Yoshitaka Yamazaki

Essential competencies for cross‐cultural knowledge absorption

Purpose – To describe the competencies necessary for managers to effectively engage in cross‐cultural knowledge absorption. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review of knowledge management and cross‐cultural competency research which identifies seven thematic competencies for knowledge absorption. Findings – The study identifies and provides examples of seven cross‐cultural knowledge absorption abilities: valuing different cultures, building relationships, listening and observing, coping with ambiguity, managing others, translating complex ideas, and taking action. Research limitations/implications – The research relies on a single theory of learning and integrates research into a single set of assumptions. The research has not been tested empirically. Practical implications – The paper provides a model to guide managers and others in organizations through successful knowledge transfer and absorption efforts including training, development, selection and project planning. Originality/value – The paper integrates diverse and extensive literature on knowledge absorption into a single framework based on how managers learn from experience and suggests competencies for managing absorption efforts.

Expatriate learning: exploring how Japanese managers adapt in the United States

We present an exploratory study of how Japanese expatriates adapt to working in the United States over time. We view expatriate adaptation to a host culture through the lens of Experiential Learning Theory and learning style. Results of two studies, using quantitative and qualitative data, conducted in Japanese multinational corporations doing business in the USA reveal how learning style in Japanese expatriates changes over time and how Japanese managers differ from their US counterparts. Results suggested that Japanese managers become more concrete and more active in their learning styles over time spent in the USA. Results also revealed that the learning style of expatriates changes in response to cultural demands and that the patterns of change do not necessarily reflect that of US managers. We suggest that Japanese managers do not directly assimilate into US culture but develop specialized modes of adaptation to their host culture. Results of the study are generalized into eight propositions to guide future research on expatriate adaptation to a host culture.

Learning and work satisfaction in Asia: a comparative study of Japanese, Chinese and Malaysian managers

We compared predictors of job satisfaction across three countries, China, Japan, and Malaysia, by surveying 600 managers from these countries who worked for the leading Japanese retail firm AEON Co. Ltd., as it strategically expanded across Asia. Learning is a particularly critical area for human resource management (HRM) in developing countries because of the need to adapt and learn. Therefore, we viewed employee adaptation to the host company culture of AEON through the lens of experiential learning theory and learning style. Results showed that Japanese managers preferred learning through feeling and reflecting; Chinese managers preferred learning through thinking and reflecting; and Malaysian managers preferred learning through thinking and acting. Furthermore, Chinese managers showed more balance as learners, whereas Malaysian managers were comparatively in the middle and Japanese managers exhibited the most specialization in their learning orientation. The study also suggested that learning style is a stronger predictor of job satisfaction than culture and ethnicity, but not as strong as some control variables such as language skills. Work satisfaction has been widely used as an indicator of successful HRM practices in multinational companies in advanced, Western and individualistic cultures. Taken together, the measures of learning style and work satisfaction provide the basis of further study into relationship between Confucianism, capitalism and HRM practices.

Using a competency approach to understand host-country national managers in Asia

This study empirically explored host-country nationals (HCNs) in multinational enterprises (MNEs) using a competency approach. Participants consisted of 500 managers working for a leading Japanese retail MNE, with 100 each from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand. The study highlighted three competency variables for 12 skills of those managers: (1) the level of competency demands, (2) the level of developed competencies and (3) the level of competency improvement needs as assessed by the difference between the levels of developed competencies and the levels of corresponding competency demands. Three conclusions were drawn: First, relationship skills are the most demanded and developed competency of HCN managers in Asia, while their levels tend to vary with Asian countries. Second, goal-setting skills are also very important competency demands but are insufficiently developed by HCN managers. Therefore, HCN managers need to improve their goal-setting skills to a great degree as a top priority. Third, interpersonal and behavioral competency areas of the 12 skills are more important demands for HCN managers than analytical and perceptual competency areas. Based on the empirical evidence obtained from this study, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

A Comprehensive Approach to Understand Learning Styles across Countries: A Comparison between the Japanese and Thai Employees of Japanese MNCs

In the age of globalization, there is no doubt that the process by which people working in international contexts learn is a critical issue in the area of international management. Among learning theories, the experiential learning theory proposed by Kolb (1984) has greatly contributed to the debates regarding cultural differences in learning styles (see Auyeung & Sands, 1996; Barmeyer, 2004; Holtbrugge & Mohr, 2010; Joy & Kolb, 2009; Yamazaki, 2005; Yamazaki & Kayes, 2007; Yuen & Lee, 1994), expatriate skills and adaptation (Yamazaki, 2010), cross-cultural learning of expatriates (Yamazaki & Kayes, 2004, 2010) and cultural intelligence (Erez et al., 2013). Although many studies of learning style differences across countries and cultures have been conducted, most of them have operated in an academic context. As a result, few studies have concentrated on the business context, and fewer still have focused on MNCs, which are major business players due to globalization. Because learning styles are determined in accordance with a contextual situation (Kolb, 1984), more learning style research needs to be done on international business contexts that include MNCs. In this study, therefore, by focusing on the global workforces of Japanese MNCs, we aim to explore the learning style similarities and differences between Japan and Thailand in a comprehensive manner.