Manners in the Japanese Workplace: Hō-Ren-Sō
One of the most important things to remember when working in a Japanese organization is "Hō-Ren-Sō".
Hō = Hōkoku (報告) = reporting
Ren = Renraku (連絡) = communication
Sō = Sōdan (相談) = consultation
Typically in Japan, no job is completed by one person from the beginning to the end, and all work is carried out in cooperation with teams, departments, and even the organization as a whole. For this reason, Hō-Ren-Sō is considered important to carry out work efficiently, share information, and improve productivity within the organization.
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![Hōkoku]()
Reporting: Hōkoku
ButtonHōkoku is the process by which team members inform their manager of the progress of their work or the completion of their work in response to instructions from their manager. The information from the team members enables the manager to make the right decision. For this reason, it is important to accurately report at the appropriate time.
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![Renraku]()
Communication: Renraku
ButtonRenraku is the act of providing simple information to those involved. Unlike Hōkoku, anyone can be a sender and a receiver. In addition, it is important to provide only accurate facts in a concise and prompt manner, without including one's own opinions.
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![Sōdan]()
Consultation: Sōdan
ButtonSōdan is the act of asking your manager or colleagues for their opinion or advice when you find yourself in a difficult situation or are unsure about a decision. Especially in a job that requires speed, it is important to consult with those around you as soon as possible instead of trying to solve the problem by yourself.
Why is Hō-ren-sō so important?
You may be wondering, "Why do I need to report my work progress to my manager and others?" or "Don't they trust me?" You may feel that this is a form of micromanagement and has a negative image of Hō-Ren-Sō. However, Hō-Ren-Sō is not a negative thing, but a positive thing.
Unlike the way you would expect things to be done, where a specialist is assigned to each aspect of a job, and the manager tells the person in charge the final goal, leaving it in their hands to complete the task with a degree of autonomy. In Japan it is common for team members to work together while getting instructions from the manager every step of the way.
For example, by having each team member report the status to his or her manager, the manager is able to identify problems at an early stage. The manager can then oversee the entire project to ensure that the delivery date, sales targets, and other goals are met by allocating the missing resources or applying corrective measures to the problems.
Therefore, Hō-Ren-Sō is not only practiced when the assigned work is completed or when a problem occurs, but also when reporting the progress of work or when the situation changes.
Appropriately timed Hō-Ren-Sō can build good relationships within the company, improve overall productivity, and even prevent major mistakes before they happen.
As you can see, Hō-Ren-Sō should not have a negative connotation and is a good management strategy that is suitable for the way work is done in Japan. Let's give Hō-Ren-Sō a go and communicate with the people around us to make our work go smoothly!
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