Profile
Takahiro FUJIMOTO is Professor of Waseda University, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo and since 1997 Senior Research Associate at Harvard Business School, where he received his D.B.A. in 1989. His research focus lies on Economics and Business Administration, in particular on technology and operations management. More specifically, he is focusing on three areas: production management, product development, and suppliers management. He has published numerous books and monographs in Japanese as well as English including titles such as Competing to Be Really, REALLY Good; Business Architecture: Strategic Design of Products, Organizations, and Processes; Successful Product Development, and The Evolution of a Manufacturing System at Toyota. He is the recipient of, among others, the Japan Academy Prize (2002) and The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing (2000 and 2001).
Academic Degrees
B. A., Economics, University of Tokyo, 1979D.B.A., Harvard University, 1989
Selected Publications
【Articles】
Lim, C and T. Fujimoto (2019). “Frugal innovation and design changes expanding the cost-performance frontier: A Schumpeterian approach.” Research Policy. pp.1016-1029
Fujimoto, T.(2017) “An architectural analysis of green vehicles – possibilities of technological, architectural and firm diversity.” Int. J. Automotive Technology and Management, Vol. 17. pp.123-150.
Fujimoto, T. and Y. Park (2914) “Balancing supply chain competitiveness and robustness through “virtual dual sourcing”: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake.” International. Journal of Production Economics 147, 2014 P429-436
Fujimoto, T. (2014) “Innovation Management in Japan.” The Oxford Handbook of Innovation Management, Ch. 17, pp.335-374.
Fujimoto, T. (2014) “The Long Tail of the Auto Industry Life Cycle.” The Journal Product Innovation Management 2014; 31(1); P8-16
Inamizu, N., Fukuzawa, M., Fujimoto, T., Shintaku, J. and Suzuki, N.(2014), “Group leaders and teamwork in the over-lean production system” Journal of Organizational Change, 27(2), pp.188-205.
Fujimoto, T. (2014). “Evolution of Firms and industries” Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review 9.1:1-10、2013
Fujimoto, T. (2012). “An Economic Analysis of Architecture and Coordination: Applying Ricardian Comparative Advantage to Design Costs and Locations.” Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review 9(1), 51-124, Dec 2012.
Fujimoto, T. and Y. Shiozawa (2011). “Inter and intra company competition in the age of global competition : A micro and macro interpretation of Ricardian trade theory (1) (2).” Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, 8(1), 1-37; 8(2), pp.193-231.
MacDuffie, J.P. and T. Fujimoto (2010). “Why dinosaurs will keep ruling the auto industry. Industry” Harvard Business Review, 88(6), pp.23-25.
Fujimoto, T. and D. Ge (2007) “The Architectural Attributes of Auto Parts and Transaction Patterns on Design Drawings.” International Journal of Automotive Technology Management, 6, 4.
Fujimoto, T. (2007). “Architecture-based comparative advantage – a design information view of manufacturing.” Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, 4(1), pp.55-112.
Pil, F.K. and T. Fujimoto (2007). “Lean and reflective production: the dynamic nature of production models.” International Journal of Production Research, 45(16), pp.3741-3761.
Heller, D. A., G. Mercer and T. Fujimoto (2006) The Long-term Value of M&A Activity that Enhances Learning Organizations. International Journal of Automotive Technology Management, 6 (2): pp.157-176
Yasumoto, M. and T. Fujimoto (2005) Does Cross-functional Integration Lead to Adaptive Capabilities? Lessons from 188 Japanese product development projects. International Journal of Technology Management, 30 (3/4): 265-298.
Fujimoto, T., & Oh, J. (2004) Electronic technology and parts procurement. International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 4(4), 324-335.
Fujimoto, T. and A. Takeishi (2001). “Modularization in the auto industry: interlinked multiple hierarchies of product, production and supplier systems.” International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 1(4): pp.379-396.
Fujimoto T. (2001). “The Japanese automobile parts supplier system: the triplet of effective inter-firm routines.” International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 1(1), 1-34.
Thomke, S. and T. Fujimoto (2000). “The Effect of ‘Front-Loading’ Problem Solving on Product Development Performance.” Journal of Product Innovation Management 17, 128-142.
Fujimoto, T., M. Iansiti and K. B. Clark (1996) “External integration in product development.” In T. Nishiguchi ed., Managing Product Development, New York, Oxford University Press. Chapter 6. pp. 121-161.
