More than fifteen years ago, CareerCross, an online job board and recruitment platform, surveyed over 500 foreign managers living in Japan and asked about their experiences managing Japanese employees. While the survey was conducted in 2008, many of the findings will sound familiar to managers working in Japan today.
The survey revealed a balanced picture of both the strengths and challenges foreign managers encounter when leading teams in Japan. Many of the findings aligned with my own experiences and reinforced how workplace expectations and communication norms can differ across cultures.
What Foreign Managers Appreciated
The survey found that foreign managers consistently rated Japanese employees highly in several areas, particularly reliability, trustworthiness, attention to detail, and teamwork.
This finding resonates with my own experience working with Japanese teams in global organizations. In one global organization where I worked, the Japanese team consistently achieved some of the highest performance ratings across the company.
Part of this success appeared to stem from a strong sense of ownership and commitment. Many team members viewed their employment as a long-term career rather than simply a job. They took pride in working for a well-known company and were highly motivated to protect the organization’s reputation through the quality of their work.
The team was also known for its diligence and attention to detail. I gained an even greater appreciation for this when our Learning & Development team was given the opportunity to experience their work firsthand through a simulation program. Reviewing and tagging large volumes of content required a level of concentration and accuracy that was far more challenging than it appeared from the outside. It quickly became clear why the Japanese team was so highly regarded for the quality and consistency of its work.
Foreign managers also praised the cooperative nature of Japanese employees. Team members were generally willing to support one another and work toward shared goals, creating an environment that valued collaboration over individual recognition.
For foreign managers, understanding and leveraging these strengths can be just as important as addressing communication or cultural challenges.
The Challenges
Open Disagreement
One of the most frequently cited challenges was a reluctance to openly disagree or engage in confrontation. For managers accustomed to direct discussion and debate, this can sometimes make it difficult to determine whether team members genuinely agree with a proposal or simply prefer not to challenge it publicly.
Risk Taking
Managers also noted a tendency toward caution and risk avoidance. While this approach can help reduce mistakes and maintain quality, it may also slow decision-making or experimentation in fast-changing environments.
Adaptability and Change
Some respondents felt that employees were hesitant to embrace change, particularly when new approaches challenged established ways of working.
Self-Assertion
Several managers observed that employees were sometimes reluctant to express their opinions, promote their ideas, or advocate for themselves.
Looking Beyond Strengths and Weaknesses
It can be tempting to interpret these findings as individual shortcomings. However, many of these behaviors are deeply influenced by cultural norms and workplace expectations.
In many Japanese organizations, harmony, consensus building, and careful consideration of others are highly valued. Behaviors that may appear passive from one cultural perspective can often be understood as efforts to maintain relationships and avoid unnecessary conflict. Likewise, communication styles that are effective in one culture may be perceived very differently in another.
Understanding these differences is often one of the most important skills a foreign manager can develop when leading a team in Japan.
Helping Teams Thrive in Global Environments
For foreign managers, understanding the strengths and challenges of their teams is only the first step. Equipping both managers and team members with skills such as assertive communication, constructive disagreement, feedback, and cross-cultural communication creates a shared foundation for stronger collaboration and greater success.
Success in Japan is rarely about changing people. Rather, it is about understanding the environment in which they operate and creating the conditions that allow individuals and teams to perform at their best.
Reference: Survey on Foreign Managers’ Perceptions of Their Japanese Subordinates (2008)