Are the Japanese really group-orientated?

 

Many people think that it is the groupism rooted deeply in Japan's cultural tradition that is responsible for extraordinarily efficient production and economic success. It is the underlying value system of Japanese-style management. Is this correct?

As a principle of social organisation and behaviour, groupism is often placed in opposition to individualism. As explained by Professor Hiroshi Hazama, a group-centred orientation is one where the individual places priority on the interests of the group. The Japanese, we are told, sacrifice self and family for the sake of the company, treasure harmony among group members, and suppress their personal opinions at work.

Yet the story of selfless Japanese service to society without thought of personal or family interests is no more than a myth. Japanese groupism is not a total submission of the individual to the group. It is instead a preference for working in group-organised activities in the belief that when one joins a group and co-operates with its members, one's own interests will be better served as a result. People co-operate with others because they put their own interests first. To refer to this tendency as groupism perhaps is misleading; a better term for the basic principle of organisation in Japan may be corporativism. Corporativism is a willingness among a group's members to extend co-operation going beyond their duties in the expectation that they will be suitably rewarded when the group achieves its own broader goals. A relationship of symbiosis exists between the organisation and its members.

 

from A Symposium on Culture and Society “Japan and Europe: Changing Contexts and Perspectives”

TEXT 5

Taiwanese Business Structures

Taiwan's economic landscape is dominated by small to medium-sized, family controlled businesses which are usually dominated by one, older male member of the family. Thus companies can be said to be run as benevolent dictatorships where the central family member, who both expects and receives loyalty and obedience from the rest of the employees, makes all key decisions. As is typical in Confucian cultures, the quid pro quo for this respect and loyalty is that the senior manager has an almost paternal interest in the well being of his staff – and this interest is expected to extend beyond the workplace.

Structures tend to be less rigidly hierarchical than can be found in other Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea, with emphasis placed more on pragmatism and getting the job done than on protocol and procedure. This more flexible approach is obviously helped by the absence of large numbers of major conglomerates.

Managers in Thailand tend towards the authoritarian, giving instructions to subordinates which they expect to be obeyed. It would be unusual for an employee to openly question the decision of the manager. The manager expects to be shown the respect due to his (rarely her) position and this will mean that, from a Western perspective, an undue amount of deference may be shown. Respect is given for position held, but age is also worthy of respect. It is difficult, therefore, for older Taiwanese to accept being managed by younger expatriate managers. Equally, a younger western manager on a trade mission is likely to be less well received than a visibly older colleague.

 

from http://www.worldbusinessculture.com

Exam Practice II

Exercise 1. Read the text Considerations When Conducting Business Internationally using the following link

http://www.worketiquette.co.uk/considerations-when-conducting-business-internationally.html

Exercise 2. Retell the text and answer the questions.

 

1. What should business people take into consideration when they are doing business in another country?

2. What kind of research should be done before you visit another country?

3. Do you need to learn the local language?

4. What is the appropriate behaviour to establish trust with your host?

5. Is it a good idea to be too informal with your business partner in Asia? Why?

FINAL TEST

VOCABULARY

Task №1 Fill in the gap:

__________ among individuals in individualist societies tends to be quite verbal.

a) Relationship

b) Talk

c) Attitude

d) Communication

Task №2 Fill in the gap:

We could get a good idea of what __________ is like by looking at the things that people produce, the way they behave, and the way they see the world.

a) culture

b) communication

c) behaviour

d) society

 

Task №3 Fill in the gap:

An arrangement for a meeting at an agreed time and place for some special purpose is a/an __________.

a) contract

b) appointment

c) party

d) communication

Task №4 Fill in the gap:

Cultural __________ is developing sensitivity and understanding of another ethnic group.

a) diversity

b) experience

c) awareness

d) knowledge

GRAMMAR

Task №5 Fill in the gap:

We need to be __________ when we meet someone from another culture.

