In a Japanese workplace, a promotion can reverse the formal hierarchy without instantly reversing the relationship that existed before it. Someone who used to be a subordinate may become a manager, while a former boss or senior colleague becomes their subordinate. Even then, the new manager may continue using polite language or speaking with a certain degree of restraint.
This does not necessarily mean they are confused about who is now in charge. Workplace relationships can be shaped not only by current titles, but also by who joined earlier, who taught whom the job, and who has long been treated as the senior person in the relationship. Those older ties can remain even after the organizational chart changes.
That is why it can feel strange if someone who was speaking politely to a senior colleague yesterday suddenly starts using casual or arrogant language the moment they are promoted. The former senior may well think, “Yes, you are my boss now, but this feels a little different.” The new manager may also feel awkward, because both people have to adjust to a relationship that has changed officially but not completely on a personal level.
A common way to handle this is to keep some degree of politeness while still giving the instructions that the managerial role requires. Respecting the previous relationship and exercising authority are not contradictory. On the other hand, if the new manager becomes so hesitant that they cannot give directions or evaluate the former senior properly, that creates a different problem.
There is also something revealing about a person who becomes noticeably arrogant as soon as they gain a higher position. Colleagues may see that less as confidence and more as shallowness. After all, workplace hierarchies are not permanent. A few years later, the same two people may find their positions reversed again.
So the continued deference of a newly promoted manager is not simply a matter of obeying an old hierarchy. It is often a way of balancing two relationships at once: the authority that comes with the current position, and the respect built up over years before that position changed.
