Q.1 What are some of the particular practices that Westerners need to be aware of when dealing with Japanese business people? The practices to comment on include the following:
A Japanese manager's approach when dealing with groups or teams
How Japanese social customs may be different than those in the United States
When it comes to carrying out business with companies based overseas, it is essential to understand and be fully aware of the potential differences in terms of both culture and business practices. As it is well known, there are huge cultural differences between Easterners and Westerners. And when it comes to culture, the Japanese are considered to pay a great deal of importance to values and norms. Hence, when dealing with Japanese business people, Western managers need to realize and take into account some potential differences. Firstly, unlike in Western countries where individual growth is seen as being crucial to success, the Japanese emphasize more on group work. When it comes to dealing with groups or teams, Japanese managers ensure that there is cohesiveness and coordination for overall prosperity and harmony. The Japanese view the formation of a group in the same line as the birth of a child and this goes to show the level of care and attention paid to groups and teams in Japan. Secondly, Westerns also need to be aware of the potential differences in customs in Japan compared to the United States. For instance, the Japanese do not encourage physical contact and a simple handshake is considered an appropriate enough meeting gesture. Strongly urged not to hurt the feeling of others or come across as ignorant, the Japanese also consider the exchange of business cards as an important gesture, something which is seen as being trivial in the United States.
Q.2 In your opinion, how do the different management approaches toward groups and teams (regarding the United States and Japan) add or subtract from potential company performances?
Whereas in Japan group work is praised and valued, in the United States the emphasis is more individual growth and performance and this certainly has a strong effect when it comes to potential company performances. When the formation of groups is encouraged and embedded into the employees, it will be easier for managers to oversee the performance of groups. As group performance rather than individual performance is valued, there will be a high degree of co-ordination and this will certainly reap benefits for the company in question. On the other hand when individual performance is valued, there will be resistance to the formation of groups and even when groups are formed, they won’t be able to perform as well as expected. Hence, instead of adding to company performance, such groups will turn out to be more of a hindrance.
Works Cited
Primecz, H. (2011). Cross-cultural Management in Practice. Cheltenham: EDWARD ELGAR PUBLISHING LTD.
Browaeys, M., & Price, R. (2011). Understanding cross-cultural management (2nd ed.). Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
