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How to cut off teammate from excessive drinking at izakaya (Japanese pub) in Japan with other colleagues at same table?
This week is my second work trip to Japan to visit divisional headquarters since my last trip almost 2 years ago. I am a manager and have been in a management role for close to 10 years. I work in cybersecurity. This weekend, I and my team of 12 alongside our local divisional hosts spent time at a Japanese izakaya or local pub that serves both alcohol and Japanese food. Everything was going well and I and my team was enjoying ourselves throughout the night. Everyone had been drinking with me only having had 1 drink. Near the end, I noticed one of my direct reports becoming more disinhibited, emotionally animated, and starting to engage in some behaviors that I considered bordering on intoxication / inappropriate with colleagues. He certainly had more to drink than I did, but I did not keep track how many more drinks. Examples of what I saw: Sharing stories that are very personal from his past , younger days, bordering on risqué. Flamboyant gestures and increased pace and volume of speech, talking over others at the same table. Pressuring others to continue drinking At this point, I wanted to cut off my team member from drinking any more during the night. However, I was not familiar with how cultural norms of Japan, which prizes relationship harmony and social unity highly, influence what I was expected to do to cut off alcohol / how to cut off my team member without being harsh or overly direct. It is my understanding that public confrontation and overly forceful language is culturally taboo in Japan. What I did do instead, was to give my teammate more water and food (high protein dishes) to slow down intoxication along with changing the subject of conversation at the table. I held back from any further action. Questions What is the culturally sensitive approach in Japan to handling this scenario as a manager from the US? Is anything I did, or did not do, a faux pas in Japan?
This week is my second work trip to Japan to visit divisional headquarters since my last trip almost 2 years ago. I am a manager and have been in a management role for close to 10 years. I work in cybersecurity.
This weekend, I and my team of 12 alongside our local divisional hosts spent time at a Japanese izakaya or local pub that serves both alcohol and Japanese food. Everything was going well and I and my team was enjoying ourselves throughout the night. Everyone had been drinking with me only having had 1 drink.
Near the end, I noticed one of my direct reports becoming more disinhibited, emotionally animated, and starting to engage in some behaviors that I considered bordering on intoxication / inappropriate with colleagues. He certainly had more to drink than I did, but I did not keep track how many more drinks. Examples of what I saw:
Sharing stories that are very personal from his past , younger days, bordering on risqué.
Flamboyant gestures and increased pace and volume of speech, talking over others at the same table.
Pressuring others to continue drinking
At this point, I wanted to cut off my team member from drinking any more during the night. However, I was not familiar with how cultural norms of Japan, which prizes relationship harmony and social unity highly, influence what I was expected to do to cut off alcohol / how to cut off my team member without being harsh or overly direct. It is my understanding that public confrontation and overly forceful language is culturally taboo in Japan.
What I did do instead, was to give my teammate more water and food (high protein dishes) to slow down intoxication along with changing the subject of conversation at the table. I held back from any further action.
Questions
What is the culturally sensitive approach in Japan to handling this scenario as a manager from the US?
Is anything I did, or did not do, a faux pas in Japan?
