The Japanese art of laying groundwork for a proposal by having informal, behind-the-scenes conversations before the formal meeting. Like planting seeds of agreement before the harvest of decision-making.
From Japanese 'ne' (root) and 'mawashi' (to turn around or prepare). Originally an agricultural term for preparing soil around tree roots before transplanting, it evolved into a business metaphor in the mid-20th century. The image is perfect: just as you carefully tend roots before moving a tree, you carefully tend relationships before proposing change.
Oh, this word is BRILLIANT! Every successful idea has invisible roots — those quiet coffee conversations, hallway chats, and 'what do you think about...' moments that happen before the big presentation. The Japanese took a gardening term about preparing tree roots and turned it into the secret of organizational success. Next time you're building support for an idea, remember: you're doing nemawashi!
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