Sayonara – intercultural competence Japan
Is Asia coming?
President Trump is in office. Which of his pithily presented measures will he implement? Nobody knows yet, but skepticism about the future course of the USA is spreading everywhere, both in Asia and in Europe. It is quite possible that the economic powers in these regions will continue to converge if the USA lapses into protectionism. As far as Asia is concerned, Japan has been an industrialized country with a flourishing export industry and a domestic market with gigantic purchasing power for the longest time. But with low growth rates, this market is highly competitive and German companies are well advised to prepare their German employees well for Japan so that they can operate successfully locally. A key resource is, of course, suitable personnel. And intercultural competence is particularly important when recruiting staff, as both Germans and Japanese operate from within their own culture, which can lead to blatant misjudgements.
Lost in translation – the job interview
Let’s take the example of an application from a very well-educated Japanese woman who speaks excellent English and has work experience. She applies for the position of management assistant, where English language skills are particularly important. The German manager has invited her to an interview based on her paperwork, which goes as follows:
The Japanese woman knocks, the manager calls “Come in”. The door opens and an attractive lady in conservative business attire enters the room. The German stands up and wants to shake her hand, but the Japanese woman only bows several times. The German sits down, a little irritated, the Japanese woman remains standing. The German leafs through some papers.
(The Japanese woman thinks: Why doesn’t he offer me a chair? The German thinks: Why doesn’t she sit down?)
Only after a little while does the German say: “Please, have a seat.” The Japanese woman sits down and smiles modestly. It’s hot and the German wants to be a good host: “Would you like to have a drink, some water or coffee?” The Japanese woman replies: “No, thank you.”
(The Japanese woman is indeed very thirsty. The German is puzzled).
The German asks: “It is very hot today, are you sure you would not want something to drink?” The Japanese woman replies: “No, thank you.” The German is irritated again and says: “I am getting a coffee myself, are you sure you would not like something?” Only now does the Japanese woman reply: “Maybe some water.” The German tells his secretary, who brings the drinks.
The conversation begins. The German explains the tasks of the job and asks: “Can you do all this?” The Japanese woman answers with many: “Yes.” The German finally asks, as he has learned at home: “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” The Japanese woman replies: “Oh, I have no strengths.” The German is confused. “But everyone has strengths. It is important because you have to work here in our team.” The Japanese woman replies: “Maybe I am ok working in a team. My weakness is that my English is not so good.”
(In fact, the Japanese woman speaks excellent English)
The German is taken aback and says: “But English is very important in this job, it was pointed out in the job advertisement.” The Japanese woman replies: “Well, maybe it’s ok.” The German looks at her thoughtfully and asks: “We need to fill this position as soon as possible. Can you start working next week?”
(The Japanese woman thinks in horror: “Of course not, that’s far too early, how can he expect something like that?”)
The Japanese woman replies: “Next week already. Ok, ok.” The German ends the interview. The two shake hands, the Japanese woman also bows and says: “Thank you, thank you.” She leaves the room.
(The Japanese woman thinks: “How can he expect me to start next week? Will he ever consider my needs? I’m very worried about working for him.”)
In the meantime, the German returns to his desk. He looks thoughtfully at the Japanese woman’s letter of application and then crosses her off the list of candidates.
What really happened?
Both acted completely correctly from their culture. The Japanese woman was very polite and extremely modest (refusal of the drink, no strengths and false weaknesses). In doing so, she was showing respect to the higher-ranking person. And, of course, it was impossible for her to say “no” (like when she started work the next week) because it was impolite in Japan. In other words, she had behaved correctly from a cultural point of view and wanted to increase her chances of getting the job. The opposite was the case, as she was sitting opposite a native German who knew little or nothing about Japan. The German conducted the interview according to the exact criteria he had learned in many seminars in Germany. In Germany, it is important to present yourself as well as possible, modesty is interpreted as weakness. And of course, Germans communicate very directly. If something is not possible, it is said openly (like starting work the following week).
And the result?
The Japanese woman will certainly be happy when she receives a rejection from the company, especially as any relationship-building had been nipped in the bud. The German has missed the opportunity to hire an excellent employee. He will probably hire someone who behaves according to Western standards, but who may be less suitable for the job.
What needs to be done?
The rules of the game in Japan are different from those in Germany. Intercultural training in Japan from Global Cultures will familiarize you with these rules so that you can find the right approach, communicate in the right way, obtain the relevant information and thus make culturally appropriate decisions. This is the basis for business success in the land of the rising sun! Don’t let your competitors take the butter – or rather, the best employees – off your bread.
