Episode #77: Dr. Parissa Hagiharian, Professor, Sophia University

Originally from Austria, Dr. Parissa Haghirian is a renowned expert on international and Japanese management. Her studies include a Masters in Japanese Studies, a Masters in International Management, and a PhD in Business Administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business. She has been a visiting Professor of International Management to numerous universities, Adjunct Professor of Japanese Management at Keio University and WASEDA Business School and since 2015 is the Professor of International Management at Sophia University.

Dr. Haghrian started learning Japanese when she was 19 and still takes lessons 30 years later. She recalls enjoying studying Japanese, but thought she needed to study something a bit more ‘practical’ and went to business school at the same time. This led to her first job at Kyushu Sangyo University as an Assistant Professor where she was the first foreign woman the university had hired. Dr. Haghirian believes that, even today, not enough foreign business leaders working in Japan speak Japanese and that there is much to be gained from speaking the Japanese language.

According to Dr. Haghirian, communication is a significant point of difference between Japanese and Western cultures and something that foreigners living or working in Japan need to mindful of. In Western cultures Dr. Haghirian argues communication tends to be focused on the speaker trying to get information out with listeners free to do what they please with the information. This contrasts with Japan (and many Asian cultures) where Keigo, or honorific speech, means communication is dictated by the listener and a speaker must first assess who they are talking to and adapt their way of speaking.

When discussing Western and Japanese team dynamics, Dr. Haghirian highlights the differences in responsibility and accountability. Western teams emphasise responsibility for individual tasks or roles, while Japanese teams emphasise the group’s responsibility. This can be challenging for cross-cultural team members and leaders, and she emphasises the importance of leaders working in Japan to not only understand their own leadership style but to also understand the ‘Japanese way’ of leadership which may have less executive power and relies on consensus building but carries enormous emotional weight with junior staff members.

Talking from her extensive experience working in Japan, Dr. Haghirian believes that in Japan teams are most motivated when working together towards a common goal. She explains the goal should be clearly communicated to the team and should be one that allows the team to work collaboratively. Dr. Haghirian points out that the best way for managers to find out what works for their teams is to ask. Even in her work with university students, when asked if they would rather work alone or in groups her experience is that teamwork is the preferred option.

Finally, when asked for final pieces of advice to foreigners coming to Japan to work, Dr. Haghirian offered; preparation by reading, asking as many questions as possible upon arrival, be mindful of the stresses in working overseas, and engage in self-reflection.