Define: "Nemawashi" in Business
High risk of unnecessary meetings
"Get one senior manager to nod in a 1-on-1 first. The rest will fall in line like dominoes."
Informal consensus building process required before formal decision-making.
What does "Nemawashi" actually mean?
"Holding five separate meetings before the actual meeting so nobody can disagree in public."
"Please ensure we conduct appropriate nemawashi with all regional stakeholdersStakeholdersThe 15 people who will complain about the final product but refused to attend the requirements meetings. before next week's steering committee."
"We spent three weeks on nemawashi for a simple BGP rule update because nobody wanted to take responsibility if the peer dropped."
By The Chief Waste Officer
18 years in the corporate trenches quantifying waste so you don't have to.
Related Terminology
Tired of hearing this?
Next time someone says "Nemawashi" in a meeting, track exactly how much company money they just wasted. Play Buzzword Bingo, generate a waste invoice, and stop the bleeding.
