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What Businesses In Nigeria Can Learn From The Japanese Business Model 

Emmanuel Nnaemeka

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  In the 1970s, businesses across the world began to acquaint themselves with Japanese ideologies and business models. Japan had recovered from the Second World War in such a short time, its economy was booming. Scholars and observers echoed the “Japanese economy miracle” as one of the great feats of the 20th century. What more? Japan is the Mecca of quality automobiles, financial services, and technology. We won’t be surprised that Japan is the home of the world’s leading companies such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Honda Motor, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, Sony, SoftBank, Toyota Motor, Nissan, Hitachi, Panasonic, Toshiba, Canon Inc., and countless others. Many Nigerian businessmen who have visited Japan for business and pleasure, have acknowledged the Japanese culture as a major factor for their economic success. Some have incorporated it into their businesses and have recorded successes. One of such businessmen is Cosmas Maduka, the CEO of Coscharis Group of Companies. 
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In this article, I will take us through various Japanese business models that are pivotal for business growth. In Japan, there is the saying “Being ten minutes early is early, being five minutes early is being on-time, being on-time means that you’re late.” The Japanese are known for their promptness in the business place, and it is almost rare and nearly impossible for Japanese people in the workforce to be late for an appointment, be it a business meeting, consultation sessions, or end-of-the-year office parties. The Japanese are known for coming five to ten minutes early before the start of a meeting. Should they come late, they might spend the next few minutes apologising. What is the lesson to learn from this? Businesses built on punctuality rarely suffer setbacks caused by poor scheduling, poor timing, and poor planning and organisation. When you build your business on the pillars of punctuality, deadlines are beaten and workflow becomes smooth. It’s often quipped that Japanese business people have a uniform, even after they graduate high school. Should you visit Japan and walk the streets of Tokyo, you might be surprised at the quality of office clothing their workforce put on. Chances are you’ll be greeted by a sea of black or navy suits! This group of people are known for placing premium attention on what they put on at the office. These workers look like adult students in well-groomed portraits.  They are known for having clean, well-cut hair and keeping headlines. The lesson behind this is that when cleanliness is at the heart of business operations, it makes the workplace conducive for working, and the organisation of the workplace will be smooth, because everything and everyone is in their right position. No stinks, no obstacles, no confusion, just neatness. 
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The Japanese people have a fetish for quality. People across the globe know Japanese industries for producing quality products, whether it is a three-piece suit, a gargantuan ship, a sleek handset or a classical architectural structure. The implication of making quality your focus is that it gives you unalloyed market loyalty and becomes a hallmark of your brand.  In an age when respect in the workplace and society is fast eroding, in Japan, respect and honour are greatly emphasized, having a place in family, society and business. It might look strange for a younger worker to bow to his superiors in a Nigerian workplace, however, it is pivotal that respect for superiors is adhered to as well as honour for fellow co-workers. This has helped Japan in building a stable workplace because hierarchy, as well as boundaries, are respected. The consequences of building a company with a culture of respect and honour are that there is hardly any form of disorderliness, and this can lead to a peaceful, sane, and stable environment where progress is possible. In Japan, there is what we call “Nominication” which literally means “having fun with coworkers outside of the office.” Many Japanese workplaces value dining and drinking after working hours, or “nominication”, a combination of nomu, the Japanese term for “drink”, and “communication”. Through nominication, workers connect on a deeper life while having fun. There are cases where they can even make time for karaoke parties. The important lesson behind work-life balance is that co-workers get to know themselves on a personal level, build a relationship beyond their cubicles and as well ease off the tension. Featured image source: iStock
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