Why Processes Break Down Without Relationships in India.

Why Processes Break Down Without Relationships in India

A Reality Check for Japanese Companies

Let’s start with something uncomfortable, but true.

Japanese companies don’t struggle in India because their processes are weak.

Everything is technically correct.
The documents are perfect.
The approvals are routed properly.

And yet… nothing moves.

If you’ve ever sat in a meeting thinking, “We did everything right. So why is this stuck?”—You’re not imagining things. And you’re not incompetent. You’re just applying a Japan-perfect system in a place where systems don’t breathe on their own.

Why Processes Work So Well in Japan

In Japan, processes are a superpower.

They create:

• Fairness

• Predictability

• Transparency

• Safety; for people and for companies
  
  

Once a rule exists, people respect it.
Once a role is defined, it’s honored.
Once a decision is made, execution follows.

You don’t need to “push” much. The system carries the work forward. Like a well-oiled train running on time, even when nobody’s watching.

And that logic makes complete sense.
In Japan.

How Business Actually Moves in India

India looks similar on paper. Policies exist. Processes exist. Titles exist.

But outcomes?
Those flow through people.

Here, progress is often shaped by:

• Personal trust
  
  

• Informal conversations
  
  

• Long-term familiarity
  
  

• Who feels confident enough to act
  
  

This doesn’t mean rules are ignored.
It means rules are activated by relationships.

In real life:

• One phone call can matter more than three official emails
  
  

• A chai conversation can unblock what weeks of documentation cannot
  
  

• A face-to-face meeting can quietly solve what formal escalation makes worse
  
  

Nothing illegal. Nothing dishonest.
Just… human.

“But Japan Is Relationship-Based Too, Isn’t It?”

Yes. Absolutely.

Japan understands relationships deeply:

• Long-term supplier partnerships

• Trust built over decades

• Alignment before meetings

• 根回し (nemawashi) before decisions
  
  

So no, this isn’t a cultural gap about valuing relationships.

It’s about where relationships live.

The Real Difference (This Is the Key Part)

In Japan:

• Relationships are embedded in the system

• Stakeholders are stable

• Expectations are shared

• Processes assume mutual understanding

So relationship-building is invisible. You don’t call it “relationship management.” It just… exists.

In India:

• Stakeholders change often

• Rules are interpreted on a case-by-case basis

• Power doesn’t always sit on the org chart

• Trust must be built deliberately

Here, relationships are not built into the system.
They have to be created, or the system stalls.

Why This Confuses Japanese Teams

Many Japanese teams think: “We already rely on relationships. Why is India different?”

Here’s the honest answer:

• In Japan, relationships support the process
  
  

• In India, relationships start the process
  
  

Without them, even the best-designed system stays frozen.

This isn’t about abandoning Japanese discipline.
It’s about applying a very Japanese idea, trust-based coordination, in a context where trust doesn’t come pre-installed.

Where Things Usually Break

You’ll see it in familiar places:

• Regulatory approvals that never quite complete
  
  

• Partners who sign contracts but delay execution
  
  

• Issues escalated correctly… and then quietly ignored
  
  

• Perfect procedure, zero movement
  
  

From Japan, it feels illogical: “We followed the rules. Why isn’t this working?”

From India, it feels incomplete: “We don’t know each other well enough to take responsibility yet.”

Both sides are being rational.
They’re just operating with different defaults.

Why Relationships Matter So Much Here

In India, relationships help people:

• Interpret unclear or shifting rules
  
  

• Solve problems before they become disputes
  
  

• Coordinate across fragmented systems
  
  

• Act confidently in uncertain environments
  
  

And this part matters: Relationships don’t replace processes. They make processes usable.

Without relationships, processes remain documents.
With relationships, they become action.

What Successful Japan–India Companies Do Differently

The successful ones don’t abandon structure.
They keep it.

But they change how people work inside it.

• Local leaders are encouraged to build trust early—before problems appear
  
  

• Issues are handled first through conversation, not escalation
  
  

• Risks are resolved quietly, long before HQ hears about them
  
  

• Face time is valued, not seen as inefficiency
  
  

And crucially, headquarters trusts local judgment within clear boundaries.

Relationship-building isn’t seen as “soft.”
It’s understood as risk management.

Practical Shifts That Actually Help

If execution feels slow, try this:

• Treat relationship-building as real work, not optional work
  
  

• Empower local leaders to engage informally when needed
  
  

• Use meetings to build trust, not just review slides
  
  

• Leave space for conversations that aren’t on the agenda
  
  

Ironically, this reduces chaos.
It doesn’t increase it.

Process + Relationship = Execution

In India:

• Processes alone don’t move
  
  

• Relationships alone are risky
  
  

But together?
That’s where things finally start working.

For Japanese companies, success in India isn’t about changing who you are.
It’s about supporting your systems with something deeply human.

When relationships reinforce processes, complexity becomes manageable—and execution finally follows.