Quite frankly, english dictionary does not have an accurate word to describe Japanese passion for work. Workholism is the closest. May be they should introduce a word Workadict or something which represents the addiction.
Japanese people work all the time. After Fukushima disaster, government appealed to their people to save on electricity. The easiest option would have been to limit office hours and save energy on air-conditioning and lights. They rather opted for switching off lighting in shopping areas, billboards and escalators going down. Office hours and working hours largely unchanged. A Japanese mind would thinking just after a big disaster, one should be working more not less. �
My Japanese colleagues check mails round the clock, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Their client contacts are no different. Commitments are taken very seriously. If you say a file would reach client at 5:00, the mail needs to leave your inbox by 4:55 if it has a heavy attachment. Otherwise it is considered as a delay.�
The last train from downtown generally leaves closer to midnight. Due to work or work related socializing a significant chunk of people miss it. What is amazing is, instead of making alternate arrangement to go home and creating a possibility of turning up late the next day, they check-in a night stay hotel. This hotel provides common bathroom and a bed with provision to keep a small bag. Those who missed the bus just sleep there rather than going home and resume their working the next day on time. Their family is used to such things and don't think of any alternate solution.�
But the incidence i faced with one my clients takes the cake with cherry on top. We were looking to meet an important manager on client's company on a particular day. We were seeking an appointment. His secretary gave us an appointment at 9:20 pm. We were perplexed and asked for another appointment. She said sure.. How about 10:40 pm? Needless to say we took our appointment at 9:20. The meeting started on time, discussions were excellent, we could not believe we are working well past dinner time.�
On our way back from the meeting we got the mail from the manager profusely thanking us for the visit. Before we went to bed I saw a mail from my Japanese colleague capturing minutes of meeting and confirming next action items.�
I was really speechless. Help me to find a suitable word for this degree of workholism.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
There is something about Japan - aging gracefully
Of various countries I have travelled, Japan is very special. There is something different about this country, something very special about how people age here. Looking at ageing people is a paradigm shift in Japan. It is incredible to see so many people who age so gracefully together. Officially, Japan has become the first country in the world whose population has started declining. It is evident as you move around in Japan, the high proportion of old people hits you on your face!�
What you notice almost immediately is the ageing is not sad, pitiful, waiting for the death kind of ageing. The ageing active, graceful by leading a normal life. Men after they retire find a job, get dressed nicely in their formal coats and work. It is very easy to spot a grandma whose age might be hovering around 80 riding a bicycle in shopping area.�
In Japan context 70 is not old. I discovered this the hard way. I was quite impressed and taken in by their politeness. Somehow, i had this urge to match them and feel belonged in this foreign country. I was actively looking around for opportunities to be polite and nice to others. I saw this 70+ kind of a gentleman standing in the train next to where I was sitting. I stood up and offered my seat to him and...boom... He got offended. He not only refused to take the seat but also murmured something which sounded like " young man, buddha hoga tera baap.Arigato gozaimasu" Out of courtsey he did accept the seat. A little while later an old man in 80's appeared on the scene and the 70 year old offered the seat to him. Couple of stops later a woman in 90's appeared and got that seat. It is incredible to watch such old people living and ageing gracefully.
There must be something about this country where peole age so gracefully.
What you notice almost immediately is the ageing is not sad, pitiful, waiting for the death kind of ageing. The ageing active, graceful by leading a normal life. Men after they retire find a job, get dressed nicely in their formal coats and work. It is very easy to spot a grandma whose age might be hovering around 80 riding a bicycle in shopping area.�
In Japan context 70 is not old. I discovered this the hard way. I was quite impressed and taken in by their politeness. Somehow, i had this urge to match them and feel belonged in this foreign country. I was actively looking around for opportunities to be polite and nice to others. I saw this 70+ kind of a gentleman standing in the train next to where I was sitting. I stood up and offered my seat to him and...boom... He got offended. He not only refused to take the seat but also murmured something which sounded like " young man, buddha hoga tera baap.Arigato gozaimasu" Out of courtsey he did accept the seat. A little while later an old man in 80's appeared on the scene and the 70 year old offered the seat to him. Couple of stops later a woman in 90's appeared and got that seat. It is incredible to watch such old people living and ageing gracefully.
There must be something about this country where peole age so gracefully.
Friday, December 9, 2011
There is something about Japan - Polietness
There is something about Japan - politeness
Of various countries I have travelled, Japan is very special. There is something different about this country, something very special about the people. They are polite from bottom of their heart, not just for the sake of it but thats the way they want to be. Even when they are speaking on phone, they bow down to show ... Sorry, none can really see it.. To communicate their respect. I got into the airport limousine bus at Narita airport. As the bus was leaving I noticed that the luggage handlers had bowed down and stood in that position till the bus disappeared. Isn't that amazing?
