TOPSHOPCROSS CULTURAL TRAINING

IM CONSULTANTS

With you today:Ian HaskettMonica ChudyNjazi ZyberajCandice ClementsAmy GurneyShannon McCallam

IM Consultants• Who we are.

We are IM Consultants Based in Bournemouth with twenty years experience in cross cultural training. We cover Europe, China Japan and India.

• What we do.We offer bespoke cross cultural training packages. Designing and delivering training seminars and consultancy programmes to corporate and public organisations.We asses our clients needs through initial meetings and make detailed proposals based on the specific requirements identified

Overview of the assignment

• Karen Jenkins, TOPSHOP• Brief profile / biography of the manager• Karen Jenkins has a background in Buying and procurement for Marks

and Spencers. Four years ago she started working for Topshop as a senior buyer and has been promoted to Buying manager for the Japanese stores.

• Karen has a husband who is a teacher and has secured a position in a Japanese school for the duration of Karen’s assignment. Their two teenage daughters are in a UK boarding school, they will not be joining her on the assignment but may visit out of term.

• Brief overview of the assignment• The new role is Buying Manager for the recently formed

Topshop franchises in Japan.

Overview of Japan• Politics: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was in power for much of the country's

post-war history. It was ousted in 2009 by the Democratic Party• Economy: Japan has the world's third-largest economy; its multinationals are

household names• International: There has been tension with China and South Korea over Japan's

wartime past• Main exports: Vehicles, computer parts, chemicals, scientific instruments and

watches • GNI per capita: US $37,870 (World Bank, 2009) • Climate: Twenty percent of the world's earthquakes take place in Japan, which sits

on the boundaries of at least three tectonic plates. • Population: 126.9 million (UN, 2010) More than three quarters of the population

live in sprawling cities on the coastal fringes of Japan's four islands. • Capital: Tokyo • Major language: Japanese • Major religions: Shintoism, Buddhism • Life expectancy: 80 years (men), 87 years (women) (UN) • Monetary unit: yen

(BBC, 2011)

Cross-Cultural Profiles: Japan & UKTime focus Japan:Japan: polychronic culture (however, Japanese use of time exhibits both monochronic and polychronic traits); flexible approach to time; building a long-term relationship is a priority of most Japanese businessesUK:UK: monochronic culture; time is tangible and inflexible, activities are structured and scheduled in a linear fashion; control systems involving strict timetabling/deadlines

Power Japan:Japan: high power distance; organisational structure is strict & hierarchical; everyone has a distinct place in the hierarchy in a social and business situation; practice of lifetime employment

UK:UK: flatter and less bureaucratic approach; less adherence to hierarchy with more impact to get work done effectively and efficiently; ideas of ‘jobs for life’ overtaken by change in work patterns and prospects

Source: Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-cultural Management ,1st Edition. Pearson education 2009

Polychronic

Hierarchy

FutureCollectivism

High-context

japan

UK

time focus

power

time orientationstructure

communication

Cross-Cultural Profiles: Japan & UKTime OrientationJapan:Japan: past and long-time future oriented; business engagements require long-term commitment and focus on long-term benefitsUK:UK: present and short-time future oriented; determined to achieve short-term goals and objectives rather than developing objectives in the long-term context or through long time cooperation

Organisational StructureJapan:Japan: Collectivistic culture-interests of the group prevails over individual interests; strong sense of belonging to a groupUKUK: Individualistic culture- ‘I’ predominates over ‘We’; promotes individual goals, initiative and achievement

Communication Japan:Japan: high context culture; tendency to use many indirect and implicit messages; nonverbal communication- usually in the form of subtle gestures/ hintsUK:UK: low context culture; value direct, simple and clear messages; communicators tend to be straightforward, concise and efficient

Polychronic

Hierarchy

FutureCollectivism

High-context

japan

UK

time focus

power

time orientationstructure

communication

Source: Browaeys & Price, Understanding Cross-cultural Management ,1st Edition. Pearson education 2009

Tasks & Challenges Facing the Buying manager in Japan

Buying Manager

Leadership & task distribution -Different leadership style -Communication (different language, unspoken communication) -Hierarchy organisational structure with strong emphasis on status (gender, age)-Little work/life balance

Recruitment & training-Recruiting process-People expect continued employment and training-Emphasis on group work and team building

Negotiations-In Japan could be lengthy process-Focus on long-term relationship -In High-context culture much of

information is implicit and indirect -’saving face’ is important

for the Japanese-Punctuality is very important

Performance management & compensations-Informal check of performance-Seniority-based pay-Fixed compensation packages -group reward rather individual

Institutional environment -Labour and other legislations - Unions & collective bargaining -Trade regulations -Healthcare system

Training Objectives

Short term objectives:• Awareness: expectations and realities of working overseas• Cultural understanding: behaviour patterns inside and outside the business environment• Commercial law: knowledge of the legal requirements in Japan for businesses• Language skills: a basic working knowledge of business Japanese• Communication: effective conversation, meeting etiquette and negotiation skills

Long term objectives:• Successful intergration into the Japanese business environment• Effective management of both local and international team members to meet long term

business growth objectives• Ensure re-integration into the UK business environment after 2 year

assignment

Proposed Training Program

Pre-departure:

1. Didactic training – general and specific cultural- Orientation briefing with partner and line manager- One to one and group lectures and workshops- Reading materials and textbook study- Case study discussions- Videos

2. Experiential training – general and specific cultural- Workshops on cultural differences and their implications- Theoretical exercises- Role play- Immersion- Language oral scenarios

Proposed Training Program

In-country:

1. Local immersion: accompanied meetings can be offered by local support network2. Weekly support sessions: identifying issues and additional training needs3. Office hours support line service for any queries or issues with understanding local

events and/or customs

Support documentation:

1. Printed copies of all training materials2. Online access to case studies, video materials and translation services3. Language training can also be provided in mp3 format for ongoing study

Measuring Our Success

IM Consultants use Kirkpatrick’s (1994) 4 levels of training evaluation to report on theprogress and success of our training.

