Spinach? Working skill “HÓRENSÓ” in Japanese
『ほうれん草で報連相』
Every time when I see spinach, I remember the same word in different characters “報連相 – Hórensó “.
If you know what it means, you work in the (middle) management of a Japanese company!
There are some interpretations, but let me introduce how I practice.
Hórensó is an acronym of three words.
1 “報 Hó (Hou)” – Abbreviation of Hókoku – report or inform: You regularly keep a boss, superior or senior colleague (due to seniority in Japan) to be informed about the current situation and the development / progress / outcome of the work (task).
Japanese companies are like Czech companies. So far face-to-face communication is still very important and everybody want to keep updates.
2 “連 Ren” – Abbreviation of Renraku – contact or coordinate: Contacting and informing superiors / colleagues / management (basically any relevant people at work) about what I am doing or what happens incl. minor issues and also what I will do.
3 “相 Só (Sou)” – Abbreviation of Sódan – consult: Get advice from a superior, senior colleagues or from other colleagues = consult with someone.
Those 3 values were considered as key factors to keep a smooth flow of information and communication to work together in a group (department / company).
European or American don’t so much like this style – always reporting, informing and consulting – when they don’t have any issues.
Isn’t it waste of time?
Nowadays, such opinions are getting stronger in Japan as well.
I learned Hórensó very naturally and I like practicing it. My clients honor my typical Japanese working style.
Actually, is it good or bad?
Well, “Good!” means my clients are assured that they always keep updates and know about slight delay or a minor incidence.
“Bad!” means “time is money”. Yeah, we just talk (call), write e-mail or have a meeting, then time to go home or like that.
I always thought “it’s not necessary to keep Hórensó as a rule.” It depends on situations; how many people are involved in a project and what is our priority or how we treat the project.
Good to know about Hórensó, then it depends on me how I cook (utilise) it.
We all know that some issues are significant and others not. It’s not necessary to pay attention more than necessary.
There’re more words which you may know like Nemawashi, Ringi, Kessai, no?
Czech version is here – Česky👇
WebWavelife with Namiko Sakamoto
Život na webu s vlnkou Namiko Sakamoto