6 ms·

Corporate cultures in Japan

66 points by jbm 16y ago

jbm 16y ago
Charisma-kei businesses are common; I had a client that was clearly such. The president of the company was constantly spying on all his programmers, and often switched the strategic direction in order to conform to the latest trends that he spotted on Digg. No one was paid more than about USD25k/year, despite having a huge office in Akihabara and backing from a large angel investor in Korea. (There was no business equity or anything like that for the workers, and no housing assistance either) That isn't really a big deal; just another failing IT company with no direction. However, the "Japanese Charisma Kei" twist is that 25% of the company gross was given to a fundamentalist church the president belonged to, and that he continuously recruited people to join his cult. My gf, who I met there, had joined and subsequently left that church because she thought they were insane. The President let church members come to the office and hassle her about going back to that church without remorse. (She eventually left the company to work at a bank.) All of this changed when I joined the company, mainly because they had a new director that was appointed by the angel investor. I can't say it changed much for the better. You see, the director believed he was receiving direct communications from aliens about zero-point energy and that it was his mission to create a new civilization based on that knowledge. He also refused to take baths (he used a peroxide solution to wipe his body with instead). As far as employees went, he frowned on the use of doctors (preferring instead to tell them to learn the secrets of "Ki healing"). I stopped working with them after 6 months. I have never regretted it. (As an aside, I don't have any problem with people's personal religious beliefs or the fervor with which they practice it; it was the personality cult and the organized harassment in a place of business that was completely bizarre and far beyond anything I have ever encountered in Canada or the US) -edited for terrible grammar. Ugh.
- mattm 16y ago
  > No one was paid more than about USD25k/month I'm assuming that should be per year?
  - jbm 16y ago
    Doh! Thanks, fixed :)
- donw 16y ago
  Have to ask -- Sokka Gakkai?
  - jbm 16y ago
    Good guess, but no; it was, believe it or not, one of those fundamentalist Korean "Christian" churches that are located in and around Okubo. (My girlfriend, who was raised as a Christian, told me that they refused to read anything but one section of the old testament that had to do with Tithing or something). As far as Soka Gakkai goes; maybe you can educate me more about them, but they seem to be hated by the Uyoku (so they can't be all that bad). The real insane religious cult in Japan right now is "Happiness Science"; Kofuku Jitsugento feels much scarier than Komeito.
    - donw 16y ago
      Only reason I was curious is that I've heard them described as a cult by a lot of people. In my experience, they seem pretty harmless, and overall pretty friendly, but religion in general makes me... edgy. But yeah, them being hated by the right-wingers does score them points in my book. :) Didn't know about Kofuku Jitsugento; care to enlighten me?
      - jbm 16y ago
        They are quite a cult but honestly, religion in Japan is very difficult for me to grok. All the members of these "New Religions" that I've met seem to be old/facing mortality, with two exceptions. As for Kofuku Jitsugen To, you probably know them under their English name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness_Realization_Party http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness_Realization_Party The HRP is scary because they sincerely believe all of Japan is under existential threat by North Korea and that they need to remilitarize to "take them out". If that sounds normal to y'all, it's because you never read the books by the founder or how Kim Jong Il's "teacher's ghost" supposedly appeared before the founder and told him that NK would destroy Japan for its evil master China. (On the other hand, they want to have more babies which would be good for Japan, particularly if it resulted in people getting out of the Tokyo area...)
jac_no_k 16y ago
As an American living in Japan for an American firm, it's always a culture shock when I talk to other dad's at my kids school events. If I find the person I'm talking to is working for a "Militant" + "Work == Life" company, I need to shut up, lest I shatter the illusion of the security of lifetime employment. It's also a bit strange when I run into people that have worked for the same firm I'm in right now and left because it was too "Liberal". Japan is just not changing fast enough and is going to be left behind by the more aggressive, mobile, and "liberal" workforce and companies. Traditional Japanese companies are like the dinosaurs, not able to adapt to change. Darwinism at work.
- jbm 16y ago
  Here here. I also previously worked at Fujitsu's mobile division and can attest to that. They still have an entire floor dedicated to developing for Symbian. Their main translator is hamstrung by rules that indicate they must re-use old (incorrect) translations so that there is no loss in "language continuity" between phones. It isn't the fault of my immediate superiors there; both were open, intelligent and hard-working. It is middle and upper middle management. They are relics from the bubble era ( subject to less stringent entry conditions) and were promoted 3 or 4 levels above their competence. The fact is, their underlings are of significantly higher quality. (My superior was one person picked out of 500; as opposed to her superior, who was chosen out of a group of 5 or 6) Fujitsu's previous president was thrown out of the company on trumped-up charges about being aligned with the Yakuza (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8606515.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8606515.stm). Why? Because he tried to spin off parts of the company that had been losing money for years. I loved my coworkers there and part of me wishes I could be working with them today. Unfortunately, they won't adapt until an entire generation is in their grave.
  - Groxx 16y ago
    "Hear, hear" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hear,_hear http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hear,_hear (semi-apologies, incorrect cultural idioms are a pet peeve of mine)
    - 16y ago
friendstock 16y ago
I did 2 internships at Sony in Japan... work relationships were professional (not personal), and the managers were very polite to the subordinates. Looking at this chart, I realize now how atypical this is for Japanese companies!
- patio11 16y ago
  Looking at this chart, I realize now how atypical this is for Japanese companies! It is atypical for a certain segment of Japanese companies. Its a big country, with all kinds of folks in it, much like America. I get worried when folks assume that the stereotypical salaryman life is universal in Japan -- compare it to Japanese people assuming that all American companies are like Google. (Incidentally, I have met people with that misconception.) Anecdotally, my previous employers were solidly within the ambit of a corporation on the top left of that chart, and managers were instructed to (and to my experience generally did) address employees "consistent with professional etiquette and the traditional expectations of polite society."
  - friendstock 16y ago
    Yes good point. I guess I meant comparing Sony with the other electronics makers like panasonic or hitachi.
known 16y ago
Japanese culture is a type of cult
elai 16y ago
How much is apple a charisma-kei company? The media and some customer segments treat it like that, but I wonder how it is as an actual employee?

