TOKYO -- A common hazard in the corporate world is groupthink: the tendency of members of a group to fall in line with a consensus, out of a desire to conform or to anticipate what higher-ups want to see.
This phenomenon can lead to blinkered thinking and, in many cases, irrational or bad results. The risk of such an outcome is high in Japan, where harmony and consensus are prized as virtues and it can be difficult to think independently rather than "read the room."
