Masafumi Otsuka: Intercultural Facilitator & Japan Expert

This is a deep-dive into those mystifying Japanese business practices foreigners in Japan often struggle with. Intercultural Facilitator Masafumi Otsuka explains the frustrating Japanese business practice of "Why Japanese mangers change jobs every 3 years", and "Why they always see the glass as half empty". The periodic job rotation system and the risk adverse decision process  is logically explained by Masa.  This episode is filled with many cultural  Japanese business concepts often misunderstood by Westerners such as Nemawashi, Genten Shugi, and Kyochosei and Masa explains these in an entertaining and enlightening way. He gets personal with his struggles of returning to Japan as a student, the politics of quitting a high profile job, and  his being 1/3 Japanese, 1/3 American and 1/3 "Confused".  Other highlights from our conversation:

• Why there is no Japanese word for "procrastinate"
• The unspoken rule for Japanese overseas returnee students
• The priority in Japan is harmonize
• What does an Intercultural Facilitator do?
• Best ever explanation of Nemawashi
• The subtle art of not having to tell everything
• Expertise in Japan is 10ft. wide and 1inch deep while in the US its 1inch wide and 10ft. deep
• Best ever explanation of Genten Shugi 
• Strategies for getting a positive outcome from Japanese meetings
• The reason Japanese prefer the process vs the outcome

Masafumi Otsuka: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masafumiotsuka/
More Now and Zen Japan episodes: http://nowandzen.jp

Grow website traffic = Zo Digital: https://www.zodigital.jp/
Great Sleep Starts Here = gugu Sleep Company: https://gugu.jp
Japan Adventures via Camper Van = Dream Drive: https://www.dreamdrive.life

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