Courtney Kocis

05/26/17

IBUS490J

Sensei Sakakibara

Japanese Business Culture

Throughout our maymester and traveling through Japan, I gained a lot of knowledge

about Japan, their culture, and the businesses that are there. Despite the trip being only ten days,

I think I was truly able to immerse myself into the culture. Through visiting Buddhist Temples

and Shinto Shrines, famous tourist spots, Keio university, and several businesses I really was

able to get the most out of my time there.

While we visited many amazing sites, one of the experiences that truly stuck out to me

the most was the presentation we had about Japanese business culture while we were at Nikko

Chemicals. Kimberly Glantz, an employee of Mitsubishi Fuso, is currently involved in a rotation

program that has her employed in Japan for a short time before moving onto her next location.

Kimberly gave a very in-depth look into the business culture in Japan, and how it differs from

that of the U.S. She emphasized the “we” culture among employees, formalities in

communication, and the pace of work. She also touched on some of the culture that occurs

outside of the workplace as well.

A quote from a Japanese proverb was reiterated throughout the entirety of our trip: “The

nail that sticks out gets hammered down”. We first heard this during our first full day in Tokyo.

Our tour guide was explaining the process through which college students find a job. They are

expected to dye their hair black and wear black business suits to be uniform. The proverb is a

good indication of the conformity or “we” business culture found in Japan. In Japan, people do
not want to standout in the workplace. They have a very collective culture in the sense that in

order to preserve the reputation of the group, everyone avoids sticking out. I found this very

interesting because being a college student in the United States we our taught to use aspects

about ourselves to standout amongst the crowd. While this may not necessarily be with

appearance, it still comes with the sense that we are more of an individual culture in which we

want ourselves to standout.

This conformity carries over into the workplace as well. When our group visited Nikko

Chemicals, Kimberly presented some insight on the business culture in Japan, and how it differs

from that of other countries. She really emphasized the “we” culture that is found in Japanese

offices, once again stating that “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down”. Kimberly went

into detail about in an office, employees are very reluctant to stand out. Employees usually do

not want to be the first person to make a move because they do not want to risk the reputation of

the group. In addition, Japanese employees are usually conflict averse for the same reason as

they do not want to stick out from the crowd. Kimberly explained that this uniform culture and

conflict avoidance affects their communication with their boss and management as well.

Employees will always say “yes” to any task given to them, even if they do not have enough

time to complete it. They do this simply because they do not want to cause a conflict with their

superior. In addition, they tend to not ask questions even if they do not understand the task given.

This usually causes projects to not be completed on time due to employees taking on more tasks

that they can handle.

The second aspect of Japanese business culture that Kimberly emphasized were the

formalities that occur in the office. For example, communication is very formal when addressing

superiors. There are different terms and language you must use depending on what level the
person you are talking to is on. These formalities are carried throughout both verbal and written

communication, especially when talking to superiors. When talking to peers, an employee can

have more casual style of communication, but there are still formalities that they must abide by.

Kimberly showed us of an example of a typical email that would be send to one’s superior, and I

was surprised by just how many formalities go into the email. While we do have professional

communication in the United States that is still very respectful and formal, it is still more relaxed

than the communication used in Japanese businesses.

These formalities also carry beyond verbal communication and are shown in nonverbal

communication as well. Employees will usually stay as at the office as long as their boss is there

even if they have finished their work. They believe that working longer than the boss shows that

they are dedicated to their job, even if they do not have any work to do. In addition, during they

day employees make sure they appear busy at all times so their boss does not think that they are

slacking off. Kimberly says she will see many people appear busy throughout the day despite the

fact that they finished their work. In the United States, employees will work hard to finish all of

their tasks in order to be able to leave early. Many people in the U.S. also embrace the 9-5

culture, and tend to leave as soon as the clock strikes 5 P.M. However, as long as the quality of

work is good then it is acceptable to leave before your boss.

The overall pace of the work environment in Japan is also different than the U.S. In the

U.S., work tends to be very fast paced. When I came to Japan I expected it to be the same way as

I had the preconceived idea that the the country of Japan in general, and the technology are

developing quickly, making the environment fast paced as well. However, it all tends to slow

down when it comes to the office environment. In addition to the long hours, the overall pace in

the workplace can be rather slow. Kimberly explained that meetings tend to take up a long time.
There will be follow-ups to the meetings, and even meetings are held to discuss future meetings.

