Analysis of cross cultural management case study

                                     “Japanese Companies in Germany”

 Introduction to Cross-Cultural RelationshipsThe interaction between the national boundaries may lead to a strong interface among its people and the culture to which these people belong. On the other hand, Language plays a vital role in building relationships intra-nation but the same may also become a barrier to communication whenever the two or more nations come together in an interactive domain. Other than just verbal communication, it is known popularly that non-verbal behavior is indexical of one’s cognitive attitude and the ability to build relationships. If the language of one culture is inaccessible to another culture, that doesn’t make that particular language to be an obsolete one. In such cases, people take benefit of their non-verbal capabilities to interact, .i.e. the optimum use of the body language is made by the people to put across what they want to speak. “When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a practiced man relies on the language of the first”, it has been rightly brought out by Ralph W. Emerson. The quote does support the discourse about the communication across cultures, because it stresses that it is always a wise choice to depend upon the body language more than words. The technique to build a relationship across boundaries is to depend thoroughly upon the non-verbal behavior. The referred case-study is the one that highlights elaborately over this basic idea of cross-cultural interaction but in the context of management in the Japanese organizations in Germany.

Identifiable five organizations in the Case-study are:The case study talks collectively about the contrasts and comparisons on the culture and traditions that are followed in the organizations that are Japenese but are based in Japan. The detailed study provides a view of the expectations that bothe the cultural beings have from the other when it comes to interact in a business culture. The five organizations that have been cited by the author in the provided case-study are:

a)      Daimler Benz

b)      Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

c)      Japanese Chamber of Commerce

d)     Mitsubishi Corporation

e)      Associations of German Employers

The cultural similarities and differences in each of the five organizations In the above mentioned organizations the employees or any functioning body undergo various cultural conflicts, on the basis of language, varied interpersonal styles and on the rules with regard to take responsibilities within the organizations. Majorly, this connection within the people belonging to two different nations, having been exposed to two different interpersonal communicative styles, different traditional and ritualistic conditions and ways of living is drawing problem at the intersecting point where they perform as workers in an organization. It is important to question that why the relationship between human beings get confused? The query can get resolved only when we have knowledge about three types of culture: First, is Metaculture, this is a unique elemental factor in understanding culture specifically. In cross-cultural relationships there is a great possibility of many differences among people who inhabit that cultural space; thus Metaculture is a subcultural entity which identifies those factors that make one species different from another. Secondly, another important cultural faculty is Evoked Culture, it is especially important to understand the implications of the case-study under review. This cultural sub-category marks out the ways in which people live under ecological conditions. In the same ecological system there are many variables of interests which many ecologists have listed down:distribution of the resources, composition, changing circumstances in daily routine of the inhabitants. The inhabited system itself (that is the place/location one lives in) already contains many hierarchies which interact among themselves (Organizational culture), and also the non-organizational cultures, which act as an antithesis and determine the difference between these two aspects and also the similarities(if any). These ecological based living conditions lead to within and between cultural differences that are known as Epidemiological Culture. Such a culture is ubiquitous, and therefore is self-reflexive. Such cultural intricacies can be significantly seen in the present context of Japanese-German organizational relationships, as the time spent together in an official atmosphere is iconic enough of the behavior of the members of the organization.

On the basis of the above mentioned types of culture, definitely the similarities and differences can be cited out of the given case-study. The observations that have been brought out by the author come from a set of dialogues conducted in 1992-93 in the Dusseldorf area. The interviewed ones are the Japanese and German managers working in this business area, which constitutes highest concentration of Japanese corporate sector in Europe.

Daimler-BenzThe culture in this organization has always been upset due to the clashes that occur between the employees in the institution. The union of any two different entities asks for a prerequisite and that is: Adjustment, but today’s scenario is such that the psychology of the people is guided by their egoistic self. The ego among such people, only leads to disorienting one from the ambit of success subsequently. The similaritiesthat were found between the two cultures were that all facilities were equally distributed among the people, a social- status as equivalent to German was given to Japanese managers and families. Also, there opened many stores and restaurants in Germany that specifically offered the products like food stuffs, native clothing, and home-furnishings for the Japanese emigrants. Also, proper schools, equivalent to the ones in Japan were undisrupted in their provision to the children. Also in terms of the activities like art, music etc. made sure that the cultural resemblance is the inevitable factor in identification of Japanese domain in Germany. But there were huge differences among two cultures when it came to organizational compatibility.In, Daimler-Benz, Germans had the problem with Japanese lack of efficacy, lesser of the socialization among other staff members, too much of precision and lack of taking quick decisions. Whereas, Japanese disliked the casual attitude of the Germans in terms of bureaucratic matters, also their haste in any important matters. Also, Germans’ way of meeting people and getting engaged in long talks with the fellow employees was threat to the discipline of the organization, according to the Japanese employees. Also, many trivial issues like ‘what should be the shape of a catalogue’ could also be a reason enough for the attitude clash among the employees. Germans ostracized huge pay disproportions and were unlikely to consent any sheer revision of top executive salaries.

Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

JETRO being a parent organization reflects the attitudes and responses of the Japanese workers in their own organization in a German setting. It contributes that many companies based in Dusseldorf, are under a belief that Japanese are by nature unfriendly and antisocial. In fact, JETRO has clearly brought out that such suspicions have stereotyped the Japanese in Europe so much so, that they act as hindrance for the successful growth of the organization because the workforce is under a mythical spell. Statistics according to JETRO cleared anxieties of the Japanese, over racial subjugation and also, their narrow escapes from harassing German right-wings. In fact, the epidemiological culture that has been reflected above fits in this context because whole Germany holds an anti-foreigner approach when it comes to Japanese firms in Dusseldorf.Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) indicated that Germans have significant postings in Japanese enterprises, more than elsewhere in the Western territories, because of the high reverence in which the Japanese hold the dexterity and perseverance of German managers and the effectiveness of the German budget as a whole.

