Tag: Japan

Beverly Pagone, PMBA 44

Beverly Pagone, PMBA 44, contributed this post on behalf of Olin’s Center for Experiential Learning, which sponsors the Global Management Studies course.

I’ve just returned from an eight-day trip to Japan where I visited three major cities and had a whirlwind of educational and cultural experiences. And yes, you read that right, it all happened in just eight days.

This wasn’t a vacation. I went as part of the Global Management Studies course at Washington University’s Olin Business School. I visited several top Japanese organizations, including Bank of Japan, the Tokyo Station Hotel, L.E.K. Consulting, Japan Railway Central, Fast Retailing (Uniqlo), Toyota, Suntory, and Gekkeikan.

On top of that, the trip included countless precious cultural experiences: a traditional tea ceremony, dinner on a Yakata Bune boat, a ride on the bullet train, and zen meditation. In addition, we traipsed around the Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto wearing a traditional kimono, visited Fushimi Inari Taisha and Osaka Castle, and enjoyed plenty of karaoke.

Thanks to the spectacular team of Olin students who led the trip, I had the time of my life and learned more than I could have imagined.

Risa Tawase learning how to be
a conductor on the Japanese bullet train.

Not only do I have endless memories to take away from this trip, I have gained concrete insights I can immediately apply to my life and work. These learnings come from both the experiences and the people I met during my journey through Japan.

Omotenashi

A Japanese term that signifies the unique, detail-oriented, customized hospitality practiced in Japan. Omotenashi became evident when I visited the Tokyo Station Hotel. When a guest arrives for their stay, the staff will take special care to learn about their likes and needs, and will cater service to each individual guest, providing special arrangements and gifts.

Furthermore, all guests complete a feedback form upon checkout where comments are put into real action to help improve the hotel and guest experience. They are really listening and acting on guest insights and requests.

In addition, the concept of omotenashi is about offering the best possible service without the expectation of a reward. Providing a high level of customized service is simply expected. In fact, tips are not customary in Japan.

Paulina Owens and Beverly Pagone at the
Ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel.

Seeing this principle in action reinforced the importance of listening to the needs of my client. It’s important to not only ask for feedback on my performance, but to act on feedback I receive. And that is exactly where I intend to focus more in my current role.

Punctuality

One thing our group focused on while in Japan was being strictly on time for all our appointments, which, of course, in Japan means being at least 15 minutes early. People’s time is something to be respected in Japanese culture. This concept was clear during our visit to Japan Railway Central, which operates with an average train delay of under a minute.

If a train is scheduled to arrive at 3:02 p.m., it will be there right on time, so you had better be on time, too. This almost certain punctuality helps everything run smoothly and problem free. It is one of the reasons we were able to pack so many amazing experiences in such a limited time. More focus on consistent punctuality is definitely something I would like to bring back with me and apply to my work life.

Details

Japanese culture is detail-oriented to say the least. Every facet of life is well thought out. From my hotel room key, which turned on the lights in the room, to the seamless public transit system, which just works, and will take you anywhere you need to go at low cost.

This attention to detail is expressed in their business analysis, where errors and issues are tracked to the root cause, allowing targeted improvements to be executed. This concept came through during our visit to Toyota.

The production line has what is called an “andon cord” running along the entire length, which any worker can pull to alert others of an issue that needs immediate attention, preventing a chain reaction. I plan to take a page out of the Japanese book and bring a closer focus on the details, because small things can make a big difference.

Balance

Maintaining omotenashi, strict punctuality, and attention to detail makes for hard work and long hours. But Japanese culture balances all this hard work with some fun and relaxation as well.

I got a taste of this balance during our calming zen meditation experience and the fun-filled nights of karaoke. Not to mention the ultra relaxing onsen hot spring baths, where we had the pleasure of experiencing a stay at a traditional Japanese hotel, or Ryokan.

These traditions offer an oasis and balance to an otherwise work-filled, timetabled schedule. I intend to incorporate this balance into my daily life, because all work and no play makes for a dull life.

Ichi-go ichi-e

This literally translates to “one time, one meeting,” and became one of the favorite phrases learned on the trip. It is traditionally said at the close of a tea ceremony to signify the fact that this one tea ceremony will never happen again at the same time, or in the same way.

