How Companies Heal and Maintain Health: A Unique Function of Corporate Museums in Japan

Authors

Aki Kinjo, Gakushuin Women’s CollegeFollow

Keywords

capitalism, corporate museums, narratives, Isuzu, Volvo

Abstract

Capitalism is embedded in our civilization. Despite its faults, weaknesses, and sins, modern civilization cannot prosper without capitalism. Companies are the engine of capitalism. Yet, just like humans, companies make mistakes, sometimes gross. How do companies overcome unforgivable mistakes? This paper argues that corporate museums in Japan play an important role in helping companies heal from their sufferings, recover, and maintain organizational health.

I deploy a cultural approach to management, analyzing corporate museums as a platform for conveying explicit and hidden narratives. A cultural approach to Japanese management helps us understand why Japan has so many corporate museums, well over one hundred. Japanese corporate museums are platforms for marketing and self-promotion. They also function as temples and shrines that represent transcendence, implying that Japanese capitalism is not as simplistic as its Anglo-Saxon counterpart, which is driven by insatiable greed.

Recommended Citation

Kinjo, Aki (2025) "How Companies Heal and Maintain Health: A Unique Function of Corporate Museums in Japan," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 92: No. 1, Article 8.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol92/iss1/8