This document discusses about Japanese Culture and uses Hofstede's cultural dimensions.

1. Studying the culture of Japan
Highlights
Section A Group 6
Abhay Sharm 1A
Anirudh Shrivastava 9A
Devansh Doshi 16A
Manasi Jain 23A
Sachin Gupta 42A
Vidooshi Joshi 55A

2. Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)
• Signify “transience in life”
• Hanami
• A thousand year old tradition
• Yearly flower-viewing festival
• Celebrated by feasts under the
blooming cherry blossom trees
• Also signify nationalism and
patriotism
• A fallen cherry blossom
symbolizes a samurai who
sacrificed his life for the
emperor
• Were also painted on
Kamikaze warplanes in World
War II
• In 1912, Japan gave more than
3,000 cherry-blossom trees to the
United States as a gift to honor the
growing bond between the two
countries
Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)

4. Language - Nihongo
• Japanese is the official language for
many (usually smaller) businesses even
today
• Honorifics form an important part of a
Japanese conversation
• They are used everywhere from
households to schools to professional
scenarios with each setting demanding
for a different tone and honorific for the
same or different person
• It is important to use the right suffixes
else you might end up being
disrespectful
• As important as the honorifics are in
themselves, the delivery – tone and
emphasis are equally important
• Using the wrong honorific, or the right
honorific in the wrong way, can result in
anything from simple disdain to (in
feudal times, at least) clan warfare!

5. Food – The Hot pot
• Deeply ingrained in the Japanese
culture
• Enjoyed specially in the winters
• Keeps the body warm and is quite
easy to make
• But the best part of these hot pots is
that it brings people together
• Whether you are having it with
family, friends or colleagues, you
need to work together around the
single pot throughout the meal – an
inherent lesson of Organization
Behavior
• Another socializing spot are the
Oden stalls seen from late nights
to early mornings in winters
providing hot food and alcohol to
hungry passers-by
Food – The Hot Pot

6. Clothing – The kimono
• Japanese for 'clothing' originally
• Different colors were used to signify
political class, roles, etc.
• Several different types of Kimono carry
a significance and symbolism of their
own (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-
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o+styles.jpg)
• One of the most significant parts of a
kimono is Obi
• The height at which it is tied signifies
the marital status of a woman
• Original purpose is to conceal feminine
parts
• Today, they are reserved for special
occasions such as weddings, funerals,
tea ceremonies or summer festivals
• One rare use of kimonos today is by
Escorts and Prostitutes in high-end
parlours run by Japanese gangsters
called yakuza.
Dress – The Kimono

7. • Roughly translates to “whimsical
pictures”
• Comics written in Japanese style
which originated in late 19th century
• Form 25% of sales of print industry in
Japan
• Meant for all types and ages – its a
phenomenon which has caught the
fantasy of many across the world
• The drawings are typically defined by
the peculiar characters and their
exaggerated emotions
• An important link of the world to
Japanese culture and history
Art - Mangas

8. • Japanese animation
• Generally derives the story from
mangas
• Started off in early 20th century
• Led to making of “Otakus” - a
derogatory term used for people who
follow mangas and anime diligently
Art - Anime

9. Japanese Organizations
• Is wrongly perceived as the biggest obstacle to
starting business in Japan for many foreign
companies thinking of entering the Japanese market
• Politeness is their biggest virtue – and also the
most annoying one
• Typically, the organizations are hierarchy-based
which is decided on the basis of seniority
• Lot of significance is on the appearance than the
reality
• Ring-sei or collective decision making is a practice
followed across organizations
• Consultative memorandums are circulated around the
company for consensus
• But, due to the hierarchy, most decisions are finally
made by one individual
• Traditionally, the Japanese place great importance on
the concept of wa, or group harmony.
• The value of the common greater good is more
important than valuing one's own needs
• This principle is applied in schools, as well as
social groups and, later in life, the workplaceThe Organization

10. Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory
• A framework for cross-cultural communication
• Developed by Geert Hofstede
• It describes the effects of a society's culture on the values of its members,
and how these values relate to behavior
• Widely used in several fields as a paradigm for research
 cross-cultural psychology
 international management
 cross-cultural communication
• Important for determining how values in a culture reflect the organizational
behaviour

11. Japan’s Dimensions

12. Power distance Index (PDI)
• Expresses the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and
expect that power is distributed unequally
• Attitude towards hierarchy
• At a score of 54, Japan is a mildly hierarchical society
• Japanese are always conscious of their hierarchical position in any organzational
setting and act accordingly
• Japan has always been a meritocratic society

13. Individualism (IDV)
• The high side of this dimension can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit
social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and
their immediate families only
• Its opposite, Collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in
society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-
group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty
• In simple terms: “I” or “we”
• Japan scores 46 on the Individualism dimension.
• Putting harmony of group above the expression of individual opinions and people
have a strong sense of shame for losing face shows their collectivistic side
• Japanese are famous for their loyalty to their companies, that explains their
individualistic side

14. Masculinity / Femininity (MAS)
• The masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in society for
achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material reward for success
• A high score of 95 indicates that the society will be driven by competition,
achievement and success, with success being defined by the best in field
• With some mild collectivism, Japanese display sever competition in groups
• Also displayed by drive for excellence and perfection in their material production
and in material services and presentation in every aspect of life
• Still hard for women to climb up the corporate ladders in Japan with their
masculine norm of hard and long working hours

15. Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)
• It expresses the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with
uncertainty and ambiguity
• At 92 Japan is one of the most uncertainty avoiding countries on earth.
• One could say that in Japan anything you do is prescribed for maximum
predictability
• In corporate Japan, a lot of time and effort is put into feasibility studies and all the
risk factors must be worked out before any project can start
• Managers ask for all the detailed facts and figures before taking any decision
• This high need for uncertainty avoidance is one of the reasons why changes are
so difficult to realize in Japan.

16. Long-term versus short-term orientation (LTO)
• The extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future-oriented perspective rather
than a conventional historical short-term point of view
• At 80, Japan scores as one of the long term oriented societies
• In corporate Japan, there is a constantly high rate of investment in R&D even in
economically difficult times, priority to steady growth of market share rather than to
a quarterly profit, and so on

17. Comparison between India and Japan

18. • Indians give a lot of
importance to
hierarchies than
Japanese people
• In Japan,
paradoxically, there
is no one top
person who can
take the decision
• In India, there is
always a wait for
approval from the
higher authorities
Power Distance Index (PDI) Individualism (IDV)
• Both show mild
collectivism
• Both believe there is
a need to belong to
a larger group
• While Japan
believes in
meritocracy, in India
hiring and promotion
decisions are often
made based on
relationships

19. • Higher score by
Japan indicates that
it is a far more
competitive society
than India
• Japanese
workaholics is an
expression of their
masculinity
• India is actually
very masculine in
terms of visual
display of success
and power
Masculinity / Femininity (MAS) Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)
• Indian are more
tolerant towards
uncertainty that
Japanese
• Indians are more
tolerant towards
imperfection than
Japanese
• While Japanese
focus more towards
feasibility analysis,
Indians focus more
on adjustment

20. • Higher score by
Japan indicates that
it is a far more far
sighted society than
India
• Both countries
believe in fatalism
• The concept of
Karma dominates
ideologies
Long-term versus short-term orientation (LTO)

21. Domo Arigatou (Thank you)