Comparing Companies Nomura and Lehman

1. What obvious cultural differences between Nomura and Lehman do you see inthis situation? Nomura is Japanese company and Lehman is American company, so these are two exactly different nationalities. Consequently, we can see here many cultural differences. For example, during Nomura’s initial training session for new workers, the men and women were separated. The women who were educated in prestigious universities like Harvard were taught how to choose clothes for job according to the season. The company’s dress code was strictly interpreted for women. Women from Lehman were told to remove highlights from their hair, to wear sleeves no shorter than mid-bicep, and to avoid brightly colored clothing. Several women were sent home to change their clothes. A Nomura’s authorities said that the dress code is displayed on the company’s intranet and is intended to ensure that clients and colleagues don’t feel uncomfortable. In my opinion, to sum up, some of the obvious differences that exist regard the treatment of females in the workplace, the degree of centralization and decision making, and the payment of upper-level management. 2. What global attitude do you think characterizes Nomura? Be specific in your description.

Do you see any evidence of that changing?Japanese and American work environment cultures Tension over executive compensation, how quickly decisions are made and treatment of women in workplace The process for getting approval on deals was slower and more difficult than before Ethnocentric attitude: To go global nomura believes its own ethnics are the best choice to run foreign operations. Simply giving preference to its own people than others. Geocentric attitude: there are mix of nationalities in Europe and Asia. 3. Do some cultural research on Japan and the United States. Compare those cultural characteristics. What similarities and differences exist? How might these cultural differences be affecting the situation at Nomura? (Speed vs Consistency) USA: generally U.S. company’s decision making is quick. Superiors give some great leeway to subordinates so that they can decide and make decisions quickly. Japan: Japanese company’s decision making is in stages along their corporate hierarchy. Their decisions are very cautious and conservative and sometimes slower than U.S. companies.

These stages are backed by plenty of meetings and documentation. (Roles & Responsibilities) USA: the U.S. company’s roles are very individualized, contribution of individual is very important as linked to company goals. Japan: require individual contribution to the whole group but recognize that the whole group must succeed otherwise the individual’s contribution has no meaning. (Risk takers vs Adverse cultures) USA: if we ask something to achieve for them, they’ll say “we can do it” even they thought they can do it 50-70% probabilities. After they accepted, they try to achieve as close to 100%. Japan: if the Japanese feel that It’s possible to achieve most likely 100%, they don’t say “yes” their agreement is careful because they want to be accurate. They make sure it is exactly 100%. (Heterogeneous vs Homogeneous cultures) USA: since U.S. is multicultural, the company is consisted of a plenty of nationalities, which means there are so many different way to think. Japan: basically a Japanese company is organized by Japanese. Almost everyone has same background to realize the situation so some of the understanding is in unspoken words.

This is one of the important communication skills in Japan. (Remote vs Face-to-face communications) USA: contracting clients by email or on the phone seems to be more natural in conduction business relationships. Japan: they respect meeting each other face to face. It is important to them for conducting business relationships. (Personal life vs Professional life) USA: family and personal time is the priority in the US. Work-life balance is a must. There is some socializing outside of work but not as a group. Japan: in Japan, priority is on the work life. There are many traditions the re-enforce this. A newcomer to the company, hold the place for hanami to enjoy the cherry blossom in spring for drinking with co-workers. Also a common after-work event is nomikai (drinking party like korea) America could learn from Japan: respect for others, never wear shoes into a home clean up after themselves, recycling and caring about the environment, punctuality.

Japan could learn from US: ambulance, school tuition. 4. What could Nomura managers do to support, promote, and encourage cultural awareness among employees? Explain. Education: building the cultural knowledge and its benefits. Celebrate diversity: holidays policies, hosting a staff dinner with the theme of cultural awareness. Company leadership: seek out minority employees for leadership positions Diversity training: can help employees to recognize prejudices and cultural assumptions. 5. What do you think the statement, “When your business is global, management needs to be global,” is saying? In your opinion, is Nomura doing this? Explain. Need to move to geocentric attitude that requires eliminating parochial attitudes and developing an understanding of cross-cultural differences. Nomura is trying to apply with this attitude and still moving for better implications for the business. Conclusion Shaykh yusuf al-Qaradawi encourages us: we need to realize and awaken the Muslims who default and complacent Strengthen faith Dominate the economy Acquire knowledge

Full use of the facilities & technology progress.
1. What do you think of this “quota” approach that Deutsche Telekom is pursuing? What benefits and drawbacks does such an approach have?
creates a more diverse management structure (O)
diversity improves performance (O)
provides a competitive advantage (O)
further attracts diverse people (O)
female managers’ credibility may be challenged (X)
quota >job performance (X)

2. What issues might Deutsche Telekom face in recruiting female university graduates? How could they address these issues?
Attracting female graduates(X)
Compromising skilled male graduates(X)
Advertise women-specific employee benefits (O)
Set clear criteria for hiring and for possible consequent promotion (O)

3. What issues might the company face in introducing changes in work–family programs? Again, how could they address these issues?
Costs of added benefits ((X)
Flexible hours may be at the expense (X)
Less personal interaction between part-time workers and full-time employees (X)
Ensure the gains of these benefits exceed the costs of implementing them (O)
Ensure constant connection with part-time workers through online conferences, public databases (O)
Hold company outings and team building activities. (O)

4. What workplace diversity initiatives discussed in the chapter might be appropriate for Deutsche Telekom? What would be involved in implementing these initiatives? Diversity skills training: providing gender awareness education for employees. Mentoring: collaborations between female managers and senior managers.