Culture and Diversity at Business between USA and Japan
American corporations have a tendency of making fast decisions to achieve immediate results. Due to this, American managers are usually the only ones making the decisions which are then communicated to subordinates. In Japan, however, companies use two methods for making decisions. The first one involves a proposal also known as Ringisho that makes its way from the lower levels of the management upward, seeking approval. The second method of decision making process is Nemawashi. There are two approaches that take place: one is the informal meeting or social gathering and the second is the formal meetings commonly referred to as Kaigi (Bernhauerova 26).
The main advantage is the bigger participation where all employees involved can contribute with their opinions and points of view. This, however, can be also viewed as a disadvantage because there are too many people participating and lots of meetings. Moreover, due to the high number of participants, the proposals and decisions are made slowly (Taras and Steel 136).
Risk Takers in Japan and USA
The Japanese have the highest scores of uncertainty avoidance as compared to the Americans. The Japanese havelong-established relationships inpersonal, business, and consumer interactions whichmay reflect a desire to avoid risks.InCultures that are high in uncertainty avoidance, individuals are less tolerant of ambiguity and establish more formal rules, rejecting deviant ideas and behavior. However, in American societies, there is a fair degree of acceptance for new ideas, innovative products. People are willing to try new things or different, for example, in the fields of business practices technology and food. Americans are likely to tolerate opinions and ideas of other people and they give room for freedom of expression. Americans do not lay down many rules and they are not likely to express their emotions unlike the Japanese (Bernhauerova 45).
Works Cited
Bernhauerova, Martina. “American vs. Japanese Management Style: Which One Yields Success.”MG 201, Introduction to Functions of Management (2013).
Taras, Vas, Julie Rowney, and Piers Steel. “Work-related acculturation: change in individual work-related cultural values following immigration.”The International Journal of Human Resource Management 24.1 (2013): 130-151.