Episode #110: Per Rasmussen, President and Representative Director for Millet Mountain Group, Japan

Per Rasmussen is currently the President and Representative Director for Millet Mountain Group, Japan. Mr. Rasmussen is originally from Denmark, and he studied Business at University of Southern Denmark. His first introduction to Japan was through his Japanese wife who was based in Denmark when they first met and his first job after graduating was with the Lego Group in the marketing side of strategic product development. After working in Denmark for 4 years, Mr. Rasmussen transferred to the Tokyo office and in Tokyo he worked in progressive marketing roles over the years with various companies. This led him to working in senior leadership roles such as Managing Director and President in recent years.

Mr. Rasmussen talks about bringing change through his work with the Danish Toy Company, The Lego Group. He says that in parents’ minds education is one of the most conservative things and specifically in the Japanese market, as they do not want to take risks with their children’s future. At the time in Japan, education was more closely associated with knowledge and not so much with creativity. They worked to change the product slightly and the commercials to try and market Lego to the Japanese market. He says that trying to increase sales of the products and increased revenue to the company brought about some resistance from employees. Many employees said they had joined for the stability of the organization and were not in favour of change. One of their most popular products was a large bucket full of Lego Bricks which some people thought was boring. After some tough negotiations with headquarters, they introduced The Elephant Bucket to the Japanese market. While most toys last only 3-6 months, the Elephant Bucket was so popular that it lasted on the market for 20 years.

In terms of getting engagement in Japan, making the distinction between success and failure is important in understanding success. Success is spoken of as non-failure. Mr. Rasumussen emphasizes not singling people out if a mistake is made and trying new ways, or new things in the workplace works differently in Japan. In Japanese workplaces, it is okay not to try. But if someone tries to do something, they must succeed. Thus, if someone doesn’t try, that is alright with everyone, but they would prefer not trying rather than trying and failing. Japanese work culture can be seen as risk-averse in this regard. Being mindful of this when trying to bring about change can be important.

Mr. Rasmussen would advise newcomers to Japan to come with an open mind, understand that Japan works differently, and do not try to tell Japan how Japan works. He gives an example of his early years, where he would become frustrated because Japan worked at a slower pace. This pace of innovation and change was slower than he was used to. He would also advise investing the time and energy in learning Japanese only if the intention is to stay 15 or more years in Japan as it is a significant time commitment.