Here is a brief summary of a tactic Japanese organizations are utilizing to save money, according to the New York Times, which poses an interesting employment model for other countries:
Under fierce pressure to cut costs, large Japanese companies are increasingly outsourcing and sending white-collar operations to China and Southeast Asia, where doing business costs less than in Japan. But while many American companies have been content to transfer work to, say, an Indian outsourcing company staffed with English-speaking Indians, Japanese companies are taking a different tack. Japanese outsourcers are hiring Japanese workers to do the jobs overseas — and paying them considerably less than if they were working in Japan.
This strikes me as an issue of culture and language: Japanese companies are motivated to hire native Japanese speakers, of which there are few outside of Japan, to service Japanese-speaking customers in low-cost cities and countries. Culturally, customer service is unique to Japan, and the satisfaction of Japanese customers is hinged on mutual expectations. Cities around Asia like Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei have been chosen for these outsourced individuals. According to the article,
"Even foreign citizens with a good command of the Japanese language...may not be equipped with a sufficiently nuanced understanding of the manners and politesse that Japanese customers often demand.
While Japanese companies could save even more if they hired only locals overseas — some experts say locals could be hired at half the cost — the preference for Japanese nationals is likely to endure, said [Kazuyuki Ichikawa of Pasona Global].
'You say one thing and Japanese employees will understand three things,' he said. 'In Western cultures, you might be straightforward with what you want your staff to know, but a Japanese manager would want you to understand it without having to say it.'"
Thus, a Japanese team working in a call-center in Bangkok already has the necessary cultural awareness a team of Indians would have to learn in order to successfully interact with the American customers of its US-based client. However, the cultural experience of relocating to a new country is another topic.
According to the article, many young Japanese are choosing to move overseas to work for companies based at home, while those same companies opt to send their younger employees abroad. Would you elect to move or "outsource" yourself to a city outside your home country for work? Would your outlook on this change if you were unemployed? What would you expect in terms of training or preparation to do so?
Click here to read the story on the New York Times.
Sean
