301: Why Does Everything Take So Long In Business In Japan?

<p>“In our business, at our size, we have to be the speedboat, we cannot be the oil tanker”, is a key mantra for my Franchise company.  Why is that the case?  I am the only non-Japanese in the firm and I was frustrated at the slow pace of decision-making and action taken by the team.  Growing up in Western business, speed of decision-making and taking action are requirements drummed into you from any early age. Other foreign leaders in Japan reading our speed mantra will be sagely nodding their heads at this point, because their multi-national firms may be much larger in scale, but the issue is the same.  It doesn’t seem to make sense why things are so slow here. </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Japan Seems Efficient But Is It?</strong></p> <p>Japan seems very, very efficient.  The famous Bullet Train, the Shinkansen, has an unbelievable record of being on time.  The average delay of Shinkansen trains is less than one minute per year and there are over 3000 trains annually whistling by at speeds of over 230 kilometers per hour.  Train commuters based outside Japan will be astonished at these numbers.  There is also hardly any litter here, graffiti, drugs, guns or crime – the usual reality for many people living in big Western cities.  Everything works and works well, so it seems the pinnacle of efficiency.</p> <p> </p> <p>Inside companies though the picture is quite different.  In the West, ambitious, thrusting employees trying to make a name for themselves and get promoted, are rapid fire machines.  They are constantly pushing the boundaries, taking calculated risks and quite aware they are being judged on how quickly and well they can get things done.  In Japan, none of these things are particularly important.  Sprinting off a cliff is thought to be a bad idea in Japan.  It is much better to take some time, cross every “T” and dot every “I” before moving work along.  Speed often leads to mistakes being made and in Japan that is unacceptable.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Measure Three Times, Cut Once In Japan</strong></p> <p