• Search Research Projects
  • Search Researchers
  • How to Use
  1. Back to previous page

Why kaizen is difficult to be transferred abroad? An empirical study on the relationship between employee anxiety and kaizen performance

Research Project

Project/Area Number 20K01878
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 07080:Business administration-related
Research InstitutionYokohama National University

Principal Investigator

Yokozawa Kodo  横浜国立大学, 大学院国際社会科学研究院, 准教授 (20636394)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 柴田 裕通  横浜国立大学, 大学院国際社会科学研究院, 名誉教授 (10280843)
Project Period (FY) 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000)
Keywords改善活動 / 不安 / 改善成果 / 改善行動 / 生産管理 / 改善 / 不安感 / 技術者 / 危機感 / 革新行動
Outline of Research at the Start

これまで経営学分野ではあまり焦点が当てられてこなかった「個人の不安感」に着目し、製造現場における「改善提案活動の成果」との関係について実証研究を行う。認知科学の見地から、ある程度の不安感を持っている従業員のほうが、改善提案活動に対して高い成果を発揮する可能性があることが明らかになった。本調査は、従業員のある程度の不安感が現場改善活動に正に影響するという仮説を実証することが目的である。さらに日本人は他民族と比較しても、不安感が高い可能性があることが既存研究から推察可能なことから、なぜ海外拠点へ改善提案活動の移転が容易か/困難かという理由を従業員特性という独自の視点から根本的な解明を目指す。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Building upon Imai's (1986) original observation that anxiety can facilitate kaizen, our study (Yokozawa et al., 2021) sought to further understand the relationship between anxiety and individual-level kaizen performance. In particular, we investigated the influence of both state and trait anxiety on specific kaizen-related behaviors such as rule adherence, proactiveness, and perseverance. State anxiety refers to situational feelings of anxiety, while trait anxiety reflects enduring personality traits related to anxiety. To conduct our research, we gathered a sample of 552 employees from four Japanese companies and employed statistical analysis techniques to analyze the data. Our findings revealed that state anxiety primarily impacts short-term improvement outcomes, whereas trait anxiety significantly influences long-term outcomes. These results provide partial support for Imai's (1986) original argument concerning the connection between anxiety and kaizen.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究結果は、管理者が従業員の状態不安を高め、危機感のある職場環境を作ることで、改善活動を強化できることを示唆している。危機感の付与、ベンチマーキング手法の導入、挑戦的な目標の設定は、改善のパフォーマンス向上に寄与する。また、特性不安が高い社員は、自発性や忍耐力が高く、改善を円滑に実施する上で重要な役割を果たす可能性を示唆している。さらに日本人は他民族と比較しても、不安感が高いことが既存研究から明らかになっている。今回の研究の成果を踏まえると、日本で現場改善活動がうまく回り、改善提案活動が海外への移転が困難であるという背景には、日本人従業員の不安が高いからである可能性を示唆している。

Report

(4 results)
  • 2022 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (30 results)

All 2022 2021 2020 Other

All Int'l Joint Research (2 results) Journal Article (13 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 5 results,  Peer Reviewed: 10 results,  Open Access: 1 results) Presentation (13 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 10 results,  Invited: 2 results) Book (2 results)

  • [Int'l Joint Research] VNU, Vietnam Japan University/National Economics University(ベトナム)

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] FPT大学(ベトナム)

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Unexplored antecedents of agent opportunism in buyer-supplier relationships: An interviewed-based exploratory study2022

    • Author(s)
      T. X. T. Pham, K. Yokozawa and N. Anh
    • Journal Title

      Operations and Supply Chain Management: An International Journal

      Volume: 15 Pages: 373-385

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Psychological mechanisms of “sustaining” individual kaizen activities: A conceptual model2022

    • Author(s)
      K. Yokozawa, T. X. T. Pham, H. A. Nguyen and H. T. X. Phung
    • Journal Title

      The 6th World Conference on Production and Operations Management (P&OM) proceedings

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Effect of anxiety on work engagement: Empirical evidence from Vietnam2022

    • Author(s)
      T. V. Thu, K. Yokozawa, P. T. Huy and H. A. Nguyen
    • Journal Title

      The 3rd International Conference on Research in Management & Technovation (ICRMAT) proceedings

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Concept, theoretical foundation, and significance of management sensitivity2022

    • Author(s)
      H. T. X. Phung, K. Yokozawa and T. Kimura
    • Journal Title

      The 6th World Conference on Production and Operations Management (P&OM) proceedings

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] The impacts of boundary spanning capability, integrity on opportunism: The moderating roles of longterm orientation2022

    • Author(s)
      T. X. T. Pham and K. Yokozawa
    • Journal Title

      29th Annual European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) conference proceedings

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Role of a Sense of Urgency in Driving Employees’ Innovative Behavior: Empirical Evidence from Japan2022

    • Author(s)
      Nguyen Hao Anh、Yokozawa Kodo、Takagi Toru、Wolput Tim
    • Journal Title

      Academy of Management Proceedings

      Volume: 2022 Pages: 1-39

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Contribution of a sense of urgency to employees' collaborative behavior and job performance: Empirical evidence from Japan2022

    • Author(s)
      H. A. Nguyen and K. Yokozawa
    • Journal Title

      The 6th World Conference on Production and Operations Management (P&OM) proceedings

