A prescription for avoiding exhaustion from reporting back to your home country.

My name is Hisamori, and I have had the opportunity to be involved in many projects for companies with a global presence.

When working on store design or spatial design projects for foreign brands, coordination with headquarters is unavoidable. In projects I've been involved in in the past, I have a strong impression that there were far more coordination issues and consultations than I had anticipated.

For example, delays in the delivery of fixtures, adjustments to electrical and other equipment installations, and unavoidable specification changes due to on-site decisions. Any event that occurs on the Japanese side becomes a "reporting and approval item," and explanations and approvals from headquarters are required each time.

In many cases, the person in charge ends up feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, thinking, "I don't know where to begin or how to explain this..."

Therefore, in this article, we will explore the causes and methods for avoiding such exhaustion.

 

The root cause of the exhaustion lies in the "difficulty of explanation."

In projects like this, there are many moments when explanations become difficult. It's especially challenging when additional work, cost increases, or schedule delays occur. To communicate this to headquarters, we need to clearly define what has changed from the original plan.

However, on-site, legal regulations, supplier constraints, and inter-process impacts all come into play simultaneously. For example, delays in construction due to difficulties in procuring materials can push back subsequent processes, and unique Japanese ceiling heights and fire safety regulations can alter the overall picture. Explanations inevitably become fragmented, making it difficult for the home side to grasp the whole picture.

The person in charge needs to translate what's happening on the ground into a form that headquarters can understand and communicate it. In other words, they will be acting as a translator between "the field" and "headquarters."

 

The key to the solution is "speed" and "story."

The key to easing this burden is simple: share problems as soon as possible. This is because the person in charge at headquarters also wants to understand the situation as quickly as possible in order to consider the impact on subsequent processes and make the next decisions.

The prerequisite for smooth communication in these situations is regular communication. If you have a relationship where you can exchange information on a regular basis, it will be easier to share information at an early stage when problems arise.

Furthermore, the way you communicate is crucial. Instead of simply listing facts, you should organize and communicate them in a way that explains "why it happened," "where it will affect," "how to respond," and "what will change as a result." For example, in a real-world case, you might say, "We are planning to open a store in a corner of an old neighborhood, but in order to comply with the landscape regulations, we cannot place a standard corporate sign. Therefore, a sign like this, incorporating concept design inspired by local traditional crafts, would not look out of place in the streetscape and would also show respect for the community. However, the budget would be as follows."

Having a story like this makes it easier for headquarters to make a decision when submitting estimates for additional work to comply with regulations.

Thus, it's important to communicate in a way that takes into account "how the problem will be perceived by the recipient."
The timing and organization of your communication can greatly affect the impact of your interactions with your home country.

The reason why coordinating and managing these situations becomes so exhausting is not because of physical distance, but because of the psychological distance caused by a lack of sufficient shared understanding of the underlying assumptions and circumstances.

To bridge that gap, early sharing, clear organization of information, and regular communication are essential. Those in charge at headquarters are also making decisions based on limited information. Once a relationship is established, reporting will transform from an obligation into a dialogue.

If you ever feel mentally burdened or exhausted by communicating with your home country, I hope this will be of some help.