Final answer:
The main reason individual incentives fail to motivate employees in Japan is due to the society's emphasis on paternalism and collectivism, where the focus is on group achievement rather than individual success. The correct option is A) society's emphasis on paternalism and collectivism
Step-by-step explanation:
The main reason for the failure of individual incentives to motivate employees in Japan is A) society's emphasis on paternalism and collectivism. In Japanese culture, the focus is on the group rather than the individual, which is in stark contrast to more individualistic cultures such as the United States. Social and economic systems in Japan encourage group harmony and collective progress, which can often clash with the concept of individual rewards.
In an individualistic political culture, there is often an emphasis on the importance of individuals over the importance of the community, including the government. However, in a collectivist society such as Japan, there is a strong cultural emphasis on communal values and shared responsibility. As a result, incentives aimed solely at individual employees may not resonate as effectively as team-based or company-wide incentives might.
Elazar's concept of individualistic political culture also sheds light on how personal motivations, such as seeking personal rewards or recognition, drive political engagement in individualistic societies. This contrasts with moralistic cultures, where political engagement is driven by merit and community support. In collectivist cultures in East Asian countries, including Japan, the group's well-being takes precedence over the individual's ambitions, limiting the effectiveness of individual incentives in the workplace.