http://a-small-lab.com/managing-for-creativity-in-japan/on-being-a-foreign-employer/ Talking with Foreign Executives in Japan Wed, 26 May 2010 13:29:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://a-small-lab.com/managing-for-creativity-in-japan/on-being-a-foreign-employer/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Risk Framework (DRAFT) - Managing for Creativity in Japan Thu, 01 Apr 2010 01:09:22 +0000 http://a-small-lab.com/managing-for-creativity-in-japan/?p=392#comment-63 [...] Client relationships are perceived as being very resource intensive in terms of (1) communication/interaction and (2) prescription. High communication and interaction requirements result in little time for reflection and low margin for error, increasing employee risk aversion. Perceived over-prescription of project details (according to proven methods and approaches (see ‘Need for Structure’) decreases flexibility to utilize the supplier’s specialist knowledge to explore alternative solutions – “If there is no demand for creative response then there will be none. I think that the whole structure of the way decisions are made mitigates against creativity”.(ii) This effect may be compounded by (1) the relative importance of trust and relationships over experience and skills in Japan – “It is harder to earn trust here [and get people to take a risk]….whatever experience you have in the West doesn’t really matter, it doesn’t translate”(iii) and (2) fear. It is important to note that in the client role non-Japanese managers may face difficulty with the expectation of prescriptive-ness from suppliers. Compared to the “here’s what we need done, you’re the experts I’ll come back when it’s finished” relationship which was perceived as more typical in the West there may be a lot more ‘hand-holding’ and ‘face time’ involved as a non-Japanese client of Japanese suppliers. Fear Fear of shame, failure, standing out, being shown up, showing someone up, or making a mistake is considered a factor in high risk aversion. Fear of making clients ‘look bad by knowing more than them’ increases the intensity of the client relationship noted above (and the intensity of the client relationship reinforces the fear). To deal with this fear, change is avoided, and consensus through discussion is sought. Need For Structure Japanese employees (unless specifically hired for their flexible thinking skills) are seen as having an innate difficulty with ‘managing something that they don’t have a formula or template for’. ‘Need for structure’ is perceived to be rooted in (1) the education system and (2) the rule-based nature of art/culture of Japan – “If you study Japanese art like sumi-e or ikebana you will notice that everything is run by rules”(iv). This necessitates the provision of security and structure around a creative idea or process. This need could be higher in foreign companies due to the risk inherent in working for them. YOU are the Risk “Even if you are an established company like Unilever people still think ‘oooh no, a foreign company….even though they are one of the biggest manufacturers in the world”.(v) [...] [...] Client relationships are perceived as being very resource intensive in terms of (1) communication/interaction and (2) prescription. High communication and interaction requirements result in little time for reflection and low margin for error, increasing employee risk aversion. Perceived over-prescription of project details (according to proven methods and approaches (see ‘Need for Structure’) decreases flexibility to utilize the supplier’s specialist knowledge to explore alternative solutions – “If there is no demand for creative response then there will be none. I think that the whole structure of the way decisions are made mitigates against creativity”.(ii) This effect may be compounded by (1) the relative importance of trust and relationships over experience and skills in Japan – “It is harder to earn trust here [and get people to take a risk]….whatever experience you have in the West doesn’t really matter, it doesn’t translate”(iii) and (2) fear. It is important to note that in the client role non-Japanese managers may face difficulty with the expectation of prescriptive-ness from suppliers. Compared to the “here’s what we need done, you’re the experts I’ll come back when it’s finished” relationship which was perceived as more typical in the West there may be a lot more ‘hand-holding’ and ‘face time’ involved as a non-Japanese client of Japanese suppliers. Fear Fear of shame, failure, standing out, being shown up, showing someone up, or making a mistake is considered a factor in high risk aversion. Fear of making clients ‘look bad by knowing more than them’ increases the intensity of the client relationship noted above (and the intensity of the client relationship reinforces the fear). To deal with this fear, change is avoided, and consensus through discussion is sought. Need For Structure Japanese employees (unless specifically hired for their flexible thinking skills) are seen as having an innate difficulty with ‘managing something that they don’t have a formula or template for’. ‘Need for structure’ is perceived to be rooted in (1) the education system and (2) the rule-based nature of art/culture of Japan – “If you study Japanese art like sumi-e or ikebana you will notice that everything is run by rules”(iv). This necessitates the provision of security and structure around a creative idea or process. This need could be higher in foreign companies due to the risk inherent in working for them. YOU are the Risk “Even if you are an established company like Unilever people still think ‘oooh no, a foreign company….even though they are one of the biggest manufacturers in the world”.(v) [...]

]]> http://a-small-lab.com/managing-for-creativity-in-japan/on-being-a-foreign-employer/comment-page-1/#comment-53 Risk Roundup 004: YOU are the Risk - Managing for Creativity in Japan Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:09:09 +0000 http://a-small-lab.com/managing-for-creativity-in-japan/?p=392#comment-53 [...] “Even if you are an established company like Unilever people still think ‘oooh no, a foreign company….even though they are one of the biggest manufacturers in the world”.(i) [...] [...] “Even if you are an established company like Unilever people still think ‘oooh no, a foreign company….even though they are one of the biggest manufacturers in the world”.(i) [...]

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