Case Study: Clash of East and West Values

No, I will not regret this!, exclaimed Hiroshi Yayama when approached by his manager on his
letter of request to return to Nagasaki Plant. Hiroshi feels this is the best decision under the
circumstances. Since he cant take it anymore, there is no point in staying on in Maryland.
Hiroshi, one of the team members in Toyota-Maryland Plant (USA); has been feeling troubled
for the past 2 years. Previously for 8 years in Toyota-Nagasaki Plant (Japan), he excelled well
and is a high achiever. He and the rest of the team members in Nagasaki complemented each
other in their task in researching and designing new engine structure for Toyota cars. Every team
members even though have different expertise relied on each other and shared information for a
successful task to be carried out. Doing the work together as a team was itself a source of
motivation and every member was proud to be a team member.
Hiroshi was promoted and as recognition was assigned to Maryland in 2007. Initially Hiroshi
was looking forward to this assignment and felt he can excel further in Maryland. However
during the early months there, he found his American team members very odd. Commonly they
kept information from each other and seem to want to show off their individual performance to
impress their manager all the time. Whenever Hiroshi asked for a group discussion, he noticed
hostility among his team members. Work progress is often interrupted. Team members dont
seem to want to cooperate. He does not feel belong.
As months passed by, his relationship with his team members continue to worry him. He started
experiencing continuous insomnia and lack of job satisfaction. Lately he is not putting in his
usual 100% at work. In fact he feels that he is a failure.
Questions:
1.

Explain one (1) cross-cultural value difference between Hiroshi and his American team
members. (5m)

2.

Describe Alderfers Theory. Use Alderfers Theory of Motivation to explain why

Hiroshi, even though he is a high achiever; is requesting to return to Nagasaki. (20m)

3.

Identify and discuss two (2) consequences of stress experienced by Hiroshi. (10m)

4.

With the aid of a diagram, describe the conflict-performance relationship that Hiroshi is
experiencing. (5m)

Answers:
1. Explain one (1) cross-cultural value difference between Hiroshi and his American team

members. (5m)
The cross-cultural value difference between Hiroshi and his American team members is
individualism v. collectivism
Individualism is the extent to which we value independence and personal uniqueness.
Highly individualist people value personal freedom, self-sufficiency, control over their own
lives and appreciation of the unique qualities that distinguish them from others. While,
collectivism is the extent to which we value our duty to groups to which we belong and to
group harmony. Highly collectivist people define themselves by their group membership and
value harmonious relationship within those groups.
Hiroshi, who is worked in Toyota-Nagasaki Plant in Japan for 8 years, has been work
together with his team members as a team. Every team members even though have different
expertise relied on each other and shared information for a successful task to be carried out.
Then, he working with Toyota-Maryland Plant in USA for the next 2 years and he found his
team members are not working as a team. They kept information from each other and seem
want to show off their individual performance to impress their manager all the time.
The cultural values for his American team members are individualism which are very
independence and has personal uniqueness. They like to do their job independently unlike to
Hiroshi, a collectivist person who maintain his cultural value from Japan which more to duty
with group and relied on each other.

2. Describe Alderfers Theory. Use Alderfers Theory of Motivation to explain why Hiroshi,

even though he is a high achiever; is requesting to return to Nagasaki. (20m)

