When new to work at a Japanese company, surely the difference in culture and working style will be a big barrier for many foreigners. Perhaps some of you will wonder how to communicate with your bosses appropriately. In this article, we will give you some essential tips when communicating with superiors.

 

Honorifics:

 

Honorific is a form of communication that shows respect and courtesy to others. In Japanese, honorifics are usually divided into three main categories: Respectful language, Humble language, and Polite language. Depending on each situation, purpose, context, etc. to choose appropriate honorifics.

 

Respectful language (尊敬語):

 

Used to show respect to someone of higher position – a superior or a customer – when speaking about them.

 

To conjugate words into the honorific form, there are 3 main ways:

 

The first way is to change the word into the passive voice.

 

The second way is simply to say お or ご, the ます stem of a verb and then になる.However, this conjugation does not apply to verbs in group 3 (来る, する) and verbs with a syllable in front of the ます ending such as みます, ねます, etc.

 

The last way, for irregular verbs, you can refer to the table below:

 

Humble language (謙譲語):

 

Used to show humility when you speak about yourself when talking to people of higher status, new acquaintances or when talking on the phone.

 

To conjugate words into the humble form, follow this formula: お or ご + the ます stem of verb + する.

 

For example: 

 

“お” + Conjugated verbs (e.g. 勉強する, 電話する, etc.) + “します”. 
“ご” + Gerund + “します” (replace “します” with “いたします” to show even more humility).

 

Polite language (丁寧語):

 

Using “ます”, “です” at the end of a sentence. This is the most commonly used in everyday communication.

 

Japanese working methods:
Horenso method:

 

In Japanese, Horenso stands for the first 3 syllables of the following phrases: “Hōkoku” (報告, to report), “Renraku” (連絡, to inform) and “Sōdan” (相談, to consult).

 

Thus, at work, employees must periodically report (Hokoku) to superiors on the progress of the work, arising problems or completed tasks. Aslo, regularly inform (Renraku), discuss with colleagues and subordinates, and fully update information for relevant departments to avoid omissions when problems arise. Finally, you must consult (Sōdan) your superiors before deciding to do something. Horenso means being proactive at work.

 

Any Japanese organization adheres to the Horenso method. They point out that Horenso itself is the most systematic and effective method of reducing risk.

 

PDCA model:

 

The PDCA cycle includes the following elements: “P” (Plan) is establishing objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results, “D” (Do) is carrying out the objectives from the previous step, “C” (Check) is checking the data and results gathered from the do phase, and “A” (Act) is improving processes and re-executing the new PDCA cycle.

 

The concept of PDCA is as follows: PDCA is a cycle of monitoring, adjusting work flow or goals over and over again through this model, thereby leading to continuous improvements throughout the process.

 

How it works in each stage of this cycle is as follows: 

 

“P” – Plan:

 

– Set goals and objectives that you want to improve or develop.

– Describe tasks with clear and specific information.

– Form a team to fulfill the goals and set deadlines for completion.

– Record necessary datas during the implementation.

– Make a detailed plan and then analyze each task, executor, expected results, operation or instructions, etc. to serve as the foundation for the next phase.

 

“D” – Do:

 

– Stick to the plan built in phase “P”.

– Update the work progress regularly.

– Follow the schedule, record the issues that arise during the process.

 

“C” – Check:

 

– Check whether the achieved results are as planned or not after phase “D”.

– Record all issues such as changes, errors, difficulties, challenges, etc. that affect the process.

– Identify the root causes of the problem.

 

“A” – Action:

 

– Carry out “bug fixes”.

– Identify and build up preventions for problems. 

– Repeat steps P-D-C-A with new plans until the main goal is finally achieved.

 

Overall, the PDCA cycle is a model that helps to improve process performance consistently as well as in an organized manner through the Plan – Do – Check – Act phases. Therefore, this model is very popular with Japanese companies.