Part of Japan's economic problem can be associated to outdated
boardroom practices. Work-your-way-up-the-ladder promotion systems
and consensus-based decision making have made managers risk-averse
and opposed to outside influences. "Japan's consensus-based
management becomes counterproductive in certain situations, when
they use it as an excuse to not make tough decisions,"
Jean-Philippe Biragnet, a partner at Bain & Company Tokyo,
says. "What needs to be done is not rocket science. You need
leaders who will be bold enough to make certain decisions."
