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Reality and Function of Organizational Politics in Japanese Companies at the Time of New Proposals

OHSHIMA Remi(Mejiro University)

HIROKAWA Keiko(Rikkyo University)

Organizational politics is an issue for all corporate employees but there are not many empirical studies in Japan. Therefore,in this study,we examined the reality and function of organizational politics in Japanese companies. The subjects were 7 managers (managers and team leaders; 5 men and 2 women) working in large Japanese companies with over 1,000 employees. In order to grasp the actual state of politics within the organization,data was obtained from semi-structured interviews,and the results were integrated using the KJ method under the nameplates “Ⅰ. Do well with others other to advance work” and “Ⅱ. Follow roles and procedures”. The results show that managers of Japanese companies show a tendency to carry out their work while observing officially recognized rules. In addition,in order to make proposals in a short time or to create an environment where it is easy to work even after passing proposals,organizational politics were functional. Based on these results,organizational politics were organized into three positive functions: (a) control function,(b) stagnation avoidance function,and (c) harmony function.

Keyword : organizational politics, Japanese company, decision making

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