GBMC (Global Business & Management Corporation)

Competent, Quality Europe-Japan Business and Management Consulting

Seminar D: Cross-cultural Business Awareness Training:

"Communicating and Working with Japanese Colleagues"

(by E. Motoko Inuyi and Philippe Huysveld)

For non-Japanese (European) staff working in Japanese companies or interacting with Japanese colleagues based in Japan. Seminar aimed at raising general cultural awareness & understanding, as well as at developing practical methods for solving cultural differences and conflicts in the workplace, from a non-Japanese (European)  perspective. Full Day, available in English and in French.

​Duration: from 9:30 till 13:00 and from 14:00 till 17:30 (one full day) 

Location: "open seminars" in Paris and in Brussels.             

 Languages:  the training can be delivered in English or French (most of the materials are in English, however).
 
Audience:  The seminar is targeted at executives communicating regularly with Japanese colleagues, that is, at:

• local non-Japanese staff working in offices of Japanese companies established in Europe or in Japan, as well as
• non-Japanese executives of multinational companies working together with their Japanese colleagues based in Japan (at the Japanese subsidiary). 

Objective: This program will teach you many things you need to know to better understand your Japanese colleagues and improve efficiency in your communication, daily work and interactions in the workplace. 

Prerequisite: none but, in order to relate better to the practical tips and concepts used in the training, it is recommended:

• that participants should have worked at least 6 months or a year in their Japanese company.
• to eventually take beforehand Seminar E.   

Part I – “Communicating with the Japanese”

[Introduction]  In order to work efficiently with your Japanese colleagues in the workplace, good communication is needed. To achieve that, you have to improve your understanding of key cross-cultural concepts as well as Japanese standards of conduct and ethics. In this part, we also reveal which are the characteristics of a good communication with the Japanese, reviewing the many sources of confusion, ambiguity and miscommunication as well as explaining non-verbal or indirect communication.

[Contents]  What you will learn during this session:

• Relevant Cross-cultural Concepts
• How do Japanese behave?
• Other things you should know …
• Japanese Ethics and Standards of conduct
• Communication with the Japanese
• Sources of confusion and miscommunication
• Non-verbal Communication
• A few tips for « kaizen »

Part II – “Working with Japanese Colleagues”

[Introduction]  When interacting with your Japanese colleagues, you should keep in mind that they are, after all, what is called « salarymen » in Japanese. That is, they usually have different attitudes towards their Company/Customers/Suppliers, a deep sense of obligation and loyalty, as well as a define conception of CSR. They also are part of and working in a « team ». Therefore, they usually follow a specific decision-making process, a specific reporting method, a different feedback pattern and a process-oriented work method, which you should understand well in order to work together smoothly!!

[Contents]  What you will learn during this session:

• Being a "Salaryman"
• Loyalty and « Giri »
• Focus on Customer Service
• Group Spirit and Team Work
• « Nemawashi »: The Decision-making Process
• Reporting and « Horenso »
• Giving and Getting Feedback
• Management – Leadership
• Comparison Europe – Japan

The trainer will illustrate the points discussed with examples from his own experience working with Japanese in Japan and in Europe.

Expected Outcomes:

By the end of the training, the participant will:
- Have a deeper understanding of key concepts of Japanese culture and Japanese work practices and how they differ from his/her own
- Have learned the necessary tools to adapt his/her working style accordingly
- Have learned how to be more efficient in his/her communication with his/her Japanese colleagues
- Be more at ease with cross-cultural situations in his company
 

Training Schedule:

9:30 – 9:45 Welcome / Introduction
9:45 – 13:00 Part I (morning session)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break (free time)
14:00 – 17:30 Part II (afternoon session)
 

Fee:  

For "open seminars" (in Paris), 500 Euros/person (net, VAT is not collected).

For small groups (from 5 to 10 people), 2500 Euros/day.

​For bigger groups (more than 10 people), 3000 Euros/day.

​​For "in-house/company specific" seminars, same pricing guidelines as above used but travel expenses would be added.

For quotes or questions, contact us at gbmc.biz@gmail.com.

 

Register here!  

Should you be interested in this event, please check the following web page:

http://www.gbmc.biz/training-registration.html

If you have further questions, please send us a mail at gbmc.biz@gmail.com.


Please register at least one week in advance (and also check our cancellation policy online). To enhance the quality of the training, the number of participants is limited. 

If there are not enough participants for a specific session (minimum 3 people), we keep the right to postpone it/to reschedule the session at a later date. Thanks for your understanding.

 

If you wish your Japanese colleagues/staff to be more acquainted with your culture, we can help too!!