Nama :
Haritz Firmandita Putra
Nim :
165030207141013
Class :
K
JAPAN
Individualism the fundamental issue addressed by this
dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its
members. It has to do with whether people´s self-image is defined
in terms of “I” or “We”. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look
after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people
belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.
Japan scores 46 on the Individualism dimension.
Certainly Japanese society shows many of the characteristics of a
collectivistic society: such as putting harmony of group above the expression
of individual opinions and people have a strong sense of shame for losing face.
However, it is not as collectivistic as most of her Asian neighbours. The most
popular explanation for this is that Japanese society does not have extended
family system which forms a base of more collectivistic societies such as China
and Korea. Japan has been a paternalistic society and the family name and asset
was inherited from father to the eldest son. The younger siblings had to leave
home and make their own living with their core families. One seemingly
paradoxal example is that Japanese are famous for their loyalty to their
companies, while Chinese seem to job hop more easily. However, company loyalty
is something, which people have chosen for themselves, which is an
Individualist thing to do. You could say that the Japanese in-group is
situational. While in more collectivistic culture, people are loyal to their
inner group by birth, such as their extended family and their local community.
Japanese are experienced as collectivistic by Western standards and experienced
as Individualist by Asian standards. They are more private and reserved than
most other Asians.
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the
society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success
being defined by the winner / best in field – a value system that starts in
school and continues throughout organisational life.
A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant
values in society are caring for others and quality of life. A Feminine society
is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the
crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates
people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).
At 95, Japan is one of the most Masculine societies in the
world. However, in combination with their mild collectivism, you do not see
assertive and competitive individual behaviors which we often associate with
Masculine culture. What you see is a severe competition between groups. From
very young age at kindergartens, children learn to compete on sports day for
their groups (traditionally red team against white team).
In corporate Japan, you see that employees are most motivated when they are fighting in a winning team against their competitors. What you also see as an expression of Masculinity in Japan is the drive for excellence and perfection in their material production (monodukuri) and in material services (hotels and restaurants) and presentation (gift wrapping and food presentation) in every aspect of life. Notorious Japanese workaholism is another expression of their Masculinity. It is still hard for women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan with their Masculine norm of hard and long working hours.
In corporate Japan, you see that employees are most motivated when they are fighting in a winning team against their competitors. What you also see as an expression of Masculinity in Japan is the drive for excellence and perfection in their material production (monodukuri) and in material services (hotels and restaurants) and presentation (gift wrapping and food presentation) in every aspect of life. Notorious Japanese workaholism is another expression of their Masculinity. It is still hard for women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan with their Masculine norm of hard and long working hours.
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies
are not equal – it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these
inequalities amongst us. Power Distance is defined as the extent
to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a
country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
At an intermediate score of 54, Japan is a borderline
hierarchical society. Yes, Japanese are always conscious of their hierarchical
position in any social setting and act accordingly. However, it is not as
hierarchical as most of the other Asian cultures. Some foreigners experience
Japan as extremely hierarchical because of their business experience of
painstakingly slow decision making process: all the decisions must be confirmed
by each hierarchical layer and finally by the top management in Tokyo.
Paradoxically, the exact example of their slow decision making process shows
that in Japanese society there is no one top guy who can take decision like in
more hierarchical societies. Another example of not so high Power Distance is
that Japan has always been a meritocratic society. There is a strong notion in
the Japanese education system that everybody is born equal and anyone can get
ahead and become anything if he (yes, it is still he) works hard enough.
