What I learned while working in a company that is a small country like Malta but has people who speak 17 different languages. Is Japan really over?

While living in Malta, an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, I travel to Europe about once a month and spend my days searching for a place where I can move.

However, I am not just playing around, I am also working in Malta.

There are many foreign companies in Malta, probably due to the preferential tax treatment, and the company I work for is headquartered in Sweden, with over 1,000 employees, speakers of over 17 languages, and nationalities. It's not a big deal, but considering that when I worked at JR Tokai, there were only Japanese speakers and Japanese nationals, the company is made up of employees of well over 30 nationalities, and now it's a completely different environment. I'm working.

Working in such an environment teaches me something different than when I worked in Japan, and it's very stimulating in my 20s. This comparison is possible because of what I learned while working in Japan, and having such experience is itself a blessing.

So, what specifically can we learn?

Let me introduce you to something interesting that I learned recently.

Recent learnings at multinational companies

When working in such a multinational company, the most important thing to be careful about is understanding and respecting each other's different cultural values ​​regarding various issues. Even Japanese people have different expectations for work, the amount of passion they have for work, and the balance between work and private life, but this can still be roughly estimated based on past experience and knowledge, and communication with Japanese people is different. will run smoothly using these.

However, when communicating with people of different nationalities, it is very difficult to guess what the other person is looking for based on the experience and knowledge that has been cultivated in Japan, and this can sometimes cause a rift in the relationship. This could lead to problems.

One of the differences that arises due to differences in nationality is ``hand signs.''

For example, when beckoning someone, using your index finger is considered rude to Japanese people. When it comes to people who are older or in a higher position, it can even be a behavior that can put one's own safety in jeopardy.

However, for Italians, it is not so rude to beckon someone with your index finger, even if you have a different position or age, and subordinates may even use their index finger to beckon to their superiors.

In this way, depending on the country, region, and culture in which you were born and raised, human relationships in the workplace, communication to ensure smooth work progress, and the way you speak to others to motivate them, etc., differ. The difficulty of working at a multinational company is that if you do not work with an understanding of what you are doing, it will affect your own evaluation.

In my daily work, I often evaluate work performance and provide feedback on that evaluation.

This evaluation and feedback not only affects the individual's motivation, but changes in motivation can also affect the overall performance of the company.

If you give feedback based only on your own intuition, such as "I think it's okay to say this much" or "Is it better to base it on praise?", depending on the values ​​and culture of the other person's nationality, it may be difficult to give feedback. This means that it may not be effective at all, and may even have a negative impact.

Naturally, these feelings and values ​​differ not only by nationality but also by individual, so it is not necessarily correct to say, ``This is how you should approach a person of this nationality,'' but it is important to understand the personality of the individual. It is very important to understand the values ​​and culture of each nationality, even if you do not yet understand them.

So here is the data I use to understand them.

International management using data

The name of the tool is ``COUNTRY COMPARISON TOOL'' provided by The Culture Factor Group.

With this tool, you can enter the country you want to research and display national characteristics data in a graph. You can also display and compare multiple countries, and the details of the data can also be displayed as comments.

So, what kind of information do we use to understand a person's national character? We will explain the six indicators displayed in this data using graphs for four countries: Brazil, Japan, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

POWER DISTANCE

First of all, "POWER DISTANCE" is the first indicator to understand the national character, culture and values ​​of that nationality.

This POWER DISTANCE means to what extent can we accept an approach that uses "positions" such as job titles? Organisations are not equal, but hierarchical, and we accept this even if there is inequality in the distribution of power depending on positions, etc. If the value is high, it is more effective to use relationships such as positions for decision-making and feedback from superiors, and if the value is low, even if the positions are different, the organisation is There is a tendency to think that everyone should be equal and have the authority to make decisions, etc., so a position-based approach will not be effective.

In the four countries mentioned above, there is a high possibility that position talk would be more effective with Brazilians, while with Japanese people it would be more effective to use position talk, whereas with Japanese people it would be more effective to use position talk. This means that it is more effective to approach from a flat position.

At first glance, Japan tends to appear to be hierarchical and unequal in authority and power due to the clear existence of hierarchical relationships, but compared to other Asian countries, it is not so hierarchical and there is a lack of willpower. Even when decisions are made, they are not made based on a single word from the top (person in authority), but rather after approval from a detailed hierarchy, so the power distance is not said to be that high. Paradoxically, although there is a hierarchical relationship, there are not that many top executives or organisations that make decisions with a single word.

INDIVIDUALISM

The second is "INDIVIDUALISM", which is an indicator of whether a person is individualistic or collectivistic.

If the number is high, employees will not like group ties, and employees will not swear loyalty to the company unless there is mutual benefit.If they judge that there is no benefit, they will change jobs immediately, and the company will not hire people. Promotion will be based entirely on merit, not relationships. On the other hand, if the value is low, people prefer group ties, and even companies prefer family ties, so they will protect their members in exchange for loyalty, so they will be more concerned about how much time they have spent than their ability. It will be evaluated.

Therefore, when approaching people with high numbers, such as the Dutch and Swedes in the four countries mentioned above, it is important to consider how their current level of contribution will affect their individual careers. If the number is low, it is effective to explain to Brazilians the degree of contribution and influence they have on other members of the "team".

