The Japanese Meeting

One comment from one of the participants at our recent seminars struck me as interesting, and we'll explore it a little today. The subject was meetings, and the person (who works for a Japanese company in the US) said, "I don't understand why our Japanese bosses need to have so many meetings. We are often discussing the same subject over and over. It seems like a real waste of time, and gets in way of us being able to get our work done."

It seems what was going on was a cultural misunderstanding about the use of meetings in the workplace. It seems like sometimes even the most seemingly simple concepts, like a meeting, can have cultural connections once we look a little closely.

In the US, a meeting is a time to make announcements, discuss issues, issue assignments, and often, but not always, to make decisions or decide directions. Votes are often a part of American meetings, as well. This sounds normal, and I think most Americans would expect this overview of the purpose of meetings to be universal. The fact is, it isn't - at least not for Japan.

In Japan, a meeting is more of a place to get everyone on the same page, and to gauge the kuuki of the state of affairs. Before an important company meeting, a detailed agenda will be distributed, and departments will be given time to prepare and discuss internally before-hand. All announcements will be included, and have likely already been discussed beforehand in subcommittees and between individuals. An important thing to point out is that there will be no surprise announcements at the meeting. This is important to remember. The idea that an employee would think "I can't wait to announce we got the ABC account to the company at the meeting!" would be unheard of in Japan. Japanese business people do not like surprises, good or bad. Everyone should be equally armed with the same information before the meeting begins. This is what is needed to keep harmony.

In the meeting a discussion on a certain subject may commence, but it will likely be in the form of sharing and confirming information. The confirmation of information is a repeated process. It is here that we can really see the function of the Japanese meeting, as usually the highest ranking person or people are not active members of the discussion, or so it appears from a foreigners perspective. The highest up in the meeting is the keeper of the kuuki. The kuuki is the mood or atmosphere, and determines the direction of the meeting. If the discussion is going a direction he finds not to his liking, his body language, or a few subtle words will send a clear message that this is not the way he wants it to go. The more talkative lower-ranking participants will understand this message, and will subtly yet quickly move things in a different direction, or table the discussion until more details surface.

Most of the things that Americans do in their meeting happen outside the meeting in Japan. Voting, for instance, is done using the ringi-sho. But even then, consensus rules over opinion in Japan. The desire for harmony far outweighs the individual's need to speak his opinion, especially a dissenting one. Usually the ringi-sho is issued only when consensus is reached, so the ringi-sho is really a formality. In other words, there is no election until everyone knows that everyone is going to vote the same way. A vote to "see where everyone stands" would feel very uncomfortable in a Japanese workplace. Again, harmony, not individualism, is the path taken.

This goes back to all Japanese business persons' school days. Children in Japan are not taught to raise their hands to answer questions. The concept of the teacher asking a question openly to the class is practically unheard of. What happens more often is the teacher will call on a student to answer the question. The student, will then whisper to his neighbor asking for the answer. He will then ask the neighbor on the other side to confirm this answer. To make sure, he may whisper to one more classmate, one in front or behind, to confirm the answer again. The teacher and class waits patiently for this process to finish, and the student tells the answer to the teacher. Here's the interesting part: You can ask a Japanese high-school senior the most elemental arithmetic question, and this process will take place. Even if a student knows the answer to the question the teacher asks, it would be unharmonious to "show off" by saying the answer without including her classmates in the glory of a correct answer. Where in an American classroom hands shoot into the air when teachers ask easy questions, Japanese students would much rather never open their mouths during class time.

Back to our American employee of a Japanese company's comment about meeting after meeting for the same topics, another factor could be involved. Japanese companies are physically laid-out very different than American ones. Large companies in America are often full of cubicles. Each employee usually has at least two walls separating her from her coworkers so she can have even a little privacy and quiet to work. As a culture, Japanese value privacy much less than we do in the US (think public baths and small living quarters). See the picture of a typical looking Japanese office below.


This is the "open office" style. We see desks facing each other in double rows. At the end of the row will be one desk looking down the line. This is where the head of this group of employees sits. In this configuration, he can see and hear everything each employee is doing. This isn't done to check up on the employees or to keep them on task. It's a form of communication, and so the department head can be kept abreast of all information regarding his department as it happens. Sometimes there may be another larger desk behind him, and another higher up can watch all the employees in the room, and be kept informed of changes and events practically in real time. Kuuki plays a part in the work office. If an employee gets a disturbing phone call he can simply glance at his supervisor to tell him something is wrong. The supervisor may discreetly call the employee aside to understand the situation better, but also not embarrass him in front of his colleagues. A glance is sent up to the supervisor's supervisor, and the process is repeated.