66 points by jbm 16y ago

jbm 16y ago

Charisma-kei businesses are common; I had a client that was clearly such. The president of the company was constantly spying on all his programmers, and often switched the strategic direction in order to conform to the latest trends that he spotted on Digg. No one was paid more than about USD25k/year, despite having a huge office in Akihabara and backing from a large angel investor in Korea. (There was no business equity or anything like that for the workers, and no housing assistance either) That isn't really a big deal; just another failing IT company with no direction. However, the "Japanese Charisma Kei" twist is that 25% of the company gross was given to a fundamentalist church the president belonged to, and that he continuously recruited people to join his cult. My gf, who I met there, had joined and subsequently left that church because she thought they were insane. The President let church members come to the office and hassle her about going back to that church without remorse. (She eventually left the company to work at a bank.) All of this changed when I joined the company, mainly because they had a new director that was appointed by the angel investor. I can't say it changed much for the better. You see, the director believed he was receiving direct communications from aliens about zero-point energy and that it was his mission to create a new civilization based on that knowledge. He also refused to take baths (he used a peroxide solution to wipe his body with instead). As far as employees went, he frowned on the use of doctors (preferring instead to tell them to learn the secrets of "Ki healing"). I stopped working with them after 6 months. I have never regretted it. (As an aside, I don't have any problem with people's personal religious beliefs or the fervor with which they practice it; it was the personality cult and the organized harassment in a place of business that was completely bizarre and far beyond anything I have ever encountered in Canada or the US) -edited for terrible grammar. Ugh.

