What is Horenso? Standard application and 3 practice scenarios

1. What is the HORENSO method?

Horenso is a method of communication and teamwork typical of Japan, which is a combination of 3 rules: Hokoko - report, Renraku - contact, Sodan - discuss. In Japanese culture, once a problem occurs, employees usually report and update the situation to management. From there, they will receive comments and suggestions from their superiors to solve problems and increase work efficiency .

Horenso in Japanese is Hokoko - report, Renraku - contact, Sodan - discuss

2. How to apply HORENSO rule in business

After finding the answer to the question what is Horenso , the next thing businesses care about is how to apply this rule. Here are ways to apply the Horenso method in your business in the correct order of 3 steps:

2.1 Hokoru: Report

In this model, Hokoru, also known as the performance report for the administrator. Proactively reporting on progress and problems is essential for projects. This will also make your boss trust and like you. Some notes for businesses during this period are as follows.

• Reporting time: The best time is right after the assigned work has been completed. In addition, for long-term projects, enterprises need to set up regulations on progress reporting throughout the implementation process.
• Good reporting method: It is necessary to ensure complete and accurate reporting and to consider reporting bad news first. In particular, the style of the report should also be polite and respectful to the reader.
• Bad reporting method: A report is inaccurate, gives little information and tends to report good news first. In addition, the report has a disrespectful and ineffective style.

Hokoru - the step of reporting to superiors

2.2 RENRAKU: Contact

In the Horenso rule , Renraku - Communication is always the hardest to evaluate and the utmost care must be taken in this process. Below is the distinction between the two types of contact.

• Good communication method: It is necessary to distinguish the purpose of communication to make appropriate decisions. 

  • For simple or urgent matters, you can contact them directly or use the phone and speak to the heart. 

  • If you are not strict in terms of time but need to contact many people, the form can be exchanged via email. 

  • For things related to quality improvement or learning, writing is the optimal way of communication.

• Bad communication method: Communication is lengthy but out of focus or unrelated to the job. In addition, the communication without considering the time is also what needs to be noticed and minimized.

Renraku - stay in touch with colleagues and superiors

2.3 SODAN: Discussion

Finally, discussion is the most important and crucial step for members to solve work effectively and fairly. During the discussion, each person will have different opinions or strengths, through which the meeting will be effective and there will be an opportunity to solve the problems. Some classifications in the discussion process, specifically as follows.

• Good discussion method: Many people lead to many different personalities and styles. It is necessary to take note of opinions and limit conflicts. Especially the discussion needs to have a clear purpose and need to ensure that all members follow the rules set by the group/business.
• The method of discussion is not good: Few people have overlapping opinions and personalities. The discussion did not have agreement, but mostly rejected without listening carefully. Finally, what makes the discussion method so bad is that the purpose is not clear and the members each do it the same way despite the decision.

Sodan - a step to discuss to come up with a solution

3. Horenso's benefits to businesses

Today, the Horenso method of communication is not only widely used in the Japanese market but also applied in many other parts of the world. The reason is because many managers think that if employees have problems at work, they do not report it to their superiors. This will make employees not know how to solve it, leading to mistakes at work.

Horenso brings many benefits to both businesses and individuals

In addition, the use of the Horenso method in the working process will help the relationship between the boss and the employee closer. Besides, the relationship between employees will be harmonious and together will complete the work excellently. In particular, Horenso is not only applied at work but also can be used in real-life communication because this is a rule that helps to increase efficiency in group communication.

4. Horenso example and practice sample case

After fully understanding the concept, rationale and importance of Horenso , here are sample situations to practice using the Horenso method .

4.1 Scenario 1

Scenario: Because of morning traffic, you arrive at work 10 minutes late.

Option A: Do not contact the company to notify you about being 10 minutes late, then come to work and still say hello and complete the work as usual.

Option B: Contact the company as soon as you feel you may be late. The content of the call needs to notify the delay time, the reason for the delay. After arriving at the company, you need to report to your superiors that you have arrived at the workplace.

First, option A doesn't follow the "Communication" rule in Horenso. So why decide to choose option B, here are some reasons:

• The first is because in the work contract there is always a commitment to working time, leaving and returning on time. Therefore, it is necessary to notify superiors about being late.
• In addition, the communication in sequence is very important. If you don't choose option B, being late because of traffic jams will sometimes be missed because your superiors have a lot of work to do.
• Finally, this option will also help you and relevant people such as colleagues who need group meetings, partners to be more proactive in time.

4.2 Scenario 2

Situation: You are sick and want to take time off.

According to Horenso's rule , you need to do the following:

• Report: Need to report illness and wish to leave to superiors.
• Communication: Even though you are sick, you still need to keep in touch with colleagues and superiors to capture and hand over the work.
• Discussion: What you need to do when you are sick is to hand over and discuss with your colleagues so that they can grasp and perform the part of the work that needs to be done. In addition, after the illness is over, you can also ask for advice if you have not yet caught up with the work.

Apply the Horenso method in both work and life

4.3 Scenario 3

Situation: You have a new idea for a marketing strategy.

The process you need to apply is as follows:

• Report: Report new ideas to superiors for consideration, advice and wait for a decision to be included in the meeting.
• Communication: It is necessary to keep in touch and receive suggestions and support from many people to develop ideas and implement plans.
• Discussion: New ideas, if only viewed from an angle, will often not see inappropriate points. Therefore, if you want your ideas to be perfected and have many new aspects, you need to have group discussions with your colleagues or superiors.

Apply Horenso's rule when having a new idea