The Accidental Office Lady: An American Woman in Corporate Japan

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Product Description A young woman with a new degree in Japanese studies and plenty of youthful idealism and can-do spirit accepts a job as the first American trainee at Honda's headquarters in Tokyo. Her image of Japanese corporate life is dramatically challenged on her first day at work when she is issued a blue polyester uniform—a uniform worn only by women! From menial beginnings serving tea to executives and cleaning the boss's desk, to a stint in public relations, to developing training classes for Japanese associates going to America, Laura Kriska recounts her struggle to adapt to—and ultimately thrive in—the culture of a traditional Japanese company. Shortly before her departure, she travels full circle by introducing a successful campaign to make women's uniforms optional. Now with a new foreword by the author, The Accidental Office Lady is a vivid and valuable firsthand account not only of corporate Japan and the gender inequality that persists within it, but of an outsider's successful attempt to work within cultural boundaries to affect organizational change. Review " The Accidental Office Lady: An American Woman in Corporate Japan, originally published in 1998 and recently rereleased with a new foreword by the author, is her story. The book is a testament to the fact that it is possible to thrive in even the most alien of cultures."— Bangkok Post From the Back Cover "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down"&$8212;or does it? With a newly-minted degree in Japanese studies and plenty of youthful idealism, Laura Kriska accepts a job as the very first American trainee at the headquarters of the Honda Motor Company in Tokyo. Her image of Japanese corporate life is dramatically challenged on her first day at work, however, when she is issued a blue polyester uniform&$8212;one worn only by women! From menial beginnings serving tea to executives and cleaning the boss's desk, to a stint in public relations, to developing training classes for Japanese associates going to America, Kriska recounts her struggle to adapt to&$8212;and ultimately thrive in&$8212;the culture of a traditional Japanese company. Shortly before her departure, she poignantly travels full circle by introducing a successful campaign to make women's uniforms optional. Reissued with a new foreword by the author, The Accidental Office Lady remains a vivid firsthand account of an outsider's journey to the heart of corporate Japan, and of the problems of gender inequality that persist today in this male-dominated society. It is also an inspiring account of one woman's successful campaign to bring incremental change to a rigid corporate bureaucracy, demonstrating that it is possible to affect change inside a large organization&$8212;even in Japan. About the Author Laura Kriska is a leading Japanese business consultant specializing in communication and teamwork. She is dedicated to creating successful relationships between Japanese and Americans in the workplace. Kriska's writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Working Woman, Self, and Mangajin.