SUBORDINATES RESPONSES TO CULTURAL-ADAPTATION BY JAPANESE EXPATRIATE MANAGERS

The recent increase in Japanese business involvement in the United States makes the effective interaction between Japanese managers and American (U.S. National) subordinates a salient management issue. This study examined the process by which an often advocated strategy for bringing cultural distance (cultural adaptation) affected the behavioral response of subordinates. The context of a Japanese manager interacting with American subordinates was simulated in an experimental setting. Results indicated that moderate levels of adaptation to American behaviors had a more positive effect than did either high levels of adaptation or no adaptation. Support was also found for the intermediate effects of causal attributions and perceptions of similarity on the behavioral response of subordinates and their perceptions of managerial effectiveness.