Management communcation - Assignment Example

Management Communication: Business Memo Business Memo July 3, Insert CEO’s Insert NameSubject: Japanese Business Culture ReportIntroduction Culture develops to exemplify its people and differentiate them from others. Needless to say, effectual management of the cross-cultural interface is a significant source of a company’s competitive advantage. Globalization has brought opportunities and challenges to business which has made many companies want their employees to learn about other cultures and acquire a degree of cross-cultural proficiency.

In essence, culture refers to the attitudes and behavior that characterize a particular social group or organization. After carrying out a research on the cultural considerations for doing business in Japan, as per your request, we established that Japanese companies’ appraise upholding harmony and excellent reputation with customers and the community in general.Communication Styles Of all facets of handling the Japanese, communication complexities cause the biggest dilemma.

Exceptional distinction and subtlety typifies Japanese communication. Where how an individual appears, what he or she publicly states and what he or she thinks are frequently poles apart. In essence, it is challenging for a foreigner to understand these baffling paradoxes. Needless to say, everything should be inquired to assure achievement of clear understanding. In reference to Locker and Kiensler (2010), Japanese treasure sitting in silence and calmness (p. 132). In times of difficulty or stress in meetings, Japanese recourse to sitting in silence to release nervousness in the room and give room for people to move away from the difficulty.

In addition, the Japanese minimally use body language. This makes an untrained observer to understand. Japanese use body language to indicate attributes such as respect, confidence, agreement, interest and emotional participation. Though eye contact is an indication of attention, Locker and Kiensler (2010) denote that the Japanese show respect by lowering their eyes when speaking to superiors (p. 132).Japanese Team Work Though Japan is a small country, with a dense population, it encourages cohesiveness and politeness.

This helps them avoid conflicts and uphold harmony. From the research, we established that Japanese are naturally group oriented. At the beginning of a new day, many firms in Japan have a group meeting aimed at building harmony and team spirit, and employees can do calisthenics together. A Japanese group identifies the sources of problems in the firm and tries to solve it as a team.Comparison to the western Culture Culturally Japan values patience, politeness, hard work, honesty, affiliation and team work.

Different cultural settings have different ways of communicating. Locker and Kiensler (2010) assert that Japanese treasure sitting in silence and calmness (p. 132). In contrast, many westerners are tremendously uneasy with silence in meetings and feel the urge to fill the quietness with more discussions over issues Japanese would avoid. Needless to say, Japanese regard the westerner’s propensity to squirm and shift as a signal of spiritual and mental balance deficiency. Audiences and interviewers react negatively to restlessness.

From the research, we established that Japanese are extremely respectful. Though westerners regard eye contact as an indication of attention, Locker and Kiensler (2010) denote that the Japanese show respect by lowering their eyes when speaking to superiors (p. 132). Japan businesses treat customers like a god. This opposes the west where they treat a customer like a king. In Japan, business executives greet customers with energetic exclamations of “Welcome” and numerous refrains thanking the customer for shopping as they leave.

In some businesses, the business executives queue to bow to customers at the beginning of the day. In the event of a delay prompting customers to queue waiting, the management sincerely apologizes. The company needs to develop tolerance and empathy towards the Japanese culture. Cross-cultural aptitude is paramount to business operations as well as managerial tasks. In order to deal with the Japanese, we need come up with a consensus approach to issues to ensure that an agreement is sought before a formal meeting to avert any disagreement.

Works CitedLocker, Kitty O., and Donna S. Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication. 9th ed. McGraw Hill, 2010. 132. Print.