What are common challenges in transdisciplinary Japanese business communication

Common challenges in transdisciplinary Japanese business communication include:

• Barriers to transdisciplinarity such as difficulties in integrating knowledge across different fields and maintaining a shared language and understanding among professionals from various disciplines. This creates challenges in collaboration and effective communication. ¹

• The need for sensitivity to common ground, requiring communicators to be highly aware of shared assumptions and cultural norms to bridge gaps between diverse disciplinary languages and business cultures. ¹

• Communication breakdowns in intercultural and interdisciplinary contexts within business settings, especially in high-tech or globalized environments, highlighting the importance of both technical and intercultural communication skills. ²

• Cultural challenges rooted in Japanese business practices, including indirect communication styles, emphasis on group harmony, and reluctance to express dissent, which complicate open discussions and integration of diverse disciplinary perspectives. ^{3, 1}

• The complexity of balancing simplification of language for inclusiveness (such as using やさしい日本語) while maintaining the depth and nuance needed for professional and transdisciplinary discussions. ⁴

• Institutional rigidity and group-oriented cultures that pose specific challenges to transdisciplinary collaboration due to established hierarchies and formal communication protocols prevalent in Japanese companies and academia. ⁵

In summary, challenges revolve around integrating diverse knowledge bases through shared language and cultural understanding amid Japan’s unique business and communication culture that values group harmony, indirectness, and institutional norms. Successful transdisciplinary communication requires overcoming language, cultural, institutional, and disciplinary barriers while fostering mutual respect and common goals. ^{2, 3, 4, 5, 1}

References

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