From Manufacturing Operations to Outstanding Performance: The Mediating Influence of Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Employee Engagement Through the Kaizen-Horenso Approach
Abstract
This study examines the effects of the Kaizen work culture and autocratic leadership on Horenso work performance, with employee engagement and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as mediating variables, in a Japanese culture-based textile manufacturing company in West Java, Indonesia. Using a quantitative, descriptive-verificative approach, data were collected from 90 respondents comprising operators and first-line managers. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis. The findings reveal that the Kaizen work culture and autocratic leadership significantly influence Horenso performance both directly and indirectly. However, Kaizen demonstrates a more consistent and positive effect by enhancing employee engagement and OCB, which subsequently improve performance outcomes. Mediation analysis confirms that OCB and employee engagement serve as significant mediators between the Kaizen work culture and Horenso performance, but not between autocratic leadership and performance. Overall, the results highlight that fostering a continuous improvement culture, alongside strengthening employee engagement and voluntary behaviors, is more effective in achieving Horenso-based performance excellence than adopting an autocratic leadership style.
Keywords
References
Alefari, M., Almanei, M., & Salonitis, K. (2020). Lean manufacturing, leadership and employees: the case of UAE SME manufacturing companies. Production & Manufacturing Research, 8(1), 222–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2020.1781704
Ametefe, M. D., Adamu, A. G., & Umaru, F. A. (2025). Leadership's impact on SME performance: A systematic review of its role in enterprise. Journal for Small Business, Taylor & Francis.
Basnet, S., & Neupane, R. (2025). Impact of human resource management practices on organizational citizenship behavior: Evidence from public sector organizations. Journal of Management Research, 17(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmr.v17i1.12345
Chau, V. S., & Nacharoenkul, T. (2023). Japanese business communication practices in Thailand: Tales from an electronic components manufacturer. Management Decision.
Dessler, G. (2023). Human resource management (17th ed.). Pearson Education.
Foong, W. M., & Chelliah, S. (2020). Understanding organizational culture and managing the effectiveness of knowledge transfer: A case study on Japanese firms and their business affiliates in Malaysia. In Contemporary Global Issues in Human Resource Management. Emerald Publishing.
Fourie, E. (2021). Model students: Policy emulation, modernization, and Kenya's Vision 2030. African Affairs, 113(453), 540–562.
Gallup. (2021). State of the global workplace: 2021 report. Gallup, Inc. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace-2021.aspx
Gallup. (2024). State of the global workplace: 2024 report. Gallup, Inc. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
Gobena, F. M. (2025). Factors affecting Kaizen implementation in Ethio Telecom: The case of Central North Region of Ethiopia [Master’s thesis, NADRE Ethiopia].
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hasanein, A., & Metwally, A. (2025). Green transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: The mediating role of employee engagement. Journal of Cleaner Production, 456, 141234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.141234
Hasi, S. (2025). Leaders' role in fostering a culture of continuous improvement across the organization [Doctoral dissertation, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing].
Hidayat, R., & Priliana, P. (2025). The effect of organizational citizenship behavior on team communication and productivity in the digital era. Indonesian Journal of Business and Management, 11(2), 112–124. https://doi.org/10.21002/ijbm.v11i2.56789
Imai, M. (2012). Kaizen: The key to Japan’s competitive success. McGraw-Hill Education.
Jakhongir, D. (2025). The evolution of management theory: A literature review. Academia Open.
Kotera, Y., Lieu, J., Liu, H. T. G., & Veasey, C. (2024). Organisational and emotional psychology views on Yozan Uesugi's leadership. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 9(2), 036. https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.icm.2402036
Kurniawan, D., & Fadhil, A. (2024). Employee engagement and proactive consultation across divisions: Evidence from Indonesian manufacturing firms. Journal of Organizational Behavior Research, 9(1), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.21859/job-091015
Lewin, K., Lippitt, R., & White, R. K. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. The Journal of Social Psychology, 10(2), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1939.9713366
Liker, J. K. (2004). The Toyota way: 14 management principles from the world's greatest manufacturer. McGraw-Hill.
Macedo, M., Au-Yong-Oliveira, M., Walter, C. E., & Moreira, A. (2022). Internships with Portuguese speakers: leadership, organisational culture and the current brain drain. Sustainability, 14(17), 10776. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710776
Murakami, H. (2020). The influence of employee engagement on Japanese business communication practices: Hokoku, Renraku, Soudan in action. Journal of East Asian Business Studies, 36(4), 255–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/12297124.2020.1835249
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Paine, J. B., & Bachrach, D. G. (2000). Organizational citizenship behaviors: A critical review of the theoretical and empirical literature and suggestions for future research. Journal of Management, 26(3), 513–563. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630002600307
Prayuda, R. Z., Praditya, R. A., & Setiawan, D. (2025). Penerapan 5R dan motivasi kerja terhadap kinerja di industri manufaktur di era digital. Journal of Education Studies and Professional Development, 2(1), 15–25.
Ramendran, C., & Devaraj, S. (2023). The influence of HR policies on organizational citizenship behavior and employee cooperation in Malaysian SMEs. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 15(3), 321–339. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-04-2022-0103
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2021). Organizational behavior (18th ed.). Pearson Education.
Rubel, M. R. B., & Khan, A. (2024). Compensation practices, organizational citizenship behavior, and knowledge sharing in service organizations. Service Industries Journal, 44(5–6), 377–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2022.2159014
S&P Global. (2024, November). S&P Global Indonesia manufacturing PMI. S&P Global Market Intelligence. https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence
Seyoum, B. (2024). The critical role of technology and technology policy. In State Fragility, Business, and Economic Performance in Africa (pp. 161–182). Springer.
Sharma, R., & Gupta, N. (2022). Employee engagement as a driver of open communication culture in multinational organizations. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 12(3), 88–105. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v12i3.19955
Shen, G. C., Martelli, P. F., & Deresse, F. N. (2024). Layered logic: Institutional logics instantiated in the management of Kaizen in Ethiopia. Sociology of Development, 10(1), 29–57. https://doi.org/10.1525/sod.2024.10.1.29
Sugiyono. (2022). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D (Edisi Revisi). Bandung: Alfabeta.
Tharikh, S. M., Ying, C. Y., Saad, Z. M., & Sukumaran, K. (2023). Employee engagement and adherence to internal reporting and project coordination systems. Asian Journal of Business Research, 13(2), 78–95. https://doi.org/10.14707/ajbr.230012
Walter, C. E., Macedo, M., Au-Yong-Oliveira, M., & Moreira, A. (2022). Internships with Portuguese speakers: Leadership, organisational culture and the current brain drain. Sustainability, 14(17), 10776.
Yukl, G. A. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Pearson Education.
Ziso, E. (2020). The political economy of the Chinese model in Ethiopia. Politics & Policy, 48(6), 1011–1040.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/jbme.v10i3.89068
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Journal of Business Management Education (JBME)is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
View My Stats




