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To Our Readers
CLIFFORD H. Clarke is a Honolulu consultant. Japanese companies in the U.S. and American companies in Japan hire him to repair the damage when workers from one country are fed up with bosses from the other. Closing the
culture gapClarke, an American, grew up in Japan, is fluent in the language and comfortable with the culture. His parents were missionaries and you sense a bit of missionary zeal when he talks about resolving intercultural conflicts.
Many of the points Clarke and co-author G. Douglas Lipp make in their book, "Danger and Opportunity," about resolving conflict in U.S.-based Japanese subsidiaries, apply to multi-ethnic Hawaii.
Justifiably, each culture feels it has the best systems in the world. Whether we're Japanese managers in Tennessee or American bosses in Yokohama, we see ourselves as agents of change, come to spread the truth.
Understandably, this leads to conflict. Japanese learn young to avoid confrontation. Therefore, in the Japan-America context, conflicts often remain unresolved. When that happens, communications break down, both sides become increasingly judgmental, walls go up and performance bogs down. Japanese begin to see Americans as lazy outsiders, while Americans view Japanese as aloof and secretive. Eventually there is a crisis.
When that happens, who ya gonna call? Clarke likens his job to being a Ghostbuster.
We've learned different ways. American workers want reasonable goals, assurances of adequate resources to meet them and praise when targets are met. They feel you sell products by offering better quality at lower prices.
Japanese, on the other hand, are used to unattainable goals, fault-finding bosses and relentless striving regardless of resources. They know that customers rely on personal, face-to-face relationships, not just quality for a price.
In single-cultural organizations, performance expectations may be unspoken, yet everyone understands them. That's not the case when individualists from America and team-players from Japan work together. Resolving differences requires communication.
Both countries have astounding records of success. Each has much to offer the other. Achieving understanding and harmony takes a big effort. It's worth it.
John Flanagan is editor and publisher of the Star-Bulletin.
To reach him call 525-8612, fax to 523-8509, send
e-mail to publisher@starbulletin.com or write to
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802.