science

Nemawashi

Nemawashi is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nemawashi rather than just read about it. In short: Nemawashi (根回し) is an informal Japanese business process of laying the foundation for some proposed change or project by talking to the people concerned and gathering support and feedback before a formal announcement. It is considered an important element in any major change in the Japanese business environment before any formal steps are taken.

Key takeaways

Nemawashi belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nemawashi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nemawashi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nemawashi (根回し) is an informal Japanese business process of laying the foundation for some proposed change or project by talking to the people concerned and gathering support and feedback before a formal announcement. It is considered an important element in any major change in the Japanese business environment before any formal steps are taken. Successful nemawashi enables changes to be carried out with the consent of all sides, avoiding embarrassment. Nemawashi literally translates as "turning the roots", from ne (根, "root") and mawasu (回す, "to turn something, to put something around something else"). Its original meaning was literal: in preparation for transplanting a tree, one would carefully dig around a tree some time before transplanting, and trim the roots to encourage the growth of smaller roots that will help the tree become established in its new location. Nemawashi is often cited as an example of a Japanese word which is difficult to translate effectively, because it is tied so closely to Japanese culture itself, although it is often translated as "laying the groundwork." In Japan, high-ranking people expect to be let in on new proposals prior to an official meeting. If they find out about something for the first time during the meeting, they will feel that they have been ignored, and they may reject it for that reason alone. Thus, it's important to approach these people individually before the meeting. This provides an opportunity to introduce the proposal to them and gauge their reaction. This is also a good chance to hear their input. The term is associated with forming a consensus, along with ringiseido (which is a more formal process). There is debate whether Nemawashi is truly co-operative, or if sometimes those consulted have little choice but to agree. The process can be time consuming.

See also Japanese management culture Lobbying Polder model - Dutch form of consensus building Toyota Production System

References

External links Fetters, M. D. (1995). "Nemawashi essential for conducting research in Japan". Social Science & Medicine. 41 (3): 375–81. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(95)00090-t. PMID 7481931. Kirai, a geek in Japan: Nemawashi

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nemawashi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nemawashi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nemawashi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nemawashi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nemawashi

In research: Nemawashi appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nemawashi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nemawashi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Economy of Japan, Japanese business terms, Japanese words and phrases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nemawashi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nemawashi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nemawashi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nemawashi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nemawashi in simple terms?

Why does Nemawashi matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nemawashi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nemawashi.