Shushoku Katsudo – Job Hunting in Japan
In the U.S., professors typically do not have contact with companies in the recruiting process. In Japan your professor determines not only your grades but also holds the key...
HR management
Power harassment
Being harsh towards one’s subordinates is often encouraged in Japanese culture, and a blind eye is turned toward yelling and other harsh treatment. For many Japanese, a tough boss...
Engineering culture gap for Japanese firms
Methods used to manage engineers in Japan often do not meet the expectations of non-Japanese engineers. This results in disruptive high turnover rates, and difficulty transferring technology....
“Cross-cultural fitness” for Japanese companies
For Japanese companies operating outside Japan, this means that the Japanese expatriates assigned to overseas locations are knowledgeable about different cultures and take those cultures into account in their business...
A tale of three Japanese Presidents
In Japanese companies, the periodic rotation of the President presents a constant challenge. Successfully managing these transitions is one of the most challenging activities for Japanese-affiliated firms....
What do American engineers want?
High turnover among the engineering staff is becoming a headache. Other than just money, it seems that American engineers want something else that their Japanese employers may not be...
Role clarity in Japanese organizations
Three common issues at Japanese firms –job descriptions, office layout, and correcting of work, may seem unrelated, but actually they all stem from the Japanese concept of organizational roles....
Changes for Japanese working women
Japan is no longer the completely male-dominated workplace that many outside of Japan think it to be. Businesspeople from outside Japan need to be aware of is the...
Why do Japanese avoid detailed job descriptions?
In Japan it is rare for a company to use any job descriptions. In fact, many employees don’t even have titles…because Japanese companies do little external hiring, there are...
Japan’s disengaged workers
Japanese HR departments are simply not equipped to learn enough about employees’ skills and interests to match them carefully to positions. As a result, large numbers of Japanese are...