A Qualitative Study on the Workplace Related Experiences of Former International Students Employed in Japan

: The Possibility of Achieving Multicultural Collaboration through the Mutual Acceptance of Diversity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the work experience of international students who have found employment in Japan and their mutual influence on the organization and the people who work there. A semi-structured interview was conducted with eight former international students employed in both foreign-affiliated and Japanese companies in Japan. The constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006, 2014) was applied to the analysis of the data. This method takes an interpretive approach, allowing researchers to accept subjective perspectives. The analysis yielded three notable findings. First, the work experiences of former international students vary depending on their work environments. The perceived differences in work environments affected the career development of the participants. Second, distinction pertaining to the profession-related opinions of the foreign employees also influenced the organizational culture in turn, leading to institutional reforms. Further, former international students adopted the beneficial aspects of Japanese work styles and Japanese nationals into their values and codes of behavior. In sum, the second and third outcome suggests that multicultural collaboration created constructive interactions.