MANAGING GLOBAL AND WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

SUMMARY
Warren Oats was an executive of American Auto Suppliers (ASS) a Chicago-based company
that makes original parts for automobiles. AAS decided to use its reputation to win customers
in Japan. Oats grabbed the opportunity to lead the AAS attack on the Japanese market when
he was given the chance. Oats and his wife Carol left for Japan with a little idea that they
gathered from the local library. He made an appointment to meet the executives of one of
Japan’s leading automakers. He was very uncomfortable in his first meeting. He felt everyone
was lethargic and slow motioned which irritated him. He made an Oral presentation of his
proposal but the interpreter was taking time to translate from English to Japanese which
irritated him even more. He handed a packet to the delegates and left. Even after one week
when their phone did not ring which did not make him optimistic about his meeting with
another top company. Carol when asked for job the executives she had met with seemed
insulted. After a week they left Japan. When they looked back to the meetings after a month
they were embarrassed. Till then Warren learned a lot about Japanese culture and he started
to cope with their culture of work. They thought of becoming consultants so that other
executive don’t do the same mistake.
Case Questions 

1. What specific errors did Warren and Carol Oats make during their first
week in Japan?

Carol and Warren did not try to understand the Japanese culture properly and they did not do
their research enough to know the culture properly before going to Japan. They wanted to live
in Japan in the manner they lived in America. Warren had an intuition that some Japanese
executives speak English and the company he will be visiting will hire a translator. They did
not have enough patience to understand the situation and the work process of Japan and
Japanese people. As there was an interpreter and Japanese people were thankful for it, but he
was slow and taking time because he was translating each sentence to them so Warren had a
misconception and was frustrated because they seem lethargic and started doubting the much-
touted Japanese efficiency. He got right to the point with oral presentation, handed the file
and left.

Warren felt uncomfortable at the first meeting. After the end of first week they both were
frustrated. Carol had been sure that a well-respected U.S. lawyer would have little trouble
securing a job with a Japanese multinational corporation, but the executives she met with
seemed insulted that she was asking them for a job. , they had learned a lot about the
Japanese sense of protocol and attitudes toward women.
 2. If you were talking to a non-U.S. businessperson making a first contact
with an American company, what advice would you give?

In every company they follow a certain kind of rule which differs regionally and culturally.
When a Non- U.S. businessperson makes contact with an American company he/she should
understand the ethical changes and learn about their culture and work process of the
company. He should never try to force his working process on others and not get irritated on
other’s ethical norms as it might make the other person dislike him or find him an egoistic
personality which will be a harm for the company he is representing.

He should remember that before connecting with people of different backgrounds or

countries he should have proper knowledge about the culture of the country or the rules that
the company follows which will give him better understanding of hoe to present himself in
front of them without getting irritated.