Working Group "Intercultural Management": Managing Expectations in the German-Japanese Intercultural Context

Our DJW members Dr. Rolf D. Schlunze, Carsten Watanabe, Aoi Ono, and Rieko Ishii invite you to contribute to the DJW Working Group Intercultural Management – 道場 (Dōjō). In a trusted and confidential environment we work together on real-life business cases: Where do misunderstandings arise, even when the same words are used? How can expectations, responsibilities, and communication structures be better aligned?

Our Dōjō format combines a short kick-off impulse with interactive breakout sessions in small groups (pairs or triads), followed by practical takeaways that participants can immediately apply to their own projects and teams.

Contributions are welcome in German, Japanese, or English; participants are encouraged to speak in whichever language they feel most comfortable with.

The next Intercultural Management Dōjō will focus on expectation management in German-Japanese collaboration and explore how different assumptions about leadership, responsibility, and communication can lead to misunderstandings. We will also discuss how AI can support culturally sensitive communication and help build bridges between different working and communication styles. The kick-off will be led by Yuri Kurihara and Mathias Maul, combining practical German-Japanese experience with a technical perspective on AI.

Looking forward to a lively session!

Meeting Flow

During our meetings all participants are invited to share their opinion and alternative solutions to these issues. Participants have an opportunity to relate to each other by selecting the next speaker themselves. We would like to encourage everybody to contribute with your own experiences to improve our intercultural competence.

Joining In

You can join the meeting by clicking the link on Workspace Intercultural in our Networking Hub or sign up for this event above so that you will receive the link to enter via e-mail.

Participation is free of charge for DJW members and newcomers. Please note that once you are part of DJW you can freely join our meetings and communicate with other members in our workspace "Intercultural Management". Explore the benefits of a DJW membership and join us as a member.

Contact

If you have any questions and/or would like to contribute with an opening talk in our next monthly meeting do not hesitate to contact:

Prof. Dr. Rolf D. Schlunze, Carsten Watanabe, Aoi Ono
DJW Working Group Intercultural Management
intercultural@djw.de