Japanese acquisitions overseas – Building a hybrid culture
The concept of a hybrid culture is to take the best of each corporate culture and blend them together into a stronger whole....
Free Resources
Japanese international acquisitions – What’s different this time?
While each M&A situation poses its unique challenges, and thus requires unique approaches, the common element is that careful attention needs to be paid to the complex people issues involved....
Being acquired by a Japanese company?
There are some things that you can expect if your company is purchased by a Japanese firm…The more you know, the fewer surprises there will be when you start interacting...
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....
Why do Japanese work such long hours?
Many younger Japanese would workers prefer shorter working hours and more time with their families. The question is whether Japanese corporate culture will become flexible enough to make this possible....
Oseibo winter gift-giving in Japan — a fading tradition?
Oseibo is one of Japan's two traditional gift-giving seasons. Has it been supplanted by Christmas?...
Phrases the Japanese love to hate
How you respond to inquiries that are not necessarily in your main area of expertise or responsibility will make a big impact on how you are perceived by Japanese colleagues....
Noise pollution in Tokyo
Masses of people are everywhere in Japan, and even though the Japanese tend to be quieter than Americans, when you get a lot of them together it can’t help but...
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...