2. Review Chapter 15A - Global Chain of Command: A Japanese Multinational Manufacturer in the United States and answer the following questions:

a. If you were Ron Townsman, an American consultant who was hired by President Yamada, what would you do from here?

b. Who would you interview? What questions would you ask as an assessment? How might the interviews with American workers and with Japanese workers be conducted differently?

c. What Japanese and American cultural values are demonstrated in the scenario? What cultural variability dimensions and organizational values do you find in this case?

d. Find examples for collectivism, high-context communication, high power distance, long-term orientation, and other cultural values that may be applicable.

e. Which interventions (individual interventions, team interventions, and whole organization interventions) work best in this case? If you were to conduct separate interventions for Japanese managers and American managers, what program would you introduce? If you were to conduct separate interventions for different levels of the hierarchy at this organization, what program would you introduce?

f. Why should an OD consultant remember different cultural values as the intervention strategy is developed? Which interventions might prove more or less effective in this particular multinational context?

Please include references. Thank you!

\"May I speak with Mr. Townsman?\" asks a female with an accent. \"This is he,\" Ron replies. \"Hello. I hope you are well. I am a secretary of Nihon Buhin Kaisha America. I am calling you on behalf of our president, Mr. Yamada, about a possible consulting work request.\" Ron had been working as an independent consultant for several years now. Before he began to work independently, he was working for a major consulting rm. He specializes in assisting at-risk organizations and in improving workers' morale, organizational climate, and overall company efciency. As he listened, he recalled one of his former clients mentioning that he had recommended Ron to his Japanese friend. NBK America is a subsidiary of Nihon Buhin Kaisha, a Japanese multinational organization that manufactures various parts such as fuel tanks and exhausts for a Japanese automobile company. When the Japanese economy was going strong, this subsidiary was opened in the United States. As a small city in the central United States needed more jobs for the residents back then, the city and the state offered tax relief and a land purchase deal to actively invite the Japanese companies to bring their business to the area. When the NBK America manufacturer was actually opened, residents welcomed the company with enthusiasm. This manufacturer had been in business for a few decades, and the company had its peak production in the past as the American economy thrived. However, with the deteriorating US. economy in recent years, the company started to suffer. This harsh economic period, coupled with a poor organizational climate, began to create problems. Various issues that were unnoticed in good times began showing up on the surface. This branch was experiencing the vicious cycle of lowering efciency in production, losing workers' morale, and not having resources available for employee incentives or training. NEW PRESIDENT'S DECISION Recently, a new president from Japan, Mr. Yamada, arrived with an assignment to turn around the company. He was told that NBK America will be closed if he is not successful in redirecting this organization and raising profits within a few years. The former president told Mr. Yamada to attempt to do things differently from the Japanese ways. The Japanese company with upper level Japanese administrators tended to do things in ways consistent with Japanese business practices. It is problematic to force Japanese organizational values on American workers, and this may have contributed to the vicious cycle of problems in this subsidiary. In an attempt to take the former president's advice, Mr. Yamada decides to hire an American consultant to get American ideas for reviving the company. In fact, one of his friends had recently recommended an American consultant. Shortly after he arrived in town, Mr. Yamada ordered his secretary to set an appointment with this consultant. Welcome Party at Kabuki Japanese Restaurant At a popular local Japanese restaurant, Kabuki, a dozen Japanese managers are having a dinner meeting in its party room. They are all wearing their company uniforms with the company's logo printed above their chest pockets, a customary practice for a Japanese manufacturer. As one waiter brings food, another waitress picks up some dishes from the table that is set low where they all are seated. \"Thank you all for gathering here tonight. When I first heard that I was ordered to come here, I was surprised. Ithought I would miss Japanese foods,\" said President Yamada, as he smiles to his fellow Japanese workers. They all laugh politely. \"And I also thought that I was excited for the opportunity to lead this subsidiary in the United States. You all know our ship or this branch has been going through some rough ocean waves recently. With all of your help, I will try my best to understand how things work here quickly and so we will be able to steer our ship to the right direction. Thank you again for this warm welcome.