They follow rules. Everyone does that, what's so different. The difference is how the rules are enforced. I live in Singapore - the fine city. The government uses "fines" which are imposed on almost everything to force people to follow the rules. US uses police presence and empowerment to make people follow the rules. Guess what makes people follow rules in Japan - social pressure. No fines, no penalties, no police just the desire to be seen as civic and accepted by society. You can't speak on cellphone when you are traveling in Japan. Japanese believe it annoys the neighbors. Personally, i find it quite strange, its is OK to speak to one another loudly in Japan but not on phone. But this rule is followed to the limit. You will not find a Japanese speaking on phone ever in a train or a bus. Many foreigners - like me - do it, but they are pardoned out of politeness.
The best incidence I experienced is the cream with cherry on top. I was standing in my friends home, his neighbor's dog looked at me and started barking. Within 30 seconds, his lady appeared to investigate. She noticed her pet was being impolite by barking on someone needlessly. She bowed down, 45deg, I could hear or understand what she was saying, but an apology from bottom of her heart about irresponsible behavior of her pet was written all over her face. She took the dog away and bowed down again as she was leaving.
There is something special about Japan, people here want even their pets to behave politely with other!
Of various countries I have travelled, Japan is very special. There is something different about this country, something very special about the people. They are polite from bottom of their heart, not just for the sake of it but thats the way they want to be. Even when they are speaking on phone, they bow down to show ... Sorry, none can really see it.. To communicate their respect. I got into the airport limousine bus at Narita airport. As the bus was leaving I noticed that the luggage handlers had bowed down and stood in that position till the bus disappeared. Isn't that amazing?
They follow rules. Everyone does that, what's so different. The difference is how the rules are enforced. I live in Singapore - the fine city. The government uses "fines" which are imposed on almost everything to force people to follow the rules. US uses police presence and empowerment to make people follow the rules. Guess what makes people follow rules in Japan - social pressure. No fines, no penalties, no police just the desire to be seen as civic and accepted by society. You can't speak on cellphone when you are traveling in Japan. Japanese believe it annoys the neighbors. Personally, i find it quite strange, its is OK to speak to one another loudly in Japan but not on phone. But this rule is followed to the limit. You will not find a Japanese speaking on phone ever in a train or a bus. Many foreigners - like me - do it, but they are pardoned out of politeness.
The best incidence I experienced is the cream with cherry on top. I was standing in my friends home, his neighbor's dog looked at me and started barking. Within 30 seconds, his lady appeared to investigate. She noticed her pet was being impolite by barking on someone needlessly. She bowed down, 45deg, I could hear or understand what she was saying, but an apology from bottom of her heart about irresponsible behavior of her pet was written all over her face. She took the dog away and bowed down again as she was leaving.
There is something special about Japan, people here want even their pets to behave politely with other!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Simplest Parenting Style
I have read many parenting books, all in search of the right parenting style. First I started off with the noble thought that i want to provide a great life to my son. We got him into this world and it is our duty to make him a great person, to teach him what is right and what is wrong etc etc. By the time my son started to walk and more importantly talk, all these noble thoughts gave way to a only one thing : how to manage this guy whom we brought into this world? I went back to these books and saw a big disclaimer one page 1, which I had completely missed in my first read. The forward said - every child is different. Wow! That means I have to figure out my own way of dealing with this situation.
When I stopped hiding behind the parenting book, I realized there are so many things I need to teach him and none of which he wanted to learn. Parenting soon turned into hourly confrontation drill. I checked with my friends and fellow parents who were going through the same thing. I realized that there were 2 types of parents around. First type was Non interfering types : these parents adjusted themselves to child's demands, wishes and nature pretty quickly. They soon announced everything was hunky dory between them and the child even when the child was on a completely wrong path. I could not appreciate this. So I turned to the other type who were very strict. They would punish the child, scold him badly even beat up. This was definitely not my cup of tea.
I had to teach good habits to my son and was lost for the right way to do it. Thats when I saw an innocuous looking sentence from some great thinker. (Apologies, Mr. Great thinker, i remember your thought but not your name.) It meant "Don't worry about your child not listening to you. Worry about the fact that he is imitating you" What a scary insightful sentence! This was like the flash of lightening in dark woods where everything became clear and visible in a flash!
A simple style of parenting. Do what you expect your child to do. If you want him to brush his teeth before going to bed, please demonstrate that you are doing the same. If you want him to be friendly and nice to people, you do the same. If you want him to study at a particular time, you switch off the TV, turn off the music system and facebook updates and study with him.
