Examples Of Japanese Culture

783 Words2 Pages

CULTURAL BRIEF
The purpose of this brief is to present our senior management team with an in-depth guide to the culture and customs of the Japanese people. In today’s business world, the importance of understanding national cultural differences in multinational relationships is key. As we focus on expanding globally, it essential for our company to understand the similarities and differences of other cultures. This cultural brief should provide our senior management team the knowledge to adapt their communication and behavior styles effectively when working with Japanese colleagues.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Japan was founded in early 7th century BC. The religious practice of Shintoism and Confucianism has greatly influenced the traditions and beliefs of the country. (Coulter, Lee, Sheldon, & Meraz, 2011). The Japanese people often celebrate the changing seasons with festivals and celebrations. The majority of the people live in along the coast in main cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, and Sapporo (Coulter et al., 2011). The Japanese society can be considered as ethically homogenous; however, there are a small number of immigrants from other countries such as the Philippines and China, who live there as well (Coulter et al., 2011).
COLLECTIVISTIC VIEW
Based on the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) studies (Northouse, 2013), researchers concluded that the Japanese people place higher importance on performance orientation, institutional collectivism, and in-group collectivism. A collectivistic culture places group needs and wants above those of the individual (Northouse, 2013). Japanese people are particularly sensitive to and concerned about relationships. They discourage individualism whe...

... middle of paper ...

...go to Australia” (Kameda, 2014, p. 99). As Americans, we may be confused as to how these two separate sentences are connected. They have a tendency to skip over the minor details and expect their listeners to realize the unspoken parts of the story. In order to understand the Japanese, we must ask them to provide more details or else we will most likely be judged as a person of slow understanding (Kameda, 2014).
NEGOTIATION STYLES
When conducting business in Japan, negotiations can move very slowly. Japanese people do not express yes or no assertively. (Kameda, 2014). Even if they disagree with the proposal or request, they do not say no upfront. Instead, they will most likely ask if they can have more time to think it over. Often times the use of such indirect sayings such as, “we will have to think it over”, is essentially expressions of negation (Kameda, 2014).

Open Document