Case Study: Small U.S. Manufacturer doing business in Japan-Part 3

Lessons Learned:

In order to minimize the problems that might arise around communications on these type of cross-cultural projects, it is very important for companies to:

1. Establish a clear communication plan
2. Determine and set expectations on both sides
3. Create a plan that details the roles and responsibilities of each side in achieving goals and meeting expectations

How Japanese and U.S. companies doing business together deal with expectations and issues is crucial to their success. To overcome challenges inherent on international projects, companies need to do the following: 

1. Create a Communication Plan – it is imperative for companies to have in writing a plan for communication throughout the course of projects to ensure that all parties understand their function and responsibilities.
2. Create standardized communication formats for e-mails, status reporting and issues reporting to ensure that all communication between team members or team countries is clear, concise and follows a specific convention.
3. Set Deliverables and Due Dates – clearly state deliverables, roles and responsibilities as well as due dates to reduce repetition and turn around times.
4. Create Standard Operating Procedures to ensure uniformity in procedural activities

This will ensure that any company increases their chances of success when doing business in Japan.