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I had been working as a construction manager at an overseas construction site, and after completing my one-year assignment, I returned to Japan the other day. It\u2019s only been about a month since I came back, but it already feels like something that happened a long time ago.<\/p>\n
Strangely enough, my unpleasant memories don\u2019t come back to me\u2014most of what I recall are the fun times, the moments that moved me, and the things that impressed me\u2014but I still vividly remember the \u201cshocking announcement from the company\u201d I received about a month before returning home.<\/p>\n
One day, with just one month left before I returned to Japan, I was summoned by the general manager from our parent company in Japan, who told me the following.<\/p>\n
The message stated, \u201cDue to poor business performance, we will be downsizing the company. First, we will solicit voluntary resignations, and then we will lay off employees.\u201d (Since I am under contract with the Japanese parent company, I am not subject to layoffs.)<\/p>\n
After meeting with the general manager, I spoke with various people on the ground and learned that it seems this company had actually done the same thing about 20 years ago. I was surprised to hear that at that time, they had slashed their workforce from about 124 employees to just 24 all at once!<\/p>\n
When I asked if they had done anything new to make a fresh start after downsizing, they said they had simply waited until they could land new work, gradually rebounded, and eventually reached their current size.<\/p>\n
If the company downsized because its performance had deteriorated, it needs to identify the causes of that decline and devise measures to improve the situation; otherwise, the same thing could happen again. I wanted to ask what steps the company had taken, but it seems they simply downsized to cut costs and just bided their time until the workload picked up again.<\/p>\n
The company currently has about 130 employees. That\u2019s roughly the same number as during the restructuring that took place exactly 20 years ago. It appears the plan this time is to start by cutting the workforce in half.<\/p>\n
It seems a secret list has already been drawn up regarding who will stay and who will be let go, and I heard from the local director that they\u2019ve already approached the people they want to keep. According to what I\u2019ve heard, it appears that most of the executives will stay on, and only the younger employees will be let go. That\u2019s only to be expected when you leave the selection process to people on the inside.<\/p>\n
Is the company even seriously considering the reasons for its poor performance and ways to improve it? In my opinion, the reason for the decline in performance is likely that the quality of the buildings they construct is poor, which has led to a bad reputation spreading, making it difficult for them to secure new projects.<\/p>\n
As a construction company, it\u2019s obvious that if we don\u2019t build a team dedicated to improving the quality of our work, we\u2019ll end up as a company that goes nowhere. I believe that unless we stop clinging to old ways and take on new challenges, we won\u2019t break through! However, the company lacks that determination, and it seems they intend to continue downsizing and simply endure the situation for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n
Based on my experience actually working on the job, I feel that this company has two shortcomings.<\/p>\n
First, although the parent company is based in Japan, it has absolutely no control over this subsidiary. To begin with, the parent company doesn\u2019t undertake general contracting work in Japan. It\u2019s a mystery why such a company would start general contracting work overseas.<\/p>\n
Whether or not a company operates as a general contractor in Japan isn\u2019t that important, but its experience and leadership as a general contractor are so lacking that it leaves all aspects of construction quality overseas entirely up to local contractors; as a result, the quality of the finished buildings is surprisingly low.<\/p>\n
If we keep this up, it will be extremely difficult to compete with and continue to beat the other Japanese companies operating in this country. What\u2019s more, our competitors are the major general contractors known as \u201cJapanese Supercons.\u201d Unless we put in the effort and come up with innovative solutions, we have virtually no chance of winning.<\/p>\n
Another problem is that there is no one on-site who understands the capabilities of our competitors. While we fall short in every area\u2014from proposal skills to overall capabilities\u2014the most critical factor of all\u2014design capabilities and architectural drawings\u2014is entirely left to the local staff, resulting in a very low standard of work.<\/p>\n
Part of the problem is that the people managing the site haven\u2019t been properly trained, but the fact that everything is left entirely up to the subcontractors speaks for itself. Everyone\u2014from the Japanese parent company to the local staff\u2014is taking construction work lightly. There\u2019s no way you can build anything decent that way!<\/p>\n
Second, there is absolutely no communication or discussion between the parent company in Japan and the local (overseas) site.<\/p>\n
This happened on site. A young electrician came up to me, handed me a sheet of A4 paper, and asked, \u201cCould you tell me what this says?\u201d When I looked at the paper, it listed regulations regarding electrical wiring in Japan, such as the diameter of electrical cables and maximum current ratings.<\/p>\n
What I couldn't believe was that they were casually handing out Japanese-language materials to foreigners. I just couldn't wrap my head around it\u2014it made me feel disheartened, ashamed, and I found it unforgivable!<\/p>\n
When I asked, \u201cWho gave you this?\u201d the name of a Japanese man rumored to be the next president came up. To be honest, I was flabbergasted. But that\u2019s the reality of this company.<\/p>\n
After I translated and explained the contents of the document, I asked, \u201cIs it always like this?\u201d and was told, \u201cPretty much!\u201d When I asked, \u201cBut you probably don\u2019t understand what it says. What do you usually do?\u201d they replied that they take it to the office and discuss it with everyone, looking at the numbers and saying things like, \u201cThis must refer to that,\u201d and somehow manage to figure it out.<\/p>\n
When I asked, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just say, \u2018I don\u2019t understand Japanese, so at least give me the materials translated into English!\u2019?\u201d he replied, \u201cI can\u2019t ask for something like that.\u201d I asked some other people about it, and they said this wasn\u2019t just a one-time thing\u2014it happens every time. When I said, \u201cEven if things seem to work out somehow, there\u2019s still a chance of misunderstanding, and that would be a problem, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d they looked uncomfortable and replied, \u201cBut it\u2019s always been like this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I was furious. It\u2019s because of things like this that communication and information sharing don\u2019t work properly, and I felt ashamed at how pathetic and appalling it was that Japanese people actually think this is acceptable. At the sites run by this parent company, there\u2019s virtually no communication\u2014let alone any meaningful discussion. I never imagined it would be this bad. At this rate, nothing we do is ever going to work out.<\/p>\n
Anyone reading this will probably think, \u201cNo way! Are you serious?!\u201d but this is a true story. It\u2019s not the kind of story you\u2019d normally publish, but I want you to know that things like this actually happen on the job!<\/p>\n
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