The Japanese build concensus with the concept of "uchi," which means home or family.
I'm just kind of joking here, but...look at the Godzilla movies. They all decide as a whole how best to contend with the Big Guy, then all at once they implement the action to rope him in and escort him out.
I was stationed on Okinawa, Japan in 1965-66 and came to love the island's people, as they seemed to live the concept of "uchi," which means home or family.
I was lost for a two days and two nights hiking along the northern coast, and when I came across the village of ADA I was welcomed like a lost son. I was given food and drink which I very much needed by that time. I did not feel concious at that moment of being an American soldier who was a part of a two decades old occupying force. Uchi comes to mind here.
I visited the Ishimine Children's Home nearly weekly and found it not to have the flavor of an American orphanage, but rather a true Home For Children. Again, the concept of "uchi" was shown.
If the Japanese have adopted the American business theorist's models after WWII then I believe that they have done an excellent job of implementing the theories. Of course, they may have been culturally more prepared to adopt the consensus building and group conciousness than are we as such fiercely independent individuals.
I do believe that we both can learn to adopt beneficial patterns from the other culture.
World citizenship is a worthy concensus building
process that we can all grow toward.
Regards, Jim Harris
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Our experiment with consensus building in India (a few companies / with some clients) revealed a peculiar tendency.
Some members use it to prevent overall agreement. Those who have power go through the motions and soon resort to use of power.
In design and development too, there is a tendency for premature partitioning of the system (and responsibilities) and hasty adoption or rejection of methods / technologies.
In the end cost and time overruns are not escaped.
Some members use it to prevent overall agreement. Those who have power go through the motions and soon resort to use of power.
In design and development too, there is a tendency for premature partitioning of the system (and responsibilities) and hasty adoption or rejection of methods / technologies.
In the end cost and time overruns are not escaped.
I worked on a banking project in Puerto Rico for two years. The biggest surprise to me was that the "banking experience" for Puerto Ricans is a social experience. People would stand in line for a half hour waiting to cash a check (few drive-thru'son the island) while those in front of them chatted with tellers, showed pictures of their family, and got caught up on news. This all happened without complaints about the amount of time for these simple transactions.
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