a) carefree

b) careless

c) careful

d) carefully

Task №6 Fill in the gap:

When you are in a foreign country you may have very __________ friends there.

a) much

b) a few

c) few

d) little

Task №7 Fill in the gap:

We find it much __________ to get on with cultures who do things in a similar way to us.

a) more easy

b) easier

c) more easier

d) easily

Task №8 Fill in the gap:

In __________ Middle East you’d always be served __________ glass of __________ water.

a) the, a, -

b) -, -, -

c) -, the, the

d) the, the, -

 

Task №9 Fill in the gap:

The Japanese __________ the other hand don't have much physical space – they have very small apartments and houses.

a) in

b) on

c) from

d) with

 

Task №10 Fill in the gap:

The trade imbalance between Japan and Europe would not be resolved easily __________ we do not take the necessary approach in shedding light on cultural and social differences.

a) because

b) as soon as

c) until

d) unless

 

Task №11 Fill in the gap:

The world __________ smaller nowadays.

a) gets

b) had got

c) is getting

d) had been getting

 

Task №12 Fill in the gap:

The Japanese would criticise Europeans for __________ on Sundays.

a) don't working

b) not being worked

c) not having worked

d) not working

 

Task №13 Fill in the gap:

Criticising or rejecting the culture’s favourite food or sport might turn __________ to be offensive.

a) -

b) out

c) up

d) in

 

Task №14 Fill in the gap:

People who work for the large Japanese corporations __________ sacrifice much more of their own private lives than is the case in any other society.

a) must have

b) ought

c) can

d) have to

 

Task №15 Fill in the gap:

 __________ avoid insensitive comments and misunderstandings, you should research and learn about specific cultures.

a) Because

b) Due to

c) Unless

d) In order to

 

Task №16 Fill in the gap:

It is regarded as ill-mannered to refuse a request, and __________ a duty brings shame not only to the individual but to his or her family and community as well.

a) don't perform

b) not to perform

c) not performing

d) without performing

READING

Read the text

CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

1. Both civilization and culture are fairly modern words, having come into prominent use during the 19th century by anthropologists, historians, and literary figures. There has been a strong tendency to use them interchangeably as though they mean the same thing, but they are not the same.

2. Although modern in their usage, the two words are derived from ancient Latin. The word civilization is based on the Latin civis, “inhabitant of a city.” Thus civilization, in its most essential meaning, is the ability of people to live together harmoniously in cities, in social groupings. From this definition it would seem that certain insects, such as ants or bees, are also civilized. They live and work together in social groups. So do some microorganisms. But there is more to civilization, and that is what culture brings to it. So, civilization is inseparable from culture.

3. The word culture is derived from the Latin verb colere, “to till the soil” (its past participle is cultus, associated with cultivate). But colere also has a wider range of meanings. It may, like civis, mean inhabiting a town or village. But most of its definitions suggest a process of starting and promoting growth and development. One may cultivate a garden; one may also cultivate one's interests, mind, and abilities. In its modern use the word culture refers to all the positive aspects and achievements of humanity that make mankind different from the rest of the animal world. Culture has grown out of creativity, a characteristic that seems to be unique to human beings.

4. One of the basic and best-known features of civilization and culture is the presence of tools. But more important than their simple existence is that the tools are always being improved and enlarged upon, a result of creativity. It took thousands of years to get from the first wheel to the latest, most advanced model of automobile. It is the concept of humans as toolmakers and improvers that differentiates them from other animals. A monkey may use a stick to knock a banana from a tree, but that stick will never, through a monkey's ingenuity, be modified into a pruning hook or a ladder. Monkeys have never devised a spoken language, written a book, composed a melody, built a house, paved a road, or painted a portrait. To say that birds build nests and beavers their dens is to miss the point. People once lived in caves, but their ingenuity, imagination, and creativity led them to progress beyond caves to buildings.

 

from Encyclopedia Britannica

 

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