As a Japanese supervisor, imagine working under this system, and then being sent to the US to work in a satellite office there. The promotion leads to a beautiful corner office with four walls and a nice view. This is like blindfolding a supervisor from Japan. How can he know what's going on if he can't be in the same room as his workers? He doesn't want an office with four walls (that's reserved for the company head). He can't accept just getting weekly reports from his immediate underlings. As a result, what happens is the supervisor is constantly mulling around the office, to the bother of his American workers. "Why can't he just relax and let us do our jobs?" they think, not realizing that being up to the minute, or really, up to the second on the status of things is his job. Americans often mistake this for a lack of trust, but it is really the problem of too many walls in the workplace, literally.

This may be the reason the Japanese managers call so many meetings (maybe even more than in Japan), it's to be together, without walls, and to let information and kuuki breathe freely.

Next time will talk a little more about independent thinking and working on one's own, as well as how not to put your Japanese boss on the spot.

The Hanko and the Ringi-sho: The Sword and Shield of the Japanese Business Person (Part 2)

Earlier this month we talked about the the ringo-sho, the document that is used to guarantee the implimentation of a new policy or change in a department or company. Although the hanko doesn't carry as much cultural baggage as the ringi-sho, it is a key-tool in Japanese business, (and in life, for that matter), and is often a mystery to Western business people.

The hanko is basically a name stamp. It is small, usually about the size of a average pinky finger, but valuable and important.

As a matter of fact, every adult has a hanko, and they essentially act as the Japanese version of ths signature. (Those too young to have hanko just use a fingerprint.) Hanko are used on all official documents, when paying bills, accepting packages, or making deposits at the bank. Anyplace an American would sign her name, or initialize, is hanko-appropriate.

Like we hear about how Japanese take care with their business cards, and hanko can carry a certain level of prestige, as well. Usually they are kept in some sort of case with red ink for stamping. More fancy hanko are self-inking and can come in expensive leather cases.

What appears on the hanko is the owners last name. Common last name hanko can be purchased relatively cheaply, but these won't have a unique, signature-like quality.

Foriegners are usually not expected to have a hanko, but if you plan on living in Japan for any period of time, it will put people you have to work with (bankers, mail carriers, etc.) at ease.
Hanko are also used for the ringi-sho, and if you are living in Japan and working for a Japanese company, you will really want to make your vote count by having a hanko. They can be made at specialized hanko shops, and even customized hanko aren't too expensive.

As you can probably guess, the larger the hanko the more important the seal. The president of a company may sign an important contract with his hanko, and then the "company seal", a larger hanko with the company's name in kanji. Fans of famous traditional painters and calligraphers might notice the artists hanko increasing in size with his popularity (and the price of his works).

Below are some pictures of typical hanko and the seals they make. Notice, the kanji usually is a little hard to read, as it should artistically fill the square or round shape it takes.

NEWS BRIEF

In September Pacific Dreams, Inc. hosted a series of seminars intended to help foster relations between Japanese and American business people. In the series there were both English-language workshops as well as workshops held in Japanese. Because of the positive reaction of the participants, PDI has decided to move forward with another seminar series in November. More details about this seminar will be released as speakers and schedules are confirmed.

Two of the English language facilitators were Eileen Foster-Sakai and Shintaro Tominaga. Mrs. Foster-Sakai presented the “Building Bridges Between the USA and Japan” workshop, and Mr. Tominaga gave his presentation entitled “Negotiation with Japanese Business People”. Mr. Tominaga, who came in from Tokyo for this seminar series, also gave presentations in Japanese.

The "Building Bridges” seminar was made up of a relatively small group, which allowed for more focused discussion and questions. All of the participants were American business people working for Japanese-owned companies, so all had experiences of working under a Japanese boss. Mrs. Foster-Sakai was able to concentrate on the special questions and needs of this group of participants. The people that came in feeling frustrated by the communication styles and seemingly bizarre requests of their superiors were able to make sense of Japanese business culture practices. This participants left with not only a better understanding of what the Japanese business people were doing, but also gained new strategies in fostering better communication with their Japanese counterparts. Much of the “Building Bridges” seminar introduces business people to key cultural concepts they are sure to run into when working with Japanese people. The program goes from the very basic concepts, like seating arrangements, to the more complicated, like intricacies in the Japanese social, business and family relationships.

