Effectiveness of EXCUSES in Japanese Business Context: Accounts As Conflict- Management Strategies
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Effectiveness of EXCUSES in Japanese Business Context: Accounts as Conflict- Management Strategies DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Kanako Yao M.A. Graduate Program in East Asian Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University 2017 Dissertation Committee: Professor Mari Noda, Advisor Professor Charles J. Quinn, Jr Professor Xiaobin Jian Copyrighted by Kanako Yao 2017 Abstract This study examines the effectiveness of EXCUSES implemented in a Japanese organization setting and reveals the kind of situations where EXCUSES are perceived negatively. EXCUSES are one type of remedial strategies called accounts, which play a significant role in managing conflict. In EXCUSES, a speaker explains a failure to mitigate the hearer’s judgment of the speaker’s causal responsibility. Although previous studies find both positive and negative effects, EXCUSES are generally identified as mitigating accounts, and little research has explored what factors figure in contradictory outcomes. The goal of this study is to investigate in what kinds of Japanese business situations EXCUSES are effective mitigating strategies, from the perspective of an account-receiver, and what factors contribute to the negative perception of EXCUSES. In doing so, it examines the cultural norms of a Japanese organization regarding account-giving. This study focuses on the account-giving context when the harm that has resulted from a failure is perceived as mild and when accounts are given by a subordinate person to a superior person. Interviews and role-plays were conducted in this study. Data were collected from two separate sets of participants, twenty participants in interviews and six participants in role-plays. All of the participants were native speakers of Japanese and had working experience in a Japanese company. Participants read conflict scenarios and were asked to ii imagine that they were an account-receiver in the scenario in interviews and that they were an account-giver in role-plays. Previous studies have identified CONCESSIONS to be the most mitigating form of account. However, the present study finds that the effectiveness of EXCUSES differs depending on the characterizations of a failure, that is, when an account-receiver is not able to identify how a failure happened, an account- receiver prefers hearing EXCUSES to CONCESSIONS. In this context, an account-receiver is likely to perceive EXCUSES positively. However, when an account-receiver judges that a failure was due to the account-giver’s wrongdoing, an account-receiver does not wish to hear EXCUSES. In this context, EXCUSES will likely be perceived negatively. The results demonstrate that EXCUSES can be both mitigating and aggravating accounts, depending on the nature of the failure. This study also identifies situation types in which CONCESSIONS are ineffective, that is, when utterances of CONCESSIONS are too short. Excessively simplistic accounts tend to lead account-receivers to evaluate account-givers to be lacking sincerity. In order to avoid such a negative evaluation, an account-giver is expected to add to or modify utterances, with such elements as 1) admitting one’s error; 2) identifying briefly what went wrong and explaining how the account-giver will avoid repeating the same blunder; and 3) addressing the failure promptly. The results of this study suggest that there are language-pedagogical opportunities related to account-giving in the context of Japanese organizations. It provides sample practice using performed culture approach. iii Dedicated to my family for their love and support iv Acknowledgments Completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance and support of many people. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to each of my committee members, my family and friends. I owe my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Mari Noda, who has been an excellent role model both professionally and personally. This dissertation would not have been possible without her support, encouragement, and generous yet uncompromising guidance. Her insightful observations on language use and her thoughtful comments have served as an inspiration for this study. Like any long project, this dissertation has been a journey. Working on this thesis while teaching at another university was quite challenging. If not for Dr. Noda’s keen interest in my research and warm and constant encouragement, I probably would not have completed the program, let alone this project. I am fortunate to have been one of her students. I sincerely thank Dr. Charles Quinn for his valuable comments on this research, which was enriched by his insightful comments and questions. His profound knowledge of linguistics and language pedagogy was a constant source of inspiration. His encouragement during my years in the graduate program strengthened me, both intellectually and emotionally. v I also would like to thank Dr. Xiaobin Jian. His comments and suggestions, based on his knowledge of cross-cultural communication and his ample experience in language instruction, provided new ideas and approaches to my research and my teaching. Although they must necessarily remain anonymous, I would like to thank those who agreed to participate as subjects in this study. I am thankful for their willingness to devote their precious time to my work. Studying and working in DEALL have been among the highlights of my life. I wish to thank all the professors, teachers, staff, and fellow graduate students for their contributions to my study. My thanks to Zhini Zhang, Zhang Xin, and Tom Mason for their warm encouragement and friendship. I wish to thank Kana Abe, Erik Christensen, Bobby Del Greco, Danielle Hardare, and Joshua Smith, who started the program with the two-week graduate teaching assistant training alongside me. It was one of the most memorable two weeks of my graduate student life. Without them, I could not have approached my studies at the Ohio State University with the same degree of enthusiasm. My gratitude extends to Abby Shelton, my generous “senpai,” for always giving me advice and comfort. My deepest gratitude goes to Debbie Knicely, whose professional assistance has been tremendously supportive and helpful. I also wish to thank a number of other professors whom I have been honored to meet in the U.S. I want to thank Dr. Fumiko Harada and Dr. Hiroaki Kawamura, who provided me life-changing experiences at the University of Findlay; they showed me what is truly important in education. My gratitude goes to Dr. Patricia Wetzel and Dr. vi Suwako Watanabe for believing in and supporting me. I would also like to acknowledge the patience and support which my colleagues at Washington University in St. Louis have extended to me. I am especially grateful to professor Ginger Marcus, who is an excellent mentor and source of professional inspiration. I would like to gratefully acknowledge Roy Kasten and Ben Trevor, who corrected my manuscript. I am thankful for their accurate and prompt responses. Any shortcomings on the thesis are my responsibility. I am grateful to David Cormier for his support and patience. I was lucky to exchange ideas with him about my research in the backyard; I also fondly recall the comfortable chair he loaned me for dissertation work. I am grateful to my father, mother, brother, sister, and uncle for their unconditional love, without which I could not have pursued or completed my graduate studies. Their care and support have meant everything to me as I have worked to reach my goals. vii Vita March, 2001 ...................................................Showa High School attached to Showa Women’s University 2004................................................................B.A. English-American Literatures and Languages, Showa Women’s University 2006 to 2008 .................................................Graduate Teaching Associate, The University of Findlay 2008................................................................M.A. TESOL/Bilingual Education, The University of Findlay 2008 to 2009 .................................................M.A. Japanese (Transfer Student), Portland State University 2009 to 2013 .................................................Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University 2011 ................................................................M.A. Japanese Linguistics, The Ohio State University 2013 to present ..............................................Lecturer, Washington University, St. Louis viii Fields of Study Major Field: East Asian Languages and Literatures Japanese linguistics Japanese language pedagogy ix Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... v Vita ................................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xv Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................