He simply is an excellent manager. He cut 1/3 of the workforce and began tracking hourly efficiency (presumably to the benefit of the company).
That he's a Buddhist priest is not central to the story.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism
It was very popular in the 70s when Japanese business was totally a thing.
The Japanese are probably reading something loosely related about Tim Cook and the shareholder-indifferent culture at Apple.
He simply is an excellent manager. He cut 1/3 of the workforce and began tracking hourly efficiency (presumably to the benefit of the company).
That he's a Buddhist priest is not central to the story.