As we embrace the dawn of this new year, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the principles that have stood the test of time in the realm of executive-level management. A lot of insightful management practices that blossomed out of the ‘land of the rising sun’ which is gaining a lot of recognition with its drive for moving on from Industry 4.0 to Society 5.0.
Even top corporates in the West, built with occidental management principles have embedded oriental wisdom in their frameworks for better performance, process effectiveness and sustainable professional relationships.
Some of the best-known Japanese management practices are very familiar among the professionals within the executive management ecosystem.
- Kaizen is one such philosophy, which implies continuous improvement that is built on consistent, small positive changes in our everyday operational-level activities.
- The 5S framework which is popular even amongst small-scale manufacturing firms, focuses on implementing an organized method to Sort, Set-in-order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain the elements in the system.
- In the land where the zen culture blossomed, minimalism was an inherent trait among the people. So, methodologies like Lean aims at eliminating waste by systematically analysing processes & value streams. The Just-In-Time technique used in Shop-floors proved to be effective to control & improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the production systems.
- Quality control while creating products has been the core of many Japanese management processes. Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese Quality Control expert is credited with inventing the Fishbone diagram, to aid workers avoid solutions that fails to address the root cause of the problem.
The strategic Japanese management principles which can be applied in our lives, have proved to be turning points for many businesses and individuals. Some of the well-known philosophies are:
- Ikigai – The core idea of living life with purpose and passion has been elucidated well in the famous book ‘Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life’, which was authored by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.
- Wabi-sabi – Another well-known concept that drives home the importance of not obsessing with perfection. In the real world, which is far from ideal, courageously working in a challenging world by embracing the imperfect and pursuing excellence in the process takes precedence over chasing a theoretically perfect goal. It allows humans to tune themselves to nature’s ever-increasing entropy.
In the context of management, the Japanese style of decision-making & negotiation techniques hinge on the soft skills derived from the cultural practices in Japan.
Ringi and Nemawashi are two concepts that revolve around this idea where a consensus is reached through a method of informal discussions and getting buy-in from relevant stakeholders before a final decision is made.
Such concepts will be discussed in our 3-day programme on ‘21st Century Japanese Management: Adopting Best Practices’ offered by the Mizuho India-Japan Study Centre at IIM-B campus. This workshop dives deep into the soft and hard skills required for optimum management. The course pedagogy involves a lot of practical exercises and case studies to understand the ancient Japanese management practices in the modern business context.
In recent years, economic relations between India and Japan have witnessed a substantial upswing. Bilateral trade has increased by more than 40% in the last two years and stands at US$ 22 billion.
Despite this huge business potential, there are significant gaps in our understanding of Japanese business culture, customs, and contemporary society. A deeper understanding of these aspects of doing business with Japan is critical to realizing the full potential of the vast business opportunities that exist in this regard.
Companies which have business relations with Japanese stakeholders, Indian businesses on a Joint Venture with Japanese companies, Senior managers working in Japanese firms or even businesses wanting to adopt an oriental management culture will hugely benefit from this short-term programme.
Click here to learn more about this programme on Japanese Management Practices and welcome fresh beginnings for this new year!