Japanese Education vs American Education
Analysis of Japanese Business Culture
Along with recent globalization, the business market is now diffused everywhere in the world. Consequently, mega-competition and international co-operation are promoted simultaneously in the field of business. Under this circumstance, learning and understanding the business culture each country has is important to succeed in global business. As business culture is indivisible from a country’s cultural uniqueness, American-style business is formed in the United States, and British-style business is adopted in England. Equally, Japan has developed its own unique business culture which has been practiced for a long time. This essay will analyze the characteristic Japanese business culture which forms the foundation for their business.
To begin with, in Japanese corporations, there is a sense of unity which is fostered beyond the boundaries between employers and employees (Odaka, 1986). This is called "Groupism," which is based on joint responsibility and respect for harmony on which most Japanese companies emphasize. Once employees joined a company, they are required to no longer think of themselves simply as an individual instead they identify with the group. Thus, the group mentality always prevails and all decisions are made within a group. Unifying the efforts of employers and employees who share the same ideals leads to significant advances in productivity. As Odaka described in his book, postwar high growth 1950s-60s in Japan was largely encouraged by the groupism which achieved a high productivity in manufacturing industries. Secondly, characteristics of Japanese business culture include "Tacit
Agreement." (Iwata, 1982). The Japanese are trained throughout their lives to read each other’s minds. Hence it is not necessary to explain an idea in detail. This is applied in their way of business. In
Japanese business society, workers do their best to read the circumstances they are placed in,
Along with recent globalization, the business market is now diffused everywhere in the world. Consequently, mega-competition and international co-operation are promoted simultaneously in the field of business. Under this circumstance, learning and understanding the business culture each country has is important to succeed in global business. As business culture is indivisible from a country’s cultural uniqueness, American-style business is formed in the United States, and British-style business is adopted in England. Equally, Japan has developed its own unique business culture which has been practiced for a long time. This essay will analyze the characteristic Japanese business culture which forms the foundation for their business.
To begin with, in Japanese corporations, there is a sense of unity which is fostered beyond the boundaries between employers and employees (Odaka, 1986). This is called "Groupism," which is based on joint responsibility and respect for harmony on which most Japanese companies emphasize. Once employees joined a company, they are required to no longer think of themselves simply as an individual instead they identify with the group. Thus, the group mentality always prevails and all decisions are made within a group. Unifying the efforts of employers and employees who share the same ideals leads to significant advances in productivity. As Odaka described in his book, postwar high growth 1950s-60s in Japan was largely encouraged by the groupism which achieved a high productivity in manufacturing industries. Secondly, characteristics of Japanese business culture include "Tacit
Agreement." (Iwata, 1982). The Japanese are trained throughout their lives to read each other’s minds. Hence it is not necessary to explain an idea in detail. This is applied in their way of business. In
Japanese business society, workers do their best to read the circumstances they are placed in,
References: Iwata, R. (1982): Japanese-Style Management: Its Foundations and Prospects. Tokyo: Asian Productivity Organization Odaka, K (1986): Japanese Management: A Forward-Looking Analysis. Tokyo: Asian Productivity Organization Terms of Service updated 27 August 2007