Purpose-less hiring and meetings in Japanese companies are weakening their organizational strength.
Read the original article (in Japanese):
Prologue｜What Taiwan Has That Japan Lacks — A Purpose-Driven Organization
As the original article highlights, one major difference between Taiwanese and Japanese workplaces is the brevity of meetings.
There’s no need to read documents aloud—everyone already has the necessary information.
The flow is simple: discuss, decide, and act. Once the decision is made, the meeting ends. A meeting exists solely for decision-making, nothing more.
The same logic applies to hiring.
There’s no mass new graduate intake, no synchronized entry dates, no rigid age-based hierarchies.
Companies start with “What role do we need?” and hire whoever is best suited, regardless of age or graduation status.
Taiwanese organizations operate in a clear order: Purpose → Optimal Means (People & Process).
This leads to speed and clarity.
Meetings are short. Hiring is direct. Work moves forward without hesitation.
In contrast, Japanese workplaces are oddly circuitous.
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People are rejected in hiring because they “feel a bit risky.”
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Meetings end without conclusions: “Let’s each think and revisit it next time.”
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Evaluations are based on vague notions like “young,” “not disruptive,” or “gets along well.”
The purpose is vague, but the rituals and methods continue on autopilot.
Each individual inefficiency may seem minor, but stacked together, they create a massive drag.
Comments like “Taiwan is fairer” or “Japan is slow” reflect not differences in people, but in structure.
Taiwan puts purpose first. Japan often ignores it.
And this difference in attitude toward “purpose” influences hiring, meetings, evaluations, culture—and overall speed.
This article will first analyze why Taiwanese organizations move faster.
Then, we’ll examine how Japanese companies lost sight of purpose.
Finally, we’ll propose how companies can rebuild their HR systems around purpose to regain speed and clarity.
Chapter 1｜Taiwan Operates on “Purpose → Optimal Means”
What drives speed in Taiwanese companies isn’t tools—it’s decision-making sequence.
Before taking action, hiring, or planning, they start by clearly defining the purpose.
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Why are we having this meeting?
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Why do we need to hire for this role?
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What outcome will this person be responsible for?
With those answers, there’s no confusion.
Discussion stays focused.
Hiring becomes consistent.
Momentum builds.
There is no new graduate hiring framework in Taiwan.
Candidates are judged based on whether they possess the skills required for the current role, not age or academic background.
Meetings follow the same logic.
Participants share opinions, make decisions, and move to execution on the spot.
No document reading. In fact, staying silent can be frowned upon.
Meetings end as soon as a decision is made.
This is possible because the organizational mindset is shared:
Purpose → Optimal Means (People & Process)
In such a structure, waste rarely occurs.
Comparison: Organizational Structure – Taiwan vs. Japan
| Aspect | Taiwan | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring | Based on skills needed for the role | Based on mood, atmosphere, and impression |
| Meetings | Purpose: decision-making; short | Purpose: sharing, alignment; long |
| Evaluation | Based on output, responsibility, contribution | Based on age, tenure, and conformity |
| Decision-making | Decided on the spot | Deferred to the next meeting |
These small differences compound over time, resulting in vastly different organizational speeds.
Chapter 2｜Why Japan Lost Its Sense of Purpose
Many Japanese organizations operate without a clearly defined purpose.
Yes, short-term goals like revenue targets are set. But long-term direction—where the company is headed—is often vague.
The root cause? Japan once had a national-level purpose, which has now vanished.
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Postwar recovery era: The goal was economic survival. Everyone shared that purpose.
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High-growth era: Make products and they would sell. Hire people and they would grow.
Clear purpose was less necessary because results justified everything. -
Post-bubble collapse: Purpose disappeared.
Yet the systems—meetings, reporting, lifetime employment, new grad hiring—remained.
Japan became a society where form triumphed over purpose.
Chapter 3｜How Purpose-Less HR Leads to “Atmosphere Hiring”
When hiring lacks purpose, decisions default to vague impressions.
You’ll hear things like:
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“Seems obedient.”
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“Would fit our culture.”
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“Something just feels off.”
These are not based on the job or role requirements.
Instead, people who don’t disrupt the atmosphere are valued.
Those who speak up or challenge norms are seen as difficult.
Meetings follow the same pattern.
Rather than deciding, they revolve around reporting, alignment, and deferring.
“Let’s revisit next time” becomes the default ending.
This is tied to Japan’s village-style culture, where:
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Standing out is discouraged.
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Failure is feared.
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Harmonious consensus is prized.
To ensure conformity, companies hire predictable new graduates in bulk and mold them.
The result?
A quiet, obedient organization that doesn’t move.
But work has always been about results.
Just like ancient hunting tribes respected the best hunters, companies should value outcomes above traits like age or obedience.
Chapter 4｜Purpose-Driven vs. Purpose-Less Organizations
| Category | Purpose-Less Company | Purpose-Driven Company |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | Inward (harmony, conformity) | Outward (customers, results) |
| Hiring | Vibes, age, obedience | Skills, responsibility, alignment |
| Meetings | Sharing & checking | Decision → Action |
| Evaluation | Tenure, loyalty | Results, contribution, delivery |
| Culture | Ceremony, silence, deference | Independence, speaking up, execution |
| Speed | Slow (nothing is decided) | Fast (decisions are immediate) |
This contrast explains why Taiwan feels “more advanced” in workplace efficiency.
Purpose clarity allows organizations to choose the shortest path forward.
Chapter 5｜How to Rebuild HR Around Purpose: 7 Practical Steps
To recover purpose, we must rebuild the sequence:
Purpose → Optimal Means (People & Process)
Practical Design Points:
| Element | What to Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Business Purpose | Clearly define and share internally | Aligns judgment across org |
| Value Offered | Summarize in one sentence | Anchors decisions and differentiation |
| Role Definition | Define by responsibility unit | Clarifies hiring and evaluation criteria |
| Hiring Criteria | Move beyond vibes and first impressions | Enables repeatable, rational decisions |
| Evaluation Logic | Results × Contribution × Responsibility | Reduces bias and power-based distortion |
| Meeting Purpose | Always state “what is being decided” | Links time spent to action |
| Communication | Eliminate “just because” culture | Ensures reproducibility and clarity |
These aren’t just HR tools. They are the foundation of a new organizational culture.
Final Chapter｜Clear Purpose Leads to Clear Action
Without purpose, organizations don’t move.
Without role clarity, no results come.
When hiring is based on “mood,” the best talent leaves first.
To act effectively, companies must regain their purpose and align everyone around it.
Once people can articulate that purpose in words, everything changes:
Hiring becomes intentional.
Meetings produce action.
The organization regains its momentum.
Purpose brings speed. Purpose brings direction. Purpose brings life to organizations.
Read in Japanese ↓（For Japanese learners!）↓
目的の無い採用も会議も、台湾に事業スピードで負けている原因だ（2025.10.31）
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