What was surprising here was that Japanese people are also rather individualistic. My personal stereotype is that Japanese people tend to emphasize teamwork, but being aware of these gaps is important when managing and approaching others. However, the score is 62, so it is not completely individualistic like in Europe, but more like a half of individualism and collectivism.

MOTIVATION TOWARDS ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS

The third is "MOTIVATION TOWARDS ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS."

This is the degree of desire for success at work, etc., and it is a number that shows how motivated you are to compete, achieve results, and succeed.If the number is high, you want results and success in competition, and if the number is low, you want results and success in competition. is an indicator that if a person is consensus-oriented rather than competitive and can secure a stable quality of life that they desire, they do not want anything more. Conversely, ensuring a work-life balance is the highest priority, and business growth and winning the competition with competitors are not priorities here.

In the four countries I took as an example, Brazilians are 50/50, Japanese are highly motivated to get promotions, promotions, winning competitions, and new opportunities, so it would be better to have a prize related to that.On the other hand, the Dutch and Swedish In the case of people, it is better to give them a sense of security that their livelihood is secured than to get a promotion, promotion, or business growth.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

The fourth is ``UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE'', which refers to the extent to which we can accept uncertain elements that will occur in the future. Rather than accepting uncertain situations flexibly, we should avoid uncertain situations through strong beliefs and systems. Whether you try or not. To put it more simply, it is an indicator of the extent to which people can accept "changes" to established institutions and beliefs.

Here, the higher the number, the less you like uncertain situations and the less you like change. Therefore, following rules and systems is given priority. If the number is low, no matter what happens in the future, no matter what kind of society or situation we find ourselves in, it seems important to go with the flow and follow the existing rules and systems. That means no.

Therefore, for Brazilians and Japanese people, an approach that gives them a sense of crisis through ``sudden change and innovation'' and encourages them to believe that the status quo may change is effective, but for Dutch people it is 50/50. It turns out that approaches that give a sense of crisis to the current situation, such as innovation, are not very effective for Swedes.

On the other hand, Swedes have the ability to respond to unprecedented changes, so they can build new systems and institutions with a sense of speed, but organizational order and precision do not come naturally. . On the other hand, in the case of Brazilians and Japanese, it is difficult to make changes unless they have carefully planned in advance and the possibility of realization has increased, but they can expect an increase in organizational order and precision.

LONG TERM ORIENTATION

The fifth is ``LONG TERM ORIENTATION'', which is an indicator of whether you are long-term or short-term oriented, and the extent to which you connect your past with your own culture to your preparation for the present and future. . Simply put, there are two choices: "futuristic" or "traditional."

High numbers here indicate that you take a pragmatic approach to preparing for the future, favor education and behavior that is more current than traditional, and prefer long-term, futuristic processes. To put it very simply, both individuals and companies try to use money for the future rather than spending it immediately, so they ``save'' or ``retain internal reserves.'' On the other hand, if the value is low, both individuals and companies will spend money quickly, emphasizing the present moment and prioritizing preserving their own traditions even though they are aware of changes in society.

Therefore, it is effective for Japanese and Dutch people to take a futuristic approach that uses trends rather than tradition, and to plan with knowledge and experience that can be used in the future, as well as their own retirement and the next generation. It has become clear that it is effective to take traditional approaches based on people's past habits, and to guide them toward actions that will quickly produce results.

INDULGENCE

And the sixth and final word is "INDULGENCE". Are you “optimistic” or “pessimistic”?

This refers to the degree to which society is ``tolerant'' or ``restrictive'' toward one's desires and actions. For example, when it comes to selfish behavior that is left to one person's desires, It comes down to whether society is willing to allow it or not.

Therefore, if this number is high, you will think that it is right to indulge yourself or act according to your desires, and if this number is low, you will think that it is wrong to indulge yourself or act according to your desires. You will start to feel it.

In terms of the four countries cited as examples, an approach that tries to restrain the other person's behavior is not very effective with Sweden and the Dutch, but such an approach is also effective with the Japanese. Become.

In the end, I just have to keep learning

Up to this point, we have divided the data into six categories and talked about the differences in culture and values ​​due to differences in nationality, and how to utilize them in management, evaluation, and feedback. The main premise is that it is not a 0-0 difference and varies from person to person, but it can also be used effectively in situations such as meeting someone for the first time, where you do not know the person's personality.

Also, when compared in this way, the culture and values ​​of every nationality have their advantages and disadvantages, and it is not necessarily that some culture is inferior or superior, nor that it suits or suits you. I think you can see that it is not. So, I once again realized that there is no essence in statements like ``Japan is finished'' or ``Overseas countries are better.''

I believe that Japanese people are more team-oriented than individualistic people, and although I haven't used the example here, Koreans are surprisingly not very motivated to succeed. There was a lot of learning that was different from my type, and the biggest thing I learned while working at my current company was that ``In the end, you have no choice but to keep learning.''

Everyone has their own assumptions, and it is necessary to update one's knowledge by utilizing various sources, and to output them immediately. By repeating this process, knowledge turns into experience and becomes practical. Writing these notes here is part of my output and also for myself (lol).

But that's okay, I'm an individualist (lol)

Thank you for reading this selfish article to the end.

Have a wonderful day😊