Communication competency of Japanese managers in Singapore

Abstract

In this day of internationalization and electronic information, communication competency is truly required for global managers. Japanese global managers, however, are often criticized as lacking the power of expression. It is said that they are very poor at communicating with their foreign counterparts because they are not good at English. Is it really so? The discussion will be focused on the author’s research on Japanese managers’ use of English as a means of business communication with local businesses in Singapore. The research was to see if the cause of their communication blunders is related to English or to fundamental differences in communication patterns. The results support the author’s claim that their problem is not because of a lack of English grammar but is due to the lack of communication competency irrelevant to grammar. Japanese global managers should understand that English alone cannot be a panacea for communication blunders.

Citation

Kameda, N. (2000), "Communication competency of Japanese managers in Singapore", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 5 No. 4, pp. 204-210. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280010379147