There is no doubt that Japan is one of the strongest economies in the world, being also a part of the G8 which includes the 8 most influential countries economically and politically. Despite this, Japan is a poor country in resources and lacks domestic raw materials and industry. So how has Japan become one of the richest countries in the world? Short answer: Its business philosophies.
Japan’s business philosophies have become worldwide famous with western industries trying to mimic them. The most honorable mentions of Japanese business famous philosophies are Kaizen and Ikigai (in place in companies all over the world, such as レオベガスカジノ), even though there are other business styles that have also become popular globally.
The Kaizen Philosophy
Kaizen is a term that means ‘continuous improvement’ or ‘change for the better’ in Japanese. It is the mentality of seeing the improvement in productivity as a methodical and gradual process. The Kaizen philosophy attributes the small changes as highly important to make the environment more effective and efficient and to improve everyday procedures.
The business tries to achieve this by ensuring that employees find the job fulfilling, less tiring, and safe. It involves quality control, standardized work, the elimination of waste, just-in-time delivery, and the use of efficient equipment. Lots of world-famous companies in Japan like Toyota have adopted this philosophy and apply it within their organization.
The concept that everyone has a stake in the future success of the company has become a core value for them. Toyota and other companies encourage all employees to identify areas that can be improved and offer solutions about them.
The Ikigai Philosophy
Iki means ‘life’ or ‘alive’ in Japanese while Gai means ‘worth’ or ‘benefit’. The combination of these terms means that which gives your life meaning, worth, and purpose. It is a philosophy that can be used in everyday life as much as in business.
Ikigai is about identifying what makes you look forward to the future. It is about giving your life a purpose and finding happiness in what you do. You may be asking yourself what my personal satisfaction has to do with the success of my company. Well, pretty much everything.
See Ikigai is about finding balance in life which makes you motivated to succeed in business. Things like passion and mission are highly important for entrepreneurs as without them, you will soon lose motivation to run your business. This philosophy helps you find what you are passionate about and what you are good at, which can help you find your purpose in business.
Other Popular Japanese Philosophies in Business
Kaizen and Ikigai may be the most famous styles for running a business, but they are not the only ones. There are also other popular philosophies in the Japanese world of business including Poka-Yoke, Muda Muri and Mura, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi, and more. All these philosophies can be applied in life as much as in business.
Poka-Yoke, for example, is the philosophy of eliminating intended errors. It means ‘Mistake-Proofing’ in Japanese and involves the elimination of errors during the production. Japanese factories achieve this by implementing automation and establishing a protocol for quality control to improve the process.
Muda, Muri, and Mura are also called the 3 M’s of Lean Management. This philosophy focuses on the efficiency of production. They achieve this by eliminating waste or ‘Muda’, applying balance or ‘Mura’, and maximizing productivity but without overburdening workloads (this is called ‘Muri’).
The other philosophy, Wabi-Sabi, is all about embracing imperfections and living in simplicity. This worldview is centered on the acceptance of imperfection and simplicity and is kind of the opposite of Poka-Yoke, which says that mistakes should be avoided at all costs. Applying Wabi-Sabi in business means embracing the learning process and not look for perfection or overnight success.
There are plenty of other business philosophies that Japanese companies have adopted and that the western world can learn one or two things from. Since Japan has become a global economic success despite being a resource-poor country, this means that the Japanese enterprises are doing something right. Their secrets are exactly the philosophies they apply so if you want your enterprise to become successful, you can turn your eyes to Japanese business styles.
