[Reading Record -100] What World-Class Leaders Teach Their 'Subordinates'
Anyone in a 'manager' position at a Japanese company should read What World-Class Leaders Teach Their 'Subordinates' at least once... That's what I thought as I turned the pages.
What makes this book interesting is that it doesn't just cover the management techniques and philosophies of managers at top-tier foreign companies; it also contrasts them with what many managers at Japanese companies are doing.
The author of this book, Piotr Feliks Grzywacz, came to Japan in 2000 and has spent over 20 years working for foreign companies like Morgan Stanley and Google. In particular, while at Google Japan, he was involved in People Development for the Asia-Pacific region, putting him in a position to objectively analyze the organizational structures and work styles of Japanese companies. ...That's why he can write a book like this, I thought, feeling strangely convinced.
The Structural Flaw That Creates 'Order-Takers'
Modern Japanese managers often say that young employees lack initiative. However, this is often a problem with the organizational structure rather than individual character. The problem lies in trying to control subordinates and incomplete instructions, which ultimately leads to structural paralysis of thought within the organization.
World-class managers view the role of a boss as designing a space where the best performance can be achieved (work design). If you want to build a self-reliant organization, you must first break away from the Japanese-style 'management' mindset yourself.
The 'Three Constraints' of Japanese-Style Organizations
Japanese companies have a unique background that hinders the autonomy of subordinates.
Lack of Authority: Japanese managers are rarely given hiring or personnel authority. In many cases, they are in a state where they must achieve results with members assigned by management or the HR department. As a result, they fall into the mindset that 'it's faster to do it myself,' and developing subordinates gets pushed to the back burner.
Opaque Evaluation Systems: In Japanese companies, it is common for 'silent point deductions'—where low ratings are given without clear criteria—or 'surprise evaluations' that seem politically motivated to run rampant. When this happens, the psychological safety of subordinates drops significantly.
Lack of Sharing the 'Big Picture': Instructions and goals focused on details are often assigned without the 'Big Picture' being shared. World-class managers first present the big picture and define the 'boundaries' within which subordinates can make decisions using their own discretion.
'Dialogue' to Enhance Psychological Safety
At Google, it is believed that the core of productivity lies in 'psychological safety'. This does not mean 'creating a loose, buddy-buddy team' or 'not pursuing sub-par work performance.' 'Psychological safety' refers to a relationship of dialogue based on the values of each member, built upon trust (believing in the other person's good intentions), credibility (keeping promises to the other person), and respect (finding value in learning from the other person).
On the other hand, Japanese companies are often rife with customs like 'appealing through job titles,' 'aimless pre-meetings,' and 'fruitless meetings to disperse responsibility.' These negative habits are exactly what strip subordinates of their initiative.
The Most Important Thing for Developing Subordinates is the Boss's 'Resolve'
And the most important thing for developing subordinates is for the manager themselves to make decisions with resolve, and to show that they are executing those decisions.
If a boss keeps putting off decisions, subordinates watch that and learn that 'making a decision must be dangerous...' When that happens, subordinates inevitably stop taking initiative themselves and try to wait for instructions from a safe zone.
Yes, the boss's 'resolve' is the one and only greatest key to transforming an organization into a self-reliant one.
Reference Links
・Amazon 'What World-Class Leaders Teach Their 'Subordinates'' Book Introduction Page
・Pronoia Group Inc.: Homepage