The Eight Core Values of the Japanese Businessman

Toward an Understanding of Japanese Management

Erdener Kaynak, Yasutaka Sai

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781560248712
• eBook ISBN: 9781317952558
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

The values and behaviors of the Japanese businessman--and of the Japanese in general--are quite diverse and keep changing, making it difficult for anyone (including the Japanese themselves) to truly understand why they act the way they do. The Eight Core Values of the Japanese Businessman saves readers time and effort when pursuing business opportunities in Japan because it identifies the core values of the Japanese businessman, ranging from the obvious and public, "Diligence," to the more private, "Silence as Eloquence" and "Perception of Time." After identifying these eight core values, Yasutaka Sai explores the history and modern interpretation of each. Based on over 300 Japanese language sources--otherwise unavailable to those who do not read Japanese--The Eight Core Values of the Japanese Businessman reveals the diversity and dynamism of Japanese values and behaviors. This information empowers businesspeople and international business educators to develop solid business relationships with the Japanese. With many years of experience, the author focuses on specific values that are most common among Japanese in the business world. These are not exclusive, but the most prevalent or widely shared values that Western businesspeople are likely to encounter:

• Japanese diligence, work ethic, and "Gambarism" or persistence
  
• group orientation: sense of belonging and participation, spirit of harmony, interpersonal relations
  
• aesthetics and perfectionism
  
• curiosity and emphasis on innovation
  
• respect for form and "Hana Yori Dango" or practicality
  
• a mind for competition and outlook on rewards
  
• the value of silence as eloquence
  
• perception of time

As there is no single uniformly accepted source for the values of today's Japanese citizen or business person, Sai's exploration opens a vital window into understanding many Japanese values and behaviors. The Eight Core Values of the Japanese Businessman is vital reading for those with international business concerns--business and management educators, businesspeople interested in how Japanese managers manage and employees work, and practicing managers interested in cross-cultural management issues. It allows readers to develop good relationships with the Japanese based on a realistic understanding of how they think and act, both individually and as members of business organizations.

Chapter 1

Group Orientation

Three ordinary people put together can think of a better plan than one Manjushiri.

(Manjushiri is said to have been a Buddhist priest renowned for his profound wisdom)

The stake that sticks out will be hammered down.

IMPORTANCE OF GROUP RELATIONSHIPS

In contrast to Western individualism, the Japanese are typically fond of doing things together in groups, whether eating, drinking, playing, studying, or working. If there is a choice, they choose to live where others are living. Many Japanese feel that being a member of an organized group–be it a club of schoolmates or a neighborhood committee–is the most pleasurable and comfortable human experience. This feeling of mutual pleasure and comfort grows stronger as people are associated with the same group members for a long time. The older the group alliances are, the greater the mutual enjoyment when group members are together.

Japanese are socialized from early childhood to consider themselves members of a group–as interdependent members of family, school, community, and other collectives. Parents teach children to play together with others, and kindergarten teachers discipline them to suppress individual desires in favor of the rules of the particular group. In Japan, to be well adjusted one must fit into many social groups harmoniously rather than stand out.

Japanese are also taught that group action can yield a far more productive result than individual action. For example, Motonari Mori, a feudal shogun and philosopher, is known to have quoted this ancient maxim to his three sons: “When bound together, shafts of bamboo become strong enough to make a solid arrow; yet when divided they are nothing more than a bundle of sticks which hardly serve any practical purpose at all.” The same idea is expressed in the American saying: “United we stand, divided we fall.”

Thus, many Japanese place a high value on group conformity and, through this, group order, stability, and overall progress. The well-being of one’s group comes before the well-being of the individual.

There are some self-centered Japanese, of course. One tends to find such individuals among artists, craftspeople, or specialists of one kind or another–those who prefer living by their own standards rather than blindly following others. Individual expression is sometimes socially acceptable. Some Japanese women, for example, have a highly individual style of dressing or speaking. And, as in most parts of the world, young people in Japan often resist traditional group norms.

The origin of Japanese emphasis on groups rather than individuals has been attributed to many factors. One explanation points to Japan’s traditional rice culture in which centuries of constant interdependence and cooperation were needed among farming communities (see Photo 1.1). Another theory has it that the frequent occurrence of natural disasters in Japanese history, such as earthquakes, floods, and droughts, demanded collective interdependence among the country’s populace. The consensus among Japanese is that the fear of attack from neighboring countries also must have contributed to the strong bonding of the Japanese, as did a sense of linguistic isolation along with a fear of being unable to communicate adequately with foreigners. One theory has it that although Japanese are basically optimistic, once they feel a threat, they can instantly turn pessimistic and unite against an enemy.

In contrast, Arthur M. Whitehill, Professor of International Management at the University of Hawaii, offers the following regarding American individualism: “(It) is traced to a frontier psychology. The early pioneers, pushing west through an uncharted and hostile environment, had only themselves to rely upon. It was ‘every man for himself,’ and individuals survived by their own wits and ambition. …”¹

PHOTO 1.1. When a farmer starts planting young rice-plants, it is common for his neighbors to come to help the farmer get the job done–on a reciprocal basis. (Courtesy of Japan Management Association)

On the corporate level, businesspeople share this group orientation in a number of ways. Most individuals enjoy the comfort and security of being together with others in a work group. The rules of the group and of the work to be completed take precedence over individual interests. Most people have a personal desire to work hard to attain group objectives through mutual efforts. Here, again, group values are given priority over individual values.

The following is a set of basic Japanese group values and the individual behaviors and company practices that reflect them in everyday business environments.

