Culture, Communication and Management: A Study of Horenso in Thailand Independent researcher
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Abstract
This article aims to investigate the way horenso, a Japanese business communication principle, is applied in Thailand. Horenso refers to an organised way of reporting, informing, and consulting. Everyone in the company is required to follow horenso. By using in-depth interview with 9 participants working in the same Japanese multinational company in Bangkok, this research found that Thai people have their own ways of using horenso, which are different from the way Japanese people use it. First, Thai people uses horenso mainly as an activity of reporting which is not mutually exclusive from informing and consulting. Second, when they report, Thai people think in terms of short-term orientation with a typical character of reactive/multi-active communicator. This makes Thai people prioritise themselves over the company. Moreover, reporting style of Thai people are seen as superficial, lacking factual detail. Yet, it is more flexible which sometimes can benefit the application of horenso in Thai employee community. Besides, horenso also highlights the order of position in the company. Managers who have superior position tend to be seem as more capable with experience and expertise to give consult to their subordinates. Horenso is functioning well based on hierarchical relationship within the company. Lastly, Thai people tend to report only when they cannot manage to fix the problems which might came from their mistakes. Thai people style of reporting is thus closely linked with problem solving mentality of Thai people.
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