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"Hō-Ren-Sō" (報・連・相) is a business mantra or mnemonic acronym in Japanese business culture. It is an abbreviation of "Hōkoku" (報告, to report), "Renraku" (連絡, to inform) and "Sōdan" (相談, to consult), and is more memorable as a homonym of hōrensō, the Japanese word for "spinach". It is utilised as a basic business rule in Japan to conduct smooth business communication. The origin of "Ho-Ren-So" comes from Tomiji Yamazaki who was the ex-president of Yamatana Security firm. In 1982 he started using the term for effective business communication in his firm and it has been widely spread and used throughout Japan through his book titled Strengthen Your Company with Ho-Ren-So.

Description

Hōkoku is to report on a process or result of business, from a subordinate to a superior.^[1] In Japan, subordinates do not have much authority to make business decisions. Usually the decisions are made by an organisation as a whole. Therefore, a subordinate must report everything to their superior(s) immediately and exactly. It is especially important to report a mistake or a problem immediately, as one's superiors hold responsibility for it.

Renraku is to inform and notify of facts. One must inform relevant parties about facts and decisions, without including opinions or guesses. If this is not completed, then it is not possible to control a team. These facts should also be communicated to only people who need to hear them. Finally, the communication be done quickly, as the knowledge may be needed to prepare for the next action.

Sōdan is to consult or discuss. For example, a superior should give advice to a subordinate, and employees should talk over their work with superiors.

Pros and cons

Benefits of the Ho-Ren-So philosophy include the ability for issues to be resolved quickly as they are communicated effectively to managers, who then decide how to resolve the situation at hand. Additionally, if information is made known to all members of a team, ownership of the schedule and tasks can be divided up. Finally, if a subordinate proactively asks for information, a decrease of quality will be prevented and likely won't occur again.

Ho-Ren-So also comes with management costs. It is a time-consuming process, leaving employees with little time to complete their various work assignments. Moreover, since subordinate must wait for instructions from supervisors, this prevents employees from applying problem-solving skills on their own, and initiative is prevented by the constant need for managerial input, leading to micromanagement.

References

^ "JAPANESE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP STYLE". Cultural Candor Inc. Retrieved 2 May 2017.

[Forest-1] "JAPANESE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP STYLE". Cultural Candor Inc. Retrieved 2 May 2017.

[1]

