Introduction

Why isn't Sony able to create hit products anymore? Has Sony become "just another company"? 

While searching for the causes of Sony's decline, author Takeo Miyanomiya's (who headed the technological center of the company and was involved with the development and production of distinctly Sony products like the passport-sized 8mm camcorder "Handycam" and VAIO PCs) work also explores scenarios for the company's revival and come back.

What was the secret behind three generations of Sony management?

Why was a man with a background in the arts chosen over one with a background in science as the company's president?

Why was an American style of management adopted?

Miyanomiya points to the shift in top-level management from technological to arts-based as Sony's "great divide", surmising that its numerous real-world examples of cultivating "Products, People, and the Organization" as well as founder Masaru Ibuka's fundamental belief in creating a "free-spirited, enjoyable, and ideal factory" are at the core of Sony's DNA.

A must-read for everyone involved with production! (Introduction from Amazon.jp)

 

Takeo Miyanomiya

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1944, Mr. Miyanomiya graduated from Waseda University (one of the most prestigious in Japan). After entering Sony Corp., he worked in a broad number of sectors, first overseeing the development and manufacturing of early transistors before progressing to video and PC device design (including the passport-sized Handycam camcorder and the VAIO series of PCs) and eventually semiconductor development. Mr. Miyanomiya served as Officer in Charge of Production Engineering Laboratory as well as President of Sony's recording media and energy companies. He served as an Executive Operating Officer from 1999, and after heading up component and semiconductor activities, he became Co-CQO (Chief Quality Officer) responsible for quality control and Vice President of Sony EMCS (which consistently provides designs, manufacturing, customer service, and material procurement) from 2001 as a Senior Operating Officer. During his time at Sony, Mr. Miyanomiya contributed to the company's fundamental manufacturing activities.
*(This data appears in the book jacket of the original publication).