Delphi vs. Disclosure: Management of Ritual Knowledge by the Japanese Funeral Industry
Is concealing knowledge from the public advantageous to an organization, or is revealing knowledge a better strategy? How does the confidentiality of basic knowledge affect the success of an organization? According to my research on the Japanese funeral industry, the selective disclosure of ritual knowledge and the transformation of cultural practices go hand-in-hand.
In this paper I will demonstrate how controlling ritual knowledge by the funeral industry led to the profitability of funeral companies until the mid-1990s, but since then, the strategy of concealment of ritual knowledge backfired on the industry, and revealing the knowledge became the only way to survive. I argue that the relationship between ritual knowledge, either hidden or revealed, and the success of the funeral industry has depended upon historical period, cultural practices, lifestyles, consumer awareness and needs that change over time.
Originally, funeral ritual knowledge was a significant part of community knowledge maintaining traditional culture. However, after World War II the Japanese funeral industry has become the accepted source of information. Controlling the disclosure of ritual knowledge allowed the industry to develop new version of funeral ritual services, bringing standardization and cultural homogenization of funeral practices, as well as business success. However, with the growth of consumer awareness standardized ritual services became unpopular. Survival of the funeral industry today depends on the openness of ritual knowledge and services.
My paper examines how the management of knowledge not only affects the development of an organization but also transforms the cultural practices of an entire society.
Keywords: Knowledge Control, Changes in Attitudes Toward Knowledge, Knowledge and Changes in Cultural Practices
Dr Hikaru Suzuki
In Person Attendance, Assistant professor of Anthropology, Singapore Management University, School of Economics and Social Sciences
|
The Price of Death: The Funeral Industry in Contemporary Japan. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000.
Chapter in Books
“Japanese Way of Death,” 2003. In Handbook of Death and Dying. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Vol. 2. Pp.656-672.
"The Phase of Negated Death," 2004. In Death, Mourning, and Burial: A Cross-Cultural Reader. eds. Antonius C.G. Robben. Oxford: Blackwell. Pp.224-237.
(Forthcoming) “Shifting Lives of Japanese Elders: Emerging Communal Relationships with Funeral Companies.” Japan’s Possible Future, ed. Bruce White. Oxford: Routledge.
Article in Journals
“The Transformation of Japanese Funerals: Reincorporation of Tradition,” in JAWS (Japan Anthropology Workshop Newsletter). No.38. March 2005.
“McFunerals: The Transition of Japanese Funerary Services,” in Asian Anthropology. Vol.2, Pp.49-78. July 2003.
“Where is it going? Tracking Japanese Funerals,” in Anthropology News, pp. 44, May 2003.
“Japanese Death Rituals in Transit: From Household Ancestors to Beloved Antecedents,” in Journal of Contemporary Religion (London), Vol.13, No.2, pp.171-188, 1998
“Shi ni tazusawaru hitobito tono deai” (Professionals who are involved in Death), in Sogi, Vol.4, pp.122-124, 1995
Book Review
Demographic Change and the Family in Japan’s Aging Society. Edited by John W. Traphagan and John Knight. Family and social Policy in Japan: Anthropological Approaches. Edited by Roger Good man. In The Journal of Japanese Studies. (30)1:2004. Pp. 261-266.
Gift-Giving in Japan: Cash, Connections, and Cosmologies. Katherine Rupp.
In The Journal of Japanese Studies. (31) 2: 2005. Pp.435-439.
Ref: M06P0175