Understanding Significant Japanese Concepts
- WA - PEACE AND HARMONY
- AMAE - INDULGENT LOVE, INSTINCTIVE UNSELFISHNESS
- ON -THE OBLIGATION
- GIRI - PERSONAL CODE, HONESTY, MUTUAL TRUST, CONFIDENCE
- SHINYO - TRUST, CONFIDENCE
- TATEMAE - FACE, FACADE
- HONNE - HONESTY
- NEMAWASHI- RITUAL PROCESS CONSENSUS
- NINJO - FEELINGS COME FIRST
- SHUDAN ISHIKI - GROUP THINKING
- TATE SHAKAI - VERTICAL SOCIETY - HIERARCHICAL RANKING
- HIGH VS LOW CONTEXT COMMUNICATION
- GIFTING
- TIMING
- ACTION OR LACK THEREOF
A review of contrasting cultural assumptions and values provides insight/understanding into cultural differences that must be understood and acknowledged before cross-cultural guidance can be directed at managing them.
American and Japanese Assumptions and Values
I. Relational
| A. Perception of Self |
| Self | Individual - Who you are? | Group - What you do? |
| Point of Ref. | Independent | Dependent |
| B. Motivation |
| Achievement | Fulfillment - success interpersonal relations | Wa - Smooth |
| Goal | Task-oriented | Personal relationships |
| Personality | Fragmented | Totality |
| Competition Affiliation | Competition | Education: competitive; Wa - communal feelings |
| Limits of Achievement | Self-determination - Where there is a will, there is a way. | Fate |
| Quantification | measurement/ concreteness | Qualitative feelings |
| Limits of Ascription: | Limits rule of authority | Vertical Society, Ascribed status |
| C. Relations to Others |
| Characteristics | Numerous friendships; Core psyche difficult to enter | Social obligation network - amae; Core psyche easier to penetrate |
| Communication Styles | Low Context - Content focus | High Context - More non-verbal |
| Intermediary | Lay cards on table | Intermediary |
| Decision-making | Top down Lobbying | Bottom-up process - Ringi Seido; Nemawashi-ritual process consensus |
| Power | Distributed | Ranking, Hierarchy, Vertical Society |
| Thinking Process | Logical, Objective | Intuitive - Kongen, Group Thinking - shudan Ishiki |
| Confrontation | Face-to-face | Intermediary to save face |
| Informality/Formality | Informal, Direct | Formal, Structured, Indirect |
| Role Specializations | Specialized | All functions invested in leader |
| Age | Youth | Age respected |
| Gender | Movement to Equality | Male-dominated |
| Class | Social Mobility | Rigid group structure |
II. Form of Activity
| A. Doing | Doing | Being-in-Becoming, Doing |
| B. Work and Play | Separated | Not separated |
| C. | Rules | Relationships |
III. Perception of Time
| A. Temporal Orientation | Present,Future | Past, Present, Future |
| B. Progress related to concept of time. | Time is money; Times moves fast | Time moves slowly |
| C. Time | Structured, Punctual | Flexible |
IV. Perception of the World
| A. Man's Relation to Nature | Mastery over nature; Control | Harmony with Nature-universal rules; Musubi: coexistence of men, nature, and gods. Kongen: root of universe |
| B. Materialism and Property | Important value | Religious things more important |
| C. Progress related to concept of time | Keep up with time; Positive | Time moves slowly, adapt to it and environment; Tradition revered |
| D. Optimism | Optimism exists | |
| E. Quantification | Measurement and Concreteness | Subjective |
| V. Perception of Human Nature | Evil, but perfectible | |
References:
- Kluckhohn, Florence Rockwood and Strodtbeck, Fred L. VARIATIONS IN VALUE ORIENTATIONS.
- Stewart, Edward C. AMERICAN CULTURAL PATTERNS: a Cross-cultural Perspective.
- Brake, Terence and Walker, Danielle. DOING BUSINESS INTERNATIONALLLY.
- Behrens, Jacque S. and Bennett, William F. LOOKING FORWARD/LOOKING BACKWARD: Cultural Adaptation
- De Mente, Boye. JAPANESE ETIQUETTE & ETHICS IN BUSINESS: A Penetrating Analysis of the Morals and Values that shape the Japanese Business Personality.
- Doi, L. Takeo. THE JAPANESE PATTERNS OF COMMUNICATION AND THE CONCEPT OF AMAE IN Samovar and Porter. INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION READER.
