Shaping the Future Through the Use of Innovation: Some Observations on Innovation and Value Changes in Europe

Japan’s phenomenal success in the field of new management techniques and technological innovations, particularly in electronics and new computer systems, has made her economy probably the most competitive in the world. The Japanese society seems to have crossed the threshold to an information society. To the external observer, this remarkable transition appeared to have had no corresponding radical change in the traditional values and historical traditions of Japanese society. This ‘Japanese miracle’ gave rise to numerous studies on how it had been achieved and whether it would or could be transferable to the European and/or American cultural environment.