Telework in Japan: Perceptions and Implementation Kunihiko Higa and Janaka Wijayanayake Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Graduate School of Decision Science and Technology Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1 O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152, Japan {khiga, janaka}@me.titech.ac.jp Abstract It is believed that telework has numerous benefits for individuals, organizations, and the whole society. Despite the expected benefits, adoption and diffusion of telework have been considerably slow. In Japan, the adoption rate of telework is said to be lower compared with other industrialize countries. The aim of this research is to examine the telework implementation status and the perceptions of workers and management toward telework and thereby identify the problems causing for the slow adoption of telework in Japan. This paper presents a survey study based on 1,134 workers and 463 organizations in Japan. The adoption patterns of three telework types (satellite office, telecommuting, and mobile work) in different areas and by the size of organizations are discussed, and perceptions of workers and management are presented. Reasons for different patterns of adoption and future proliferation of telework in Japan are also discussed. 1. Introduction Japan has faced various problems, such as over crowded cities and uncontrollable environmental problems due to concentration of industries and business activities in big cities. In particular, the problems such as high land price, heavy traffic jams, and long commuting time in Tokyo and its vicinity are serious and appear to be a never ending problem. However, many of these problems can be solved by implementing telework. In Japan, the rapid development in information technology and the growth in digital networks provide required infrastructure for effective implementation of telework projects. However, the adoption of telework in Japan has not been as widely implemented as one has expected despite the relatively advanced information infrastructure. In fact, it is said that adoption rate in Japan is considerably low compared to other industrialized countries [5]. The overall aim of this research is to examine the current status of telework implementation and perceptions of workers and management about the telework in Japan, and thereby identify the problems caused for the slow adoption of telework. Telework has the ability of redrawing the geographical and organizational boundaries of the traditional organizations. Thereby it provides autonomy, control, flexibility, and convenience for workers and results in higher productivity and cost reduction for organizations. As global competition grows and more and more countries entering to the international market, Japanese firms need to find ways to increase organizational flexibility to adjust to the turbulent global market environment. Telework can be a viable option for Japanese organizations as a strategic tool to compete in the global market. 1060-3425/98 $10.00 (c) 1998 IEEE