\" The mood at this gathering was a cheerful one. In actuality, Japanese workers were concerned with the upcoming change in the leadership. They had all heard the rumor that the headquarters in Tokyo gave an ultimatum to incoming President Yamadaturn around this organization or cut some losses by closing it down. Mr. Akagi, the vice president, thinks, \"I wonder if he can make any changes. President Yamada might become the last president of this subsidiary. I just have to do my job and support him as much as I can. At first, I have to help him to get adjusted here. I hear that Mr. Yamada has a good idea about hiring an American consultant, but I wonder if this American person can understand what goes on in a unique multinational manufacturer like ours.\" Dinner at Oh, Mario! Family Restaurant At around the same time, two families, the Millers and the Nestles, are having dinner in a family restaurant, Oh! Mario. Paul's wife, Christina says, \"This place has the best kids' menu, and I love it that it's free for kids under 10 years old.\" Ken's wife, Ann, comments, \"That's great to know. This incentive is certainly working well.\" She laughs. Ken and Paul work at a Japanese manufacturing organization, NBK America. Ken works as an assistant manager who manages production lines and has been in that position for over a decade. In fact, Ken was one of the first American managers who NBK America hired after this branch was opened. Paul joined the organization as an assistant manager for production and quality control a few years back. Since Paul started at NBK America, Ken has helped him navigate within the company. They often take breaks and lunch together at work, and now they are good family friends. Ken shared with Paul the history of this organization and how things had changed in recent years. \"There was an incentive by the state to welcome a Japanese company that could bring jobs into this town in the 1980s. NBK in Japan wanted to expand, and the incentives from the state got them here. Mr. Saito was one of the Japanese managers who worked hard to start it up, and he's the one who hired me. He and other Japanese managers had all sorts of difculties at rst. They all had some big-time adjusting to American ways, as they were bringing in all sorts of Japanese ways of doing things here, from the uniform, the assembly line patterns, warm-up exercises in the morning, and morning meetings. They took everything so seriously and were strict about following rules and regulations. They've worked hard, and they also wanted us to work a lot. . . . They are real hard-working, but it seemed like they really did not have any life other than wor .\" Paul chuckles and interrupts. \"You make it sound like that's the past. But that is the way they still are! You know what I mean? The Japanese managers are at work all the time. They stay really late at night almost every day as far as I can see. Whenever these Japanese managers request us to do overtime, they all seem like they are okay with it. I have never heard any of them complain or leave like some of our assemblers do. Hell, I heard that they even come to work on weekends at times! I don't understand it. How can they have any time at home? Well, how do they have a life?\" \"Well, right . . . that's what I thought when I started. But let me tell you, they've loosened up a lot compared to when they started here. They needed to realize that American people value fun and family and spending time with our families, you know?\" Ken replies. Ann, Ken's wife, interrupts. \"You sound as if you are a great family man. I wish you would come home earlier and to go see our kids' soccer games more often, you know.\" Ken responds, \"Well, I am doing that as much as I can, honey. The orders come in with last-minute deadlines. We are expected to meet demands, no matter what. We are to oversee those assembly lines. . . . Japanese managers may sound polite, but they do not inch about their expectations whenever the nouki, the deadline for auto parts, is close. And you know we are constantly late, so we constantly have to do the overtime.\" Paul agrees with him. \"Yup, we surely are expected to do overtime all the dam time. I guess we've got to do what we've got to do.\" Ann says, \"I know, I do understand. I just hope that Ken can come home earlier and do things with the kids a bit more.\" Christina agrees. \"I know what you mean, Ann. It seems like they have been doing major overtime for a few months now. How do these Japanese families deal with this overwork?\" Ken recollects. \"When I got to know Saito-san back then, I asked him about it. He said that their way of 'taking care of their families' is to work and be successful at work. So they think that they ARE taking care of family by staying late and working hard, even though it means being absent from home \" Paul says, \"Then, it seems to me that these Japanese families may separate the father's role and mother's role more clearly, as the father being a breadwinner of the family. Well, I'd tell you right now that I would not want to live like that myself. Not spending time at home or being with my kids just doesn't sound right to me.