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Role of personal anxiety in individual kaizen behaviour and performance: evidence from Japan2021

    • Author(s)
      Yokozawa Kodo、Nguyen Hao Anh、Tran Thi Bich Hanh
    • Journal Title

      International Journal of Operations & Production Management

      Volume: 41 Issue: 6 Pages: 942-961

    • DOI

      10.1108/ijopm-09-2020-0670

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] The role of a sense of urgency in driving employee innovative behavior: A conceptual model2021

    • Author(s)
      Hao Anh Nguyen, Kodo Yokozawa, Toru Takagi, Tim Wolput
    • Journal Title

      EurOMA Conference proceedings

      Volume: 無(DVDのため)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] The impact of trust and intimacy on opportunism: The moderating roles of alternative supplier and job demand2021

    • Author(s)
      Thoa Pham, Kodo Yokozawa
    • Journal Title

      EurOMA Conference proceedings

      Volume: 無(DVDのため)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] 個人レベルの不安感と改善活動の成果との関係性2020

    • Author(s)
      横澤 公道
    • Journal Title

      組織学会大会論文集

      Volume: 9 Pages: 57-63

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Factors influencing on opportunism in retailer supplier relationship: An exploratory research2020

    • Author(s)
      Pham Thi Xuan Thoa, Kodo Yokozawa
    • Journal Title

      EurOMA Conference Proceedings

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Anxiety that drives kaizen: When does anxiety facilitate or hamper kaizen?2020

    • Author(s)
      Kodo Yokozawa, Thi Bich Hanh Tran
    • Journal Title

      EurOMA Conference Proceedings

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Psychological mechanisms of “sustaining” individual kaizen activities: A conceptual model2022

    • Author(s)
      K. Yokozawa, T. X. T. Pham, H. A. Nguyen and H. T. X. Phung
    • Organizer
      The 6th World Conference on Production and Operations Management (P&OM) Nara, Japan
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Concept, theoretical foundation, and significance of management sensitivity2022

    • Author(s)
      H. T. X. Phung, K. Yokozawa and T. Kimura
    • Organizer
      The 6th World Conference on Production and Operations Management (P&OM) Nara, Japan
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] H. A. Nguyen and K. Yokozawa2022

    • Author(s)
      Contribution of a sense of urgency to employees' collaborative behavior and job performance: Empirical evidence from Japan
    • Organizer
      The 6th World Conference on Production and Operations Management (P&OM) Nara, Japan
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Effect of anxiety on work engagement: Empirical evidence from Vietnam2022

    • Author(s)
      T. V. Thu, K. Yokozawa, P. T. Huy and H. A. Nguyen
    • Organizer
      The 3rd International Conference on Research in Management & Technovation (ICRMAT) Da Nang Vietnam
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The impacts of boundary spanning capability, integrity on opportunism: The moderating roles of longterm orientation2022

    • Author(s)
      T. X. T. Pham and K. Yokozawa
    • Organizer
      29th Annual European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) conference proceedings Berlin Germany
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Role of a Sense of Urgency in Driving Employees’ Innovative Behavior: Empirical Evidence from Japan2022

    • Author(s)
      H. A. Nguyen, K. Yokozawa, T. Takagi and T. Wolput
    • Organizer
      Academy of Management
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] 改善提案活動における個人不安の役割 改善の国際移転の可能性の考察2021

    • Author(s)
      横澤公道
    • Organizer
      東京大学大学院経済学研究科 経営学ワークショップ
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Role of Personal Anxiety in Individual Kaizen Behaviour and Performance2021

    • Author(s)
      横澤公道
    • Organizer
      RIEB Seminar Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] The role of a sense of urgency in driving employee innovative behavior: A conceptual model2021

    • Author(s)
      Hao Anh Nguyen, Kodo Yokozawa
    • Organizer
      28th International EurOMA Conference 2021
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The impact of trust and intimacy on opportunism: The moderating roles of alternative supplier and job demand2021

    • Author(s)
      Thoa Pham, Kodo Yokozawa
    • Organizer
      28th International EurOMA Conference 2021
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Do trust and intimacy really reduce opportunism?: The moderating roles of alternative suppliers and job demands2021

    • Author(s)
      Thoa Pham, Kodo Yokozawa
    • Organizer
      The 13th Annual Conference of Japanese Operations Management and Strategy Association
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Towards an Economic Theory of Lean2021

    • Author(s)
      Eivind Reke, Daryl Powel, Kodo Yokozawa
    • Organizer
      IFIP International Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] 個人レベルの不安感と改善活動の成果との関係性:-概念モデルと研究意義-2020

    • Author(s)
      横澤公道
    • Organizer
      組織学会
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Book] Towards an Economic Theory of Lean (Book Chapter)2021

    • Author(s)
      Eivind Reke, Daryl Powel, Kodo Yokozawa
    • Total Pages
      9
    • Publisher
      Springer
    • ISBN
      9783030858735
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Book] Operations Management in Japan: The Efficiency of Japanese Manufacturing2021

    • Author(s)
      Shibata, Hiromichi
    • Total Pages
      180
    • Publisher
      Routledge
    • ISBN
      9781032030142
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report

URL: 

Published: 2020-04-28   Modified: 2024-01-30  

Information User Guide FAQ News Terms of Use Attribution of KAKENHI

Powered by NII kakenhi