Motivating Japanese subordinates
Within the same culture, individuals vary as to what they find motivating. Finding motivators that work for the individual and understanding the culturally-determined aspects of motivation will...
Free Resources
Why do Japanese fall asleep in meetings?
Japanese don’t have the custom of maintaining eye contact with the person who is talking. They believe that by closing their eyes, they can hear more effectively, because they...
Why don’t Japanese share more information?
Due to their struggles using and understanding the English language, Japanese often get exhausted trying to express themselves, and give up before they have communicated all the necessary information. ...
Breast cancer awareness in Japan
Did you know that Japanese women are less likely to get annual gynecological exams than American women? And that annual gynecological checkups are not covered by Japanese health insurance?...
5S in the Japanese workplace – shitsuke: sustaining through discipline (part 5 of 5)
Once processes and attitudes are internalized, workers voluntarily carry out the 5S activities without having to be reminded. Shitsuke means not just following the rules, but using the brain...
5S in the Japanese workplace – seiketsu: sanitizing and standardizing (part 4 of 5)
Seiketsu standardization gives a systematic, consistent approach for getting tasks done. A system that maintains and supports ongoing and consistent seiri, seiton and seiso activities....
5S in the Japanese workplace – seiso: seeing, sweeping and shining (part 3 of 5)
Well-implemented seiso programs also have long-term benefits when it comes to employee morale. Not only are workplaces cleaner and more efficient, but caring for equipment on a daily basis increases...
5S in the Japanese workplace – seiton at the ready (part 2 of 5)
Organizing. Set all necessary items in a neat orderly fashion so that they can be located and retrieved safely and quickly. Determining where and when items are needed, and placing...
5S in the Japanese workplace – sorting out seiri (part 1 of 5)
Seiri involves taking a fresh look at the workplace and identifying unnecessary items. This means coming to terms with the now and eliminating what is not now. Denying the possibilities...
Top Tips for Japanese Localization
In this guest blog post, Acclaro's Hiroko Yuki discusses some of the key things to consider when commissioning a translation into Japanese....