根回し

（NEMAWASHI)
Meaning: informally securing prior approval, checking with everyone who counts before formal presentation, covering all the bases)

Nemawashi now is used around the world to characterize the consensus-building nature of Japanese business practices. Literally, nemawashi means cutting off excess roots and wrapping the remaining roots with a straw mat for protection when transplanting the tree. In business terms it means an informal solicitation of agreement before formal submission of approval at a meeting.

今日の会議うまくいくかなあ。I wonder whether today's meeting will go well.

大丈夫でろう。かなり根回しに時間をかけてきだし、今回のプロジェクは部長も乗り気だから。
It will be fine. I spent a lot of time covering all the bases, and I know the manager likes our proposal.

This reminds me of low context society and high context society. Generally speaking, the western countries are from a individualistic culture and their social intercourse are low context in nature. For example, people come to a meeting to discuss and to make decision. People tend to say what they mean and mean what they say. The communication is open and explicit. While the eastern countries have a collectivist culture and societies are high-context in nature. People come to a meeting to have something already approved somewhere else to be formally approved. So basically people communicate in a tacit way. 根回し is just one way to make it possible.