§16§This book is about how to implement creative competition within an organization. It examines the conditions under which internal competition can promote knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing. The book describes a number of studies of sales departments in Japanese firms. Sales departments in Japanese firms were studied because internal competition is getting fiercer in these departments following the recent introduction of performance-based compensation. Exploratory case studies of ORIX Corporation and Japan Computer were conducted in order to generate research hypotheses. To gather quantitative data and test the hypotheses drawn from the case studies, a questionnaire survey of sales departments of Japanese firms listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was carried out. The findings reported in the book shed new light not only on internal competition theory, but also provide new insights into the theories on knowledge creation and intra-organizational conflict. §04§Contents: Organizational Learning Process - Internal Competition and Conflict - Sales Force Management in Japan - Research Design and Methodology - Types of Internal Competition and Knowledge Creation: The Case of ORIX Corporation - Customer-Oriented Internal Competition: The Case of Japan Computer - Internal Competition and Knowledge Creation: Quantitative Analysis. §02§The Author: Makoto Matsuo is an Associate Professor of Management in the Graduate School of Business at Otaru University of Commerce, Japan. He received his Ph.D. in Management Learning from the University of Lancaster. His research interests include the cognitive approach on expertise, organizational learning, and organizational innovation. His European Journal of Marketing article was selected as the most 'Outstanding Paper' in the 2002 volume.