Mr. Tominaga’s presentation was focused on negotiation with Japanese counterparts. This presentation was more directed toward individuals who work with Japanese companies and travel to Japan on business. Negotiation styles are very different in Japan compared to much of Asia and the rest of the world. According to Mr. Tominaga, it the lack of understanding of the Japanese system which often leads to failed business negotiations, or even failed attempts at getting a first meeting arranged. Much of Mr. Tominaga’s presentation was on the concept of reading “kuuki”. Kuuki literally means “air”, or “atmosphere”, but for these purposes it means understanding the subtle body language and communication that Japanese business negotiators engage in to convey important messages. These signals would be obvious to a Japanese counterpart, but may not be so easy for a non-Japanese negotiator. Mr. Tominaga also discussed the issues of conflict and debate in Japanese business negotiations, pointing out that debating should be avoided at all costs. Japanese find debate uncomfortable, and will tend to retreat if there seems to be, what Americans might consider, a healthy tension in a spirited discussion.

The Hanko and the Ringi-sho: The Sword and Shield of the Japanese Business Person (Part 1)

We recently heard again from Mr. Shintaro Tominaga regarding an interesting concept in the Japanese workplace. This is the ringi-sho. We will quote Mr. Tominaga here:

" It is a document issued by a person who wants to receive approval from the upper management on a new business proposal. It goes from the lower level to the upper level of management. If there are X number of persons above the issuer of the Ringi-sho, all of that X number of persons read and study it, and then each one places his or her seal on it (the Japanese equivalent to a signature). After all seals are stamped on it, the issuer receives it back, and then he or she can start taking charge of its business.

" If such a business proposal is new to the issuer’s immediate boss and the other upper level personnel, no one will place a seal on it. What this means is that the issuer of a Ringi-sho issues it only when he or she knows that it will be approved by all concerned personnel within the company. Japanese business people seldom take
charge of a new project if the other upper level personnel do not support it."

It appears the the ringi-sho is really a formality...the last step of an arduous process to create something new, some sort of change, in the company. The is the "shield" of making changes within a Japanese business. Can you imagine an American company going through such a process to instill a new idea? Unless there was an undeniable passion about the idea, most American business people wouldn't waste their time. It is interesting to think that a ringi-sho is not typed up unless the issuer knows for sure that he will get every person's stamp. One can't help but wonder what happens when the boss changes his mind...

What this reminds us is that, in general, change is not considered a good thing, especially in Japanese companies with long histories and successful histories. Of course, Japanese companies are known for the newest and latest products...isn't this an embrace of change? I think these successful corporations are good at introducing new ideas to the consumers, but are not so good at making changes within the company. Could this be why Mitsubishi Motors made the bold move of hiring aforeignerr as it's CEO when profits dried up? (It's not such a new idea, though. Mitsubishi is the third of the top-five car manufacturers in Japan to do so.) Businesssavvyy CEOs with big ideas and who aren't afraid to stir the pot are a rarity in Japan, so looking for someone who can make some fast changes requires the Board of Directors to go overseas. The real question is, once success is found, and changes are made, how long the foreigner will hold his position. Early (and surely comfortable) retirement is not a long-shot bet.

Mr. Tominaga also tells us:

"Since Japanese work in groups, the business decision making process is rather slow. Unlike American business people who have been authorized to make business decisions within the capacity allowed by his upper level management, Japanese business people are not normally given authorization to make a decision alone."

This also shows the fundamental difference, boiled down to the bare bones, between Japanese and American culture. Japanese work for group harmony, and Americans for individual success. Both are noble andvaluablee goals, and aren't mutually exclusive, but certainly can create chaos when pushed against each other.

An example of this can be seen in the terrific American classic film, "12 Angry Men". This is the story of a jury of 12 men who have just begun deliberations on a murder case, where a boy seems to have murdered his father. Initially it seems like an open-and-shut case, and the initial vote of this jury leads to a vote of 11 guilty votes, and a single innocent vote by the character played to perfection by the late Henry Fonda. The rest of the movie is about, basically, the resolution of the American need to for "personal success" (in this case, success is having others vote with your opinion) and the Japanese need for "group harmony" (in this case, a unanimous vote...required to not be a hung jury). Certainly the filmmakers were not thinking about Japan and the US when the making the movie, but itinadvertentlyy shows the attempt at resolving these two conflicting goals. Watching the story play out, one can't wonder if the story was 12 Japanese men, and not American, if the goal of group harmony would have led to a unanimous vote on the first try. Of course, Americans can't help to cheer for the underdog played by Henry Fonda, and all would hope that we would fight with just as much passion for something webelievedd in. This doesn't mean that Japanese wouldn't see Henry Fonda as a hero-of-sorts in the movie...in fact maybe more so than Americans. It takes a lot more to go against the grain in Japan than it does here.


Next time we'll talk about the "sword" to go with the "shield"....the hanko.