Hunt Arrives in Japan Interrupts

Hunt Arrives in Japan

Interrupts several different individuals in an effort to locate appropriate building

Creates disturbances throughout Tokyo

Hunt Intrudes on "Management Training Seminar"

Hunt does not remove his shoes

Hunt barges into rooms demanding direction

Hunt interrupts Kazihiro's session of self reproachment

Hunt presents his pitch

Hunt barges into the conference room late

Hunt begins by rudely asking whether or not everyone speaks English

Hunt is very informal with the assembled which is in contradiction to Japanese custom

Hunt includes a nearly indecent photograph as a female employee

Hunt makes crude jokes about said employee

Hunt uses profanity

Japanese Management arrives in Hadleyville

A red carpet was rolled out causing the arriving passengers to haphazardly remove their shoes

A huge group of people were assembled

An impromptu speech was required by Kazihiro

Hunt becomes Liaison between Japanese management and American Workers

Hunt agrees to position based solely on potential raise

Arrives late

Makes crude joke about managers last names

Brings up Kazihiro's disgrace

Agrees to bring the employees around to Japanese business practices and expectations

First day of operation with Japanese Managers

Hunt openly mocks the Japanese managers to the workers

Indicates to men that they are just "letting" the Japanese make the opening plays in what is ultimately their game

Hunt begins the dangerous game of playing the men against the Japanese apparently for his own gain

Believes that he is ultimately going to be able to get everything the workers want without actually having to change their behavior or production

Japanese managers attempting to retrain employees

Hunt failed to actually inform the workers of the potential changes

Hunt indicates to the men that he will "fix" the problems rather than attempting to explain the Japanese position

Hunt uses humor and diversion as opposed to honest dealings

Japanese managers alter protocols

Hunt was aware these changes were to be made

Workers were not adequately prepared for coming changes

Hunt adopted a position of ignorance though he had been informed

Hunt indicates that he would intercede on workers behalf when he had already agreed to terms

Softball Game

Workers see this as an event totally separate from corporate life

Workers are allowed to aggress against Japanese

Mr. Saito is knocked over

Reassignment of Hershiser

The game was not strictly extra curricular

Hershiser, perhaps the most vocal opponent of Japanese changes is publicly humiliated

Hunt sides with the Japanese in the eyes of Hershiser

Japanese are seen to be vindictive and retaliatory

Sympathies and aggressions of workers are roused

Dinner at Kazihiro's house

Hunt is fired

He barters to save his job, again employing false pretenses

Relies on the honor code of the Japanese to secure his own position despite his acknowledged inability to produce results

15000 cars in one month

Hunt challenges the Japanese management

Agrees to completely unreasonable terms unilaterally

Tells workers half truths about the challenge

Indicates to management all is and will be well

False pretenses result in emporary peace and success

Kaz & Hunt get drunk

Both men come clean to each other

Each gains an increased understanding of the other

Hunt begins to doubt his decision to continue his charade of allegiance

Googleman gets hurt

Major breaking point in American Japanese relations

Kazihiro defies Saito

Kazihiro stands up for American method of working

Japanese position becomes further strained as accident results in further decrease in efficiency and output

Kaz & Hunt have a falling out

As a result of the injury, the truth of the lies in Hunt's promises is brought to light

Hunt perpetuates the myth of his innocence and allegiance to the workers

This results in the decision by workers to cal a union meeting

Hunt approaches Kazihiro with the expectation that Kazihiro will make good on the false promises he made to workers

Physically aggresses against Kazihiro when for reasons Hunt was already aware of Kazihiro is unable to come through on those promises

Mr. Sakamoto closes the plant

As a result of the deception of Hunt and the relative gullability of Kazihiro, the plant is closed

It is announced at the 4th of July picnic

Hunt is shamed

Kazihiro is shamed

The situation seems completely beyond repair in their own ways each man has been completely ruined

It appears that both a successful career and the future of Hadleyville have been lost as a result of the two mens stubbornness

Kaz & Hunt join forces

Each at a breaking point the two decide to join forces

The plant was 1000 cars short with one day remaining until the deadline

Rather than give up they vow to work together to save the plant even if they have to build all 1000 cars by themselves

This determination inspires the other workers

The entire plant comes back to work inspired by Kazihiro and Hunt's ability to put differences aside for the greater good

Kazihiro publicly stands up for the workers and the plant to Mr. Saito

Though the workers work feverishly it appears that they will be unable to achieve the ultimate goal

Kazihiro challenges Mr. Sakamoto's Honor

Kazihiro removes power from Mr. Saito and challenges Mr. Sakomoto directly

This move if unsuccessful will definitively result in the complete failure of Kazihiro as a business person

This is a move which shows Kazihiro as a melding of Japanese and American work ethic

Plant is Re-opened

Plant workers despite their best effort do not meet the 15000 car minimum

It looks as though all is lost

Sakomoto however realizes that though they may not be as efficient, they are motivated

The American workers produced a product they believed in, at a plant they were as invested in as any Japanese worker was in their own factory

Sakomoto moved by the display of solidarity re-opens the plant

Mr. Saito is shamed in front of all of the workers

Japan is a culture which prides itself on decorum and respect. Hunt has arrived in this country with no knowledge of the language and no understanding of where he was actually intended to be going. Hunt also had no existing knowledge of the culture. All of these resulted in a rather unceremonious introduction to the homes of the people who were intended to save his town. An effective mediation of the situation would have been to send Hunt with a translator familiar with Japanese customs and also to provide him with a consultant on the proposal. This would have ensured that no one was insulted and the relevant information was conveyed in a manner which was palatable to all involved.

This first introduction of Hunt to Assan Motors is indicative of the relationship to come. He walks into a room in which something meant to be private is clearly taking place. He takes no time to observe the cultural norm of removing one's shoes and he ignores the repeated requests of the secretary who is unseen to wait. This breech in protocol is one which sets the entire film up for the audience. Hunt is ultimately acting in the best interest however he goes about it in a manner which is self serving and ultimately counter productive. A successful mediation here as above would have been for Hunt to have more education regarding the customs and culture of Japan.

This pitch was made to top executives at a Japanese automotive firm. In Japan especially, business is extremely important and extremely formal. The fact that he was late and approached the meeting jovially were signs of extreme disrespect. The inclusion of suggestive photograph as well as inappropriate jokes regarding that employee were highly inappropriate for the setting. When Hunt began using profanity and ultimately abandoned the actual planned pitch he showed initiative to a degree and passion, but he also showed that the American work ethic was distinctly different from that of the Japanese.

The Japanese are extremely formal. This impromptu attention was highly embarrassing. The expectation of an impromptu speech is highly irregular and a breech in decorum. The fact that Kazihiro over Mr. Saito was expected to make the speech was also a breech of protocol. For a town trying to impress the Japanese, ultimately they did exactly the opposite. In this instance, either the Japanese team should have been informed that this was the type of welcome they would be receiving or the American workers should have investigated what would be an appropriate greeting and welcoming. This event is fairly indicative of the entire problem. While both parties were trying to impress, neither actually investigated what would work most effectively towards those ends.

This approach of Hunt's is representative of the larger American "attitude" towards industrial progress and the new "forced" influence of the Japanese management. He took the prospect of the factory being reopened as a given as opposed to the possibility that it was. He assumed that ultimately the American way of doing things was the better way and that even without making an actual effort they would prevail. This same display of hubris is seen when the Japanese management team attempts to affect protocol and assignment changes in the workforce. What would have been effective in this situation was a third party business mediator. That individual would balance the expectations and demands of the Japanese firm with the expectations and demands of the American workers.