It is a way to honor the moment and remember that it is precious and unique. Every moment is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and should be respected, treasured, and cherished. This phrase will continue to serve for me as a constant reminder to live in the present moment and live my life to the fullest.

Applying to work as well, if you are present and performing at your best, you will be able to reach your full potential and do your best work. This is one of my favorite takeaways from the trip.

I started the Global Management Studies course with a limited knowledge of Japan and Japanese culture and left with a deeper understanding and insight, and some concrete takeaways that I can immediately apply to my work and life—including the concept of omotenashi, or wholehearted service, punctuality, attention to detail, balance, and living in the moment, encompassed by the phrase ichi-go ichi-e.

Pictured above: Front row: Wataru Toyohara, Kazuki Urushihara, Beverly Pagone, Camden Civello, Ariel Washington, Daniel Elfenbein. Back row: Julie Kellman, Nick Wolzniak, Jarrad Solomon, Risa Tawase, Takashi Otsuka, Sydney Miller, Elizabeth Hailand, Rachel Goldberg, Farrah Quershi, Jessica Jackson, Susie Fontana, Stephanie Fiet, Paulina Owens, Greg Brown, Robert Siedel.

Most of us have been on some sort of team throughout our lives. Whether it be sports-related or not, the sense of camaraderie associated with being on a team is an inexplicable feeling. For most, it’s a feeling that has positive emotions.

As I interviewed the GMS teams who traveled to Cuba, Colombia, and Japan over spring break, a common answer to the question “What will you remember 10 years from now as you look back on your GMS experience?” was “the people I traveled with.”

It’s an interesting thought. As people, we remember the way people make us feel. We remember stories, and often it is the feelings and emotions of engaging with people that are the most vivid.

In coming to Olin Business School, we once again are parts of teams. We learn in the classroom how to effectively communicate, negotiate, handle power and politics in the workplace, and lead teams. And, of course, these lessons will serve us well. But the GMS trip is simply a microcosm to the greater idea of what business school truly is—a time to engage with like-minded people and those drastically different from oneself. And while you may learn the hard management skills, at the end of the day you are connecting with people. Those relationships with classmates will be the most powerful memories for us students as we embark on careers after Olin.

The GMS trips traveled far across the world. But it’s particularly interesting to hear that it’s the fellow Olin students from St. Louis that we engage with each and every day that truly left the lasting impact on my classmates. They will always share this bond and connection. They will always be part of that GMS team.

Learn more about the Global Management Studies course.

Become a CEL partner.

Photos from the GMS trip to Cuba (click to enlarge):

Photos from the GMS trip to Japan (click to enlarge):

Photos from the GMS trip to Colombia (click to enlarge):

Global Management Studies (GMS) trips are student-designed, student-organized study tours that take a deep-dive into another country or region to focus on business practices and cultures around the globe. During spring break this month, MBA students are in Cuba, Colombia, and Japan. They must be too busy to write, but we have received a few photos to share.

From left to right Jerica Vogel, Erin Ilic, Andrew Lind, Teja Mysore, Amber Vitale (wife of Daniel Vitale), Grace Helker, and Courtney Callegari. Photo by Andrew Lind.

The team visits Rakuten Crimson House Headquarters in Tokyo. They appreciated the Silicon Valley feel of the corporate offices.

Israel is well-known as “the Startup Nation.” In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. Also, there are a lot of accelerators and venture capital companies in the Israeli market to invest in those potential startups. We took a visit to two accelerators, “StartupEast” and “Samurai House-Israel,” located in Tel Aviv.

Guest blogger: Kaibo Xue is currently in Israel as part of the Global Master of Finance program. GMF students will earn a certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship from Olin’s partner school, IDC Herzliya. During their immersion at IDC, students learn first-hand from entrepreneurs in Israel.

StartupEast is an Israeli-pan-Asian startup accelerator and microfund. “With more and more Asian investors being active in Israeli startups, our main goal is to create and nurture successful joint startups across the continent,” said Amos Avner, one of the founding partners, during a brief introduction about StartupEast.

Founded in Tokyo, Samurai House is the largest startup accelerator in Japan. It shares the same goal with StartupEast to connect the startup and innovation ecosystems of Asia and Israel.

