There are certain cultural traits that are different depending on where in the world you go. These traits are developed and shaped by families, schools, and society as a whole. One of those cultural traits is uncertainty avoidance, which is defined as “the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these” (Hofstede, n.d.). This ambiguity or fear of the unknown results in different levels of anxiety and stress which have shaped the way different countries interact with each other and others.
One of the traits we sometimes can observe with uncertainty avoidance, is a countries refusal of anything that is new or unusual. This refusal can be of any ideas, concepts, and situations that are out of the norm, along with different types of people,or lifestyles. Countries that show these traits tend to stay away from possible conflicts while “balancing optimal stability with minimal risk”(Hancıoğlu,Doğan,Yıldırım, 2014). These countries are also known as high uncertainty avoidance countries meaning that the extent to which they feel threatened by unknown situations is high which interweaves through out their society as a whole.
One of these countries with a high uncertainty avoidance is Japan. Japan scored a 92 in the Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Model, leaving them as “one of the most uncertainty avoiding countries on earth”(Hofstede, n.d.). One of the major reasons for this is because Japan lives in constant fear of natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions. Due to these fears and uncertainties, the Japanese have learned not only to prepare themselves for natural disasters but for any type of situation. It is said that the Japanese, “from cradle to grave”(Hofstede, n.d.) have a ritual and ceremony for everything. From school opening and closing ceremonies, weddings, funerals, social events, and even the do’s and don’ts of how people should behave behave are written in etiquette books in great detail.
When conducting any form of business with the Japanese, one must go into the situation knowing that it is going to be time consuming, since a lot of time and effort is taken on their part to study, assess, and work out all the details every step of the way. Something as simple as a business meeting (to us) will often follow “elaborate procedures”(Katz, 2005) such as, taking a long time scrutinizing little details , and ending the meeting with all “parties signing detailed protocols”(Katz, 2005) so that no one leaves the room with any misunderstandings. Another Japanese business characteristic is in the presentation of proposals. This is another lengthy process since the Japanese need the time to perform their own “investigation , risk assessment, and clarification”(Katz, 2005) before discussing what the next steps will be. Even though this can be frustrating and even be seen as a weakness in a culture like ours, it shows a strong cultural characteristic which is that in order for them to be effective the Japanese “first strive to eliminate all uncertainties” (Katz,2005).
This strong characteristic, has been a strength for Japan, in that it has helped them to be a leader in all aspects when it comes to product quality. Their attention to detail and strive for perfection has made them very successful and the top in their game. There was a time that when you heard the phrase “Made in Japan”, it symbolized cheap and poorly made products. Today that image has totally changed, and now when you hear it it stands for “excellent product quality and reliability (Katz, 2005). Japan is a great example on how an Uncertainty Avoidance mentality can shape a society as a whole as it infiltrates throughout every aspect of their culture. This definitely can be seen throughout the way they conduct themselves in their everyday lives as well as their business practices and work ethics. The Japanese truly live out what they believe. This strong cultural trait is seen in the fruit of their labor and is really simple when you think about it, a risk you do not understand, and cannot manage, is a risk you cannot tolerate (Katz, 2005).
References
Country Comparison. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/japan/
Crossroads, L. (n.d.). Article: On Avoiding Uncertainty. Retrieved from http://www.leadershipcrossroads.com/arti_oua.asp
Hancıoğlu, Y., Doğan, Ü B., & Yıldırım, Ş S. (2014). Relationship between Uncertainty Avoidance Culture, Entrepreneurial Activity and Economic Development. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 150, 908-916. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.09.100
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