Cultural "Self" Awareness post

Reflection and Overview of Japanese Work Culture    

    Diving into this week's topic, "Work culture in Japan and the world," made me reflect on how different Japan's work style is then the rest of the world. It's no secret that Japan's work life stands apart from the rest of the world, or at least from the Western world. During class, we discussed  Japan's work ethics, highlighting that loyalty and dedication to one's company are highly valued. According to "The Japanese Mind" (p. 119), the Japanese Ie system is an ancient system in which one's loyalty to their ancestors and household is paramount; it seems that modern Japan now expresses this loyalty in one's company/work. In Japan today, many employees spend most of their time on company-related work rather than on personal interests. Transferring the Ie system values into a modern company could have a huge negative impact. In "Karoshi (Work to Death)" in Japan, the author discusses how work culture, particularly long working hours and employer loyalty, is rooted in systems like the Ie system, which could lead to serious results like Karoshi (death from overwork). Sometimes loyalty and commitment that were supposed to be originally devoted to family are redirected to working for a company can have negative consequences, such as mental health problems, social problems or even Karoshi. Therefore, traditional values should not be adapted to the modern working environment. 

Works Cited

Davies, R. J., & Ikeno, O. (Eds.). (2002). The Japanese mind: Understanding contemporary Japanese culture. Tuttle Publishing.

Kanai, A. “Karoshi (Work to Death)” in Japan. J Bus Ethics 84 (Suppl 2), 209–216 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9701-8



 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Business culture in Japan and the world

Business culture in Japan and the world This week's lesson on Business Culture provided me with a clear view of how Japanese workplaces differ from those in Canada. After watching the video “A Day in the Life of a Japanese Retail Worker,” I was surprised by how professional and dedicated the workers were, especially for a retail environment. Every worker’s behaviour was very professional, and they spoke to each other formally. They seemed very structured and cooperative compared to many Canadian retail jobs I've seen, where employees are professional but not to that extent. The main thing that stood out to me was how the manager and staff all went out together after work. In Japan, these after-work gatherings are a normal part of business culture. In Canada, it’s not very common for people to hang out with their coworkers, because it “feels like work” and may seem pointless. Another interesting point is the Japanese concept of Nemawashi, which means preparing decisions quietly ...
Read more

Education in Japan and the World

Education in Japan and the World This week's lesson focused on the Japanese education system. We watched a YouTube video about what a day in the life of a Japanese university student looks like. A student at the University of Science Tokyo showed her busy schedule, which was highly structured and disciplined, reflecting the values of commitment and achievement, which are very important values in Japanese culture. Comparing the Japanese education system to the Canadian system, clearly, all cultures value academic success and extracurricular activities. However, the Japanese education system has very different expectations; high levels of organization and students' participation in school clubs and after-school programs are almost mandatory. I realized that students devote a lot of their time, even evenings, to study clubs and extracurricular activities, whereas in my experience in Canadian schools, evenings and after-school time tend to be for relaxing and are much more flexible...
Read more

Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance

Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance     This week's lesson on Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) helped me reflect on cultural responses to ambiguity, especially when I compare Arab culture to Japanese culture. Hofstede defines UA as "the extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations" (Hofstede, 2011). Both Arab and Japanese societies demonstrate relatively high levels of UA; however, they express this in different ways. In Arab culture, uncertainty avoidance often manifests in a respect for tradition and clear social roles. People strongly value family, religion, and customs, which offer stability when there is uncertainty. Although formal rules exist, personal relationships and adaptability can sometimes matter more than following rigid protocols, providing a unique balance between structure and flexibility. Japan also scores high on UA, tends to stick closely to rules and likes things to be predictable. People deeply va...
Read more