“Hybrid” Managers Creating Cross-Cultural Synergy: A Systematic Interview Survey from Japan

Buckley (1997) found that barriers to foreign direct investment in Japan include government restrictions, cultural barriers, xenophobia, and long-termism. One decade later, the government has changed its attitude with the official mandate to agencies such as Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to promote inward investment, and many government restrictions have disappeared. Strikingly, corporations have little demand for long-termism since American standards now prevail in the financial market. What remains are cultural barriers and xenophobia. Many stories of Western managers in Japan being refused the necessary resources to do a good job in Japan have been heard (Buckley 1997). As a result, Japan has gained the image of being a difficult business environment due to the frustration of Western managers who were unable to accomplish their goals. Nevertheless, there is sparse scientific work on such issues as the foreign manager’s work style and lifestyle in Japan. According to data from my survey on human resource management at foreign affiliate corporations in Japan, not the resources but the character of Western managers is the main problem. Therefore, this character is the key to understanding why foreign managers are often incapable of succeeding in Japan. In other words, international business demands certain mental skills in working with people from other cultures (Adler et al. 1986).