The Integration of Culture & Tradition

The following values are very inherent in the manner they conduct business. One author described Japanese corporate philosophy as a “culturally influenced protocol.”

1. Wa – also known as harmony. It is considered the most valued principle still alive today in Japanese society. This harmony was evident among collective farms as early as 604 AD that promoted teamwork. In business terms, self-assertion and individualism is discouraged and the preservation of good relationships despite differences in opinion should be upheld. The Japanese believe that “nothing occurs in life because of an individual effort.” Everything important in life happens as a result of teamwork or collective effort.  By putting together individual efforts and ideas better results are achieved. Working together creates a better relationship among employees thus improving company loyalty. They are then rewarded as a group and not individually.
2. Kao – or face is a mark of personal pride and forms the basis of an individual’s reputation and social status. To preserve face one should avoid confrontations and direct criticism whenever possible. It is disastrous to business relationships if one causes another to lose face.
3. Omoiyari – relates to the sense of empathy and loyalty. This concept is closely related to the first two mentioned above. “To imagine another’s feelings” builds a strong relationship based on trust and mutual feeling in business relationships.
4. In Japan the actual process of making a product is more important in Japan than the end result. This is manifested in the ritual of tea drinking where the ceremony is a complex process where the drinker receives the bowl in a proper manner and drinks from it in the right manner as well.  The Japanese pay more attention to detail like they do in food preparation, flower arrangement and music pedagogy. Most Japanese disciplines have “do” as a suffix which literally means path and often translated as “the way.”
5. For the Japanese rank is so finely determined that equality is rare --- everyone and everything are at east slightly above or below the nearest apparent equal. Hierarchy is inseparable from orderliness; a group is not properly organized unless its members are ranked. Each person has a place in the hierarchy and rarely is there any confusion regarding one’s position within that corporate structure thus promoting harmony, status and order. Being promoted to top management is determined by age, no one reaches a senior management post before the mid-fifties and chief executives are typically over 60.