Why a Japan Workshop?

Manga, Sony, Zen and Sushi…

In Japan many things are different from how they appear at first. Indeed, the deceptively familiar appearance of Japanese companies can lure us into adopting an ill-adapted Western style of interaction. This can be disastrous because Japanese behaviour patterns/rules are quite alien to Westerners and the evaluations/decisions of Japanese business people can be completely counter-intuitive to the Western mind. Thus seemingly basic daily business interactions are actually minefields full of potential traps, stumbling blocks and misunderstandings.

If ignored, such misunderstandings can grow into conflicts which seriously damage the business relationship.

The same is, of course, true in the other sense and Japanese business partners often fail to understand the behaviour pattern of Western companies and people.

Even in modern Japan there are still strict rules and behaviour patterns which have been retained for centuries. The most important of these is courtesy. But how can you be courteous in a culture you don’t know? With our Western tactfulness and sensitiveness you can, nevertheless, be on the wrong side of the fence. In order to bridge the cultural differences and be successful in your business with Japan you need first-hand knowledge, concrete advice and the willingness to try to understand the foreign culture.

In my seminars you will learn the rules of behaviour required to master typical private and business situations. With the help of many examples you will get key insights into Japanese values and moral concepts. This way you will develop a better understanding of your business partners. You will learn the origin and backgrounds of Japanese culture, including how Japanese manage conflicts, business meetings and negotiations. We’ll help you to avoid common mistakes when cooperating with Japanese business partners and thereby build a synergistic working atmosphere.

The contents of our seminars can be customized to fit your requirements. In particular, single seminar modules (e.g. culture, communication, business behaviour and etiquette) or a crash course in Japanese are available upon request.