Organizational Processes of Decoupling in the Rehabilitation Plans of the Japanese National Railways

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K17163
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Management
• Research Institution: Hitotsubashi University
• Principal Investigator: Tsuboyama Yuki 一橋大学, 大学院経営管理研究科, 准教授 (50508645)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 組織論 / 日本国有鉄道

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to explore multiple-level and political process of organizational decoupling, this research project conducted a historical case study of the restructuring plans of the JNR; they were submitted to the Diet, requesting government financial aid, and were based on intentional overestimations of the demand for both passenger and freight businesses. Focusing on the freight business, it examined how different departments with different interests within JNR interacted to make the plan, how employees within each department interacted to make it, and once made, how it affected the substantive activities in the JNR.

Free Research Field

組織論

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

抗えない圧力の下でフォーマルな計画や構造と組織の実態とを脱連結せざるをえず、かつ本来はそうならないように監督すべき立場にあるステークホルダーたちも暗黙のうちに脱連結を促している。このような状況に置かれた公的組織は、昨今の報道を見ても多く存在しているように思われる。本研究は、日本国有鉄道の再建計画における貨物部門の過大な需要想定を事例として、内部資料の分析と聞き取り調査を通じて、そのような組織の実態とダイナミクスを明らかにした。