Asaba, S., and T. Fujimoto (1994) . “Processing and Product Development Systems in the Japanese Wool Textile and Apparel Industry.” In Findlay, C., and M. Itoh, ed., Wool in Japan. Harper Educational, Pymble, Australia: pp. 45 – 64.
Fujimoto, T. (1993).”Information Asset Map and Cumulative Concept Translation in Product Development.” Design Management Journal, Vol. 4, No, 4, Fall, pp. 34-42.
Fujimoto, T. (1991). “Product integrity and the role of designer – as integrator”, Design Management Journal, 2(2), Spring, pp. 29-34.
Clark, K.B. and T. Fujimoto (1990). The power of product integrity, Harvard Business Review, 68(6), 107-118, 1990
Clark, K.B. and T. Fujimoto (1989). Reducing the time to market: The case of the World Auto Industry, Design Management Journal, 1 (1), pp. 49-57.
Clark, K.B. and T. Fujimoto (1989). “Lead Time in Automobile Product Development: Explaining the Japanese Advantage.” Journal of Technology and Engineering Management, 6, pp. 25 – 58.
Clark, K.B., B. Chew and T. Fujimoto (1987) “Product development in the world Auto Industry.” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 3, 729-771
Organizations for Effective Product Development – The Case of the Global Automobile Industry. Unpublished D.B.A. dissertation, Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration (1989)
【Books】
Fujimoto, T. and F. Ikuine, ed. (2018) Industrial Competitiveness and Design Evolution. Spinger Verlag.
Fujimoto, T. and D. A. Heller, ed. (2018) Industries and Disasters: Building Robust and Competitive Supply Chains. Nova Science Publishers.
Lecler, Y., T. Yoshimoto and T. Fujimoto, ed. (2011) The Dynamics of Regional Innovation. World Scientific.
Shimokawa, K. and T. Fujimoto, ed. （2009）, The Birth of Lean. The Lean Enterprise Institute. （O Nascimento do Lean, bookman, 2011.）
Fujimoto, T. (2007) Competing to be Really, Really Good. International House of Japan.
Ohno, K., and T. Fujimoto, ed. (2006) Industrialization of Developing Countries: Analyses by Japanese Economists. National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
Fujimoto T., and M. Yasumoto (2002). The impact of product-industry characteristics on product development organizations. Nigmegen lectures on innovation management (Dankbaar B., ed.), volume 9. Nijmegen University, Netherlands.
Lung, Y., J. Chanaron, T. Fujimoto and D. Raff (1999). Coping with Variety: Flexible Productive Systems for Product Variety in the Auto Industry. Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot.
Fujimoto, T. (1999) The Evolution of a Manufacturing System at Toyota. Oxford University Press.
Shimokawa, and U. Juergens, T. Fujimoto, eds. (1997) Transforming Automobile Assembly. Springer Verlag.
Clark, K. B. and T. Fujimoto (1991). Product Development Performance. Harvard Business School Press, Boston.（邦訳：『製品開発力』田村明比古訳，ダイヤモンド社，1993; 新訳・製品開発力）
Courses in charge
Production and Development Management
Technology and Operations Management
Others
Current Projects
– Field surveys and historical analyses on regional manufacturing-sites in the post-Cold-War era.
– Knowledge Sharing of Flow-oriented concept of manufacturing (monozukuri) across firms and industries — A Collaboration between the academic and business communities.
– Flow-oriented education methods in Production and Operations Management.
– Global Comparison of Industrials Performance in Production and Development.
Professional Activities (Academic and Others)
President, Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (2016~)
Member of Collegium de Lyon, France (2016 – 2017)
Vice Dean, Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo (2014 -2016)
President, Japan Association for Evolutionary Economics (2011-2014)
President, The Academic Association for Organizational Science (Soshiki Gakkai) (2009-2013)
Member, Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (2006-)
Member, Science Council of Japan (Nihon Gakujutsu Kaigi) (2005-)
Executive Director, Manufacturing Management Research Center, the University of Tokyo (2004-)
Professor, Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo (1998-)
Senior Research Associate, Harvard Business School (1997-)
Visiting Professor, Harvard Business School (1996)
Visiting Researcher, INSEAD (1996)
Visiting Professor, Lyon University (1996)
Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo (1990-1998)
Research Associate, Harvard University (1989)
Researcher, Mitsubishi Research Institute (1979-1990)
