Leadership
The Japanese are a very collectivist society. There is a tighter social framework in which the person respects the group he or she belongs. Also, the Japanese place a great emphasis on belonging, working together and being a good member. Therefore, the best type of leadership style that would be most effective for the Japanese would be the participative leadership approach. The participative leadership approach is a style of leadership in which employees are involved in the decision making process and all members are invited to think strategically and also to improve the operation of the organization. Unlike managers in most other countries, Japanese managers have a strong belief in the capacity of subordinates for leadership and initiative. In addition, Japanese managers place strong emphasis on ambiguous goals. The Japanese identify strongly with their work groups and avoid confrontation and conflict. They cooperate with their coworkers in every way they can to complete their tasks. Every group member is responsible for lending a hand in achieving the objectives of the group. When a group achieves its goals, no individual member is singled out and rewarded for his or her contribution. Rather, the whole group is recognized and rewarded. Therefore, since the Japanese are a highly collectivist society in which there is a strong belief in group decisions and emotional dependence on belonging to an organization, the participative leadership approach would be the most effective style of leadership.