In a world like we live in today, the need to understand other cultures and how to interact with them is essential, but it is especially important to understand the way to do business and be successful with them. The 284 pages that make up this essay have tried to explain, through its practices, cultural differences, key in decision making and to offer some advice to readers so they can interact with Japanese people with guarantees in any professional environment.
More than 50 years of experience with Japanese companies have been what have encourages the authors of this book to publish it in record time, last 29th of October at Foment del Treball. The President of the International Commission of Foment del Treball, Joan Canals, was in charge of welcoming attendants, after the Director General of Casa Asia, David Navarro, as well as the Consul General of Japan, Naohito Watanabe, pointed out the importance of books like the one presented and the need to reinforce relations between Spain and Japan, within the framework of the 150th anniversary of the First Treaty of Friendhip and Trade signed by both of them.
In a roundtable format, authors responded to worries and explained that even though cultures are very different they can be complementary. In a walk around personal experiences, writers coincided in the fact that Japanese business people have a corporate culture based on three pillars: the importance of the group, punctuality and loyalty, qualities that, according to what they said, can be integrated with the ability to react quickly and to be creative, like Spanish professionals.
The importance of “micro economic diplomacy” was also highlighted and based on trust to be able to see the benefits of the commercial treaty, called “Economic Partnership Agreement”, signed in July by the European Union and Japan, so economic bonds between Japan and Spain can be consolidated and can grow.
In short, authors stated that the Japanese country is positioned as currently, representing an extraordinary option to develop oneself professionally and to invest.
Also, to approach readers to the practice of everyday culture, the book includes interviews with Spanish managers that accredit a long work career in Japanese companies: Marta Marsal (Epson), Miquel Àngel García (Olympus), Antonio Alcalá (Fujifilm), Jorge Lasheras (Yamaha), Jorge Calvo (Roland DG), and Pedro Navarrete (Sony).
The book is completed with conclusions of a study about the cultural differences in the corporate field.
