Engineers and engineering in the US and Japan: a critical review of the literature and suggestions for a new research agenda

Researchers have identified a number of interesting differences between engineers and the practice of engineering in Japan and the US (and, to a lesser extent, other countries). They have found that: Japan graduates more engineers per capita than the US; Japanese engineers seem to stay in the practice of engineering longer than their US counterparts; Japanese firms perform more of the post bachelor degree level education and training of engineers than US firms; Japanese universities seem to emphasize teamwork more and business education less than US universities; Japanese firms have less rigid job boundaries than US firms; high performing Japanese firms have more overlap between functions and have developed distinctive ways of handling new product development such as the use of heavy weight project managers. On the other hand, empirical studies so far do not seem to show that "culture" has made much difference in the practice of engineering between the US and Japan. This paper reviews these findings and the implications that have been drawn from them. It goes on to suggest that while this research has provided many useful ideas and models for US managers, in other areas it has stopped short of examining the consequences of what has been found. The result has been the loss of opportunities for policy makers, educators, managers, and social theorists