In Japanese companies employee wear uniform, sing the company song and do exercises in the morning

The rituals associated with office and factory life in Japan have become part of the popular folklore in the West about Japanese companies wherever they may be. Fuelled by the popular press, the vast majority of those interviewees, when asked about the reactions of family and friends, reported hearing clichés, ranging from compulsory communal exercises to canteen serving only rice and raw fish.

In reality, many Japanese companies in Britain are almost indistinguishable from British companies. The staff canteen at Daiwa docs, indeed, provide Japanese lunch boxes and hot milk, but these are outnumbered in variety by traditional British fare, such as fish and chips*'

In a factory environment, workers usually wear a type of uniform. At Nissan, the only notable difference is that the management wear them too.

All Japanese are the same

The racial homogeneity of the Japanese and their perceived lack of individuality has made it difficult few British executives to identify their difference, but many new realise, that not only are particular Japanese people quite different in personality and other attitudes, but that the corporate culture of different Japanese companies also varies.