The Power Distance means that the individuals within the society are not equal.
In this respect, the average score of Japan is 54, what means that the citizens of Japan are well aware of their status, that’s why they accept their hierarchical differences. It was stated that the workers would rather obey to those who are higher in status, without any questions (“Exploring the World: Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance in Japan” par. 4). The actual hierarchic system in Japan was built in such way that it requires the confirmation of every layer of operation when it comes to business. In its turn, it causes the slow decision making, what often disturbs the Japan’s business partners. However, Japan is still not as hierarchic as many other Asian countries are. The intermediate score of power distance in the United States is equal to 40, what means that the USA is less hierarchic than Japan and that it is much simpler to do business there.
Individualism
There are two types of society that could be characterized as Individualistic and collectivistic societies. The collectivistic society offers support and care towards its members while the individualistic society gives enough space for a personality to take care about his self on his own. In this perspective, even if Japan corresponds to many parameters of a collectivistic society, still, it is not fully collectivistic, with the individualism score of 46. It was said that “Japanese are experienced as collectivistic by Western standards and experienced as Individualist by Asian standards” (“The Hofstede Centre: What About Japan?” par. 4). The family traditions and name in Japan always transfer from father to eldest son. In its turn, it forms a strong foundation of loyalty, and it also reflects on the relationships between the Japanese worker and the company. It is stated that the citizens of Japan more like to have a business based on relationships (“Kwintessential: Japan – Language, Culture, Custom and Etiquette” par. 11). For a comparison, it is required to mention that the score of the USA in this dimension is 91, what means that the USA provides a lot more opportunities for an individual expression.
Masculinity
The Masculinity relates to the aspiration of individual to lead and to achieve his goals. This parameter is extremely high in Japan, with the score of 95. The principle of competition is being cultivated among Japanese from the very early age, what promotes a developing of leadership qualities. However, despite their personal ambitions, a competition is never higher than the group interests, what guarantees unity and understanding. While being the most masculine country in the world, Japan always aims to provide only best service and products in all spheres of life. It is mentioned that even if the female managers in the USA and Japan are often highly active in leadership, the dominant role is still being played by male managers (“UK Essays: The Concept of Leadership in US and Japan” par. 6). The indicator of the USA in this dimension is 62, and it shows that mostly it is the masculine country, although the feminine aspect also has a significant value.
Uncertainty Avoidance
The uncertainty avoidance deals with the future and its possible variants. The main fact considering the uncertainty avoidance is about unknowing of the upcoming future. It was said that “uncertainty avoidance deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man’s search for Truth” (“Clearly Cultural: Uncertainty Avoidance” par. 1).
Every culture has a different opinion on this topic. Japan, with the score of 92, has the highest uncertainty avoidance rate among all of the countries. The country often suffers from different natural disasters, what forces the certain institutes to make corresponding calculations that would help to predict the accidents and to lower its negative consequences. It was mentioned that because Japan is situated at the place of continental plates meeting, it is predisposed to frequent earthquakes and volcanoes (“Japan Guide: Earthquakes in Japan” par. 1). The uncertainty avoidance score for the USA is 46.
Works Cited
Clearly Cultural: Uncertainty Avoidance 2016. Web.
Exploring the World: Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance in Japan 2012. Web.
Japan Guide: Earthquakes in Japan 2016. Web.
Kwintessential: Japan – Language, Culture, Custom and Etiquette 2016. Web.
The Hofstede Centre: What About Japan? 2016. Web.
UK Essays: The Concept of Leadership in US and Japan 2016. Web.