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International Management - Rodchenko VV

The socio-psychological basis of motivation in Japanese

The motivation system of Japanese management has developed on the basis of traditional social norms. According to Japanese management theorists, foreign concepts are not applicable in Japan, since they do not take into account the specifically national psychology of the Japanese.

The Japanese have long been adapting to the situation. "We, the Japanese, stick to politics, not principles," said once famous Japanese scientist Kazutaka Watanabe. In this regard, the American researcher Bois de Mente emphasizes that Japanese logic fundamentally differs from the American one. " Japanese logic ," he writes, "is not something permanent and unchangeable, it is like wrapping material that takes any form depending on what object is wrapped in it, it is based on circumstances rather than principles: for example, The Japanese businessman, like a chameleon, is ready to take on the protective coloring of his surroundings at any moment.The example of the adaptability of the Japanese to circumstances is well illustrated by the saying among them: "I am a Christian by faith, a Buddhist in philosophy and a Shintoist in views on society" [16].

Foreigners who are in close contact with the Japanese notice their enviable behavioral flexibility. The Japanese themselves point to it. So, the theoretician of Japanese management Professor Ryushi Iwata writes: "I myself, communicating with Americans and representatives of the European public, repeatedly noticed the tendency of the latter to follow some strictly established goal of behavior." Against the background of Europeans, the Japanese looked much more flexible and socially adapted " 16].

Similar differences are manifested in all spheres of life and, of course, in the sphere of production. So, if Europeans immediately stop working when they give a signal about the end of the working day, then the Japanese can not afford such a strange behavior from their point of view. Until everything is brought to its logical completion, the Japanese will not leave his workplace. He almost never raises the question of whether to stay at work after a shift. When the situation requires this, the Japanese continue to work.

In Japanese society, the determining factor of behavior is objective reality, and subjective personality tendencies stand in second place. Even the personal pronoun "I" in Japan is perceived not as a subject, but rather as an object of activity. "I" in Japanese reality is both "I" and "situation." Since the situation often changes, so does the "I". Hence it follows that one can not vouch for the behavior of a person who utters some truth. When a Japanese says: "I will do it!" - it is necessary to understand this: "I will do it if circumstances permit it to me."

Such conformism is also manifested in respect of the Japanese to responsibility, contracts, contracts, promises, etc. This phenomenon determines the perception by the Japanese of various rules and regulations that are created at enterprises of Western countries. From their point of view, it is completely absurd to demand that in all cases the letter of such instructions be observed. The Japanese are firmly convinced that the correct course of action can be prompted by the real situation, the situation, and the manager, when making a decision, must always proceed from a concrete situation. Counting on instructions or any strict instructions, in their opinion, means to fail the case.

Japanese workers act like football players or hockey players on sports grounds. They sensitively perceive all the nuances of the situation, the reaction of their colleagues and their own reaction subordinate the flow of general behavior. In Japanese firms, not a manager, but the situation gives orders. The manager only needs to study the details of the real circumstances, analyze the situation and inform the employees of the results of his analysis. And they will make the right decision.

The motivation procedure itself is saturated with various informal interpersonal relationships. Due to a number of peculiarities of national character, relations between the two Japanese invariably go on to informal channels. This manifests itself in a system of intra-firm and inter-firm relations (between producers and consumers, customers and contractors, etc.). Before organizing any joint business, the Japanese establish informal, often confidential relationships with their partners, which, according to sociologists, can eliminate the undesirable consequences of any possible turmoil. In this regard, among managers, the expression "If a trusting relationship arises between a dentist and a patient, the latter more easily tolerates all dental executions."

Japanese managers are constantly engaged not only in production, but also in establishing trustful relationships with customers. A Japanese manager once remarked that Americans, before starting any joint business, impose themselves on a mountain of newsletters, carefully study the capabilities of a partner. The Japanese, in such cases, after rejecting all formalities, arrange a tea party with their partners. They know that if tea drinking causes a pleasant sensation on both sides, cooperation will improve. Trusting relationships will do more good than the most impartial information.

It should be noted that confidential relations place the contracting parties in the framework of business etiquette, deviations from the norms of which in Japan are not forgiven. Confidence in relations prevails even in jurisprudence. The main thing for the Japanese is the norms of behavior established for any kind of human relations by tradition and based, at least externally, on the feeling of attachment that unites people in their relationship. One who does not observe these norms acts only in his own interests, instead of submitting himself to the noble impulses of his soul. At the same time, he himself and his family cause contempt. If you discard relations between large firms, then no one goes to court to exercise their rights, as stipulated in the codes. According to the Japanese, the concept of subjective law depersonalizes human relations, it puts all people in a position of equality in spite of the hierarchical order that, according to the doctrine of Confucianism, which is the basis of the Japanese tradition, exists in nature. The Japanese prefer to be guided by feelings, not by reason.

The predominance of informal communication has given rise to a special style of interpersonal relations in Japan, which in scientific circles was called the "mentality of egalitarianism." This phenomenon determines a number of aspects of labor motivation in Japan.

Anyone who entered into business communication with the Japanese noticed that they show surprising indifference to the differentiation of work loads. From their point of view, since people differ from each other by their natural data, it means that labor needs to be evaluated according to their capabilities, and they should be rewarded approximately the same way: "because everyone puts everything that he is capable of doing in his work."

A comparative view of the remuneration for labor has developed in the Japanese rural community. Each member of the community, involved in the grueling process of collective rice cultivation, did everything he could. At the same time, the strong worked more efficiently than the weak one. Nevertheless, the payment for work was the same. In a community environment, it was considered inappropriate to claim privileges for greater labor contribution. However, as time went on, production was increasingly mechanized, and the individual had to reckon with. Before the Japanese business for the first time in the country's history, the question arose: "How to reward employees?"

The answer was found in the framework of a compromise; Japanese business retained the aspiration of the masses to equalize and took into account the personal contribution to the production process of the individual worker. At the Japanese enterprises the system of payment of workers on seniority, or length of service was established. All newly hired are assigned the same salary, which is supplemented by annual increments for experience. This type of compensation corresponds to the striving of the Japanese to maintain their social status on the basis of group relations.

A Japanese who is always aware of himself as a member of a social group is very sensitive to his status, that is, to the assessment given to him by the members of the group. And although this assessment is usually not expressed directly or indirectly, everyone feels it. At the same time, in the mind of the Japanese, the idea that in real life everyone is equal is firmly held. No other wage system can so successfully combine with the "mentality of leveling", as payment by seniority.