The document discusses differences between Japanese and American management styles and their approaches to business and work culture. Specifically, it notes that Japanese workers are expected to produce high quality products without questioning larger business decisions, while American workers feel empowered to provide input and suggestions across business operations. Additionally, it states that while Japanese companies initially struggled with cultural clashes when employing Western workers overseas, they have since evolved to incorporate more local managers and leadership who collaborate with Japanese corporate leadership. In conclusion, the document argues that while management approaches evolve and are re-examined, the ultimate goal of high quality, efficient production remains the same between cultures.

1. Cultural Considerations: Japanese and American Management Styles
From the readings, one sees a great many differences between Japanese and
Americans in not only the approach to leading and managing in the work environment
directly but in the approach to business as a process. These differences are underscored
in the text in the approach to cell manufacturing. In the Japanese model, the workers are
involved in the cell operation and in producing the highest-quality product possible. They
expected to get it right the first time, but they are not expected to address (and culturally
would not think to address) the way business decisions are made concerning the company
vision or how the company is organized and run. They would not make any suggestions
regarding human resources operations.
American workers have a distinctly different experience. The American worker
feels very free to ask questions about “how” the company is being run, to “suggest”
improvements in the company vision, and to speak out on the quality of management.
This last thought is particularly interesting, as it addresses the core difference between
Westerners (epitomized by Americans), and Easterners (epitomized by the Japanese). It
is the democratic nature of Westerners in general, and Americans in particular,
considered against the Confucianism culture of Asians in general, and for this argument,
the Japanese, that marks the dividing line for this whole argument. (Note: currently, the
performance of the Japanese in the international business community is troubled by the
changing demographics of the Japanese population, and it is evident that similar social
ills are about to trouble the American economy. The aging population, troubled real
estate market, and a weakened banking program are very disconcerting issues for the
professional and academic community.)
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2. Cultural Considerations - 2
Is there a measurable problem with the methods in general due to the cultural
differences? The problem is not as significant as was first observed, as a result of some
cultural shifting over the last ten or fifteen years. The Japanese at first did not seem
interested in hiring Western managers for the plants they were relocating to Western
nations. They wanted basically to utilize Western workers under Japanese management.
They hadn’t considered the cultural differences between Japanese workers and Western
workers. This had some unusual and obviously unintended outcomes. Workers who had
once felt free to argue with managers about process were now rebuffed, and didn’t
respect their new managers. After some time, the Japanese did add some leaders,
supervisors, and low-level managers, with, as noted in the text for the British and
Mexican plants, “shadow” Japanese managers. Their approach evolved to the point
where they have plants with local leaders who report to their Japanese corporate
leadership.
But does this mean the continuous improvement theory is discredited? Does it
mean that the well established “kaizen” theory is being re-examined? No more than any
management theory is discredited. Rather, quality management is being re-examined all
the time. All theories go through periods of fad-like popularity, and all reach a point of
reexamination. Academicians and business managers will constantly want to determine
whether there is a “better way” to get the best quality and the right product the first time,
with the least effort and resource requirements.
There are certainly different approaches in “how” to manufacture a product, and
“how” to lead workers to manufacture that product. But ultimately, the goal is to get the
highest-quality product with the least effort. The Japanese are culturally different from

3. Cultural Considerations - 3
the Americans, as both are coming to recognize. They are figuring out how to get to the
crucial end result in spite of those differences. The monitoring processes they will use
will have some similarities to their predecessors, but they will grow and evolve as well.