Japan was rated as the most innovative country by the Economist Intelligence Unit, ahead of the US, Switzerland and Sweden. What does this mean? It means that Japan is filing a lot of patents; who knows if they will really see the light of day, or if they are of value. There are a lot of companies who do not file patents and prefer trade secrets, so there is plenty of room for argument as to which nation is truly the most “innovative.†Seriously though, there is no question Japan is innovative as the 2nd largest economy in the world. With major impediments to creativity and innovation (i.e. authoritarianism, less meritocracy, homogeneity, xenophobia, etc.) how does Japan Inc. do it? One big reason may be the "Wah" (harmony) factor. It is well known that Japanese people value groups over the individual, which is key to creating and maintaining team harmony. Creative ideas that add value are a dime a dozen, but getting them to work and to market for public consumption
(i.e. innovation) is where the rubber meets the road. That's is what Japan Inc. does best - commercialize ideas - and it has a lot to do with the Wah factor. What can the rest of the world learn about Wah and innovation? Click here to read more.
Picture Credit: Two Dragons
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Patent Filing Culture
- Japanese culture of filing patents contributes to their innovation leadership.
- Team Harmony
- The 'Wah' factor which prioritizes team harmony contributes to Japan's strength in commercializing ideas.
- Organizational Innovation
- Japan's capacity to commercialize ideas points to emerging potential in the study of innovation management to improve organizational efficiency.
Sectors Adopting This
- Manufacturing
- Japan's success in the manufacturing industry is grounded in their ability to balance individual creativity with team-driven production.
- Consumer Electronics
- Japanese electronics companies have a culture of innovation that supports their position as global market leaders.
- Automotive Industry
- Japanese automakers are consistently ranked highly in quality rankings due in part to their investment in innovation.
