We are happy to announce that Japan Consulting Office (JCO) has received the “1st BEST Supplier” and “Highest Appreciated Training Institute” award from Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine for the second time.
This prestigious recognition is the result of the high quality of our training programs, our practical approach and the visible change in behavior following the training: through increased mutual understanding, efficiency and communication at work are improved.
“I wish I had known that before” is a comment we regularly receive from participants, even those with more than ten years of work experience in a Japanese company.
My Top-Three Tips for Japanese and non-Japanese Colleagues
For Japanese:
(1) Try to share information more regularly with your Western colleagues. Explain the background of decisions and what is going on at headquarters. Unofficial information that you tend to share after hours is especially important for them.
(2) Try to communicate more explicitly (it is more difficult for Westerners to “read the air”). Tell them what you really think.
(3) Give regular feedback to your colleagues. Recognition is one of the most important words in management. The need to be recognized, through positive feedback or encouragement, exists in Japan as well, but it is even more important in the West.
For Westerners:
(1) Share information more regularly with your colleagues, and spontaneously report to your manager (horenso in Japanese.)
(2) Try to take advantage of informal discussions before a meeting or a decision. This is where things tend to happen.
(3) Adapt your communication. For Westerners, speaking English is much easier than for the Japanese. Some Japanese still struggle to follow a conversation, so speak slowly and pause from time to time.
And my last piece of advice for both: invest in relationships! That is something we all have in common. We work better together when we know each other better and enjoy being together.
JCO Founder
Olivier van Beneden
