Japan - Teamwork and Leadership in the New Normal

By our friends in Japan

Those of us from overseas, working or doing business in Japan, are very aware of the differences in Japanese practices relating to teamwork and leadership when compared to our own. Frequently, foreign business expresses frustration with bureaucracy, lengthy decision-making and other features typical of Japanese companies.   However, with fundamental changes affecting the way we work -- what many are calling the ‘new normal’ – is it time to rethink our perspective on the Japanese model and ask what advantages it could offer to our organizations?

So what exactly is the ‘new normal’? Definitions vary, but in general it can probably be summarized as a change in traditional methods and models of business, brought about by myriad market changes over recent years. Globalization, emerging markets, social media and technology are examples.  The financial crisis, too, has highlighted the worst in traditional western business practices resulting in a consensus for change that advocates a more collaborative and responsible business model. This includes a focus on long term rather than short-term results and an increase in checks and processes to mitigate future risk. Changes in the economic environment and market challenges call for resilience and stoicism.

All these qualities may be seen in abundance in Japanese organizations and society. The collaborative style of Japanese leaders, the high commitment of teams to a common goal and long-term orientation are all well documented.  The dignified and proactive response of the Japanese people to the recent tsunami was a powerful example of calmness under intense pressure, and the ability to organize and act for the collective good under the most difficult circumstances.  

By complementing these best characteristics of Japanese business practice with qualities of flexibility, out-of-the-box thinking, and responsiveness in changing circumstances, we develop better models of teamwork and leadership that blends the best of all approaches.

At Lumina Japan we work with global organizations to recognise and fully utilise all team talents and contributions. Lumina Spark, the highly innovative and accurate psychometric resource, plays a central role in supporting individuals and teams to value their best strengths, and fully engage the diversity of traits and skills that each person brings to the group. In so doing, we support organizations in Japan to drive forward and meet the challenges of the new normal and a rapidly changing future.

Sparking Better Results on the Sports Field

By our Dutch Partners

What does it take to create success in sport? Is it the talent to burn, big picture thinking and dedication? What if you are a great sportsman with a lack of self-knowledge? Could you get the best out of yourself while being part of a team that changes every season?  In the Netherlands, more and more professional sport teams are beginning to discover the success of personality profiling to improve results. 

Let's highlight two sports: football and hockey. Lumina Learning is working in the Netherlands with two highly motivated and ambitious teams: NAC Breda (football) and Hockeyclub OZ (hockey). Two teams play in the highest league of their category of sports and both very ambitious and eager to learn. Both are clubs with young players, one where players earn a good salary, and one where players earn a small allowance, or nothing at all.

Working with young ambitious people, makes the learning and development process very interesting. How do you create a safe environment? How do you cut the learning process into pieces that captures their attention, but still keep the empowerment of sharing knowledge?  It is the law of “less is more” that we apply.

Another interesting element is working with different generations. The “young ones”, boys from 17 until 20 years old and the “oldies” between 20 and 30 years old. These are two different generations, not to mention the coach, trainers and staff.  The younger generation will not bow for the authority of  “oldies” just because they are older. This pragmatic generation demands respect, a good work life balance, and enthusiasm based on realistic goals. This presents a big problem, because the older members of the teams learned their leadership through experience and age, whether useful or not. Their leadership is based on authority in itself rather than what is best for the team in the circumstances.

What happens? The younger and older generations have difficulties connecting and that is where Lumina Spark starts to add value. We encouraged both teams to increase self knowledge and their understanding of others in their team through Lumina Spark. We are helping team members better connect on a personal level,  to understand and value the differences within the team and organise interventions on weighing the different values. 

The effect is greater understanding, more awareness, improved cooperation, less stress and better results for the teams involved. We are delighted to continue working with these professional sports people to transfer the accelerated results we deliver for businesses everyday  onto the sports field.

We wonder what improved results would look like for your team?