Learning to ‘DoTime’ in Japan: A Study of US Interns in Japanese Organizations

In this study of the interactions between American interns and Japanese working in Japanese organizations in Japan, the influence of culturally different expectations, perceptions and meanings of time was explored. Through the interviews with interns and their Japanese co-workers and supervisors, five aspects of time were examined: (1) time and expectations; (2) time required for adaptation and productivity; (3) shared space and time, and meaning of socialization; (4) feedback and insecurity; and (5) short term and long-term vision. Through interviews conducted over a three year period, from predeparture throughout the 6–24 month internship period and at its conclusion, the experiences of 19 US interns working in 18 organizations along with 36 of their Japanese supervisors and co-workers were studied. Interns and supervisors differed greatly in their estimates of time needed for intern acceptance. US interns initially described too much idle time, uncertainty about when their workday ended, and anxiety related to the open, exposed, office and laboratory workspaces. Most disturbing to interns was what they saw as a lack of timely and explicit feedback from their supervisors; supervisors felt that they had provided continuous feedback and described a long-term vision for appraising the internship experience, even well after the intern had departed.