In addition, some Japanese businesses can be reluctant to change. Part of this reluctance goes

back to the factor of sticking out. Therefore, being the first person to motion for a change is

usually avoided. However, in addition to this, any time there is a motion for a change there is a

very long, drawn-out process to do so. Kimberly described the many meetings and follow-ups

that have to occur for a change to be even considered. If it is approved, there is another long

process for the company to actually implement the change.

In terms of technology, companies are also very behind. Kimberly, who works for

Mitsubishi Fuso, said the offices in Japan still use a computer system from the 1970s. Paper

based processes and legacy systems are also still very prominent within the workplace. Again,

the pace of technology development in businesses also stems off from the reluctance to change.

Once they find a system that works efficiently it is hard for them to branch off from it. I found

this aspect interesting because in Japan it seems as though new technology is a very important

part of their culture. Walking around Tokyo you can tell that electronics are very prominent in

the city, with an entire district dedicated to it. The lack of updated technology in Japanese

businesses definitely differs from the U.S. significantly as companies are always trying to update

the technology they use and stay up with current trends.

While business practices in the workplace were definitely intriguing, the culture outside

of the workplace surprised me more. Once you become a part of a company, your co-workers are

usually the ones that you spend the most time with. Kimberly described that they have parties for

a multitude of reasons. They have celebrations for when someone joins the company, when one

leaves the company, to celebrate a big achievement, different holidays, and sometimes it is just

to go out and have fun with co-workers. These celebrations are usually more casual and relaxed
than a normal day in the office. Kimberly explained that at these parties if the boss is there it is

acceptable to talk to him or her in a more casual manner. She said that employees are more

casual at these parties than they are in the workplace, and it is acceptable to do so.

I found this most interesting because the social interactions that occur with coworkers

outside of the office completely contrasts the manner in which they act within the office. From

what I have learned, everything is so formal within the workplace, but once one leaves the office,

even though it is with the same people, communication becomes completely different.

Communication and mannerisms become more casual due to the lack of judgment that comes

from peers and even superiors. Once you are in a social setting outside of the workplace

everyone tends to let their guard down.

In addition to socializing with coworkers outside of the office, Japanese businesses also

try to get to know their customers and other companies they might be working with outside of an

office setting. While all business is still held in a very formal setting, Japanese businesses make

it a point to make time to socialize with companies they are working with. My dad has had to

travel to Japan for business for the majority of his career, and he told me that he will usually go

out with other companies to get to know them outside of the business. They will then discuss

whatever business they have in very formal, long meetings. Afterwards, if they are able to reach

a deal and the meetings are successful, they will sometimes go out to celebrate. In addition,

whenever he would meet with companies later for a follow-up, there would still usually be an

event outside of the office to catch-up.

While in the United States there is a social aspect to business that occurs outside of the

office, I do feel as though it is slightly different than it is in Japan. For example, when doing

business with other companies, businesses in the U.S. will make time to get to know these
companies outside of the workplace, but it is not as casual as it may be in Japan. Especially with

the consumption of alcohol, businesses in the U.S. tend to be more conscious of their

professionalism, while in Japan it is more casual. There is usually more judgment in this type of

setting in the United States, causing employees to be more conscious of their actions than they

would be with friends.

Lastly, Kimberly described some of the challenges she faces as a foreigner working at a

Japanese company. I was interested to hear Kimberly’s insight on this because after living in

China for two years I feel like I have a pretty good understanding for moving to a new country

and dealing with the culture shock that comes with it. However, while I lived there I was only a

high school student so I never had the opportunity to experience the culture shock within an

office environment. She explained the challenges of the culture gap, coming from the United

States where the business culture is more fast paced it can be hard to adjust to the slower

processes and the reluctance to change. She also explained her challenges with the language gap.

It is extremely important for foreigners to speak Japanese in the workplace in order to be better

accepted by their peers. However, while the culture and language gap can be challenging, she has

truly enjoyed her experience in Japan thus far.

Overall, I found Kimberly’s presentation to be very interesting because not only did I

gain a lot of information about the business culture in Japan, but I was able to compare that

information to my past experiences. I think this presentation stuck out to me the most because it

was completely different than everything I expected Japanese business culture to be. However,

while it was surprising the presentation as well as the rest of the trip was very insightful when it

came to the Japanese culture both in and out of the workplace. The information I learned from
this presentation as well as the rest of the trip will always be something I carry with me,

especially as my current career plan is to do business in Asia one day.