Workplace Culture of Japan & How We Can Apply It

In the service industry learning how companies in other countries work is beneficial in gaining greater value in your own work.  The Japanese workplace culture can help us be better in our industry.

Not the Individual, but Member of the Family:

            Employees in Japan view the company as a whole organism, everyone’s job is important. Their mindset is on how I can help the company rather than any single individual. The best way to understand this mindset is to borrow from John F. Kennedy. “Think not, what can (my company) do for me, but what can I do for (my company).”
            Cooperation in the workplace is essential to being successful. All members of the company are part of “the family.” Everyone in the company shares the same fate. When the company does well, we are all successful. When the company loses an account, we have all failed. Often, we (as Americans) are too concerned with who is to blame. “Whose fault is it?” If we stop looking for a person to blame, we will start solving the problem and fix it faster. Americans tend to believe that the person who failed must “fix the problem.” In Japan, they believe that “we both failed," so we both have to fix it.”
            Maintaining a family attitude about the company will help retain employees. Akio Morita, former CEO of Sony explained the Japanese logic in hiring. Morita makes it clear that when a person is hired, they are being hired for 20 to 30 years. The new employee will be with us for their whole career. “Be very careful in choosing the right employees.”
            As the CEO, Morita would personally speak with his new hires. In his meeting with the new employee he is very clear what the agreement is between the company and employee. New employees are not drafted into the company. “We did not draft you; you chose to come to Sony. We selected your application. Make this the brightest time in your life for 20-30 years. No regrets being with us.” With all new hires, the new employee has a 3-month test period to make sure they fit with the company before being hired on full-time.
            Morita states to have the best results with all employees is to, “Treat all people as a human being.” The employee is not a disposable commodity, they are your selected family member.

Think of the Long Game, Never the Short Game:

            While Americans generally have a hyper-focus on the bottom-line. Japanese embrace a long-term average. As a cleaning service company, we maintain a long-term view on keeping a building clean. We promise quality. We clean every day. We do a great job most days, however, in every building we’ll make a mistake. We will miss an entire bathroom or a floor won’t get cleaned because a piece of equipment breaks down. As a company we look at the average. Is the building cleaned correctly most of the time? In the service industry most every job is repetitious by design. Without the right mindset, this kind of work can be boring, and failure will occur. In the Japanese workplace they use a word in which they base their work ethic on - Kaizen.
          
            Kaizen means to be continuously engaged in activities that improve all functions. Repetition, attention to detail, and care are the predecessors to efficiency. Appreciate the value in even the smallest amount of improvement. An improvement that isn’t evaluated by its degree is an incentivized routine.
            Think of your job for the long game. Avoid thoughts like, “I’m only cleaning till the next best thing comes along.” Rather, “I’m going to be the best at this so I can become a manager. I’m going to use these skills and gain greater value for my value, for my peers and for my company.”

Chain of Command:

            Every decision goes through a chain of command and must have approval from the Boss. In the Japanese workplace the word is: Horen-so = Report – Contact – Consult
            If a building facility manager wants you to do a job you’re not approved for, talk to the boss. Most importantly, report any problem immediately, before you try to fix it.

 Japanese Business Etiquette Basics:

            Embracing another culture’s business etiquette can greatly increase the first impression others have on you. Here are a few Japanese business etiquette's, if practiced can help improve how clients and colleagues see you.

Business Card:
Japanese see business card as an extension of themselves. Treat them with respect. Read card carefully in front of the person. Place card into holder or in a pocket above the waist.
Give your card as well. Exchanging business card at the beginning of the meeting works as an introduction and icebreaker.

Be Prepared: Show Effort/ Respect Is Valued:
Bring Pen, or something to write on (tablet). In meeting make notes to show effort. Never come to a meeting open handed. Come with something in your hand.

In Meetings:
Be very careful asking “Direct Questions.” Do not force client to make a decision on the spot.
Be careful with direct eye-contact.

Entertain:
Japanese people love to be entertained, so do most people. Take clients out to lunch or dinner. Take them to a restaurant where you can help suggest items from the menu. In Japanese culture it is bad luck to pour your own drink or to have an empty glass. Pour the drink for client or request the server to fill the glass.