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+{{Short description|Japanese business term}}
-{{Orphan|date=July 2016}}
+{{Cleanup rewrite|it is poorly formatted, poorly sourced, and poorly translated|date=September 2018}}
+{{italic title}}
-'''“Ho-Ren-So”''' is a business [[mantra]] or [[mnemonic]] [[acronym]] in Japanese business culture. It is an “abbreviation of “''Hokoku''” (to report), “''Renraku''" (to inform) and “''Sodan''” (to consult), and is more memorable as a [[homonym]] of ''hōrensō'', the Japanese word for "[[spinach]]". It is utilized as a basic business rule in Japan to conduct smooth business communication. The origin of “'''Ho-Ren-So'''” comes from Tomiji Yamazaki who was the ex-president of Yamatana Security firm. In 1982 he started using the term for effective business communication in his firm and it has been widely spread and used throughout Japan through his book, “Strengthen your company with '''Ho-Ren-So'''”.
+'''"Hō-Ren-Sō"''' (報・連・相) is a business [[mantra]] or [[mnemonic]] [[acronym]] in Japanese business culture. It is an abbreviation of "''Hōkoku''" (報告, to report), "''Renraku''" (連絡, to inform) and "''Sōdan''" (相談, to consult), and is more memorable as a [[homonym]] of ''hōrensō'', the Japanese word for "[[spinach]]". It is utilised as a basic business rule in Japan to conduct smooth business communication. The origin of "Ho-Ren-So" comes from Tomiji Yamazaki who was the ex-president of Yamatana Security firm. In 1982 he started using the term for effective business communication in his firm and it has been widely spread and used throughout Japan through his book titled ''Strengthen Your Company with Ho-Ren-So''.
 ==Description==
-“''Hokoku''” is to report on a process or result of business from a subordinate to a superior.<ref name=Forest>{{Cite web | url=http://www.culturalcandor.com/blogs/japanese-versus-western-leadership/| title=JAPANESE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP STYLE| accessdate=2 May 2017| publisher=Cultural Candor Inc.}}</ref> In Japan, subordinates don't have much authority to make business decision. Usually the decisions are made by an organization as a whole. Therefore, a subordinate must report everything to superior immediately and exactly. It is especially important to report a mistake or a problem immediately because his/her superior has the responsibility for it.
+''Hōkoku'' is to report on a process or result of business, from a subordinate to a superior.<ref name=Forest>{{Cite web | url=http://www.culturalcandor.com/blogs/japanese-versus-western-leadership/| title=JAPANESE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP STYLE| accessdate=2 May 2017| publisher=Cultural Candor Inc.}}</ref> In Japan, subordinates do not have much authority to make business decisions. Usually the decisions are made by an organisation as a whole. Therefore, a subordinate must report everything to their superior(s) immediately and exactly. It is especially important to report a mistake or a problem immediately, as one's superiors hold responsibility for it.
-“''Renraku''” is to inform facts. One must inform the facts and decision to the relevant parties. One should not include one's opinion and guesses. If "''Renraku''" is not done or not completed, then you cannot control your team. And then, "''Renraku''" communicated to the people who need it. Finally, "''Renraku''" done quickly. Its content might need to prepare for the next action.
+''Renraku'' is to inform and notify of facts. One must inform relevant parties about facts and decisions, without including opinions or guesses. If this is not completed, then it is not possible to control a team. These facts should also be communicated to only people who need to hear them. Finally, the communication be done quickly, as the knowledge may be needed to prepare for the next action.
-“''Sodan''” is to consult or discuss. For example, a superior give a subordinate an advice, and an employee talks over with superior about some unnecessary consultation in Japanese business. Because a superior rarely speaks to a subordinate in the Japanese company, but, they want to be asked for their advice. They want others to think that "you can always count on me." So, they feel better if they receive request for consultation from their subordinate.
+''Sōdan'' is to consult or discuss. For example, a superior should give advice to a subordinate, and employees should talk over their work with superiors.
-==Pros and Cons==
+==Pros and cons==
-There are many benefits to incorporating the "'''Ho-Ren-So'''" philosophy. First, if a issues within tasks are reported, it can be resolved quickly because a manager controls it and decides how to resolve it. Next, if information is communicated with team members and it is known all members of a team, they can take ownership of the schedule and tasks. Finally, if information is consulted from a subordinate, a decrease of quality will be prevented and likely won't occur again.
+Benefits of the Ho-Ren-So philosophy include the ability for issues to be resolved quickly as they are communicated effectively to managers, who then decide how to resolve the situation at hand. Additionally, if information is made known to all members of a team, ownership of the schedule and tasks can be divided up. Finally, if a subordinate proactively asks for information, a decrease of quality will be prevented and likely won't occur again.
-On the other hand, there are some Cons in "'''Ho-Ren-So'''". First, there is a cost of management. It needs a lot of times to do it. Thus, employees can not get enough time to complete their assigned work. Next, a subordinate always waits for an order from his/her manager. It prevents them from considering their tasks by themselves.
+Ho-Ren-So also comes with management costs. It is a time-consuming process, leaving employees with little time to complete their various work assignments. Moreover, since subordinate must wait for instructions from supervisors, this prevents employees from applying problem-solving skills on their own, and initiative is prevented by the constant need for managerial input, leading to [[micromanagement]].
 ==References==
+{{reflist}}
-<references />
+{{Japanese social terms}}
 [[Category:Japanese business terms]]