Alderfers Theory of Motivation as known as ERG Theory which was developed by
organizational behavior scholar Clayton Alderfer to everyone the problem with Maslows
needs hierarchy theory. ERG Theory groups human needs into three broad categories;
existence, relatedness and growth.
ERG Theory also describes how people regress down the hierarchy when they fail to
fulfill higher needs. ERG Theory seems to explain human motivation because it is easier to
cluster human needs.
The existence needs correspond to Maslows physiological and safety needs, For the
most part, physiological needs are obvious. They are literal requirements for human survival.
If these requirements are not met, the human body simply cannot continue to function.
Hiroshi needs safe working conditions then feels that he makes the best decision by
requesting to return to Toyota-Nagasaki Plant after 2 years. He feels there is no point
anymore to staying on in Toyota-Maryland Plant with his American team members in such of
those working conditions.
The second group of needs is relatedness needs that focus on the desire to establish and
maintain interpersonal relationships with other people and feel secure around people. This
group of needs is for social relationships. Initially when Hiroshi was promoted and was
assigned to Maryland as recognition, he was looking forward to this assignment and felt he
can excel further in Maryland. But when he reached to the workplace he found out his
American team members is very odd. They do not seem want to give any cooperation in
working as a team.
The growth needs are about the fulfillment of desires to be creative, productive and to
complete meaningful tasks. This is consisting of a persons self-esteem through personal
achievement as well as the concept of self actualization presented in Maslows model.
Hiroshi does not feels belong to continue working in Maryland. He started experiencing
insomnia and lack of job satisfaction. He feels that he is failure when he is not putting in his
usual 100% at work.
The reason Hiroshi is requesting to return to Nagasaki, even though he is high achiever
because of in Nagasaki he felt more belong to that workplace as his Japanese team members
work as a team and doing the work together was itself a source of motivation and every
member was proud to be a team member. While, in Toyota-Maryland Plant when he asked
for a group discussion, he noticed hostility among his team members which makes him feels
uncomfortable with the circumstances.

3. Identify and discuss two (2) consequences of stress experienced by Hiroshi. (10m)

Two consequences of stress experienced by Hiroshi are :

(a) Psychological Consequences
Psychological Consequences of stress is symptoms of stress that affected in physical
and emotion of the individual. Examples in physical symptoms are hypertension and
headaches. Examples in emotion symptoms are depression and anxious.
Hiroshi started experiencing continuous insomnia and lack of job satisfaction after his
relationship with his team members continues to worry him. Moreover, he feels that he is
failure when he is not putting in his usual 100% at work.
Hiroshi worried is harmful himself till extent into his personal life. He suffers of sleep
disturbances and job dissatisfaction. Hiroshi feels so depress and low self-esteem when
working in Maryland after his works is not 100% well as usual as he does in Nagasaki.
(b) Behavioral Consequences (Action)
Behavioral Consequences of stress is symptoms of stress that affected in action of the
individual. Examples in action symptoms are declining job performance and strained
relationship with clients.
Hiroshi feels it is the best decision when he request to return to Toyota-Nagasaki
Plant. Since he feels there is no point in staying on in Maryland under the circumstances.
Even though he just experienced 2 years only in Maryland which he not managed to
proof how he can excelled well in his new promotion but he still takes the action to return
to Nagasaki and feels he will not regret of the decision his made. He wants to move from
that terrible workplace and go to safe working conditions which make him feels
comfortable and less stress.

4. With the aid of a diagram, describe the conflict-performance relationship that Hiroshi is

experiencing. (5m)
Performance

+ve conflict

-ve conflict
Conflict

Conflict is the process in which one party perceives that his or her interests or goals are
being opposed or negatively affected by another party.
During working in Toyota-Nagasaki Plant, Hiroshi experienced positive conflict as he
excelled well and is a high achiever. In Nagasaki, they are used substantive conflicts.
Substantive conflicts deal with aspects of performance or task often relate specifically to the
project or goal of a team or organization. Hiroshis performance in Nagasaki is high which
experiences him positive conflict. He had less conflict in Nagasaki because of his Japanese
team members doing the work together as a team and sources him positive motivation.
While working in Maryland, Hiroshi experienced negative conflict as he feels that he is
failure when he is not putting in his usual 100% at work. In Maryland, they are used affective
conflicts. Affective conflicts tend to revolve around personal disagreement or dislike between
individuals in a team and may relate to the actual project. Hiroshis performance in Maryland
is low which experiences him negative conflict. He has more conflict in Maryland because of
his American team members seem do not want to give any cooperation in working as a team
and makes him not feels belong.