Part 14.The Japanese and American Work Ethics

The Japanese and American Work Ethics
The reason Americans work hard (when they do) is usually attributed to the Protestant work ethic-a system of values followed by the first immigrants who sailed to America to start a new life.
Hard work and purposeful activity were believed to promote certain qualities of character and keep people on the path of virtue.
The Protestant work ethic also espoused the values of thrift and self-discipline.
These values were surely reinforced by the difficulties that early settlers faced in establishing homes and communities in the New World.
This work ethic quickly become part of the fabric of society and has remained an outstanding feature of the American character to this very day.
The reason Japanese work hard (when they do) is from quite different motivations.
Much of it has to do with group consciousness and wanting to see the group succeed.
The group may be large or small, taking the form of a family, a team, a company, or just a group of friends.
The strong Japanese sense of commitment to a group is part of a traditional sense of indebtedness (on) and obligation (giri) that make up the fabric of Japanese society.
This sense of duty originated in the feudal era when feudal lords depended on peasants, who worked hard for them in exchange for protection and a secure life.
Of course, it was a hierarchical relationship but also one of mutual dependence.
In Japan, much depends therefore upon overall group effort and group harmony.
And while self-sacrifice is demanded for the sake of the group, everybody shares in its successes and failures.
That means every member of the group is not only equally responsible but also culpable for whatever happens.
So in such a system, shame often becomes the driving force behind hard work.
People may work hard not so much from some internal motivation but to avoid appearing as a slacker.
And if you shirk, this brings shame not only on yourself but on the entire group.
(Consequently, some Japanese shirk when others are not looking.)
Of course, the motivation for working hard is instilled and fostered at a young age.
In America, a child’s allowance is invariably connected to the completion of certain daily chores, like housecleaning, feeding a pet, or practicing a musical instrument.
American children often get a job delivering newspapers or participate in volunteer activities where they learn personal responsibility.
At school, they are encouraged to display their individual ability by joining the “Talent Show,” a public event where students get on stage to dance, sing a song , play the violin, or perform some martial arts routine.
This stands in contrast to plays put on during the arts festival in a Japanese school, where all the students in the class perform together and everyone gets an equal role.
Similarly, Japanese sports festivals place greater emphasis on overall group performance compared to American track and field meets, which stress individual performance.
These cultural differences between Japan and America continue throughout life and have a strong impact on why people in each country work hard.