Bridging the cultural divide: when east meets west in the board room.

JAPANESE CULTURE CONTINUES TO MYSTIFY AMERICANS. Take Bill Murray in the film Lost in Translation, as he comically bumbles through the business card trading ritual with his new associates. It's funny, but what exactly prompts audiences to laugh--Murray's ineptness or the extent of this Japanese ritual? For the perceptive viewer, or successful businessperson, try both. In an ideal world, we acknowledge the cultural differences of both parties to produce better, more productive relationships. And for anyone who does business internationally, this act of awareness could increase productivity, create new opportunities, and lessen embarrassment.

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As far as international relationships go, the bond between the U.S. and Japan remains strong due to deep, economic ties in many industries. But Dean Collinwood, president of Globus Global Marketing and director of U.S. Japan and China Center in Salt Lake City, says that Utah businesspeople have yet to fully capitalize on Japan's needs. "The Japanese appreciate most of the software we develop here," Collinwood says, "and hospitals in Japan are able to afford some of our latest medical devices."

Through the Center, a nonprofit organization, and his consulting work, Collinwood hopes to help Utahns gain access to the Japanese through education. His first lesson usually involves teaching Americans that the Japanese always prefer patience.

"American businesspeople are usually on a tight schedule," he explains. "They hope that after one or two minutes of chitchat with a potential client, they can start talking business and cut a deal. But most Asian people, especially the Japanese, are not so eager to make deals."

Craig Parry, an attorney at Parr Waddoups and Gee, who served an LDS mission in Japan and graduated from Harvard Law, now represents both Japanese clients here and U.S. clients in Japan. He says that long meetings and what appears to Americans as a maddeningly slow pace of business comes from the Japanese preference for strong personal relationships.

"They want the business relationship to be underpinned by a relationship of trust," Parry says. "They feel that you can't plan for every contingency, so if you can't trust the person with whom you do business, don't do business with them."

In Japan, these relationships are often formed outside of the meeting room, at restaurants or bars after regular business hours, which can seem invasive to an American's sense of private time. "It's particularly hard for Utah businesspeople, because the culture here stresses private and family time," Collinwood says. "After five or six o'clock, we assume that we have the right, or duty, to be home or with our families. The typical Japanese businessperson is not like that."

A private life also plays an important role in Japanese society, but in the sense that individuals are expected to keep their emotions hidden from public view. The concept relates to the Japanese sense of a "loss of face," or depreciation in others' eyes, which should be avoided at all costs.

For this reason, debates and discussions transpire behind closed doors or outside of the office. Parry says that in meetings, "Americans hash out problems, ask tough questions, and raise objections. In Japan, once the meeting happens, all of the alternatives have been considered through e-mail and informal discussions."

Because the Japanese view internal group dynamics as a representation of the entire company, everyone must agree on a decision before the meeting to show strength. Americans, on the other hand, usually make decisions based on majority vote. "You can get a tremendous amount done in a Japanese environment," says Tad Brinkerhoff, director of MBA student recruiting at Brigham Young University. "Decisions take a long time to get made, but once it's made, everyone has bought off on it and you can quickly move forward."

Brinkerhoff, who worked in Japan for four years and then for Japanese-owned Subaru in Indiana, says the view of group dynamics creates the biggest difference between the two cultures. "For the Japanese, the number one focus is harmony and group work. If you don't share that mentality, you're seen as selfish, rude, and arrogant." But Americans, he explains, value individual freedoms and rights and view fitting into a group as selling out.

For Americans, expressing disagreement in a meeting can represent strength and individualism, but in Japan, verbalizing the same sentiment could result in a loss of face for some party. "I've been in dozens of negotiations," Parry says, "and the Japanese will never say 'no.'" Either they will remain silent, or say, 'This is very difficult,' or suck air through their teeth," Parry explains. "They do not want to tell you no, so remember that they don't want to be told no by you, either."

The Japanese admire modesty, politeness and expressions of thanks, especially toward superiors. "In the business meetings and negotiations, Americans often do a disservice to themselves by not having a proper awareness of seniority," Parry says. Because of the importance of status in Japan, seating arrangements in meetings depend on rank, with the most senior executives seated in the center of the table facing the door. Parry recommends that Americans know which Japanese execs will attend any meeting, not just so they know where to sit, but so that American attendees match the level of seniority of the Japanese. If Americans of a lower rank attend, the Japanese could be offended.

While the possibility of making a cultural faux pas can paralyze even the most experienced American or Japanese businessperson, Brinkerhoff recommends approaching every situation with an open mind. "Wipe the slate clean of your own cultural perceptions of what is right and wrong, but know that common courtesy will always get you places," he says. For Utahns willing to test the Japanese waters, Parry says, "The better you understand and play by the rules, the more the Japanese will be willing to do for you."

Lucy Burningham is a frequent contributor to Utah Business magazine.