Who might best run a foreign company in Japan? At this P-MBA, leading executives from Intel, Electrolux, Standard Chartered and DHL discussed the reasons for the outperformance of certain international companies in Japan, what Japanese executives can add in terms of local knowledge, but also how important it is to be steeped in the Western company’s philosophy and communicate it to Japanese staff. One attendee also warned about stereotyping executives and companies as Western or Japanese – but another countered by pointing out that expats on a short-term assignment may be incentivized to “cut to the bone”. This leads to poor long-term performance but a short-term profit bump.
