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International and Intercultural Communication
Similarity
The power distance between the U.S. and Japan are near matching showing that they are almost equal, and hence, inequality is not that great and the influence of people regarding ideas and behavior is same. In the society, people are different. The attitudes of culture towards power inequalities are almost the same with a difference of 14, where the U.S.A. has 40 and Japan 54. Japan is greater than the U.S., but the difference is minimal compared to the other variables under scrutiny such as long-term orientation and individualism. This shows that the use of power is legitimate, and subjects to the criteria of good and evil plus their assessment systems are based on the precise setting of targets. The mentality of the people in both U.S. and Japan is that of 'can do,' which has created dynamism in the society. Moreover, the hierarchy means the inequality of roles established for convenience and the government is based on a pluralist approach where majority vote and change is peaceful (National Culture. (n.d.).
Differences
The differences between the two countries relate to individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence. The U.S. is an individualistic society because individuals are primarily concerned with their interest and those of their immediate family. Japan is more of a collectivistic society because it puts harmony of the group above the...
However, the Japanese are more of paternalistic society, and they are loyal to their companies that make their in-group situational.
Japan's uncertainty is at 95, and this shows that the society is most masculine and severe competition is between groups, which start at young kindergarten age. Therefore, the motivation of the Japanese corporation is in fighting, and they are winning against competitors. Besides, their excellence drive and perfection of masculinity in every aspect of their lives is in material production, in services (restaurants and hotels) and presentation (food presentation and gift-wrapping). The Japanese are also workaholics, and this has made it hard for women to climb the corporate ladders due to the masculinity norm of long working hours. Americans, on the other hand, show their masculinity on an individual scale and theirs is upfront.
The uncertainty avoidance for America is at 46, which is a low score. This affects their behavior more than when their culture would have scored higher like Japan. Therefore, their degree of acceptance regarding new ideas, innovative products, and willingness is fair since they are more than willing to try new things be it technology, food or business practices. They are more tolerant of opinions and or ideas from anyone and allow freedom regarding expression. Americans express themselves less…
References List:
Bergiel, E. B., Bergiel, B. J. & Upson, J. W. (2012). Revisiting Hofstede's Dimensions: Examining the Cultural Convergence of the United States and Japan. American Journal of Management, 12(1): 69-79.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1): 1-26
National Culture. (n.d.). http://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html
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