Many companies are intimidated with the thought of breaking into the Japanese market or going into business with Japanese companies. This is in part due to cultural barriers, but to a larger extent, this is due to myths and horror stories reiterated about the Japanese business culture. The myths heard are mostly untrue, but if a company executive doesn’t understand the intricacies of Japanese culture, business relations could fail.
Overall Etiquette and Manners
The Japanese culture is surrounded around respect and politeness. This is crucial to understand before engaging in any business meetings.
The Japanese respect hierarchy and status, therefore, showing the proper amount of respect for higher authorities is expected.
The exchange of business cards is an important element of the meeting process and takes place before anything else. This exchange is highly ceremonious and is looked upon with the utmost respect. Cards should be taken with both hands and received with a moderate bow. Once the card is in hand, it should be examined carefully. This process is commonly referred to as the meishi kokan.
Attire should be conservative and darkly colored, nothing flashy or ostentatious. In the workplace, it is considered harmonious to look the same, therefore, standing out is seen as breaking unity and harmony.
Respect and politeness should be valued and practiced overall. Courteousness within the Japanese culture is upheld no matter what, sometimes to the point where it may almost seem too much. But it should be remembered that this is how business is conducted, and the same sentiments should be reciprocated. It is also good to notethat politeness also carries on to speech and direct business deals.
Communication
One of the main points that frighten people about the Japanese business culture is the barrier of communication. In order to create a lasting relationship with a Japanese company, the representative or executive must understand the subtle communication styles used.
- The Japanese may seem as though they are overall reserved, bored and/or uncaring about the goings on during a meeting due to their mannerisms and monotone voice, but nothing could be further from the truth.
- Non-verbal cues are more important than vocal recognition. It is widely known that Japanese executives or representatives have a hard time saying ‘no’, so paying attention to subtleties is necessary. Harmony is the most valued option with any dealings, so while an executive may not say ‘no’ directly, his non-verbal cues may be saying it for him.
- Frowning is seen as a sign of disagreement. Other head and face movements such as tilting, raising of the eyebrow or any other subtle movements may say more than the spoken word and should be taken in context.
- Silence should not be viewed as a bad thing, so if in a meeting, patience should be taken to wait for someone else to speak.
- Many executives close their eyes during meetings, so it shouldn’t be looked at as bad or rude. It is most often only a sign that they are paying very close attention to the matters at hand.
Hopefully, in understanding some of the differences in culture, people will no longer have to be intimidated by the Japanese culture. Japanese business relations should be looked upon with excitement and not anxiety, and with some insight into their mentality, foreign businesses could now expand beyond horizons.