Answer to Question 1
Kelly’s absence due to a flu for two days resulted in Mr. Higashi instructing the office accountant to classify her leave as a paid leave instead of a sick leave. According to the policies set by the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) such as Kelly is entitled to Paid Leaves (Article 11) which account for a total of 20 days that could be used consecutively or individually. To use the Paid Leaves, an ALT must inform his or her supervisor three days in advance for Paid Leaves of about 3 days. For more than 3 days of Paid Leaves, the supervisor must be informed one month in advance. The ALT is also entitled to Special Holidays (Article 12) which include sick leaves, bereavement, natural disasters or transportation system failures. Sick leaves cannot be taken for twenty consecutive days. Sick leaves as well as other types of special holidays are paid for by the company. The procedure for taking a sick leave is very clear. The participant, in this case the ALT Kelly has to inform her supervisor, in this case Mr. Higashi, regarding her condition. If Mr. Higashi agrees to her taking the sick leave, then she does so, subject to the requirements of Mr. Higashi upon her return. A sick leave of more than three consecutive days would require a Doctor’s Certificate confirming the condition of the patient (in this case Kelly).
The current tension between Kelly and the the other ATLs and their supervisor Mr. Higashi, stems from a number of factors, the most significant of which is the cultural difference between the Japanese and the JET volunteers. I believe that the friction this causes is systemic, meaning that it may be evident in other cases of supervisor-volunteer relationships in other localities that work with JET volunteers. Therefore the solutions are more involved that what is obvious. For Kelly’s case, my opinion is that the diplomatic solution must be exhausted first before any drastic action be taken. Kelly has yet to place herself in the position of Mr. Higashi, and as the outsider wanting to “blend in” with the locals, forcing her culture into the local culture will not work well. I think further discussion is needed between the two before any other action can be considered by Kelly.
Answer to Question 2
The dispute for Kelly stems from the difference between her working culture with the working culture of Mr. Higashi. As volunteers in Japan, Kelly should realize that the working conditions and the relationships in Japan are different from her native Canada. The management of the organization, the deliberate way people handle their affairs, and the general cultural intricacies should be observed because it is the norm. Forcing the culture to bend to a foreigner, especially one that is in the great scheme of things, of “less” significance is not an approach that Kelly should entertain. Her issue is that she does not realize that the ingrained culture cannot be changed and will not change for her. Her reaction to the sick leave, while her points may be valid, are not mindful of her being able to grasp what the Japanese culture is all about. As a third party observing this case, I find her reaction very disappointing especially since she wants to learn about the “real world”. Working in a cross-cultural environment is a “real world” scenario and from her reactions, it seems as though she is failing the test.
For Mr. Higashi, this is more of an organizational issue. Mr. Higashi has never worked outside his home town. He spent several years building his career in the educational sector and now that he is in a supervisory position, he understands that he must work with the ATL (JET volunteers) as part of his responsibility. He has also taken upon himself to involve his own brand of management with the ATLs. In fairness to Mr. Higashi, he has tried to reach out to Kelly and her companions, in the way that Mr. Higashi understands which is typical of the Japanese workplace culture. The Japanese practice seniority and obedience to the letter. It is a peculiar culture wherein even qualified personnel find it difficult advancing to the top of the organization unless the senior occupants of critical position leave their posts. The traditions kept by Japanese organizations are very intertwined with their lives, such that a seamless inclusion of work to one’s personal life is absolutely certain for all Japanese workers. This is the culture that Mr. Hagashi understands. What he was not briefed on is how this culture should not be applied, as a managerial approach, to the foreigners who volunteered under the JET program. Foreigners should not be expected to understand the Japanese culture perfectly and should be allowed certain liberties. This has certain merits. One is that because of the transient nature of the JET volunteer work, the volunteers create very little impact on the Japanese work environment or the programs that they supposedly manage. With only about a year of contract, the ATLs can choose not to continue their work thus vacating their posts and thus opening up a new post for a new volunteer. Indoctrinating these volunteers, whose tenures are very short is a moot and academic activity, and is not one that should concern a ranking official that is Mr. Higashi. Secondly, Mr. Higashi and his Japanese subordinates will not feel the sting of comparing salary levels, experience levels, and even working attitudes with their ATL counterparts. Treating the ATLs as regular members of the organization, instead of outside help (which is what they really are) creates that tension which is detrimental to the organization. Lastly, understanding that the ATLs are just contributors and not the real work-carriers puts the focus back on what Mr. Higashi should accomplish with his Japanese subordinates and not on the programs that are being carried out by the ATLs.
In any situation, a compromise is available. It is up to Kelly and Mr. Higashi to open up to compromising, firstly by acknowledging these issues that are creating disputes between them.
Answers to Question 3
The online resource Business Balls (2010) explains that a psychological contract exists between an employer and an employee. This contract, taken from the point of view of an employee, is what is called the “fairness and/or balance” between how a manager treats his or her subordinate and what that subordinate puts into his or her work. “This Psychological Contract represents the notion of 'relationship' or 'trust' or 'understanding' which can exist for one or a number of employees, instead of a tangible piece of paper or legal document which might be different from one employee to another” . Using this concept, we answer the tangible and intangible factors that are considered.
The tangible factors are the contract that Kelly signed as an ATL for the JET program, the rules and regulations of the JET program, even the working relationship between the host institution and the JET program are considered tangible and a given. The intangible is the Psychological contract between a supervisor and a subordinate. This exists between Kelly and Mr. Higashi, maybe not in the same manner as Mr. Higashi and his Japanese subordinates, but it exists nonetheless. Unfortunately, Kelly and company are not observing this intangible factor, relying fully on the fact that they signed contracts and that their culture is different from the host culture.
Saving face is a Japanese concept and is therefore more important to Mr. Higashi because any discontent within the ATL volunteers is a manifestation of his ineffectively or inefficiency and therefore his unsuitable for higher position. Kelly may not understand this since she have very limited work experience and a different mind-set, when she applied for work with the JET.
As management students there is a delicate balance between the tangible factors and the intangible factors. Both are needed and are important in the work place and both require respect from both parties. There is no way to say which is more important than the other but we can all agree that observing both the tangible and the intangible factors well enough would ensure that the relevant personnel in question would achieve their personal and collective goals faster and more effectively.
Works Cited
Branch, D. (2011). Employee motivation, recognition, rewards, and retention: Kicking it up a notch! CPA Practice Management Forum, 7(11), 5-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/923307022?accountid=25355
Business Balls. (2010). The Psychological Contract. Retrieved from Business Balls: http://www.businessballs.com/psychological-contracts-theory.htm
Lewicki, J., Barry, B., & Saunders, M. (2011). Essentials of Negotiation (5th ed). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
