commitment of U.S. workers that are absent in Japan.

JEL Classification: J5, J24, J63, L60

Suggested Citation

Lincoln, James R. and Kalleberg, Arne L., Commitment, Quits, and Work Organization in Japanese and U.S. Plants. INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS REVIEW, Oct. 1996, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3130

James R. Lincoln (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley - Organizational Behavior & Industrial Relations Group ( email )

545 Student Services Building
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
510-642-3657 (Phone)
510-642-2826 (Fax)

Arne L. Kalleberg

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Sociology ( email )

Chapel Hill, NC 27599
United States

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