Last Updated: 12 Jul 2020 The unquenchable thirst for information
A constant niggle I hear from people who aren’t Japanese who work in Japanese companies is the sheer quantity of questions, often on seemingly irrelevant details, that they have to...
Japanese business
Last Updated: 17 Jul 2020 Why Japanese love charts, graphs, and diagrams
The other day I was teaching a seminar on Working Effectively with Americans to a group of Japanese expatriates from a major electronics manufacturer’s U.S. subsidiary. We were discussing...
Last Updated: 18 Jul 2020 Japanese businesses: one big happy family? no. extended family? yes!
"Habatsu," or factions within a Japanese company cause internal competition among groups rather than individuals...
Last Updated: 18 Jul 2020 In Japan hierarchy is no malarky
Keep a close eye on hierarchy when meeting Japanese colleagues, building teams, and creating rapport...
Last Updated: 18 Jul 2020 How do the Japanese put in their two cents? ringi!
Ringi: The mechanism Japanese companies use to create consensus and approve decisions...
Last Updated: 18 Jul 2020 “Bottom-up” decision-making in Japan
Japanese executives set general direction and strategy, but specific implementation bubbles up from below...
Last Updated: 18 Jul 2020 Monotsukuri: valuing hand-craftsmanship in business
Monotsukuri is the philosophical opposite of outsourcing and a source of pride in Japanese business...
Last Updated: 06 Jun 2025 Qu’en est-il des modes de management traditionnels japonais ?
« Globalisation » est un mot qui devint soudain à la mode au Japon dans les années 90. Vingt ans plus tard, est-il une réalité ?...
Last Updated: 12 Jul 2020 Europe could do with a dose of Japanese customer service
Why is customer service so frequently bad in Europe, and so consistently good in Japan?...
Last Updated: 25 Feb 2025 My picks for best books on Japanese culture and business
I had a conversation yesterday with someone about what books would be our top recommendations on Japanese business and culture. I found it VERY hard to answer, as I have...