Japanese Chamber of Commerce

The organizational trend asserted the friction that was there between the Japanese and Germans,there remain communication barriers and some other strains also among the indigenous hires and the Japanese expatriate groups. Language is a big hindrance in communication within the company because English is the official language in European nations but being it not the mother tongue either for Germans or Japanese, Japanese are doubly isolated first because of the alienated location and second because of the language now. The language is thus mediocre, with no expectation that other staff members can speak Japanese, as a solution to this cultural condition conditioning. There can only be a provision of the translators that can work to bridge the gap partly. One manager working in the organization observed, “You think you have grasped what the other party was saying but often you have not.”Yet, Germans enjoyed that linguistic edge, and therefore in the organization it was the matter of discomfort for the Japanese workers who struggle with English in order to express their views, and hence might have got humiliating at times.

Mitsubishi Corporation

On investigating the members of the organization, one can identify the similarity between the two cultures, where both German and Japanese employees possess distaste for casualness early in a relationship. Both, the cultural beings despise giving any names unless it is an intimate relationship. Both the cultures entertain honesty, directness and strongly resist diplomatic attitude. But,there were disapproval among these two cultures in terms of Germans being abrupt in their speech,whereas Japanese consider politeness to be the most important factor. Adding to the cultural conflict in terms of the strictness in terms of time, over-indulgence with privacy and inability for entertaining because of restricted atmosphere thus they are reluctant to socialize provided an organizational culture.

Associations of German Employers

In this parent organization one can see that the rules are monitored highly by the ideology and the virtues which are decided by the standard in which an average German behaves.Thus in an organizational structure, the attitudes and code of conduct of the employees is highly native and liberal, being an enterprise of the mother land. A concept Grϋndlichkeit (thoroughness) is a core German virtue. The virtue regulates a strict working and going to the limits of accuracy in work details. There is usually confirmed that there is a whole checklist which is used by an average German virtue in an organization like this. They believe that all potential problematic should be openly discussed and welcome suggestions beyond hierarchical concept in the company. This shows that the German organizations are not insecure as compared to the Japanese firms which were concluded to be highly competent and whereas more work space is provided when the interaction takes place intra-culturally, rather than inter-culturally.

How Culture is affecting the organizations under study

If scrutinized from the point of view of a cultural process that these enterprises undergo, it is again important to have a look at the three types of culture that were discussed above: Metaculture, Evoked Culture and Epidemiological Culture. Thus, the prime importance has been and therefore the stems of sub-cultures are provoked out of it. The differences among the people working at managerial positions in the Japanese firms in Germany are the same, as occur in any other organization, in terms of its managerial design. In the given context case-study restricts itself in one given context, therefore the differences and similarities have been narrowed down thus making the ideology explicit. Actually, culture is not the one which is affecting the organization; in fact it is the psychology behind this social process that alters the whole system. So, all the organizational failures that have been discussed in terms of cross-cultural relationships have been borne out of the intellectual mismatch, and not because there is a difference in language or lifestyles. The people have been so much accustomed to the concept of gloablisation that everything they see has to be in terms of technicality and rapid availability. Thus, this situation has conditioned their thinking process too. The individuality is being given zero preference when it comes to know what other might mean or desire. This, mental block that has constructed stereotypes and critical outlook towards individuality has actually been blocking the communication when it comes to work. For e.g. in Daimler Benz, the German managerial positions reported of the lack of work efficacy and inability to take quick decisions when it comes to Japanese hands. In JETRO, the Japanese community workers complained about the anxieties they possess at workplace related to the racial discriminations and also their fears they have when it comes to German right-wing groups. Also, the managerial workers in JCC raised the issues with language that was a hindrance in communication for the Japanese. At times, it is humiliating for the same employees because it gets tough to manage the responsibility they have towards the company and the expectations of the colleagues and the society. Next organization, i.e. Mitsubishi Cooperation had cultural regulations on it that guided their attitude towards the Japanese inhabitants in the commercial plane; according to them there is universal element of friendliness present in the German counterparts, which is unbecoming of a good character in an official atmosphere according to Japanese viewpoint. The Association of German Employer, the parent organization employed the idea of valuing the head-on discussion over a problematic and there are interactive sessions from where the suggestions are sought beyond hierarchies, which unlike a Japanese interpretation of discussion policies. Thus, when the members of the organization are not sensitive to the individuality of the other cultural being, one can bring that it is the process of ‘acculturation’ that has been going on and further as a heritage.

Defining Culture

Being regulated by many responsibilities and values that are a part of a society in all significant ways it is important to locate the importance of a more rooted concept that reflects upon the social functioning of each individual. Thus, the definition of culture varies according to the context.

First definition of Culture:

A culture is a system of values that is inherited as a tradition. It has expectations from an individual; in terms of his behave in the social circumstances. This concept becomes more prominent through the habitual steps that are taken by the individual. This definition can be applied to any individual beyond nationalities/races or gender.

Second definition of Culture:

In a cross-national domain, a culture should be a concept that invokes potential possibilities of different people across geographic restraints to adjust in one another’s need, and adhere to one’s individuality in a given situation. Culture, should be the highlighted positivism behind any group/individual but not a stereotypical design.

Third definition of Culture:In an inter-cultural situation, when the globalized attitude is the dominant one in each group under consideration then, there are certain selfish concerns which guide one through the outlook he/she acquires in life. This outlook, forms a new culture each day for the individual, thus the culture in a globalized context is always in flux, thus can be called a dynamic process.

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