The Impact of Culture on Business

Community	Change/Risk Taking	Decision Making, Product-to-Market Cycle	Info Sharing, Communication, Teamwork
故きを温ねて新しきを知る (温故知新) Furuki o tazunete atarashiki o shiru (Onkochishin) (from Analects) “Discover new things by studying the past” Road and importance of wisdom, reverence 口は災いの元。 Kuchi wa wazawai no moto. "The mouth is the root of evil." It's what people say that gets them into trouble 出る杭は打たれる。 Deru kugi wa utareru. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down" Importance of harmony with the group and "awase" or "fitting in."	石橋叩いて渡る。 Ishibashi tataite wataru. "Tap the stone bridge before crossing" Importance of proceeding slowly, thoughtfully, and carefully 地震、雷、火事、親父。 Jishin, kaminari, kaji, oyaji. "Earthquakes, thunder, fires, fathers" Powerlessness of humanity in the face of the natural order of the universe 毒食わば皿まで。 Doku kuwaba sara made. "If you are going to eat poison, include the plate" Whole-hearted commitment once the decision is made	千里の道も一歩から。 Senri no michi mo ippo kara. "Even a thousand mile journey begins with one step" Take one step at a time, and maintain a long-term view 三人寄れば門儒の知恵。 Sannin yoreba monju no chie. "When three people are together there is the wisdom of god" Importance of consulting all concerned parties to a decision 運否天賦。 Umpu tempu. "Trust to chance" Importance of fate and appropriate timing; not forcing what's not meant to be. 改善。 Kaizen. “Continuous improvement” Aiming for zero defects	言わぬが花。 Iwanu ga hana. "Not saying is the flower" Importance of feelings and intuition 以心伝心。 Ishin denshin. "By means of the heart the hearts communicate" Importance of rapport 不言実行。 Fugen jikkoh. "Action before words" Importance of actions in building trust/distrust of words 同じ釜の飯を食った中。 Onaji kama no meshi o kutta naka. "Having eaten from the same pot of rice" Importance of sharing the same experience and socializing together

©2000 Nipporica Associates. www.nipporica.com

Home	Return to Publications