\" Christine replies, \"Well, they've got to realize that they came here to live. They are in the United States. We are Americans and we love spending time as a family. We don't live to work, but we work to live and enjoy our life.\" Ken nods. \"Right, right. Other workers at the plant would all agree with you. They hope that the Japanese don't expect us to do what they do. But we have to rememberthis is a Japanese manufacturer making auto parts for Japanese automobile companies. Anyway, at this point, we should be grateful we have jobs. And Iwant to get the job done. I just get stressed by trying to meet the Japanese managers\" high demands and listening to our team leaders\" complaints all the time.\" Paul continues: \"Oh, don't get me started with these team leaders. They can always find excuses for stopping the assembly lines. They don't seem to want to complete things on time. Their jobs are to motivate the assembly workers. But they don't do that. As far as I can tell, they are working against the objective of getting things done quickly. The assembly workers don't seem to care. They don't want to do overtime, and they are absent as much as they can possibly be without getting red. They are the ones getting paid for overtime!\" Ann intervenes and says, \"Look at the bright side. This company has better health care benefits than others. Let's stop talking about your work already, and focus on food.\" Christine points out, \"A brighter side for me right now is the free kid's meal here at this restaurant.\" They all chuckle. International Teleconference It's 6:00 am. and the secretary, Ms. Sato, is setting up a teleconference with company headquarters in Tokyo. Massaging the side of his head, Mr. Akagi comes in mumbling, \"I drank a little too much last night, and this early meeting is killing me.\" Ms. Sato replies, \"Sorry to hear that. May I bring a cup of tea for you after setting up this teleconference screen?\" Mr. Akagi says, \"Well, thank you, Sato-san. That would really help.\" Mr. Watanabe, a quality coordinator and a senior engineer, comes in. \"I heard you, Akagi-san. Well, Iknow it's a bit too early, but we cannot help it. It's our biweekly meeting with the Tokyo Honsha (the headquarters in Tokyo). I understand that we have to adjust to their work time.\" Mr. Akagi answers, \"I understand that, but the summertime is over. Now it's an hour earlier than usual! I know that we cannot complain: people at the Tokyo headquarters are working late to talk with us.\" Mr. Takagi, a chief sales member, comes in at the last minute. \"Whew! I got here on time. Ithought I'd be late.\" Ms. Sato starts the teleconference software and is checking on the microphone. \"Test, test, test, test. Can you hear me?\" Blurry faces start to appear on the screen. Through the reflected screen, the head of international affairs of the Tokyo headquarters replies, \"Yes, we can hear you. Can you hear us?\" Ms. Sato replies, \"Yes, we can see you and hear you. Ithink we have 2 minutes until the meeting time, so let's keep this line on. A few others and the president should be here shortly. Let me bring out some tea.\" Right on time at around 6:30 am. the meeting starts. \"Ohayou gozaimasu\" (Good morning), say the people from the headquarters. \"Konbanwa\" (Good evening), say President Yamada, Mr. Akagi, Mr. Takagi, Mr. Watanabe, Ms. Sato, and others in the meeting room. The meeting continues for about an hour. The agenda is the usual greeting, exchanging news, and reporting on the status of major orders, inventories, and human resource-related issues. Then at the end, the headquarters shares their concern about declining prots sales in this U.S. subsidiary. The chief of international operations of the Tokyo headquarters states, \"Well, the subsidiaries in Europe are doing well, and their prots are putting us in the black. We just cannot continue like this. We know that the United States has been in recession, and it has been tough. It might be hard, but you may need to make some changes. We suggest you look at ways to expand your sales teams and to explore new territories. We will continue to look at our options for the future. \"In the meantime, we really have to secure our current customers. With what we heard, your factory is having trouble in keeping up with deadlines recently. We all know the impact that it has if we delay shipments to customers by one day! We need to keep the customer bases we already have. We have to keep up with the demand and meet deadlines for orders, avoid any defects, so we can secure the customers we have now. Do you understand?\" Looking solemn, Mr. Yamada replies, \"Yes, sir. We understand. Without doubt, we will do our best to keep up with the demand and secure our customers. We will also carefully look at the ways to improve our production and sales figures, and ways to expand our customer basis.\" Mr. Akagi sighs and thinks, \"The headquarters does not understand what is going on in this branch. It's been a vicious circle. Production cannot meet the deadlines. With this slow production, we don't have resources to add incentives or to offer employee educational benefits