Nemawashi - flexing the corporate tentacles
Large — and by implication conservative — Japanese companies can exhibit a resistance to change that makes some of the major religions look flighty by comparison. That young Turk Toshi may have a good plan, but without rolling up his sleeves and putting in a bit of nemawashi (根回し), it’s doomed.
WWWJDIC translates nemawashi as “making necessary arrangements”; true, but glosses over what constitutes “necessary”. I like to translate it as “putting out feelers”, but even that’s not quite correct. I suppose it’s time to bust out one of those turgid phrases nihonjinron fans love, like “consensus building”. Yuck.
Nemawashi basically involves going round the company to everyone who could possibly shoot down your plan, informally discussing any opposition they might have, and hopefully bringing them round to your side before the formal announcement. Department heads and their dogsbodies, legal (*vultures circle*), IT; Toshi needs to ingratiate himself with all of them, satisfying their most minor of quibbles before said plan has even a chance of making off paper.
It’s a tiresome, office-politically charged process. Poor Toshi.
Not to be confused with nejimawashi (ねじ回し), a screwdriver.
Tags: company, corporate, japan, nemawashi, nihonjinron, office politics