On Track with the Japanese: A Case-By-Case Approach to Building Successful Relationships [Paperback]

Patricia E. Gercik (Author), Maya Rao (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996

In On Track with the Japanese, Patricia Gercik, Managing Director of the M.I.T. Japan Program, offers us twenty-three portraits of men and women who have succeeded - or failed - in forging personal business ties with the Japanese. With skillfully written anecdotes Gercik teaches Westerners how to avoid cross-cultural pitfalls, overcome communication barriers, and build networks on a foundation of trust. According to Gercik, the insider/outsider nature of Japanese society requires a graduated approach to relationships, which she has divided into four stages: "Know Me, " "Trust Me, " "Believe Me, " and "Marry Me." By emphasizing consistent patterns of Japanese business etiquette in a wide variety of settings, Gercik provides a hands-on, interactive approach to the inner workings of a complex and often frustrating society.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A "Miss Manners" guide for the business person, this primer of proper behavior for Americans living or doing business in Japan may be the most specifically useful such book to date. Drawing on 23 engrossing case histories--some successes, others failures--the managing director of MIT's Japan Program guides the reader through what she identifies as the four critical steps in establishing successful relations in a Japanese business setting: "know me," "trust me," "believe me" and "marry me." Gercik, who lived in Japan until she was 22, endows these case histories with novelistic detail, depth and breadth, as well as with a business and cultural expertise that makes each situation gripping. Her analyses of the errors committed or avoided cast brilliant light not only on the Japanese industrial ethic but on many crannies in the broader society as well. In her descriptions the unsuspected pitfalls awaiting foreigners in Japan's rigidly structured insider/outsider society seem daunting, but with such an invaluable book in hand, those with work to do in Japan or with the Japanese must surely succeed.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha America (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568361300
• ISBN-13: 978-1568361307
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,806,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lived it and learned it..., June 25, 2000

By 

Eric Dehghan (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Track With the Japanese: A Case-By-Case Approach to Building Successful Relationships (Hardcover)

Gercik's book is full of interesting cases demonstrating the differences and difficulties most Americans face when confronting the Japanese. Whether personal or business, these two worlds are diametric - neither truly understands the other. The analyses after each chapter provide insight for a successful Japanese-American relationship. Having myself been an intern in Japan, I can safely say that her words of wisdom are worth reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book to point out importance of relationship in Japan, August 16, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" (Tamuning, GU USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Track with the Japanese: A Case-By-Case Approach to Building Successful Relationships (Paperback)

This book contains about 23 short stories about Americans and Japanese dealing with each other. However most of the stories deal with American students going to work in scientific labs in Japan. The author was responsible for sending interns from an American University to Japan so she uses a lot of these experiences for her book. This limits the usefulness of the book for other involvement. The author tries to tie the stories together with 4 stages of progress in the relationship but I found it hard to make the connection. The book is very readable. I finished it within 24 hours of receiving it. The stories are each little dramas and I was captivated to find out how each person would do. In sum, a good starter but I think there is much more to the subject.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for international students, January 8, 2012

By 

Jordan - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Track with the Japanese: A Case-By-Case Approach to Building Successful Relationships (Paperback)

I not only read and benefitted from the insight in this book, but shared it with several others. Adjusting to the culture, and especially relationships in Japan can be tough, but this book really shed some light on the subject.
As the other reviewers said it was very readable. I agree with their comments about its weaknesses too, but it's just so good I had to give it 5 stars.