Overview
A Dutch purchaser who is working for an international technology company located in The Netherlands with headquarters in Japan. The company consist of 150 individual companies who are all operated by the main company. Dutch and English are the main languages whereas Japanese is spoken within the headquarters. The company has found their own way to adapt their communication to be understanding to all parties, keeping in mind the large power distance-oriented way of communication from the Japanese. (Hofstede, 2022). This may also be observed and understood from the instances given in the interview on the straightforward behavior of the Japanese coworkers. Furthermore, looking at the Individualistic behavior of the Netherlands in comparison to Japan. A good example is that the Japanese include everyone in a send email, but the Dutch include only the person to whom the email is sent. At first this was extremely inhibitive for the interviewed employee, later she understood this was the way the Japanese work. When preparing for any meeting that are scheduled, they have a team meeting beforehand whereas they assign one spokesperson who does the speaking, and the director prepares and explains the points which will be spoken about. This is a bit prohibitive since there is a real division of roles. Furthermore, they make sure to dress appropriately which supports the non-verbal communication between the offices. (Hofstede, 2022)
Lastly, the verbal communication on the phone is one of the most inhibitive examples of the cultural differences. They have the habit of speaking loudly, the employee even mentions it as ‘screaming’ whereas most of the Dutch employees do not do that. They even thought they were quite upset even when there was no reason to. Eventually, it was mentioned that this is the way they talk to each other and has nothing to do with any emotions. . (Hofstede, 2022) Another difference between Dutch and Japanese culture is Japanese accomplishment and uncertainty avoidance. Unawareness of these cultural differences may result in many misunderstandings and could even result in conflict. Therefore, it is critical to understand cultural differences before working overseas in a nation other than your own.
Hofstede Dimensions
Outcome
Power distance index (PDI)
Japan scores higher on the power distance index compared to the Netherlands. With a score of 54 Japan is a borderline hierarchical society as the Japanese are always conscious about their hierarchical position within society and act according to this position. The Netherlands on the other hand, with a score of 38, has a less hierarchical society and only use hierarchy when convenient. While the Japanese depend more on their superiors, in the Netherlands power is decentralized (Hofstede, n.d) The Dutch are very direct and it is expected to know what to do within a company, however the Japanese first must talk to their superiors to prove any decisions made. The Dutch also value direct communication and honesty while in Japan is more common to hold back. In order for communication to work within the company the Dutch must exercise patience when communicating with the Japanese. In order to avoid any problems with communication the purchaser said that there is one spokesperson.
Individualism vs collectivism (IDV)
There is a stark contrast between the Netherlands and Japan when it comes to individualism. With a score of 80 and 46 respectively the Netherlands has a very individualistic society. Whereas Japan is considered more of a collectivistic society. However, Japan is not as collectivist compared to its neighbors. Japan is considered as a collectivistic society by western standards but considered an individualistic society by Asian standards. (Hofstede, n.d) The practice is that the goal is achieved together but it is expected for the individuals to do the work. But when working with the Japanese collectivism is appreciated to move forward.
Uncertainty avoidance index (UAI)
With a score of 92 Japan is the second highest uncertainty avoiding country in the world. In business the Japanese take the time and effort in feasibility studies and analyze all the risk factors before any decision is made and changes are very difficult to realize due to their high uncertainty avoidance. The Netherlands also has a slight preference for avoiding uncertainty, with a score of 53 it indicates that the Netherlands does have an emotional need for rules and prefer precision and punctuality However compared to Japan the Netherlands feels less threatened by unknown factors. (Hofstede, n.d) To avoid any uncertainty and trouble which may have or will occur the purchaser mentioned that there is a spokesperson who will interact and tell what the problem is and give all the information necessary.
Masculinity vs femininity (MAS)
Japan is the world’s most masculine society, with a high score of 95. However this combined with their mild collectivism resulted in severe competition between groups instead of individuals, which is often associated with in a masculine society. The Netherlands on the other hand feminine society where instead of being competitive value inclusion where conflicts are resolved through long discussions until an agreement has been achieved (Hofstede, n.d)
The purchaser mentioned that when the Japanese are talking on the phone they can come across as very angry and being very upset while this is not the case at all, this is their culture-based behaviour on how the communicate over the phone. For The Netherlands being a feminine country, value inclusion. it is also expected to behave in a way as to not make a person feel excluded, but the Japanese are very goal oriented and value achievement can sound angry when heard from a more feminine society.
Long-term orientation vs short term orientation (LTO)
Japan and the Netherlands both have a relatively high score of long-term orientation with a score of 88 and 67 respectively. But Japan having one of the most long-term oriented societies has more of a futuristic goal compared to the Netherlands. Japan always looks forward on how to serve society for future generations whereas the Netherlands is long term oriented by having the ability to adapt and preserve to prepare for the future. (Hofstede, n.d) The goal of the Japanese manufacturing company to improve the quality of life and to improve society through development of technology and products. This shows that the company is very long-term oriented. Their futuristic goal can also be seen internally as the purchaser mentioned that the Dutch employees attend courses to prepare to meet the Japanese. The combination of the Dutch and Japanese culture will also be beneficial for this goal. With the Japanese being very futuristic along with the Dutch having good adaptability skills will prove helpful to achieve this goal.
Possible solutions/ Best practice
We highlight that the Dutch and Japanese culture are very different. Sometimes communication can be complicated, and some issues arise. To avoid and solve those issues, they try to look professional, being well dressed. They both are aware of the difference between their cultures, they both try to better understand it and respect some of the values and moves of it. Also, before a meeting, they discuss all the problems, and they choose a spoke person. This person will be in charge of interacting and pointing out the problem. And to be sure that problems will be solved, the spoke person tell the problem to Japanese before the meeting so they can think about it and take some time to have a solution.
To avoid some cultural and communication issues, the company goes through multiple types of courses, so every employee is well informed on the culture differences. The interviewed mentioned that besides these major ones, everything goes smoothly and there is not much that was not discussed within the interviews. There is no translator thanks to these courses as both Dutch and Japanese speak English, the communication is very simplified. Also, thanks to these courses, they are very well prepared for touchy meetings, situations, discussion. One of the difficult aspects pointed out was the understanding of the way of expressing. Japanese people have to express themselves when they have something to say. They seem very upset and angry. The interviewed said that it was difficult to truly understand and adapt to this way of speaking.
To sum up, being a part of a multinational company highlights the differences between cultures. In this way, the adaptation to the culture, the people have to be done in order to better understand them, and work together the best they can. To avoid some issues, the company sets up courses, and employees, in this way, have the right keys to conduct a meeting.
Authors
Noëlle Doorson (LinkedIn)
Student: International business Amsterdam University of applied sciences
Block 4, Semester 2, year 2, 2022
Cristina Hurtado Rivero (Linkedin)
Student: International business Amsterdam University of applied sciences
Block 4 Semester 2, year 2, 2022
Alix Laurencin (Linkedin)
Student: International Management Kozminski University
Block 4 Semester 2, year 2, 2022