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言語：英語
著者：ロッシェル・カップ
出版社：Stone Bridge Press
Clashing communication styles and differing attitudes about work are a major reason why very few Americans employed in Japanese corporations ever reach top-level management. This invisible - but very real - obstacle to advancement is a result of opposing views on matters that each culture takes for granted. In her book, The Rice Paper Ceiling: Breaking Through Japanese Corporate Culture, international business consultant Rochelle Kopp examines and deciphers the Japanese business code to expose the reasons why the "rice paper ceiling" keeps American employees from climbing the corporate ladder in Japan.
Interesting topics covered include:
* American and Japanese assumptions on how, by whom, and why things need to be done
* Expectations and obligations regarding work and goals
* Corporate hierarchies, philosophies and management styles
* Transactional analysis of business relationships with regard to the communication styles and socialization of members of each culture
Open communication, empathy, respect, patience and a little introspection will go a long way in the quest for success in Japanese corporate world. Kopp provides numerous case studies and strategies to equip readers with the skills and understanding needed to develop mutually beneficial working relationships and to eventually pierce the rice paper ceiling. Kopp's insider knowledge and perspective of the Japanese corporate system makes for a relevant, well-written, invaluable resource for anyone planning to or already working for a Japanese company.
Excerpt from Chapter 1: "Root Causes of Problems for American Employees at Japanese Companies"
The frictions and problems at Japanese firms in the United States result from a combination of structural differences and mutual misunderstandings. In addition to the different levels of sensitivity to discrimination issues . . . , typical problem areas include the following:
Language. Few Americans speak and read Japanese well enough to use it for conducting business. Although Japanese businesspeople usually have some command of English, it is often tenuous at best, especially in conversation. Few Japanese businesspeople are comfortable with conducting detailed discussions or reading long documents in English. Like anyone else, they naturally prefer to do business in their native language.
Cross-cultural communications skills. Both American and Japanese businesspeople tend to have little experience in dealing with people from other countries, and generally lack the skills needed to overcome cross-cultural challenges.
Communication patterns. Japanese and American communication patterns are quite different. The American style is direct, and values discussion. The Japanese style is more vague and roundabout, placing greater emphasis on nonverbal cues and subtle nuances of tone and wording. Informal debate and the act of openly challenging another's opinions are often viewed negatively.
Leadership styles. Americans expect their managers to attack problems head-on, set the agenda, make detailed plans, and then delegate the implementation to subordinates. Charisma and motivational ability are considered crucial. Yet Japanese often feel that American-style "strong leadership" is insensitive and dictatorial. Rather than giving detailed direction, Japanese managers strive to create an environment in which self-motivated subordinates can take initiative.
Internal management and decision-making patterns. American companies tend to be financially oriented, and value individual leadership and autonomy. Each employee's role is clearly defined, and he or she is responsible for those activities. Individuals make decisions in their realm of authority or expertise, and the company clearly defines who can make which decisions about what. In contrast, Japanese companies tend to take a more intuitive approach to management. Employees have undefined roles and are expected to work as teams to meet group goals. Decision-making is a group process, with large numbers of people involved in each decision.
Centralized management processes. At many Japanese firms, the head office has significant input into decision-making at the U.S. affiliate. This necessitates constant, detailed communication across the Pacific. Due to language and cultural barriers, such communication is often dominated by Japanese employees. The result can be an exclusion of American employees from managerial processes. The large role of the head office also diminishes the U.S. operation's ability to act independently.
Ethnocentricity. Many Japanese are uncomfortable interacting with foreigners and frequently hold negative stereotypes about Americans in particular. Many Japanese also lack the flexibility to consider doing things differently from the way they are done in Japan. By the same token, Americans often hold negative views about the Japanese, and often seem convinced that the American way is best.
Employment system differences. In comparison with the American free market for labor, the Japanese tradition of lifetime employment leads to vastly different career patterns. As a result, Americans and Japanese tend to have radically different assumptions about basic features of the employment relationship such as compensation, performance evaluation, the pace of advancement, and when it is appropriate to change jobs.
Japanese personnel management. Many authors, both Western and Japanese, have praised the Japanese system of "lifetime employment" for its ability to foster individual loyalty and encourage the development of firm-specific skills. However, the domestic personnel management system is a weakness when the Japanese company expands overseas. The typical Japanese company's personnel management style is quite rigid and makes demands on employees that few non-Japanese would tolerate. This is because the Japanese system is predicated on the lack of an external labor market-Japanese employees have few other employment options, so once they join a firm they have little choice but to go along with the demands of the company. Unable to absorb non-Japanese into this system, companies tend to relegate them to separate employment categories that may not provide equivalent advancement opportunities or job security.
Corporate cultures. Since most Japanese employees work for the same firm for their entire careers, Japanese companies tend to develop their own distinct, inbred corporate cultures. These corporate cultures are so strong that they tend to exclude even native Japanese who might join a company at midcareer. It is extremely difficult for non-Japanese employees to break into the circle, especially given the other barriers listed above.
As this list suggests, the possibilities for misunderstandings are endless when Americans work at Japanese firms. Frictions and frustrations arise from complicated combinations of these various factors. Thus, the pattern of problems at Japanese firms is, in effect, a set of typical cultural and systemic clashes that play themselves out over and over again. These issues add up to a significant set of challenges that Americans who work for Japanese firms, as well as the companies themselves, will have to face.
The Rice-Paper Ceiling is currently unavailable as a new revised edition is being prepared. In the meantime, any orders taken for this book will be held until the new edition is available, in late 2007.
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