Individual Case Study Analysis - Essay Example

Such problems arise between foreign exchange workers and local supervisors and organizations, with psychological, and personal value implications. The Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) from the UK, US and Canada have come into conflict with a supervisor and alienation from the staff at the Soto Board of Education, in the course of their service under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. There are a number of contributory causes on both sides, having to do with the expectations and perceptions of JET participants and those of the supervisor.

A lack of understanding and appreciation of cross-cultural differences, failure of group formation, and misconceptions in decision making processes, are sought to be remedied by supervisory support, program modifications, and clarification of expectations, intended to diminish the adverse effects of these circumstances. 2.0 Introduction – The Case Situation Kelly, a Canadian, had been working for six months at the Soto Board of Education office in Japan as an Assistance Language Teacher (ALT).

She is one of four ALTs, the other three being from the US, the UK, and another from Canada. The main complaint of the four was the breach of their work contracts when the reduction of their vacation leave credits for those days they were ill, which should have instead been properly deducted out of their sick leaves. This event was only the most recent in a progression of other incidents, which generally involve the imposition by the group’s supervisor, Mr. Higashi, of his unilateral decisions on the working conditions and assignments of the four ALTs. Mr. Higashi’s orders were apparently inconsistent with the stipulations of the Contract of English Teaching Engagement under which the ALTs were employed, and were felt by them to be attempts to intimidate them into complying with the more onerous work ethic customary of the typical Japanese worker (Lewicki, et al., 2003). 3.

0 Relevant decision and issues The relevant decision to be made is: What steps should upper management take to relieve the periodic tensions between ALTs and their Japanese supervisor and create greater symbiosis between them, in order to achieve the goals of the JET? The relevant issues to be discussed are the following: (1) Personal values and culture; and (2) Psychology of the JET supervisor (the decision maker) 4.0 Analysis 4.1 Requisite to comply with the JET contract At the outset, it should be clarified that Mr.

Higashi may not arbitrarily assign absences due to illnesses to vacation leave credits because (a) Article 12 Section 1 of the contract defines the sick leave as the holiday properly for the purpose of illness or injury; and (b) vacation leave may only be granted upon the election of the JET participant (in this case, the ALTs); it should be applied for by the participant at least three days in advance, pursuant to Article 11 Section 2. Nowhere in the contract does it state that a supervisor may unilaterally apply vacation leaves at his own discretion.

The ALTs must therefore be