Silicon-Valley Culture Taking Hold in a Japanese Company

Innovators have to find a tolerant environment where they can be effective, and the model continues to be the flat, open culture found in Silicon Valley. Many companies hope they can become innovative without the culture, and many struggle to create the culture. Here's an example where a Japanese company, TDK, imported a more innovative culture from a Hong Kong acquisition. Maybe a company which is going through a merger is a good opportunity for innovators, or maybe it's just small, underdog companies in general.

WSJ.com: TDK, Nimble and Innovative, Typifies the Companies Driving Japan's Growth, 2006-Jun-19, by Henny Sender

... [In China,] the discussions between junior and senior engineers were less formal than in hierarchical Japan. That made it possible to have a far more candid exchange of ideas, especially since the language of the factory is in English, a more direct language than Japanese. ...

Decision-making is also swifter. And top people in China go out and pitch customers for sales....

Instead of security, staffers have the chance to receive generous bonuses if they make a difference to the bottom line....

To be sure, China isn't the only reason TDK is changing. "Flexibility is part of our culture because we are relatively small"...