How to Work for a Japanese Boss - Hardcover

Predicting "a new era of progress for the American worker whose future can be assured working for a Japanese boss," Bacarr--she has worked for Japanese bosses herself--offers a compendium of practical advice sandwiched between easy bytes of relevant Japanese history, customs, psychology, sex and office manners. With fewer in-depth analyses of case histories than the similar and invaluable On Track with the Japanese by Patricia Gercik (Nonfiction Forecasts, July 6), Bacarr ( Avenue of the Stars ) guides the employee through such mined ground as the discrimination against minorities, foreigners and women, hostility to labor unions and the maze of rules governing all social intercourse. Sometimes her upbeat directives about how to jump these hurdles are vague, as when for example, she discusses how women can establish a career when the company expects her to be gone by age 30: wear formal business clothes and a dark-colored lipstick; don't be too aggressive, but don't be too quiet, either; and respect yourself. But on the whole, her practicality and encompassing knowledge of the society provide specific and immensely helpful advice for those employed by Japanese companies in the U.S.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

According to Bacarr, 600,000 Americans now work for the Japanese; that number is expected to increase to one million by the decade's end. Given those numbers, this title seems important indeed. Based on the personal experiences of acquaintances and colleagues, and designed to give practical advice, it offers anecdotal evidence for Bacarr's claims. She asserts, "More than 50 percent of American managers are either fired or resign under duress within eighteen months of a foreign takeover." Explaining that the reason Americans fail with Japanese bosses is that they are not prepared, Bacarr offers Seven Strategies for Success to help change this situation. Americans are direct; the Japanese are not, and they tend to study a problem for a long time before acting. The section on Sex in the Workplace is particularly enlightening; Americans may be shocked at what the Japanese consider acceptable. Being anecdotal, this book is not the gospel, but it is useful and informative just the same. Recommended.
- Lisa K. Miller, American Graduate Sch. of International Management Lib., Glendale, Ariz.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.