In order to retain enterprise culture, the office was decorated fully in Japanese style, which gives workers a casual and relaxing working environment.

This year’s Global Management Studies cohort recently re-lived their trip to Japan while enjoying sushi and watching a spectacular video presentation by faculty advisor, Sergio Chayet. This was Chayet’s second GMS tour of Japan, “The students did a lot of work researching the companies we visited and they did all the planning and execution of the trip.” Chayet is Senior Lecturer of Operations and Manufacturing Management; Academic Director of the MS in Supply Chain Management Program; and Director of the Operations and Supply Chain Management MBA Platform.

“I took care of the academic portion by giving a few lectures and assigning/discussing case studies with them,” Chayet says.  “The student leads also gave presentations on Japan’s history, culture, business etiquette, food/drink etiquette, and background on some of the temples we visited and background on sumo.”

Below are some excerpts from assignments written by GMS Japan students.

Academic Lessons:
“Global supply chain creates new management challenges faced by many businesses worldwide. Globalization also brings new opportunities and threats to companies. Growing foreign demand generates more sales while at the same time requires more resources and labor that may need to be procured locally and adds new logistical challenges. Political stability and economic conditions also need to be taken into account when deciding to conduct business in a foreign country. The GMS course introduced us to managerial insights and touched on issues on global business management.”   Peter Tobing

“7-eleven uses the locations of its stores both to enhance its supply chain and limit the presence of its competitors. Instead of spreading stores throughout the entirety of cities, 7-eleven clusters its stores in concentrated areas. Doing this serves a dual purpose. First, it allows deliveries to be made more efficiently from distribution centers. Second, clustering stores together deters competitors from opening stores in the same areas. 7-eleven is able to dominate markets through supply chain efficiency.”  Douglas Golann

“I enjoyed learning about Rakuten and the vast array of companies and industries it is involved in. Rakuten is rapidly expanding, and since studying it, I have seen Rakuten multiple times.

My portion of our presentation was an overview of the company, so I researched all the industries Rakuten had expanded to include. It has recently acquired a few American companies, so it already has a presence in the US. It is involved with everything from retail to sports to financial services!  Rakuten has a fully integrated system, so you can bank and buy through its financial ecosystem.” Allison Campbell

Trip Lessons:
“The visit to the Toyota plant was a perfect extension of our Operations class, allowing us to see the production process we read about in real life. I was impressed by how clean and well-organized the Toyota plant was, and especially by how calm an environment it was. The lesson I took away was how valuable it is to establish a proper balance between human and technological labor – not to entirely supplant one with the other, but to determine the optimal way for them to work together. The result for Toyota seems to be a well-respected process, well-regarded cars, and happy employees.”  Maggie Hughes

“The cultural experience is something that could not have been learned in a traditional course. Japanese business culture is very formal and polite. The extent to which respect and formality are important in the culture could not be experienced in a course. This may help me in my business career because I plan on working in M&A consulting. Many acquisitions are international, and understanding other cultures will help me interact with international professionals when I am working on these deals.”         Louis Milone

“Interacting with Japanese people provided insight not only into the importance of creativity, but also into how customs and social norms form the foundation of trust between people. As I work with several companies in St. Louis with Japanese parents, these insights taught me what is important and why it is important. The culture is somewhat insular but very advanced and filled with creativity (i.e.Toyota plant; new ideas around energy at Rakuten). “ — Julie Evans

“Attention to detail is a trademark of Japanese companies and their employees in everything they do. This transcends relationships between companies and their customers as well as business to business relations. It applies to manufacturing processes where every detail is attended to and perfected; products are thought out carefully and done in best way and quality possible including the packaging and final presentation to the customers; when dealing with partners such things as little gifts for visitors always take place; attention to details and dedication also take place in everyone’s daily life.” Alexandra (Sasha) Sukhareva

About the CEL & GMS
Global Management Studies (GMS) provide international perspective and exposure to global businesses and emerging markets. Student-led teams conduct field research in a chosen geographic region and business sector, engaging with business leaders and building a network through social and inter-cultural engagements.

The Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) is an educational center located in the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. The CEL is focused on creating innovative learning opportunities that result in meaningful impact in the business and nonprofit communities. Learn more about the CEL and its programs at olin.wustl.edu/CEL.