The Japanese are famous for decisions by consensus. Westerners dread consensus – they view it as slow and leading to compromised outcomes.
The history of Japan shows, however, that Japanese-style decision making can lead to sharp changes in direction – as abrupt or more so than the Western model.
Example: From a discussion of Japanese management practices.
Source: Drucker, P.F. (1971). What we can learn from Japanese management. Harvard Business Review (March/April 1971), pp. 110-22.