Professional Documents
Culture Documents
NEC Confidential
Considerations
- No discussion about culture can predict individual behavior - Learning about a foreign culture can help facilitate business interactions - Recognize the differences work toward understanding - One training session on culture gives you only enough information to be dangerous
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Japan Overview
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Japan History
Prince Shotoku
Tale of Genji
Samurai
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Japan History
The 3 Great Unifiers
If a nightengale won't sing, kill it Oda Nobunaga If a nightengale won't sing, make it Toyotomi Hideyoshi If a nightengale won't sing, wait for it Tokugawa Ieyasu
Warring States
Japan Unification
Black Ships
Warring States
Muromachi Period 1333 Portuguese Arrive in Japan 1542 Azuchi-Momoyama Period 1568 Edo Period 1603 1854 Meiji Period 1868
The steam powered ships Break the peace Of the Pacific It only takes four And we cant sleep at night
Page 5 NEC Corporation 2008
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Obligation On
Harmony Wa
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Maybe Ive Been Able to Repay the Debt Just a Little Bit. Kazunori is dying of Cancer. The title refers to Kazunori's words on successfully getting into Tokyo University - has he now repaid his debt (to his parents) in a little way, he wonders. 2006
Page 8 NEC Corporation 2008
When someone goes on vacation they will buy small souvenirs for their coworkers.
Giri Choco
On Valentines Day, Japanese women give chocolate to men in their lives (Giri Choco). This includes co-workers and their boss. It is not unusual for some women to buy a small chocolate for each man in her office.
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Overview The social harmony of the group. Harmony exists when everyone within group knows their place in the hierarchy and behaves accordingly. Consideration for others and the group over the individual is paramount. Note: Wa is also a name for Japan
Examples Focus on preserving relationships Group responsibility not individual Avoiding confrontation Not saying No directly Avoidance of aggressive/argumentative behavior
Kuuki ga yomenai - Cant read the wind A phrase used to describe someone who is insensitive to reading the dynamics of the group.
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An employee will work for an average of 10 years before taking the Manager Test and becoming a Manager
West
Limited personal deceptions, game-playing, etc. In general, the "face" you present to the world is your "real" face.
Japan
Tatemae: Faade. What someone shows in public. Behavior is dictated by role, social status, or position regardless of personal opinions. The core of tatemae is politeness to avoid confrontation. Honne: True thoughts and intentions. Honne refers to real feelings and opinions. It is not something one is encouraged to show in public, especially during business dealings. It is something a Japanese shows only to his closest friends.
Historical Context: A samurai could kill a peasant for any supposed slight whatever, so the peasants learned to present an outward appearance that would be acceptable to the samurai and their lords while keeping their true feelings hidden. Personal survival depended on this developing this skill.
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The method recommended by experts is to be born as a Japanese baby and raised by a Japanese family, in Japan. And even then it's not easy.
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Katakana
Kanji
Tatemae (faade)
To Build
Front
True, Real
Sound
Business Implication: English marketing materials from Japan will tend to have a focus on the selection of individual words. Explanations will be given about the meaning of particular words.
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English Statement Made By A Japanese Person I See. Ah. Ah-hah. Yes. That is difficult. That is very interesting. We will study your proposal.
No. No. No. No. That is completely impossible. That is the stupidest thing I ever heard. We will feed your proposal to a goat.
The Japanese tend to communicate via nuance and euphemism, often leaving important things unsaid; whereas Americans tend to think theyre being subtle when they refrain from grabbing the listener by the shirt. Dave Barry
Page 17 NEC Corporation 2008
Saving/Losing Face Comparison between Low and High Context Cultures USA
Individualistic Society Direct Verbal Communication Individual Rights are paramount Equality is the prevailing ethic in Society Conflicts are a part of life Social blunders reflect on the individual Say what you mean, mean what you say Overall Goal: Solve Problems
Practical Items
Sitting Arrangements
Drinks
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Consensus On (Obligation)
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No
Yes Yes
Issue
Research issue
Meeting To resolve
Closed
No
Identify Network
Plan to resolve
Dinners Etc
Recheck
Pre-Meeting
Meeting
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Discussion
Questions
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