Group Identity

When introducing themselves, Japanese businesspersons describe themselves first as members of a group, and then give their names within the context of their position in the company. For example, “I am from Hitachi. My name is Sato. I am with the Human Resources Department.” Similarly, they often identify individuals with the organizations they represent–such as “Honda’s Mr. Yamada.”

Open Office Plan

Most offices in Japan reflect an open plan, with all the desks of the department or section being arranged close together in clusters in a large room with few or no partitions. Japanese staff feel comfortable working in crowded, noisy conditions (see Photo 1.2). “Why not?” they might ask. “It is good for communication and teamwork. Besides, if someone accidentally had a heart attack at his or her desk, it would be in everyone’s sight immediately.”

Honda is famous for having company officers share the one large open office. And companies adopting this single-executive office style are on the increase.

Once-a-Year Hiring

Japanese organizations, especially large corporations, make it a practice to hire new recruits all at once, in April of each year, rather than interviewing and taking job applicants throughout the year.

These companies are also reluctant to accept mid-career job applicants for various reasons; after all, they may not have “fit in” with previous employers. The loyalty of a mid-level hire is questionable, and it is easier to develop workers within the group from scratch. Also, there is a fear that these new workers may be discriminated against by existing staff, including managers. Possible discrimination may go something like this: “Why are these ‘outsiders’ getting better pay than us? These guys may be more senior than us, but we have been employed here longer than they!”

In addition, many companies provide collective training–an induction into organizational structure, philosophy, strategies, etc–for a period from several weeks to several months. Not only is this practice of once-a-year hiring and group induction cost effective for the employer, but it is considered to be conducive to developing a sense of group loyalty among new entrants. This initiation practice encourages a sense of comradeship and, at times, of healthy competition.

PHOTO 1.2. Most Japanese office staff feel comfortable working in crowded conditions, usually in a large room. (Courtesy of Japan Management Association)

Long-Term Commmitment

Across the board, Japanese employers expect their newly hired to stay with them throughout their lifetime as loyal workers. The new entrants, on their part, also aspire to work for the same organization for the rest of their lives. Therefore, both sides indicate a willingness to be “married” to the company on a long-term basis, although such commitment is seldom written into any formal contract. This mutual expectation of long-term employment typically applies mainly to male workers in large organizations, although more and more women are being included in this practice.

The so-called “lifetime commitment” is a practice that was initiated by employers, rather than by employees, as a means to attract and secure necessary labor during times of a tight labor market. This practice, in fact, has its roots in the early days of industrial expansion following the Meiji Restoration and opening to the West in 1868, and again during the post World War II period. Medium to small businesses generally find it difficult to offer lifetime employment and expensive benefits, and consequently tend to have higher staff turnover and employ more part-timers.

Assignment to Work Group-Not Job

After a period of orientation, individual entrants are assigned to different workplaces, usually as members of some office, department, or section; rarely are they assigned to a specific job or position. Often awaiting the newly hired is ajirei, a brief note officially admitting him or her to a specific office, department, or section of the organization, and some gesture of welcome by senior colleagues of the new workplace. There is no specific job description for individual entrants; nor are their responsibilities clearly defined.

Group Mission Statement

Some companies, usually the large ones, do have some statement of mission or of roles that management expects of each department or section. Where such statements are available, newly hired employees are supposed to go through them to find out on their own just what is expected of the employee in the next few years at least, as a member of the particular group he or she has been assigned to.

Teamwork

For most Japanese workers nothing is so important as teamwork in the workplace. They take it for granted to do work with a team effort and, in fact, exert every effort for the sake of a team project under someone’s leadership. There are occasionally disagreements or conflicts of opinion among group members, but usually “a stake that sticks out gets hammered down.”

On the other hand, team unity tends to be strengthened when members see some sign of competition between them and other teams. As a matter of fact, some team leaders purposely induce competition among their members so that the work group may be motivated to demonstrate a greater team spirit.

One important difference between this Japanese tendency and some American business tendencies is that, as a rule, Japanese do not personalize relationships with those on the other side of a bargaining table. In this respect, an observation made by Robert March, an international negotiation consultant, deserves attention:

In my observations of many Japanese negotiation teams, from pre-negotiation to caucus-period discussions, they have ranged from highly experienced to inexperienced. In spite of this wide difference, I detect certain characteristics that reflect how the culture itself predisposes even naive and inexperienced Japanese businessmen to negotiate in a secure, parsimonious, and cautious manner.

[for example:]

As a rule, the Japanese always form cohesive teams, even if composed of strangers. These teams may not always be well led or well managed, but they do have clear leaders whose leadership is respected, in contrast to Western teams where everyone wants to be a negotiator and leadership often becomes nominal and cohesion minimal. Japanese team membership is also more flexible in that fresh players can be readily substituted.

Position: Developing a unified team position and then getting consensus, i.e., the support of the whole team for the position adopted, generates even greater team cohesion and support for the leader.

Bargaining: Once a firm position is achieved, the Japanese strongly commit themselves to it and give little thought to bargaining, or making concessions ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• About the Author
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Group Orientation
• Chapter 2: Diligence
• Chapter 3: Aesthetics and Perfectionism
• Chapter 4: Curiosity and Emphasis on Innovation
• Chapter 5: Respect for Form and Hana Yori Dango
• Chapter 6: A Mind for Competition and Outlook on Rewards
• Chapter 7: Silence as Eloquence
• Chapter 8: Perception of Time
• Chapter 9: Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index