mattm 16y ago
> No one was paid more than about USD25k/month I'm assuming that should be per year?
- jbm 16y ago
  Doh! Thanks, fixed :)
donw 16y ago
Have to ask -- Sokka Gakkai?
- jbm 16y ago
  Good guess, but no; it was, believe it or not, one of those fundamentalist Korean "Christian" churches that are located in and around Okubo. (My girlfriend, who was raised as a Christian, told me that they refused to read anything but one section of the old testament that had to do with Tithing or something). As far as Soka Gakkai goes; maybe you can educate me more about them, but they seem to be hated by the Uyoku (so they can't be all that bad). The real insane religious cult in Japan right now is "Happiness Science"; Kofuku Jitsugento feels much scarier than Komeito.
  - donw 16y ago
    Only reason I was curious is that I've heard them described as a cult by a lot of people. In my experience, they seem pretty harmless, and overall pretty friendly, but religion in general makes me... edgy. But yeah, them being hated by the right-wingers does score them points in my book. :) Didn't know about Kofuku Jitsugento; care to enlighten me?
    - jbm 16y ago
      They are quite a cult but honestly, religion in Japan is very difficult for me to grok. All the members of these "New Religions" that I've met seem to be old/facing mortality, with two exceptions. As for Kofuku Jitsugen To, you probably know them under their English name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness_Realization_Party http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness_Realization_Party The HRP is scary because they sincerely believe all of Japan is under existential threat by North Korea and that they need to remilitarize to "take them out". If that sounds normal to y'all, it's because you never read the books by the founder or how Kim Jong Il's "teacher's ghost" supposedly appeared before the founder and told him that NK would destroy Japan for its evil master China. (On the other hand, they want to have more babies which would be good for Japan, particularly if it resulted in people getting out of the Tokyo area...)

jac_no_k 16y ago

As an American living in Japan for an American firm, it's always a culture shock when I talk to other dad's at my kids school events. If I find the person I'm talking to is working for a "Militant" + "Work == Life" company, I need to shut up, lest I shatter the illusion of the security of lifetime employment. It's also a bit strange when I run into people that have worked for the same firm I'm in right now and left because it was too "Liberal". Japan is just not changing fast enough and is going to be left behind by the more aggressive, mobile, and "liberal" workforce and companies. Traditional Japanese companies are like the dinosaurs, not able to adapt to change. Darwinism at work.

jbm 16y ago
Here here. I also previously worked at Fujitsu's mobile division and can attest to that. They still have an entire floor dedicated to developing for Symbian. Their main translator is hamstrung by rules that indicate they must re-use old (incorrect) translations so that there is no loss in "language continuity" between phones. It isn't the fault of my immediate superiors there; both were open, intelligent and hard-working. It is middle and upper middle management. They are relics from the bubble era ( subject to less stringent entry conditions) and were promoted 3 or 4 levels above their competence. The fact is, their underlings are of significantly higher quality. (My superior was one person picked out of 500; as opposed to her superior, who was chosen out of a group of 5 or 6) Fujitsu's previous president was thrown out of the company on trumped-up charges about being aligned with the Yakuza (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8606515.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8606515.stm). Why? Because he tried to spin off parts of the company that had been losing money for years. I loved my coworkers there and part of me wishes I could be working with them today. Unfortunately, they won't adapt until an entire generation is in their grave.
- Groxx 16y ago
  "Hear, hear" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hear,_hear http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hear,_hear (semi-apologies, incorrect cultural idioms are a pet peeve of mine)
  - 16y ago

friendstock 16y ago

I did 2 internships at Sony in Japan... work relationships were professional (not personal), and the managers were very polite to the subordinates. Looking at this chart, I realize now how atypical this is for Japanese companies!

patio11 16y ago
Looking at this chart, I realize now how atypical this is for Japanese companies! It is atypical for a certain segment of Japanese companies. Its a big country, with all kinds of folks in it, much like America. I get worried when folks assume that the stereotypical salaryman life is universal in Japan -- compare it to Japanese people assuming that all American companies are like Google. (Incidentally, I have met people with that misconception.) Anecdotally, my previous employers were solidly within the ambit of a corporation on the top left of that chart, and managers were instructed to (and to my experience generally did) address employees "consistent with professional etiquette and the traditional expectations of polite society."
- friendstock 16y ago
  Yes good point. I guess I meant comparing Sony with the other electronics makers like panasonic or hitachi.

known 16y ago

Japanese culture is a type of cult

elai 16y ago

How much is apple a charisma-kei company? The media and some customer segments treat it like that, but I wonder how it is as an actual employee?