Yoichi Wada's road to the top does not include an MBA. Instead, the current Square-Enix's president toiled away, selling bonds door-to-door in Hiroshima and working as a cultural attache to the Foreign Ministry in Poland where he promoted Japanese culture. "I figured I had to be on the front lines," Wada says. "I had to get rigorous training."

While American business is overpopulated with MBAs, business school grads are still a rarity in Japan. There were only three schools in the country in early 1980s states the Wall Street Journal. Even today, there are only three MBAs among Toyota's 26 highest level execs. Things are changing, but the country is less likely to be degree-crazy like the US.

In 2000, Wada was hired as Square's chief financial officer at a time when the company was floundering. Two top executives stepped down, and he was named CEO a year later. The businessman quickly set up a deal with Sony, merged with game maker Enix and last year acquired Taito. Since he took over, stock prices are up 31 percent.

Forget screens and console gossip for a moment. This WSJ article provides an fascinating look at an aspect of the industry the gaming press doesn't usually focus on: management.

Full Article Here [Wall Street Journal] via Insert Credit

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