Faderliga företagare i Sverige och Japan

This book compares the historical development of corporate paternalism (in Swedish, patriarkalism) in Sweden and Japan. Paternalistic social relationships have often been considered characteristic of premodern societies; however, corporate paternalism as a phenomenon has been repeatedly occurring since industrialization and modernization. This book, in its attempt to understand this long-term recurring phenomenon, regards corporate paternalism to be a management strategy that strengthens corporate identity by offering employees various benefits to encourage them to stay in the company and assist in its development. Therefore, the question is what types of issues are faced by the companies that choose to implement this strategy. Other important topics that emerge are whether the issues faced in Sweden and Japan are similar and whether social and cultural differences between the two countries contribute to differences in how they are manifested. Furthermore, focusing on corporate paternalism and its historical development may clarify the similarities and differences in the two countries’ socioeconomic development.
 
However, making only vague comparisons without any points of reference, even by considering the above topics and intentions, does not satisfactorily settle the matter. Focusing on the contemporary similarities of the issues faced by companies, the authors divide the historical development of corporate paternalism into three stages: authoritarian paternalism, didactic paternalism, and neo-paternalism. Authoritarian paternalism emerged as modern corporations became independent in the face of the first-generation working class, which in the industrialization age retained vestiges of the pre-industrial era ethos and behavior patterns. Didactic paternalism is a form of paternalism that companies adopted for dealing with the organization of the working class as the institution of the corporation took shape and developed during the Second Industrial Revolution. Neo-paternalism is a form of paternalism that emerged in mass-consumption society as most employees began receiving more than a secondary education, while witnessing the end of the period of rapid economic growth, and as the conventional mass production and consumption system became unsustainable.
 
However, considering paternalism only from the viewpoint of corporate entities may lead us to misjudge the actual situation. We should also examine why and to what extent employees (laborers) have accepted paternalism. We can understand the dynamics of the formation, development, and decline of corporate paternalism by viewing it from the perspective of the corporate–employee relation. Moreover, we must not overlook the role of the state in the historical development of corporate paternalism. For instance, the book points out that, in Sweden, corporate paternalism impaired the meaning of welfare and benefits provided to employees by the company with the growth of the welfare state. Thus, this book compares the historical development of corporate paternalism in both Sweden and Japan by considering these perspectives.
 

(Written by Shunji Ishihara, Professor, Graduate School of Economics / 2016)