Till a child become 5 years old, parents are their heroes. They want all the attention they, love, affection they can get from parents. Anything that parents are doing, saying is very important for them. It is we parents who don't realize this and make mess of things.
Like all parenting books, even this parenting style comes with a big disclaimer. This parenting style is very simple but not at not at all easy.
I am trying. You try too. Let me know if it works!
When I stopped hiding behind the parenting book, I realized there are so many things I need to teach him and none of which he wanted to learn. Parenting soon turned into hourly confrontation drill. I checked with my friends and fellow parents who were going through the same thing. I realized that there were 2 types of parents around. First type was Non interfering types : these parents adjusted themselves to child's demands, wishes and nature pretty quickly. They soon announced everything was hunky dory between them and the child even when the child was on a completely wrong path. I could not appreciate this. So I turned to the other type who were very strict. They would punish the child, scold him badly even beat up. This was definitely not my cup of tea.
I had to teach good habits to my son and was lost for the right way to do it. Thats when I saw an innocuous looking sentence from some great thinker. (Apologies, Mr. Great thinker, i remember your thought but not your name.) It meant "Don't worry about your child not listening to you. Worry about the fact that he is imitating you" What a scary insightful sentence! This was like the flash of lightening in dark woods where everything became clear and visible in a flash!
A simple style of parenting. Do what you expect your child to do. If you want him to brush his teeth before going to bed, please demonstrate that you are doing the same. If you want him to be friendly and nice to people, you do the same. If you want him to study at a particular time, you switch off the TV, turn off the music system and facebook updates and study with him.
Till a child become 5 years old, parents are their heroes. They want all the attention they, love, affection they can get from parents. Anything that parents are doing, saying is very important for them. It is we parents who don't realize this and make mess of things.
Like all parenting books, even this parenting style comes with a big disclaimer. This parenting style is very simple but not at not at all easy.
I am trying. You try too. Let me know if it works!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Long term impact of thailand floods on automotive supply chain
Thailand is flooded with unprecedented amount of water. Bangkok is somehow holding up. But thats not the news. What I am most curious about is what Japanese automotive companies are going learn from this double disaster, first Tsunami at Tohoku and now the floods in Thailand
Scale of both events is quite different. Japan is almost 8 times bigger production base than Thailand. Tsunami was probably more devastating than the floods. But the impact of both events is idetical. Local production has stopped, component production has stopped which has a ripple effect on production facilities all over the world.
What are the learnings?
1. Propser assessment of climatic risk has to be done before opening new plants. Going one step forward stress test of current production facilities in the wake of changing climatic conditions must be done. One must de-risk the supply chain from climatic conditions.
2. Multiple Sources in different climatic conditions must be the foundation of new supply chain. Current Thailand floods have resulted in production stoppages in Malayasia and US. The reason : Thailand was a single source for the components and CKD kits. This needs to change.
3. Finally, JIT has to be put under scanner. No doubt its the most efficient system to manage supply chain. It also the lowest cost to automakers who are already struggling to stay in black. But these frequent climate related production stoppages are not good either. JIT needs to evolve to overcome short term disruptions. The automotive companies need to figure out how to ensure the supply chains carry at least 2-4 weeks inventory to keep plants running in case of such unforeseen circumstances.
Japanese companies had paved the way to lead the world in innovsting the supply chain a few decades ago...may be its time they need to do it again.
Spoke on CNBC about the Thai floods
Spoke to Bloomberg about Impact of Thailand Floods
Scale of both events is quite different. Japan is almost 8 times bigger production base than Thailand. Tsunami was probably more devastating than the floods. But the impact of both events is idetical. Local production has stopped, component production has stopped which has a ripple effect on production facilities all over the world.
What are the learnings?
1. Propser assessment of climatic risk has to be done before opening new plants. Going one step forward stress test of current production facilities in the wake of changing climatic conditions must be done. One must de-risk the supply chain from climatic conditions.
2. Multiple Sources in different climatic conditions must be the foundation of new supply chain. Current Thailand floods have resulted in production stoppages in Malayasia and US. The reason : Thailand was a single source for the components and CKD kits. This needs to change.
3. Finally, JIT has to be put under scanner. No doubt its the most efficient system to manage supply chain. It also the lowest cost to automakers who are already struggling to stay in black. But these frequent climate related production stoppages are not good either. JIT needs to evolve to overcome short term disruptions. The automotive companies need to figure out how to ensure the supply chains carry at least 2-4 weeks inventory to keep plants running in case of such unforeseen circumstances.
Japanese companies had paved the way to lead the world in innovsting the supply chain a few decades ago...may be its time they need to do it again.
Spoke on CNBC about the Thai floods
Spoke to Bloomberg about Impact of Thailand Floods
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