Japanese firms in the fiercely competitive electronics and consumer communications industries have established an outstanding global reputation and become key role models for companies based in other Asian countries, notably China, Taiwan and South Korea. However, these Japanese success stories have not necessarily followed conventional Western models of corporate management.

Basing his findings on in-depth case studies and personal experience, the author looks at the underlying reasons for their competence. He develops a new and distinctively Japanese corporate framework, the Knowledge Integration Model, to focus on these firms’ vertical and horizontal corporate boundaries and the way knowledge is disseminated (and new knowledge created) through dynamic human networks both within and outside the firms. Finally, he examines the lessons that Asian businesses continue to learn, from the Japanese management model, in terms of vertical integration, teamwork, collaboration and co-evolution with competitor firms.

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