Cross-Cultural Differences - Japanese and German Management Styles from the German Perspective

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract:As the idea of Japan as a leader in management styles and the mythos 'collectivism' as a key to high quality performance and productivity is still in mind of German managers, this work tries to compare actual leadership styles of Japanese and German managers on the level of cultural dimensions.In the study the sample consisted of 119 persons in middle management positions (82 male and 37 female), 60 persons with work experience in Japan and 59 without experience. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding 52 leadership characteristics (e.g. the ability to assert oneself, to cooperate or to delegate) within five cultural dimensions. Participants then rated the importance of this characteristic for the specific category. Findings of the study showed significant differences in experienced and estimated management styles between the countries as well as significances regarding management traits of the german culture after working in Japan.Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents:CHAPTER ONE91.1INTRODUCTION91.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM111.3RESEARCH QUESTION14CHAPTER TWO152.1INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT152.1.1Culture152.1.2Cross-cultural Communication222.2.2Cross-cultural Management252.2.3Significance for Organization292.3SUCCESS FACTORS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS312.4CULTURALLY COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT RESEARCH352.4.1Management-oriented Cultural Research362.4.2Cultural Dimensions according to Hofstede402.4.2.1Dimension of power distance412.4.2.2Dimension of collectivism versus individualism432.4.2.3Dimension of masculinity versus femininity442.4.2.4Dimension of uncertainty avoidance462.4.3The Dimension of the Confucian Dynamic472.4.4Further Dimensions of Culture512.4.4.1Basic dimensions of culture according to Adler522.4.4.2Dimensions of culture according to Trompenaars542.5THE SOCIO-CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF JAPANESE MANAGERS572.5.1Japanese Confucianism582.5.2C