In all the years that I experienced, explored, and studied Japanese culture, I always thought of Japan as an extremely hierarchical society. The other day, I was surprised to be proven wrong by a very handy tool that I want to share with you all.
I present to you, the
✨ Hofstede 6-D Model of Cross-Cultural Communication✨
** Scroll to the bottom and type in the desired country **
What I would have given to have known about this before I went to Japan... This tool gives you access to this amazing model that measures each culture by 6 dimensions, showing the cultural tendencies of how a country regards things like power, masculinity, and risk.
The model pointed out to me that the reason I thought that Japan is so hierarchical is because of the tendency for slow decision-making. However, this only shows how Japan doesn't have a singular authority that can make the decision quickly. Each decision has to travel through every channel in order to be enacted. In fact, Japan has the least severe hierarchy culture in East Asia.
Check out this tool, and learn more about your culture! The more we can understand, the more we can accept. Have a lovely week everyone.
Best,
justajae