Japanese management style in Europe and how to work with it

Abstract

Considers the implications for managers in Japanese subsidiaries, by looking at the management style employed by Japanese expatriates and the reactions from their local colleagues. The findings were drawn from a research project encompassing in‐depth interviews with both Japanese and British senior and middle managers working in well‐known Japanese companies. The senior management team of the vast majority of Japanese subsidiaries is composed largely of expatriate managers. It is natural that these individuals attempt to behave in ways that are comfortable for them as they are working for the same board of directors in Tokyo as they were prior to moving to the UK. Although there are many concrete examples of management practices that have been modified to fit the local environment, it is the less tangible aspects such as communication, decision making and delegation that cause conflict between expatriates and locals when expatriates continue in their Japanese ways. Local managers need to be aware of this as much as the recently arrived expatriate.