| Moving Up the Career Ladder in a Japanese Company |
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Working for a Japanese company and want to move up the career ladder? The following seven characteristics will get you started up the rungs.
- Adaptablility. You'll need to be able to quickly react to sudden changes and temporary conditions. Forget being offended if your opinion is not always considered the right or only viewpoint.
- A team player. Japanese companies are famous for their team approach. Not only must you be willing to play on the team, supporting others on the team is just as important. Downplay your individual accomplishments and acknowledge the contributions of others. Share your recognition and awards with the team.
- Ability to build consensus. You'll need to build a consensus to support your ideas before they can be implemented. You can use nemawashi, a process something like lobbying, to get people excited about your proposals. To practice nemawashi, propose your idea in an informal setting to a number of people, including your managers, your peers and the personnel who report to you. Using their feedback in a continual refinement process, you'll be able to discover possible negative reactions, solve any related problems and convince potential adversaries of the merits of your proposal before "going public."
- A facility to hear what's not being said and to read between the lines. Develop an understanding of internal and external clients and what makes them tick. Find a Japanese mentor who is willing to explain "hidden" agendas and puzzling behavior.
- Ability to understand and support the concept of process culture. The outcome is important, and so is consideration of how you get there. Focusing on results and excluding approach ignores the very factors that have made Japanese companies so successful. Continually try to improve the process.
- Talent for articulating technical concepts clearly and with solid understanding. Make sure your conclusions are firm and based on thorough analysis of information you know to be valid. Question every detail of your analysis and don't hesitate to develop new methods if the old ones can be improved upon.
- The gift of being able to stick it out for the long haul. If you focus on the long term, not just the immediate future, you will be rewarded. It will take time to develop the six characteristics outlined above. It takes time to build consensus and to get to know clients well. It takes a good sense of timing to wait for the right time to persuade others. It takes time to make sure your proposals are supported by sound information. In the long run, it is time well spent.
- Adapted from The Sun also Rises over Toledo: Practical tips for Americans working with or for Japanese companies in the U.S. |
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