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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....
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 is one of Japan's two traditional gift-giving seasons. Has it been supplanted by Christmas?...
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....
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...
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...
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...
Although it’s typical for American employees to expect recognition verbally from their supervisor when they are doing a good job, it’s not typical in Japan. Japanese tend to not...
Japanese HR departments are simply not equipped to learn enough about employees’ skills and interests to match them carefully to positions. As a result, large numbers of Japanese are...
Japanese customers prefer products that are “high-performance.” This tendency explains, for example, why Japanese consumer electronics products are often so complex. The various extra features are a delight...