This is not career advice, but rather an observation. After around 12 years of working in global environments with people of different thinking styles and mixed cultures, with 7 of those years based in Japan under Japanese work management - these are the comparisons I’ve observed based on my own experiences and self-interpretation. My work mainly revolves around problem solving, which requires a deep understanding of certain technologies. And to do well in my job, as uncanny as it sounds, the fundamental skill to have is not problem solving itself, but rather the ability to identify the problem and bring the problem to light. While this might sound simple, communicating these problems in different work settings can lead to very different outcomes.
Ideally, in a world where efficiency is the sole objective of business, company owners would want their managers and employees to discover as many problems as possible that cause bottlenecks to the business, especially those that are mission critical, and solve them in a way that has minimal impact on day to day operations. That is, if efficiency were the only performance indicator of a company. Of course, many would want this model to be the standard reference in most organizations, even though it is very difficult to replicate in actual working conditions - humans are complex beings, and so are their thoughts and behaviors.
In reality in most companies, a person who discovers and highlights a problem is usually the one expected to take charge of solving it. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the organization’s work culture. In a supportive work environment, taking ownership of problems can lead to improved business operations and greater efficiency, indirectly adding value to one’s skills and experience. However, given a position of no support, bringing a problem to light can simply result in added burden and stress to oneself, as solving these problems may not be seen as valuable by others on the team.
Japanese work systems take this to a different level, especially when dealing with colleagues who are more conservative and older. Rank is considered something very important in most Japanese organizations. In other words, seniority is valued more than other factors that could help grow the business. Power dynamics are not openly discussed in Japanese companies - respect, order, and correctness are often determined by age or seniority. Japanese companies tend to prioritize stability over efficiency, meaning that - changes or solving problem aggressively, or creatively - those that does not follow manual book, are rarely treated as priorities. This finally often leads to only one outcome - whoever tries to bring a problem to light becomes the problem.
I thought you should know.