Cultural Approach in in American and Japanese Corporate Cultures: Main Problems
Cultural approach in corporate cultures: main problems
There are some problems that appear when American expantriates come to Japan or Japanese firms enter American market - most of them nothing else but cultural approaches that make differences in how these two nations understand see corporate culture and business in general:
Employment system. Comparing to the U.S. labor market, the Japanese market is very different because of the lifetime employment system in Japan. As a result, Americans and Japanese have different approaches to compensation packages for employees, job evaluation, rate move up the career ladder and, of course, a job change.
Personnel Management. The system of lifetime employment in raising employee loyalty to the company and promotes the development of stable-specific skills. However, in Japan it may be considered an advantage, but when a Japanese company is expanding overseas, it is a weakness. Also such personnel management style limits the number of non-Japanese employees. Naturally, this creates a lot of problems if the company operates in international markets.
Corporate culture adoptation. Since the Japanese typically work at one company throughout their careers, Japanese companies are trying to develop their own internal corporate culture, which is also called congenital. This culture is so strong and closed, that even locals (not to mention expatriates from other countries) find it very difficult to get used to it, especially in the middle of their career.
Cross-cultural communication experience. Americans and Japanese are not enough experienced in communication with people from other countries. And even in US-based Japan firms non-Japanese employees are frequently excluded from information flow, which occurs primarily in the Japanese language among Japanese expatriates and head office employees.
Ethnocentric. Most Japanese feel uncomfortable when they have to deal with foreigners, particularly Americans. The problem of Americans
There are some problems that appear when American expantriates come to Japan or Japanese firms enter American market - most of them nothing else but cultural approaches that make differences in how these two nations understand see corporate culture and business in general:
Employment system. Comparing to the U.S. labor market, the Japanese market is very different because of the lifetime employment system in Japan. As a result, Americans and Japanese have different approaches to compensation packages for employees, job evaluation, rate move up the career ladder and, of course, a job change.
Personnel Management. The system of lifetime employment in raising employee loyalty to the company and promotes the development of stable-specific skills. However, in Japan it may be considered an advantage, but when a Japanese company is expanding overseas, it is a weakness. Also such personnel management style limits the number of non-Japanese employees. Naturally, this creates a lot of problems if the company operates in international markets.
Corporate culture adoptation. Since the Japanese typically work at one company throughout their careers, Japanese companies are trying to develop their own internal corporate culture, which is also called congenital. This culture is so strong and closed, that even locals (not to mention expatriates from other countries) find it very difficult to get used to it, especially in the middle of their career.
Cross-cultural communication experience. Americans and Japanese are not enough experienced in communication with people from other countries. And even in US-based Japan firms non-Japanese employees are frequently excluded from information flow, which occurs primarily in the Japanese language among Japanese expatriates and head office employees.
Ethnocentric. Most Japanese feel uncomfortable when they have to deal with foreigners, particularly Americans. The problem of Americans