• Reaction: how the delegate reacts and interacts with the training e.g. feedback forms and self assessment exercises

• Learning: measuring the knowledge increase (before vs. after) e.g. interview, observation and formal testing

• Behaviour: measure of implied learning, how knowledge is used ‘on the job’ e.g. interviews and observation over time

• Results: the final effects on the business and environment of the training e.g. management appraisal systems, line manager interviews

All evaluation documentation will be provided weekly for discussion on progress against the agreed training objectives.

Timings

• Time scales are based on one day per week of training time• We recommend that integration into the Japanese team begins as soon as possible,

with live training taking part as the candidate moves into the role• Language training should be allocated extra out-of-work study time

Training Requirement 02-May 09-May 16-May 23-May 30-May 06-Jun 13-Jun 20-Jun 27-Jun 04-Jul 11-Jul 18-Jul

General culture training: lectures and workshopsSpecific culture training: case studies, discussions and videosExperiential training: cultural differences in businessExperiential training: communication and negotiationImmersion: role play and scenario planningProgress evaluationsLanguage training sessions and at home studyDEPARTUREWeekly support calls with Asian officeLocal immersion and accompanied meetingsSupport line to Asian office available (ongoing)

Week Commencing

Costs• Pre-departure training:

8 x full day sessions spread over 8 weeks: £4,000Full documentary support and supplementary learning materials: £250

• In-country:4 x weeks of local support: £2,000(based on 2 hours of telephone consultation, 4 hours of accompanied

meeting and unlimited use of office support line per week)

• Repatriation training2 x weeks of local support: £1,000(Individual requirements and return package will be assessed)

• TOTAL = £7,250

IM Consultants have over 20 years of experience delivering bespoke cross cultural training solutions.

We have successfully integrated over 250 candidates into Asian positions in the last 5 years.

Any questions?

• BBC, 2011. Published 12/03/11 Accessed 23/04/11 available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1258586.stm

• Browaeys, M., and Price, R., 2009. Understanding Cross-cultural Management, 1ed, Pearson Education Limited.• Businessballs, 2011. Kirkpatrick’s learning and training evaluation theory. Available from:

http://www.businessballs.com/kirkpatricklearningevaluationmodel.htm [accessed 22nd April 2011]• Businessballs, 2011. Training program evaluation. Available from:

http://www.businessballs.com/trainingprogramevaluation.htm [accessed 22nd April 2011]• Collectivist and Individualist Cultures. Available from:

http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Collectivist_and_individualist_cultures [accessed 15 April 2011]• Dahl S., Monochronic and Polychronic Cultures. Available from:

http://www.ci.uri.edu/ciip/CIIPLeadership/Docs_2007/Monochronic%20and%20Polychronic%20Cultures.pdf [accessed 20 April 2011]

• Doing Business in Japan. Available from: http://www.rikkinyman.com/training/japanese_business/org_structure.htm [accessed 20 April 2011]

• Hall’s Cultural Factors. Available from: http://changingminds.org/explanations/culture/hall_culture.htm [accessed 18 April 2011]

• Hofstede G., 2001. Cultures Consequences. Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organisations across nations. 2 nd Ed. Sage Publications Inc.

• Hofstede, G., Cultural Dimensions. Available from :http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimensions.php?culture1=94&culture2=50 [accessed 20 April 2011]

References

• Kwintessential, 2011. Culture awareness and etiquette training. Available from: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cross-cultural/training-japan.html [accessed 22nd April 2011]

• Labour Situation in Japan and Analysis: Detailed Exposition (2011/2012). http://www.jil.go.jp/english/laborsituation/2011-2012/chapter6.pdf [Accessed: 18/04/2011]

• Negotiating International Business- Japan. Available from: http://globalnegotiationresources.com/cou/Japan.pdf [accessed 20 April 2011]

• O’Hara M and Johansen R. Transcending Cultural Barriers: Context, Relationships and Time. Available from: http://www.csub.edu/TLC/options/resources/handouts/fac_dev/culturalbarries.html [accessed 18 April 2011]

• Raimo, S., The Impact of Edward Hall on Cross-Cultural Leadership Communication Available from: http://www.emergingleader.com/article41.shtml [accessed 18 April 2011]

• Ridolfo, M. 2011. Developing a Cultural Profile, Activity Slides. International Management. Bournemouth University.

• Sachiko, T. 2011. International management lecture slides. Bournemouth: Bournemouth University.• The Labour Situation in Japan (2002/2003).

http://www.jil.go.jp/english/laborinfo/library/documents/2002_ch4.pdf [Accessed: 18/04/2011]• The Washington Post (Monday, September 7, 2009). Health Care in Japan: Low-Cost, for Now.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/06/AR2009090601630.html [Accessed: 20 /04/2011]• Traditional Japanese Business Management Systems. Available from: http://businessculture.small-

businessmarketinginfo.com/2010/11/27/traditional-japanese-business-management-systems/ [accessed 20 April 2011]

• World Business Culture. Doing Business in Japan. Available from: http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Business-in-Japan.html [accessed 18 April 2011]

• World Business Culture. Doing Business in Britain. Available from: http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Business-in-Britain.html [accessed 18 April 2011]