Japan Culture Analysis Research Paper

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Culture Analysis: Japan

The nuances of the modern Japanese culture are based on a variety of Asian and Western influences. Japan was much more of a traditional Eastern society prior to WWII, but after the War Japan became highly subject to the West and thus adopted a great many of its practices and perspectives. For that reason, Japan is less traditionally Asian than other Eastern cultures—but it still retains enough of its own culture and identity to be considerably different in a number of dimensions. This paper will examine those differences and show that a combination of leadership styles, such as innovation leadership, transactional leadership, autocratic leadership and democratic leadership styles, should be used for Japanese workers as they are highly dependent upon seeking approval for their employers (Merchant, 2018), like to be consulted in decision-making, enjoy creating innovative solutions to problems, but also want to be able to identify the hierarchy of authority so that they can show respect to the appropriate persons.

Dimensions of Difference

Power/Distance

The traditional Japanese culture was much more hierarchical than it is today; however, the cultural expectations regarding power remain to some extent. Thus, while the power/distance dimension is higher than in America, it is lower than in other Asian countries, such as China. At the same time, Japan is slow to make decisions, which indicates that the people are not comfortable with making decisions on their own and would prefer decisions be made for them (Hofstede Insights, 2018).

Individual/Collective

Like many countries in the East, Japan’s culture is more collectivist than individualistic. This contrasts sharply with the American culture, which celebrates individualism. However, by Asian standards, Japan is somewhat more individualistic than other Easter nations—and that comes from the American influence that has dominated the nation since WWII (Hofstede Insights, 2018).

Uncertainty Avoidance

The Japanese culture hates uncertainty. The Japanese do everything they can to be as prepared for the unexpected as possible. The country is routinely hit by natural disasters, so that may have something to do with it—but the people tend to have internalized some of the more traditional aspects of the old world culture, such as the need for ritual and routine (Hofstede Insights, 2018). The American culture is far less uncomfortable with uncertainty—so it would be important for an American manager to make sure that a Japanese worker feels secure about what is expected of him in the coming months and years.

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Career/Life

The Japanese are very focused on careers—in fact, their nation is one of the most career-fixated nations on earth (Hofstede Insights, 2018). This means that Japanese traditionally and still today do not place much stock in leisure time or in relaxing with extended holidays. They see themselves as here to work and to succeed by reaching goals.

Confucian Dynamism

The Japanese take a long term perspective on life, which is different from the way Americans view life. Americans view life as short, so live it now. They do not tend to think about the long term, saving, or planning for the future. The Japanese on the other view life from what is basically an eternal perspective. They see life from the point of view of their ancestors and live according to a code that has been passed down from centuries (Hofstede Insights, 2018).

Appropriate Leadership Styles

Japanese culture is innovation oriented; therefore innovation leadership is a style that suits them as it focuses on supporting workers’ creative engagement (Carmeli, Gelbard and Gefen, 2010). Likewise, Japanese need to feel appreciated and like being consulted when it comes to decision making—though they also need hierarchies in the workplace so that they can recognize and respect the appropriate authorities. For these reasons, a combination of autocratic, democratic, and transactional leadership styles could be used in different ways to lead a Japanese worker. For example, the worker may be consulted and provided with an incentive (whether intrinsic or extrinsic) to succeed, but the worker should also know that the final decision is the manager’s (Barbuto, 2005). By combining elements of these leadership styles, the leader can effectively appeal to the cultural dimensions of the Japanese employee. According to Maslow’s (1943) theory of motivation, the leader would be meeting a variety of the Japanese worker’s needs.

Techniques for Motivation

Techniques for motivation would be to….....

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