There are well-known similarities between Japan and Germany, but according to Professor Ulrike Schaede, there are also four fundamental differences....
Rather like a math exam, you have to show the working out in your presentation, not just the answer, to get full points....
Next time you need to make a proposal to a Japanese person, see if you can draw it first....
When Japanese are asked “Can you do it?”, unless they are 100% certain that they can, they would not answer “Yes we can.”… Americans, on the other hand, sometimes say...
Your Japanese colleagues probably have a pretty good command of English, but they may not be aware of the nuances a seemingly simple sentence such as “We must confirm” may...
Western communication style relies heavily on words. In contrast, Japanese communication relies less on verbal manipulation, and more heavily on non-verbals. Japanese are able to rely more on...
Japanese can be turned off by slick presentations…handwritten things more clearly show the effort of the person who was making it, and thus have more power to pull on the...
For Americans who are used to a more straightforward style, kishotenketsu can be very confusing…It can be hard to follow what Japanese have to say as they go on and...
Japanese companies often fail to appreciate the unique aspects of Mexican culture. The result, many Japanese firms experience high turnover and other problems in their Mexican operations. These can be...
When wanting to convince someone Japanese to do something in accordance with American customs or commonly-accepted practices, I find that it’s useful to assume that they are not necessarily familiar...