Thank you! Great reminder. As a westerner working in Japan for 30+ years, I've worked hard to adapt to the (very different) approach to conducting business in Japan and have generally managed to do so. But when I get frustrated with things, I'm definitely guilty of falling into some of the traps you mentioned. And since none of my colleagues are likely to say anything about it, it can start to be normalized. So this was a great self-check. Thanks again!

@WorkingWithJapanese

3 ай бұрын

Hi, many thanks for your kind comment. I am glad that you found the video useful. In my work, I train non-Japanese and Japanese working with each other and help them become more aware of the cultural differences and learn how to effectively work together. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any video topic suggestions for future!!!

1. "Your job, my job" thinking 2. Job only half way done 3. Not respecting the existing procedure 4. Unproductive discussion style 5. Never say "sorry". My answers: 1) I expect my role to be clearly-defined. If a company starts assigning me work that's outside of my remit, that's an example of poor boundaries. Standing up for my own boundaries and saying "no" isn't an example of lack of motivation on my part: If you want me to do something, put it in the contract and ensure that the remuneration reflects this. 2) Westerners do not have the expectation that they will sleep at work, or work an insane number of hours, etc. That's also an example of poor boundaries, and rather than criticise Westerners for having the courage to say "no" and draw a clear boundary between their personal and private time, Japanese companies would be better off scheduling work to be completed within realistic times (that would be 40 hours per week, tops.) 3) Change is a vital, necessary and unavoidable part of life. Existing procedure occasionally needs to be ripped up. No matter how many heads put something together, there will always be a better way of doing something in the future, because this world is constantly changing - whether we like it or not. Staying stuck in your ways is an excellent way to be overtaken (or even be made obsolete) by rivals. (Sony is an excellent case in point.) 4) Keeping the peace is SECONDARY to dealing with the problem. If you are avoiding talking about an issue for the sake of appearing polite, or maintaining consensus, you're people-pleasing to the point of negligence. The high Hofstede power distance in Asian culture carries known risks in critical environments. † If you cannot risk raising conflict (or dealing with conflict) when there is an important issue to be discussed, your communication skills don't make the grade. After all, it's no good having a fire department on hand if everyone is too shy to be seen yelling "FIRE!", or is afraid of what everyone might think of them because they are endangering group harmony (wa) or being dramatic. † How did Fukushima work out for you? Risks reported by engineers, but ignored by TEPCO in order to keep the peace. How would YOU evaluate that outcome for Japan? 5) Japanese consider not bowing to someone in the street to be worthy of an apology. With respect, there are many cultures in this world - and each considers different things to be important. That's an important truth of the world we live in. But choosing to take offence (or not) is a PERSONAL choice - you ALWAYS have the option to choose how you wish to react.

@WorkingWithJapanese

3 ай бұрын

Hi Oliver, I've already responded to you on Linkedin. Please refer there.