Browse through the hundreds of articles by our team members on a wide variety of topics related to Japanese business and culture. Find articles on specific topics of interest using the search box in the sidebar.
…There was no business strategy reason, or other explanation. Just doing it because all our competitors were, and we didn't want to be the only one not doing it.”...
Once one has become familiar with reading and writing A3 reports, they can certainly increase efficiency…any employee can pick up a report from anywhere else in the company and immediately...
Japanese tend to not want praise for things that they think are not perfect and still need work…Given this negative meaning of compliments, it makes sense that Japanese might feel...
I don’t happen to have children, but I imagine that if I did I wouldn’t need a recorded voice to tell me that I needed to hold their hands on...
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...
Recently there are more examples of Japanese firms that are creating global databases of all their employees, not just the ones hired in Japan, for purposes of targeting development activities...
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...
The HR department is given a degree of power that is beyond what is typical in most western companies, creating a special kind of rhythm to life in a Japanese...
While compensation can certainly be an important motivator for non-Japanese employees, other factors like recognition, involvement, challenge, and opportunities for growth, can also play key roles in job satisfaction....
It is in the Japanese employee's interest to make as few waves as possible, because he has few alternatives other than to stay with his firm...
