European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                In Japan the Man at the to takes the blame by Kumiko Makihara associated prese Ach weekday morning a chauffeur driven cat takes Yasumoto Takagi from his modest Tokyo apartment to the Japan air lines head office even though he resigned As Jal president 2 h years ago. Since he stepped Down after a major Jal plane crash his main activity has been apologizing 10 families of the victims. The plunge in Takagi s career epitomizes a japanese custom in which superiors shoulder the blame for their subordinates blunders or even for accidents in which responsibility is unclear. In several major corporate scandals or disasters in recent years the lop officials have stepped Down and like Takagi. Have been designated company advisers still on the company payroll bul stripped of decisive Powers. In the most recent Case. Chorchi Saba and Sumiichiro Waltari resigned in july As chairman and president of the electronics giant Toshiba corp. To assume responsibility for a Toshiba subsidiary s illegal Sale of High tech equipment to the soviet Union. In 1985. Katsumi Mogi resigned As president of the Tood company Kik Koman corp. To alone Lor a scandal in which a subsidiary sold wine tainted with a toxic chemical. In those cases too the officials remained with the companies As advisers. Intha Toshiba Case some americans questioned How such resignations could compensate Lor actions the United states says threatened Western Security. In Light of what s occurred resignations Are expected. But they hardly meet the severity of the  said rep Duncan Hunter a Calif a member of the House armed services committee. Toshiba officials said Saba and Waltari were stepping Down As the strongest expression of apology for overlooking the subsidiary s transactions and for straining  lies. Kyoto University historian Yuji Aida said such an expression of deep regret May be readily understood by japanese but has no meaning in the United  a Phou a Tsumoto two off rat fend from hit Job at pret Dent of Japan air unt afar major air crash. The custom of resignation is rooted in traditional japanese values dictating that individuals sacrifice themselves to protect the group and save lace. Since Earty times someone has had to disembowel  Aida said referring to Japan s ritual suicide considered an honorable Way of death and practice mostly in the 15h through 17th centuries. Social critic Shichibei Yamamoto said that by having individuals take the blame the custom serves to preserve the larger organization. The Toshiba resignations were carried out to protect the Toshiba Community he said. Another social commentator Yusuke Fukada said one reason the practice has continued is that japanese organizations often Lack Clear Cut lines of Power and delegation of authority. Amid such contusion of Power the top bears ultimate  he said. But. He added it s questionable whether such Samurai ethics can be upheld in the modern Industrial  the Lalifi Takashi Hayakawa who accepted Rispon Sibilly and resigned As chairman of Japan s National Public safety commission in 1964 after an attack on the . Ambassador in Tokyo later said japanese people sense Relief alter someone assumes responsibility for an act no matter what thai act  the ambassador Edwin 0. Reischauer was wounded in the leg by an unstable youth who attacked him with a knife near the us. Embassy. In a 1982 commentary in the nationwide newspaper Asahi Shimun Hayakawa wrote that after such a resignation people then forgive the act and oven sympathize with the one who shouldered the Burden. Thus morale is restored in  the former Jal president agrees. Although his resignation did not substantially change Jal policy or operations. I Felt it was appropriate that i resign to fulfil a responsibility to society Takagi said in an interview. The resignation of a corporate haad is an expression of feeling a Strong sense of responsibility. We Era a japanese company and must respect traditional japanese thought. If i had stayed on As president it would have appeared As though i were clutching on to that status and evading  Takagi resigned alter 520 people were killed in the crash of a Jal plane. A government commission has blamed the Accident on faulty repairs performed by the piano manufacturer. Boeing corp., and undetected by Jal besides counselling the Jal leadership Takagi now spends most of his time visiting the families of crash victims to offer condolences. To Dale he has called on some 350 of the 400 families. Takagi whose salary is about half what he earned As president said his colleagues still treat him with the same respect As before his resignation because they understand japanese  but giving up a top level Post in a japanese company Means the end of a lifelong dream Tor such executives said a Toshiba spokesman. In the lifetime employment system All businessmen dream of becoming a Board member at some Point in their lives said the spokesman Yuji Wakayama. To give that up is  merger syndrome sweeps corporate America by Bob Webster United press International Hen the $4.8-billion Mega merger Between Sperry corp. And Burroughs corp was announced one of the first Calls Burroughs chairman w. Michael etude thai made was to Mitchell Marks. There was a tremendous amount of anxiety on both sides of the Fence. Blumenthal was going to make this a merger not an acquisition said Marks an associate professor of organizational psychology at the los Angeles Campus of the California school of professional psychology in the frenzy surrounding a merger whether major or minor chief executives usually Arm themselves with investment Bankers not psychology professors. Since the Sperry Burroughs merger Marks has been contracted by Delta air lines for its merger with Western airlines and by american airlines during its acquisition of air Cal. Each company sought Marks to treat symptoms of what he Calls merger  a new malaise sweeping through corporate America in this age of acquisitions. It comes As Lillie Surprise to Marks thai nearly three quarters of All mergers Are disappointing financially. Moreover he said the dolls on the personal psyche of personnel Are equally heavy. The syndrome s symptoms he said have the potential to dash million Dollar deals alienate employees and pit managers against one another. Along with uncertainty Over the soundness of the decision employees naturally worry about their jobs. Some wage turf wars others usually i he Best employees leave for More sound positions elsewhere and there is the traditional contingent who merely resign themselves Twaler cooler snickering. Marks said about half of the executives acquired in a typical acquisition leave alter the first year. Another 25 percent bail out after two years. Symptoms of the merger malaise Are easy to spot and tend to appear just Days alter a merger is announced. The first symptom and the one that can slow an organization at this vital Lime in its history is preoccupation. People become obsessed with the merger and speculate what it Means to hem instead of doing their  he said. Groups get together around the Coffee machines and that leads to the next symptom which is expecting the  Marks stresses the use of Lull and honest communication to treat cases of Mctiger  Tell people All that you know As fully As you know it Marks said. There Are roubles with securities and Exchange commission guidelines though that s Why mergers Are so stressful. People who understand Why a change is occurring tend to be More supportive of the change Marks said. As a senior manager you cannot assume that people will understand the reason for the change. You have to sell them on  tha sniping and griping common to mergers can bring about physical and psychological reactions. At one company where Marks is consulting the company nurse reported 11 percent of the employees had High blood pressure Belore the merger was announced. The number doubled the year after the merger. Employees and managers also reported greater instances of sleeplessness increased drug and alcohol use and less tolerance for be ill received actions of co workers and family members. In the Burroughs Sperry merger Marks and Philip Mirvis of Boston University began getting the stalls of the two giant computer companies together by creating symbols and ceremonies Tor the new company. Soon baseball Caps began appearing with the combined logos of Bolh companies. Task forces formed to explore and explain the decisions needed in the massive merger the first thing you have to do is rally people around the change Marks said people want to be professionally managed " Paga 18 the stars and stripes sunday. August 30.1987