How to Use Horenso: Report, Inform, Consult — Epoche B1
How to use horenso at work In a Japanese office you will hear the word horenso almost every week. It joins the first sounds of three words: hokoku (report), renraku (inform), sodan (consult) - and it happens to sound exactly like the word for spinach, so someone will eventually tell you not to forget your vegetables. Here is what each part means in practice. 1. Hokoku, report Tell the person who gave you the work what has happened to it. When: when a task is finished, when something changes, and above all as soon as you make a mistake. Bad news goes first, not last. How: the result first, then the reason. "The Sato Company report is finished and on your desk. It took a day longer because their sales figures only arrived on Thursday." 2. Renraku, inform Pass on facts that other people need. No opinion, no explanation. When: a time changes, a client calls, you will be late, you are taking the afternoon off. How: short, and to everyone it touches. "Tomorrow's meeting has moved from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Room 3." Many teams do this at the chorei, the short standing meeting that starts the day. 3. Sodan, consult Ask before you decide, not after. When: you are stuck, or two answers both look possible. How: bring the situation, two options and your own view. "The sample can go by courier today for 3,000 yen, or by post to arrive Friday. The client's meeting is Thursday, so the courier looks better. What do you think?" New staff usually get this wrong in one particular direction: they save up bad news until they can report a solution with it. By then the problem has grown, and two people have to fix it instead of one. References Hokoku Renraku Sodan. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokoku_Renraku_Sodan