ABSTRACT
A U.S. steelmaker and a Japanese steelmaker were negotiating to start a joint venture. The Japanese firm sent a delegation of executives to tour the U.S. plant. One executive in the delegation had a small hammer, and as the group walked through the plant, he would sometimes gently tap bolts on the machines they passed. This slightly unnerved the U.S. managers conducting the tour. They had no idea what he was doing, but of course they dared not ask and reveal their ignorance. Throughout the tour the question nagged them: Why is he doing that?
