I have recently seen a few articles in both Japanese and English discussing how boring Japanese meetings can be so I thought I would throw in my perspective on the situation, as it seems some of these articles are misinformed about the particular type of “boringness” that Japanese meetings bring.
The short version is that there are a few flavors of boredom that one can experience in Japanese meetings with a range of meanings. There are things you can do to have a better “Japanese meeting experience” but they require understanding some of the basic concepts involved.
Japanese Meeting Boredom Type 1:
One kind of boredom, is of course being completely lost and confused feeling that the content of the meeting just doesn’t pertain to you and your position. The whole meeting may feel like a waste of time during which you could be doing your “real” work.
What to do about it:
Unlike in some Western companies, where one might be able to make a solid argument for not being at the meeting at all, CONSENSUS is one of the biggest driving forces in Japanese decision making. Therefore, to a certain extent, the worst thing that could happen would be for someone to tell you that you were not needed at the meeting. That would be like saying, “Your consensus is not even necessary at the final stages of the process.”
My advice is to go to the meeting and listen like you mean it. In some way, even indirectly, this will impact you. Precedence is also a big part of policy in Japanese companies so what you see in the meeting could be portents of things to come in your own department.
Japanese Meeting Boredom Type 2:
Another kind of boredom, maybe even worse than the one described above is a feeling of helplessness when hearing decision after decision pass by with a group grunt or show of hands. If you disagree with what’s happening but don’t feel you can battle against the tide of consensus, you should definitely act.
What to do about it:
If you are in a Japanese business environment and don’t feel you are being heard, or fee; that the entire decision making process is passing you by, it’s best to be proactive. Decisions and scenarios tend to be fleshed out during the days and hours leading up to a meeting. The decision makers can often be found chatting in the breakroom or near their desks, working out the details of the meeting. By details, however, I don’t mean the agenda which is the least problematic part of it. The details of the meeting could be anything from how the preordained decisions will be presented to specific points people might raise at the meeting and how to respond.
Although it may be unreasonable to expect to be brought into the inner circe as a part of the consensus builders, but anyone can ask the right questions and at least be prepared for what will be going on at the meeting. To this end, I advise you to pay attention at all meetings and keep an ear to the wall for information about topics that might be coming up. If people are gathering around the cooler, or more often the hot water pot, it might be a good time to get a cup of tea and provide your politely spoken, insightful opinion on current matters. Trust that if your point is good, it will make its way into the meeting and further discussion.
Japanese Boredom Meeting Type 3:
If you are a mover or shaker, or otherwise an insider, it’s very easy to be bored at meetings right up until your turn to speak. When I’ve been in this position, I tried to concentrate on details and look interested even though I’d been through seemingly endless discussions before the start of the meeting. It’s important to stay focused because a part of building the consensus is making it clear that the final decision really is one everyone agreed on and buys into.
This can be a good position to be in for helping to shape policy and give input into an ever improving and growing business and corporate culture.
What to do about it:
My first thought was to write that there’s really nothing to do. Your input is being heard, you are an active part of meetings and the decision making process and probably gain some satisfaction from that. On second thought, however, I think the most important thing for people bored in Japanese meetings for this reason, is to keep in mind the plight of the other people who are bored in the meetings.
If you have the wherewithal to give some thought to the consensus building process, it may be a good chance to consider the position of co-workers who feel out of the loop or uninvolved in the process, as well as people who don’t feel that the meeting pertains to them.
The stronger the consensus and buy-in factor a decision has the better its chance of succeeding, or at least being implemented properly and wholeheartedly by everyone involved. Building consensus doesn’t end with being the consensus and is a circular, social, and important process in Japanese meetings.