Adapting the Japanese Management Style at Musoshi Mine in Katanga, 1965-2004

Abstract

This article investigates the development of Musoshi mine to produce copper metal in Katanga. It builds on available primary archives and statements from the memories of managers and miners interviewed during the field works. It aims to analyze the adaptability of the Japanese management, especially the perception of Congolese senior managers of Sodimico. Although the government expected that the Japanese investment would be neutral, the evidence reveals that the Japanese managers refrained from training the local employees in order to take responsibilities in the company's management. Also, the Japanese management style adapted successfully at Musoshi mine, particularly in favor of the blue-collar workers. But, the middle and senior Congolese managers do not perceive positively the fact that Japanese investors send their own managers to Musoshi mine. The interference of government and mismanagement of funds constitute the determinant factors in the collapse of the output. The study of Sodimico shows the general patterns of public companies in developing countries. The dependent government formed after the colonial experience does not possess the productively means to combine meaningfully the endowed resources for economic growth.