International Leaders Program (for Non-Japanese)

Links to the J-Global official page

• English version: https://www.j-globalbizschool.com/en/post/d20-motivation-japan-style-teamwork-skills-for-foreign-employees
• Japanese version: https://www.j-globalbizschool.com/post/d20-外国人従業員対象モチベーション＆リーダシッププログラム

Purpose:

• Develop effective communication and planning skills for team-based working
• Fulfill Japanese managers’ expectations so you can have rapid career growth
• Coordinate projects with Japanese members
• Do team-based confirming and reporting
• Grow your influence so management will approve your ideas and improvement suggestions

Webinar 1: Understand and bridge cultural gaps between Japanese and global management and working styles

• Understand typical differences in communication style, formality, meeting style, job responsibilities, decision making and trust, and learn ways to bridge gaps or overcome issues
• Develop effective communication and planning skills for team-based working
• Fulfill Japanese managers’ expectations about commitments, responsibility and reporting (ho-ren-so) so you can have rapid career growth
• Understand Japanese managers' "unwritten rules" and do team-based confirming and reporting

Webinar ２: Achieve more influence and faster promotion in a Japanese organization

• Understand your company's and managers strategies and how your strengths and interests for future career steps could support them.
• Find and develop mentors and sponsors, including offering flexible support outside your regular job responsibilities to build trust and mutual appreciation
• Plan your own job description, next career steps and skills needed, and confirm these with colleagues

Webinar 3: Build communication and leadership skills to change your Japanese organization so it is more successful in diverse, global markets and in DX

• Understand your company's executives' mission, values and intentions for globalizing, and digitalizing, and the gaps with current realiity.
• Plan how you could contribute to developing global diverse management and working styles, or to better support global stakeholders and markets, based on your skills and interests.
• Create change proposals in ways which can be more easily approved, including showing clear reasons and benefits, risk management, small scale beginnings and offering to take responsibility.
• Coordinate your improvement or new project ideas with Japanese members via nemawashi (alignment discussions) so you can position attractive proposals with their support

Background
Non-Japanese may not have experience with a flexible team-based working style, and find instructions missing or too high context (vague) – causing poor results and low motivation.
Clearly teach non-Japanese how to follow a team leader and support members flexibly with suitable ongoing communication – and performance and staff retention will improve.

Benefits:

• Increase motivation, retention, and promotion of non-Japanese employees in Japanese organizations.
• Correctly understand own managers’ expectations, as a valued follower, on your first steps towards leadership
• Learn how to coordinate own projects effectively with Japanese colleagues.
• Use coaching, confirming, and reporting in a culturally effective way to succeed in Japan’s team-based work style.

Program highlights:

• Recently hired global employees will keep high motivation and stay employed with us (high retention)
• By learning “followership” style teamwork skills for the workplace they can find their role clearly, and keep their Japanese manager and team-mates happy.
• By sharing goals and strategies for recent problems and ideas for upcoming challenges, the participants become less isolated and feel part of an ongoing “dokyusei” mutual support community

Workshop Methodology:

• Introduction includes a survey and discussion about previously learned content: 1. Peer-to-peer sharing of current work situation and needs. 2. Intercultural frameworks for understanding Japan's retail working style: high context, Confucian, ameba.
• Learn “followership” style teamwork skills to support each other in dealing with challenges and finding insights.
• Review working experiences, Confirm the usefulness of intercultural cases, and share success strategies. Coach each other to solve issues
• Identify upcoming challenges and set new personal goals
• Comprehensive eLearning is also available

Dates
Group 5: Afternoons (Instructor: Jon Lynch and colleagues)

• Webinar 1: Jul 31 Mon 15:00
• Webinar 2: Sep 4 Mon 15:00
• Webinar 3: Sep 11 Mon 15:00

Group 6: Afternoons (Instructor: Jon Lynch and colleagues)

• Webinar 1: Aug 10 Thu 15:30
• Webinar 2: Aug 17 Thu 15:30
• Webinar 3: Aug 24 Thu 15:30

Group 7: Evenings (Instructor: Jon Lynch and colleagues)

• Webinar 1: Aug 14 Mon 19:00
• Webinar 2: Aug 21 Mon 19:00
• Webinar 3: Aug 28 Mon 19:00