Relationships are based on reciprocity not obedience, reward structures value loyalty – loyalty is more important that achievement.
The system of ‘ko’ (duties to parents) and ‘on’ (reciprocity of the family) is the “institutional logic for Japanese management practice.
Example: From an examination of the institutional logic of Japanese management based on traditional family structures.
Source: Bhappu, A.D. (2000). The Japanese family: an institutional logic for Japanese corporate networks and Japanese management. The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 409-415.