Japanese Maru-Society (Consencus-mindness)

The Japanese society has been described as a vertical society. This is meant that the Japanese are so ranking-consensus and age-consensus that no notable horizontal (occupational) group- consensus could exist in Japan. Therefore Japan is in strong contrast to western societies who are horizontal societies.

In general, the Japanese seek for unanimous approval whenever possible. They seldom decide matters arbitrary and despotically. A Japanese man divorce his American wife. The reason was that she used to express her opinions too frankly or too selfishly according to his interpretation: he expected her to be more attentive and compromising. In the case of a Japanese wife, she usually asks her husband´s opinions before she expresses her own opinions at the initial sate although she controls final decisions according to her favourite eventually. The Japanese seek conclusion by exchanging their opinions several times among those concerned rather than forcing a particular opinion on others. The Japanese try to involve every one concerning in making decisions. In Japan, therefore "everybody´s business is nobody's business" is not the case. The Japanese, thus succeed in making the lowest office clerk feel as if he were as senior as his boss and he had participated in his company's decision making. Thus a decision is no longer his boss´s decision which he has to follow and obey reluctantly but his own. He has therefore, not only the responsibility to make the project successful but also a keen fighting spirit to achieve the goal. This is something opposite to the ideal of the "I am a boss" system. In the latter case, the boss himself is quite energetic and vigorous but his subordinates are usually reluctant to perform their duties. The boss does not have the full support of his men.

To be continued: