How does one start slowly and arrive faster? What do Nemawashi and Gemba actually mean in innovation management? I've witnessed decision-making processes in Japanese teams where small talk took up most of the meeting, but the actual decision was then made rather unspectacularly in just a few minutes. This wasn't because the decision was unimportant, but because all participants had already agreed on what would be decided. This process is called Nemawashi. In Germany, on the o

In the first part of this series, I introduced you to my new and unique Japanese Innovation Map: 12 principles that show why Japanese teams have the potential to maintain a sense of purpose even under difficult circumstances—not because they have better tools, but because they think differently. We’ll pick up right where we left off with the Orientation and Ikigai + Mono no aware cluster...

Orientation and landmarks are important I remember the exact moment when I realized that something fundamental was missing. I was in a strategy meeting in Tokyo with German and Japanese colleagues. We were well-equipped with a Western toolkit: Design Thinking, Lean Startup, OKRs. Ready to use. Could this work for the Japanese project as well? I immediately sensed that something wasn't right. It wasn't the tool kit that was missing. It was the underlying mind set. Japanese tea