Western enterprises confront an era of global competition in which industry leaders can no longer overlook negative effects originating from past Taylorist and autocratic organizational structures. Corporate leaders are exploring innovative methods to change their organizations from the Taylorist model to workplace environments that foster worker participation, decision-making, teamwork, and learning. Taylor's scientific management theory uses scientific observation to analyze human movement and restructure the workplace so that the minimum effort produces the maximum production. Organizations have attempted to improve their efficiency through humanist motivational models (Mayo, Hertzberg, Rumberger) and have sought ways to adapt the successful Japanese ideologies into Western culture. They are exploring ways to restructure and strengthen their enterprises by implementing the following Japanese models: operator responsibility for quality, continuous improvement, quality circles, statistical process control, design for manufacture, set-up time reductions, just-in-time production, total quality control, cellular manufacture, and kanban materials control. The adaptation of concepts from Japanese culture has initiated a more horizontal organizational structure--a managerial structure that requires holistic systems thinking, continuous learning and improvement, shared knowledge and purpose, employee and work team autonomy over their jobs, and collective participation in decision making. (Contains 29 references.) (YLB)