Company harmony, salaryman networks and Japanese business

All over Japan, in Japanese companies large and small, you will meet salarymen like Tanaka-san, Suzuki-san and Yamaguchi-san. Their collective attitude is what defines today's Japanese business culture and to succeed doing business in Japan, you need to understand their motivation, especially the way they perceive risk, so that you can apply your foreign business culture in a way that is sensitive to theirs. Most of Japan's salarymen exhibit a similar set of qualities that will affect the way you do business with them:

• ·They are loyal and dedicated to their company,
• ·If faced with a conflict between company duty and family duty, 99% will do their company duty first
• ·They are consistent,
• ·They never criticize their company, coworkers or managers,
• ·They are reliable,
• ·They are obsessed with detail,
• ·They evaluate all options,
• ·They are conservative,
• ·They make their decisions in committees,
• ·If necessary and for the good of their company, they will move mountains to help you,

They conform
Respect those qualities and work with them in a way that enables them and you to win while not placing them in a position of unnecessary risk, and you will forge some of the strongest, most profitable and most enduring relationships that you have anywhere you do business.