Hello again. As a sort of extension of the previous column, I’d like to touch on another potentially challenging difference I’ve encountered between Japanese and American business culture. Namely, Japanese companies seem to possess more rigid hierarchy, and the workflow follows this vertical pathway rather than through casual horizontal routes. Below is a quick case in point from my prior place of employment here in Japan.
One thing that always baffled me was the overall chain of command: I seldom had direct contact with my ultimate supervisor on a given project, messages being relayed through one or more middlemen. At times the supervisor would even give instructions to the person sitting just to my left, for him to pass along to me. This process of conveying information reminded me of children whispering down the line in the “telephone game,” and I suspected a similar distortion of message was taking place. As a result, my boss’ intent often got “lost in translation,” and the text I wrote ended up differing significantly from what he had in mind. Had I a Japanese knack for intuiting the unspoken, things might have gone smoother. But I was brought up to expect frank and open conversation, and as such my telepathy skills were quite poor (and despite practice remain so to this day).
The above is merely a reaction to a set of experiences, and many organizations probably defy my generalized conclusions. So if readers are willing to share related anecdotes or discussions, I encourage you to express your thoughts in the BBS.