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How to Win Friends and Influence Bureaucrats: The Art of Nemawashi in Government
The Meeting Room of Broken Dreams: Why Great Ideas Stall
Ever sat in a meeting, armed with what you believed was the perfect business case, only to leave feeling deflated because no one seemed to get it? I’ve been there, and it’s disheartening. You pour your heart into a proposal, gather all the necessary data, and present it with confidence, yet it gets lost in the politics. It’s not that your idea isn’t good; it’s that the official channels aren’t always the best way to get things done.
That’s where nemawashi comes in. I discovered this Japanese concept during a particularly challenging project in government, years ago. Nemawashi, which literally means “going around the roots,” involves laying the groundwork for a decision by informal consensus-building. It’s about planting seeds and ensuring your idea has support before it ever reaches the formal decision-making stage.
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Nemawashi 101: A Japanese Secret to Getting Your Way
Nemawashi is a powerful concept rooted in Japanese culture. The term originates from the practice of carefully preparing a tree for transplanting by digging around its…
