Culture & Attitudes

 Education & seniority are given the highest importance.

 Companies prefer employees who are trained within the company and not those
who bring a different culture from outside.
 New workers enter their companies as a group on April 1 each year.
 Permanent employees are hired as generalists, not as specialists for specific
positions.
 Employees are not dismissed on any grounds, except for serious breaches of
ethics.
 Those employees who fail to advance are forced to retire from the company in
their mid to late fifties.
 Poor pension benefits and modest social security means that many people have to
continue working after retiring from a career.

Culture & Attitudes – A comparison between

Japan & US

 The workers relationship within the work group is very important psychologically
 The Japanese also have a very strong sense of nationalism and believe that they
are superior to all other races

 While the Japanese have a very rigorous system through high school

 Japanese apparently live to work and are willing to sacrifice their personal lives
for the company

 U.S. workers are for the most part individualist and strive to appear as macho and
self sufficient as possible.
 Although Americans also have a strong sense of national pride, there are many
racial conflicts in the U.S. that reduce our ability to work together.
 it is possible for a student to graduate from high school in the U.S. without being
able to read and write adequately.
 U.S. workers are more inclined to work to live, or for self gratification, have less
self discipline and less tolerance for discomfort.
Characteristic Typical Japanese Typical U.S.
Belong to a group. Okay to
Individual. Macho. Hide
Self image show feelings and
feelings and weaknesses.
weaknesses.
Strong sense of nationalism Strong sense of
Nationalism and image of
based on a single superior nationalism, but many
Race.
race. racial conflicts.
Rigorous system through Relatively weak system
Education.
high school. through high school.
Team players. No stars Competitive. Engage in
Social cooperation and
allowed. The individual is political power plays to
willingness to work
not important. Uniformed become stars. Few team
together.
teams are self regulating. players.
Respect for authority. Substantial. Minimal.
Work to live. Self
Live to work. Self sacrifice.
gratification. Little self
Highly self disciplined.
discipline. What can the
What can I do for the
company do for me? Low
Company? High tolerance
Attitude towards work. tolerance for personal
for personal discomfort.
discomfort. Take all
Decline vacations and sick
vacation and sick days
days. One family service day
allowed. Family demands
per week acceptable.
require weekends plus.
A clean work-place and
Attitude toward work- Everyone's job to keep it
environment is someone
place, property and clean. Respect property of
else's job. Less respect
environment. others.
for property of others.
Loyal to Self. Individual
Loyal to Company.
and family first.
Company first. Individual
Company second. Work
Loyalty. and family second. Belong,
for a company to gain
to or married to, a company
experience to obtain a
for a lifetime.
better job elsewhere.
Characteristics of Japanese & U.S. Management
Styles

Concept Japan US
Core Value RelationshipObjective/Task

Identity Unit/Group Individualistic

Logic Contextual Linear

Communications Ambiguous Direct

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