According to (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 1996), Leadership is the ability to influence individuals to make them want to accomplish group goals. In this paper, I will discuss Leadership in Japan, the most appropriate leadership style for interacting with Japanese culture, what kind of training the American expatriate would need to interact with Japanese culture, and what training Japanese culture needs to deal with American expats.
Leadership Comparison Between America and Japan:
According to (FUKUSHIMA, 2001), The qualities of a good leader are determined by several factors, the most important of which are: (Charisma, Communication, Honesty, Vision, Knowledge, and Passion); applying these factors to both American and Japanese cultures, we find the following:
| Factors | USA | Japan |
| Charisma | The leader must be strong in character, influence individuals, and they are entirely connected to him. | There needs to be more charisma and insignificance, but teamwork and harmony between the leader and the team are appreciated. |
| Communication | Having a clear, persuasive, and overtly expressive leader who strongly strives for eye contact | Communication skills are not a prerequisite for Leadership; a leader who openly expresses his thoughts is arrogant and miserable. |
| Honesty | It is a precise measure, and lying affects individuals' confidence in their leader. | It is considered a virtue, but it does not trust the leaders only a little too much. |
| Vision | It is done by the leader himself, and the leader must be inspiring to pass on his vision to the team. | Emphasize accurate, well-structured, and long-term plans in consultation between the leader and his team. |
Knowledge | A leader has a specific body of technical or professional knowledge in his or her field. | The leader is considered to receive support and technical and professional expertise from his subordinates. |
Passion | The leader shows the strength of his passion for his vision and ideas, and everyone around him is affected by him and seeks to implement his vision. | Overt displays of emotion are viewed as immaturity of the leader |
The Appropriate Leadership Style To Interact With Japanese Culture:
According to (Drucker, 1971), Japan's driving style is a unique model, where it evolved in isolation from the world for thousands of years; the Japanese, in general, are accustomed to teamwork, harmony, and lack of conflict; the leader who will work in Japan must know that he will be part of the decision-making mechanism, he is not the sole decision maker as in western countries after consulting with those around him, administrative decisions in Japan take longer to be approved, that is because the leader there must get the opinions of everyone around him and reaches the point of total agreement on the decision.
The lexer will take more effort to influence. Thisading will not be done with slogans; instead, it will be done with the help of everyone around him to understand the decisions and the decision to change for the better. Therefore, if it is approved, implementation will be much faster than in Western countries, even if the decision is entirely different from the global perspective, like Japan's entry into World War II.
The Training Americans Need To Interact With Japanese Culture:
The Japanese believe that personal skills at work and practicing correct behaviors are much better than personal characteristics such as honesty and trust; therefore, the American expatriates should be more interested in demonstrating their skills at work than proving their good intentions or the sincerity and effectiveness of their opinions. Also, Japanese culture at work tends to be more formal than American culture; it is necessary to adhere to the official dress and to speak formally with everyone, each employee according to his title and position; the Japanese also respect the job hierarchy; it is not possible to pass a manager and go to the employee, the manager has the upper hand, and the employee must submit his work reports to his manager on a timely basis, whether the job is small or large (Yancey & Watanabe, 2009).
The Training Japanese Culture Needs To Deal With Americans:
According to (Mills, 2005), The Japanese should know that Americans make decisions at work faster and more efficiently. Sometimes, they tend to take risks after studying the available information; the Japanese should also be aware that the American culture at work is based on the individual and his ability to work and influence; in addition, American society is more diverse than the Japanese society, the native Japanese represent 98% of the population, as for the Americans, they are basically a people who have immigrated and a delegation from other countries and carry different cultures. Therefore, every American is treated according to his personal culture. Finally, the thinking of the American leader is above his group, as he is there to take decisions and take responsibility for them, yes he consults with his team members but the final decision of the leader, completely opposite Japanese culture.
Conclusion
Adhering to business etiquette in Japanese culture will help American employees understand their Japanese colleagues. By creating a work environment of respect, cooperation, understanding, and humility, the Japanese could design unique work policies and a distinctive leadership style, taking into account the culture and traditions of the community, which is built on cooperation and complete harmony between the members of society.
References
Drucker, P. (1971). What We Can Learn from Japanese Management, https://hbr.org/1971/03/what-we-can-learn-from-japanese-management
FUKUSHIMA, G. (2001). Understanding 'leadership' in Japan, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2001/03/28/commentary/understanding-leadership-in-japan/#.XnlVPYhKg2w
Hughes, R., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (1996). Leadership. Chicago, Irwin.
Mills, D. Q. (2005). Asian and American leadership styles: How are they unique. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, 27, 1-6.
Yancey, G. B., & Watanabe, N. (2009). Differences in perceptions of Leadership between US and Japanese workers. The Social Science Journal, 46(2), 268-281.