{"id":2428,"date":"2021-05-24T08:02:27","date_gmt":"2021-05-24T06:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/career-management.de\/en\/?p=2428"},"modified":"2024-03-06T10:08:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T09:08:36","slug":"differences-in-work-culture-between-japan-and-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/career-management.de\/en\/blog\/differences-in-work-culture-between-japan-and-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Differences in Work Culture Between Japan and Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many Germans, or for those who are used to European work culture, the Japanese work culture can be seen as very different and strange.<\/span><\/p>\n

Differences in work culture between Germany and Japan can lead to <\/span>barriers<\/span> and problems, especially in the workplace. If you are unaware of those differences, you <\/span>may not, in some cases, even be able to find the root cause<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article will explain some of the difficulties that Germans and Europeans may encounter when working at Japanese companies in Germany, including the problems caused by differences in work culture between Japan and Germany and how to solve them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Differences in work culture between Germany and Japan<\/span><\/h2>\n

Research on national differences in work culture began in the late 20th century when the Dutch sociologist <\/span>Hofstede quantified cultural differences in work by country<\/span>,<\/span> and the research then began to focus <\/span>on multinational corporations.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Professor Hofstede’s original cross-cultural business model, national differences were scored from six different perspectives, including; “strength of individualism” and “tendency to avoid uncertainty\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since Professor Hofstede, there has been a lot of research on cultural differences and the impact of cultural differences on business between developed countries such as Japan, the United States, and Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image by Arek Socha<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\nFor example, the following table shows the cultural differences that arose when a joint venture was established between Japan and Germany. As you can see, even in Japan and Germany, which are said to have similar work cultures, there are significant differences that are often found to be a hindrance to business.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Japan<\/strong><\/td>\nGermany<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Collectivism<\/span><\/td>\nIndividualism<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flexible job <\/span>rotation<\/span><\/td>\nClear job function and job scope<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Decision-making<\/span> by majority vote and consultation<\/span><\/td>\nQuick <\/span>decision-making<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Focus on the atmosphere of the place rather than the rules<\/span><\/td>\nFocus on explicit rules.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Protecting lifelong employment<\/span><\/td>\nProtecting jobs<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tend to mix work and private life<\/span><\/td>\nSeparate work and private life<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Annual merit sequenc<\/span>e<\/span><\/td>\nEmphasis on experience<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Strict hierarchy within the organization<\/span><\/td>\nStrict hierarchy within the organization<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Avoid uncertainty\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nAvoid uncertainty\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

(Adapted from Brannen and Salk, 2000)<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the specific topics that are barriers between German and Japanese cultures will be discussed in detail below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Individualism vs. Collectivism<\/span><\/h3>\n

The distinction between individualism and collectivism is essential when comparing the work cultures of Japan and Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Japanese work culture has taken after the team-oriented nature of the Japanese people, who place great importance on group harmony.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, for the past several decades, Japanese companies have developed the ability to share information within the company,<\/span> through for example team networks, and by fostering <\/span>tacit knowledge<\/span> among employees,<\/span> this ability has encouraged industrial development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The unique culture of Japanese companies, such as job rotation and lifetime employment, is a work culture in which people work with the same colleagues for many years with the aim of sharing information closely within the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the contrary, if you look at cultures like Germany, where individual expertise and <\/span>individual work<\/span> are emphasized, you will not often come across this kind of culture. When this cultural difference is brought into the (German) workplace, the following specific discrepancies are created.<\/span><\/p>\n