After a Country Manager takes office, which position to hire next shapes the direction of the Japan office's growth. It is important to prioritize hiring according to the stage of the business and its challenges.
- It is unclear who to hire after the Country Manager
- It is hard to decide whether to add sales, back office, or specialist roles first
- Work is concentrated on the Country Manager
- Headquarters and the Japan office disagree on the order of hiring
This article explains who to hire after the Country Manager, and how to think about building a Japan organization.
Why the Order of Hiring Shapes Growth
At a small Japan office, the first few hires strongly steer the shape of the organization that follows. Getting the order wrong can leave work concentrated on the Country Manager or let the business proceed with needed functions missing.
There is no single right order for hiring. Priorities need to be set according to the stage of the business, the biggest bottleneck, and the results headquarters expects.
Perspectives for Setting Priorities
The next hire is considered from perspectives like the following.
| Perspective | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Business bottleneck | Whether what is holding back revenue growth is sales capacity, proposal capability, or the burden of administrative work |
| Country Manager's workload | Which of the work the Country Manager carries can be handed to other members |
| Functions needed | Which of sales, marketing, back-office functions such as accounting and HR, or specialists are lacking |
| Scale of risk | Areas such as legal, tax, and labor where delays in handling carry large risk |
| Headquarters' expectations and budget | The results headquarters expects and the budget available for adding headcount |
Share It With Headquarters as a Hiring Plan
Share the order and timing of hiring with headquarters together with the business plan. Showing the reasoning behind the order makes approval for added headcount easier to obtain.
The business situation changes. Run the plan on the premise that it is not fixed but is reviewed, for example every half year, and priorities are updated.
Summary
- The first few hires steer the shape of the Japan office's organization
- Consider the business bottleneck, the Country Manager's workload, functions needed, risk, and headquarters' expectations
- Share the order of hiring and its reasoning with headquarters together with the business plan
- Review the hiring plan regularly as the business situation changes
Contact
JBN supports foreign companies' Japan offices from drafting hiring plans through to searching for talent.
To discuss drafting your hiring plan, please contact us.