Abstract
During the early stage of modem industrialization in Japan, workers in large enterprises were organized under management and were as members of the organization. And yet, self employees and small business managers remained important players in the process of industrialization in Japan. These groups typically exhibited strong degree of independence, unlike workers in large enterprises, and contributed their share in the industrialization process. This paper reports the findings of a case study on the relationship between the individual and the organization. The study conducted primary research by interviewing the owners, to understand the decision making behavior of individual owners in small scale businesses, particularly in large cities, before the rapid economic growth in Japan. The study, by analyzing their life history, found out that, the strong will to independence during the period was important for them to establish their business instead of joining the labor market for workers with low educational background. It explores the experiences in their life history such as the interaction with local community and the education background were in the ethos of owners. The experience of migration especially affected on the motivation, decision making and the process to independence.
