Culture And Management

American InterContinental University

MGT 658-1301A

Master Degree

CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT

Deniz González Torres

Dr. Smotherman

March 3, 2013

Unit 3, IP #3

Introduction

Question 1: State the source of some of these issues and the intended outcome of the plan including business results.

The source of some of these Issues

The purpose of this paper is developing an employee motivational plan for the group that is working for the new firm in Japan. The employees are: Americans and Japanese and they are having conflicts of attitudes affecting the team performance. The firm wants to develop this plan, since they recognize that there are potential with these employees, but there are some factors affecting the behavior in the work environment. The company wants to motivate their employees, identifying leadership people, enhancing communication between employees, among other in order to create a healthy work environment for them and for the success of the firm.

The intended outcome of the plan including business results

As part of the motivational plan for the employees, the firm is considering create rewards both for individuals and for the team as a plan to motivate the employees and to maintain them focus in their work. Other motivational facts will be discussed during this paper as well as the business results with the motivational plan.

Americans & Japanese

Question 2: American and Japanese attributes: motivational approaches, types of leadership, group dynamics, communication styles, what Americans think of Japanese, what Japanese think of Americans, individual rewards, and team rewards.

American and Japanese motivational approaches

Motivation is now a topic that companies are taking into consideration for their employees. Get motivates the employees could results in a positive way for them and for the success of the company as well, however, leaders have to know when and how use them. Developing motivational sources and level of motivation should be based on the needs of the individuals and the organization… (Brown, 2005). Americans are individualism while Japanese are very collectivity working. In order to know how to apply the motivation to your target, you must know how they work, how they interrelate each others, their needs, etc. As per Hofstede's dimensions of culture, he identified four different dimensions of culture that he suggested explained differences in work-related values and behaviors: 1) individualism/collectivism, 2) power distance, 3) uncertainty avoidance, and 4) masculinity/femininity (Di Cesare, Golnaz, 2003). This motivational theory stated difference between Americans and Japanese in their behavior. To keep Americans motivated they need a goal to reach, since they work toward a goal, and they do not have a sense of loyalty to any company. They work for their own interest, they are individualistic people. Japanese people are the opposite, they work in group, and they are loyal to the companies.

In contrast, there are other motivational theory that stated similarities between Americans and Japanese, this is Maslow theory. Maslow theory state five levels of human needs: physiological needs, self actualization needs, safety needs, social needs, and self-esteem needs. What he stated is that both Americans and Japanese in their own form have the same needs. An example of this can be illustrated by looking at the need of Japanese people to fulfill the second level, safety needs, in order to progress to the third level of the model (Di Cesare, Golnaz, 2003). As such, all employees have the same needs, even when they addressed it different. What motivates Americans is not the same that motivates Japanese, but both are working for the same need, the self actualization. Americans feel motivated by the salary, while Japanese feel motivated working in group.

American and Japanese types of Leadership

Most definitions of leadership reflect a process whereby intentional influence is exerted by leader over subordinates to guide structure and facilitate activities and relationships in a group or organization (Pisal, Nuttawuth, 2010). Leaders exist in organization in order to guide and for the success of the companies. They should work toward the companies' goal and in conjunction with their employees. Leadership styles will vary due to cultures, Americans and Japanese have not the same style of leadership, their customs are influenced over their styles to lead.

For the Americans, the ideal leader should be intelligent, honest, understanding, a good verbal skills and determinant (Pisal, Nuttawuth, 2010). Since Americans are very individual in their work, it's difficult to them to count on others to do the work; however, they expect the best of each of their employees, and evaluate each employee for their individual work. As Americans wants good results in evaluations, they usually help their subordinates in order to achieve a good evaluation, they provide trainings, they help them guiding to the correct way, stating clearly what they want, and what they don't want, Americans leaders are persons focus on results for them and their subordinates, as such they work toward the same goal but in an individual manner.

Japanese are the opposite, since they are group focus. In order to make a decision they take into consideration the opinion of all the team members regarding the position. Japan's leaders require respect and obethence from their subordinates (Pisal, Nuttawuth, 2010). They work in group and received feedbacks as a group, there is no individual criticism,

...