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.
Brainstorming is improvisational, unplanned, and unstructured, and is designed to maximize the creativity…But if one doesn’t realize that brainstorming is happening, or doesn’t know the unwritten rules, it can be...
Not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in a meeting…And when cultural and language differences are added in, the situation becomes even more complicated....
Meetings can be the site for a variety of nonproductive, dysfunctional behaviors, such as cutting someone off, being argumentative, or making negative comments. If positive action is not taken...
A meeting leader’s role is to ensure that the discussion stays on track, that everyone participates, and that the outcome of the meeting is clarified...
Ground rules are especially important when people of different cultural backgrounds are meeting together…ground rules ensure that all the participants are on the same wavelength in terms of the way...
An agenda clarifies the topic of the meeting, both broadly and specific points…Once an agenda has been created, the key thing is to actually use it during the meeting. ...
Businesspeople today are typically busy and the time that is taken up by attending a meeting could be used for other activities…it’s important to invite people based on their ability...
A meeting is called, but the objective of the meeting is not specified. This leads to wasted time and frustration…think about whether a meeting is the best way to...
For western countries, meetings are for resolving conflicts, reaching group decisions, and problem solving…In contrast, the Japanese view meetings as a place to confirm things that have already been decided,...
