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In the midst of transition: Salaryman senryū poems and the perception of workplace change

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  • Spinks Wendy A.

    (Professor of Management Science at the Tokyo University of Science (RIKADAI).)

Abstract

This paper analyzes a set of 9,035 salaryman senryū poems over an eighteen-year period (1990–2007) in order to track salaryman reactions to workplace transition from an organizational behavioralist perspective. Major findings include: (i) the number of submissions and votes for the major poetry competition, Salaryman Senryū, have been falling since 1994, suggesting a decline in shared salaryman mentality; (ii) there has been a shift in the relative importance of broad themes, so that the workplace as a category of senryū poems is of less centrality in 2007 than it was in 1990; (iii) within the workplace category, (negative) interpersonal relations, especially with supervisors, still dominate; and (iv) workstyle is also a strong subtheme, with workers showing more interest in work processes than actual work conditions. The analysis also shows that the years 1996 and 1997 are a watershed where poems shift from a more jocular to strident tone. The overall implication of the study is a potential breach of the social contract between Japanese employers and regular employees, which will require the assiduous application of supportive employment practices (SEP) in order to ensure a high level of employee performance and engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Spinks Wendy A., 2011. "In the midst of transition: Salaryman senryū poems and the perception of workplace change," Contemporary Japan, De Gruyter, vol. 23(2), pages 187-212, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:conjap:v:23:y:2011:i:2:p:187-212:n:4
    DOI: 10.1515/cj.2011.010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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