Just like any other corporate set up, offices in Japan follow a certain set of work rules. The most crucial concept that encompasses the overarching work rules within Japanese companies is hourensou. It plays a huge role in managing the relationships and plotting the progress of the company.
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Japanese Work Culture
Japanese work culture has some unique aspects to it that might take a little getting used to. Here are some general commonalities of Japanese work culture.
Internal and spatial set up of Japanese offices
If you are not familiar, Japanese offices are set up in a way that enables employees to communicate easier. At first sight, you might be surprised how open and shared the area is. Workers do not have their own cubicle; instead staff with similar work in the same team share a large desk or table, designated in rows. You seldom see offices with different rooms, but rather they utilize dividers to effectively partition a space that still leaves a sense of open atmosphere in the office.
Relationships among the unit
Foreigners who are not aware of Japanese culture might be puzzled by the deep traditions of hierarchical relationships of senpai and kohai. A senpai is a mentor or someone who has accumulated more experience, basically referred to as a senior, meanwhile kohai is known to be a junior. In Japanese customs, senpai generally gives guidance and advice to their kohai. However, there are situations where the kohai is older in age than the senpai, and this might cause confusion or awkwardness between the two. To preserve the virtues of Japan that give emphasis on respecting those older than you, a kouhai can use keigo when communicating. Keigo is a distinctive language with a humble tone that exudes respect to the person you are talking to.
Overall Corporate practice and rules
There are many practices that Japanese companies do in their workplace. Some may seem unusual, others may appear time-consuming, but all of these encompass a bigger picture.
One unique practice common in a Japanese workplace is employees greeting each other when arriving and leaving for work. Another practice present in almost all companies is group meetings before starting work, and this can happen as much as daily. These meetings are held to discuss different topics and concerns about the company's works and projects.
Did you notice how Japanese companies do not emphasize individuality, but act collectively in a group? It is important to note this because Japanese rarely work alone, thus communication is a major factor. And in this article, we will focus on Hourensou, the ultimate method of communication in Japanese companies.
Writer's Pick
Philosophy of Hourensou
If you know Japanese, you might think of Hourensou as a green, leafy vegetable- a spinach. You are not mistaken, but this is not what this article is all about. Houkoku, Renraku, and Soudan are the words abbreviated to create the acronym hourensou.
報告 Houkoku translates to reporting,
連絡 Renraku means informing or communicating and
相談 Soudan refers to consulting or seeking advice.
These are the essential practices that are instilled in the roots of Japanese companies.
Implications of Hourensou to the overall Japanese work culture
Hourensou can be inferred as the product of effective communication in Japanese work settings. It seamlessly emphasizes hierarchy without forcing its power. As mentioned earlier, working in Japan focuses on operating together rather than alone. Having an effective communication system minimizes risk of having problems that others are unaware of, and it improves camaraderie between employees.
Hourensou is also considered to be a fine starting block in developing trust in a Japanese office. It builds up the joint responsibility between colleagues and develops a team spirit, hence building relationships. The end result of Hourensou is simple - to make sure that everyone shares the same information with no one being left out.
How it builds trust within the unit
Communication is the basis for human interaction, and through these interactions, it can lead to great things such as trust. In a workplace, having effective communication is vital to building relationships with trust, and for this reason hourensou is exemplified.
Houkoku is the act of reporting something to your superior. Being able to update your superior with the task at hand can help him track your progress. It helps him feel at ease thereby creating a sense of trust in you.
Letting everyone be informed is the concept of Renraku. As Japanese are known for doing work collectively as a team, it is vital to ensure that anyone who is part of a certain project is knowledgeable about what is going on. The feeling of not being left out creates an atmosphere of belongingness that improves trust within the group and also prevents double-work.
There may be some instances where you find yourself contemplating whether to seek advice and ask for your superior's help, or fix the problem at hand and avoid wasting their time. If you choose to do the former, you are doing soudan, also known as consulting. In Japanese work culture, it is normal to request for help when you encounter a problem so it does not result in incompetence. Your superiors may trust you more because you considered asking them first, showing how you value their words and experiences.
Application of Hourensou
Real-life examples of Hourensou
Hourensou is being applied in many ways, some you may not even notice. Simple acts like informing your team leader or superior about the progress of your work can be seen as hourensou. Informing co-workers with news that they may not have heard of, reporting an incident, or seeking advice for ambiguous tasks as prime examples. Some real-life scenarios are the following:
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This is an example of Houkoku: Your company has assigned you to attend a business meeting to acquire a new client. On your way to the venue, you noticed employees from another company exiting the same venue. Knowing that they may have the same agenda, you hastily informed your superiors about the situation. These enabled your company to review your bids and effectively create a plan to secure the client. This would not be possible had you not reported what you saw. Not only that, people fill out houkokusho - reports - about every event/project which may seem like a lot of work but it’s a good thing to refer back to when working a similar event/project next as well as to prevent issues experienced the first time.
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This is an example of Renraku: Workers at manufacturing companies often use machinery in their daily tasks. These machinery are checked and maintained by specific personnel during certain points in time. As working hours end, the machine a worker is using suddenly starts acting weird. He immediately informed his subordinates and superior instead of repairing it by himself. Although the problem is easily fixable, it could have led to something big in the future if he had tended to it himself and not let the specialist inspect the problem. Renraku can also be as simple as letting people know that you are running late - allowing your team to take the necessary steps to cover the time loss.
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This is an example of Soudan: A team has been tasked to prepare the fourth quarter's financial reports. Suzy, one of the members, was responsible for getting the sales figure in the team. She needs the last quarter sales figures. This can be taken from the vice president of operations, however, the VP is not present. In a dilemma, she turned to the team leader regarding her concern and asked for advice on what to do. She initially planned to email the VP because calling without notice might be rude. Luckily, the leader was informed of the absence and that he will take care of it. The request for help was successful thus effectively solving the problem and Suzy was able to save face, as well as prevent the team leader being scolded for lack of guidance in the manner.
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The common practice of having meetings before the day starts utilizes hourensou. Each staff member can report their progress, and members can fill in everyone if they have things to inform the group, especially if they are members from different teams that normally don’t work on the various tasks together at all times. If there are certain problems and issues to be solved, it can be told during the meeting. Discussions can then be made for effective problem solving.
Difference of Hourensou and Micromanagement
Micromanagement is the act of monitoring or controlling the work of a subordinate. This is done by the management to guarantee tasks are being performed the way they wanted too, thus micromanagement usually connotes negativity. Simply put, total command over the operation is what micromanagement is.
So how does it differ from hourensou? For instance, hourensou does not monitor and control the work of the subordinate. Employees still have the freedom to decide and how to do their assigned task. You might confuse their similarities when it comes to questioning the progress of your task. If members effectively do hourensou, that is to report and inform the respective person and get the essential feedback, questioning the progress of the task will not occur.
Summary
The system of work in Japan is heavily structured around the concept of hourensou. Those who are unaware of the system might feel burdened and micromanaged by all the reporting and informing, as a result, they may find it time-consuming. However, having an efficient operation needs effective communication, and this is what hourensou brings. If executed correctly, the company can be like a well-oiled machine, where everyone is moving uniformly towards improvement. Even if problems persist, solutions are fast because everybody is on the same page. Thus, trust is built and a strong chemistry develops within the workplace.
