Business and Management Culture in Japan

Business and Management Culture in Japan

Managers and leaders in businesses have to adapt to the 21st century trend of globalisation. Communicating with others from different cultures has become vital to ensure a business can work in a different country and expand at the required rate. Culture can impact on behaviour and morale within a workplace and so understanding the culture in which you are due to work will help with settling in and becoming part of the team. Japanese business ethics are linked closely to its religion and culture. In order to be able to work in Japan it is required to understand the theory of Japan, ‘Nihonjinron’. Learning about Japan and its vast history and religion will help a UK delegate to understand the best way to deal with overseas business and negotiations. Once common ground between British and Japanese working is discovered, this will help to strengthen relationships and identify possible differences in which solutions can be made. This paper will discuss the business and management culture which exists in Japan and compare it to the UK business culture analysing the difference between the two countries with a view to making the business trip a success.

Japan has two main religions, Shintoism and Buddhism. A valued principle of Shintoism is the concept of ‘wa’. With regards to business, ‘wa’ is ensuring the avoidance of self-assertion and individualism. This relates to Hofstede’s theory that the Japanese have a high level of collectivism rather than individualism (Communicaid, 2007). The British are known to use their own judgment when making important decisions but the Japanese use their collectivist tendencies to have consensus-based decisions and will tackle problems as a team. In which case, it is noted that decision making in Japan can be a slow process as all members of the team will be consulted. This is also closely linked to Trompenaars’ 7 Dimensions of Culture, specifically to the culture of ‘Individualism versus Communitarisnism’. Similar to Hofstede, Trompenaar uses this culture dimension to explain whether people see themselves functioning as a group or an individual. The Japanese rank highly as a group culture whereas the British are more individualistic (Changing Minds, 2002).

The Holy Bible sets a foundation in which it searches for the truth of what is good and bad or what is right and wrong. The Western world evaluates these issues with fixed goals. Trompenaar concludes that the UK is a universalist culture, whereby people abide by laws and rules and in doing so becomes evident in business negotiations by relying on legal contracts and focussing on the goal of the meeting (Changing Minds, 2002). The Japanese religion, however, is more complex as it consists of Shintoism, Buddhism and occasionally Confucianism. All three religions relate to harmony which suggests a holistic approach in Japanese culture. Goals are