Japan Cultural Awareness Training
Cultural awareness training for global teams working with Japanese colleagues, subsidiaries, supply chains, and markets, for effective collaboration and business success.
Training for cultural awareness and business culture in Japan.
Japan has been a major global player for decades, and although much of the attention has been on China lately, Japanese international investments and interests remain substantial. Japan is desperately trying to re-fashion its corporate structures to adapt to the changing demands of the twenty-first century, and many of the battles currently being played out have their origins in the deeply entrenched cultural attitudes that largely shaped the post-war Japanese economic miracle.
Global Business Culture has a rich history of helping clients navigate the complex cultural landscape that underpins Japanese corporate life, which is notoriously difficult to understand from a distance. We have delivered Japan cultural awareness training programs to clients across multiple sectors and in all parts of the world.
Strategic Japan Cultural Competency Training
These intensely practical Japan cultural awareness training programs are designed to help individuals who work with colleagues in Japan better understand the key drivers and expectations of the people they interact with in Japan. The course examines key Japanese business concepts and links them to the types of day-to-day issues that can significantly impact cross-border efficiencies.
Who would benefit from cultural awareness training?
Our clients have a variety of interests in Japan, and the programs we deliver are designed to meet those differing interests. Typical clients tend to have Japan-focused interests in the following areas:
Subsidiaries of Japanese companies
This category represents by far the most significant constituency of clients who request our services on Japan-related issues. Typically, these clients have two main interests in terms of their relationship with the head office:
Firstly, we work with senior leadership within Japan-owned subsidiaries that struggle with the issue of successfully influencing at the head office level. Often, these local executives feel that their views are overlooked in Japan and that they are, as a result, frequently asked to implement strategies that they believe are inappropriate in their home market. We work with these leaders to help them understand key business drivers in Japan more clearly and then use that understanding to persuade and influence more effectively in Tokyo.
Secondly, we work with local employees in Japanese subsidiaries who are tasked with collaborating with Japanese colleagues on a day-to-day basis but often struggle to understand the mindset of their Japanese counterparts. Greater cultural understanding in this area can lead to more effective collaboration and better communication.
Clients with subsidiaries in Japan
Japan is a well-developed and affluent economy, making it a potentially great market in which to offer your goods and services. Many clients have taken this opportunity to develop their operations in Japan, only to encounter significant cultural challenges that have proved difficult to overcome.
We help those clients understand the cultural challenges they face and then work with them to develop strategies for moving forward. We find that these challenges impact both the client side and the internal side, and the two are often closely linked in a Japanese context.
Clients with supply chain contacts in Japan
Japan is not typically viewed as a centre of supply chain operations, but many companies maintain key supplier relationships with Japanese partners and contacts. As an economy that produces best-in-breed products across various sectors, this is not surprising. These Japanese partners are often business-critical, and our clients come to us to gain a better understanding of their Japanese contacts, to deepen existing relationships, and develop new ones.
Our training programs
To help global clients navigate Japanese culture, we have developed several practical and effective cultural awareness training options.
Japan Cultural Awareness
Book Country-Specific Cultural Awareness Training
If you would like to explore how cultural insights could strengthen your Japanese business relationships and operations, please get in touch for an initial discussion.
Other country-specific cultural awareness training
We deliver cultural training programs in many key countries. If the one you’re looking for is not listed, please get in touch
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Build Cultural Competence
Learn from cultural awareness specialists who understand the business impact of cultural differences. Let’s discuss your specific cultural challenges and find the right solution.