Managers who continue to learn March 3 at 30:17
How do companies contribute to society and the environment?
What is its raison d'être?
The roles and attitudes required of companies, such as contributing to the SDGs and raising awareness of appropriate corporate governance, are becoming more important.
It has been more than half a year since Kazuo Inamori, who attracted many people with his unique management philosophy called "philosophy," passed away.
In Kagoshima, where Mr. Inamori spent his university days, local business owners continue to learn about the management philosophy in order to survive the changing times.
(Kagoshima Bureau Reporter Mika Furukawa / Director Yuya Hosokawa)
Continue learning in Kagoshima
Mika Akami, 44, runs a welfare company in Kagoshima City.
I am a member of a study group established in Kagoshima Prefecture to learn about Mr. Inamori's management philosophy.
While raising her five-year-old daughter, Akami has been working as president for nearly 5 years.
Mr. Akami is also a former student of "Seiwa Juku" (disbanded in 20), which was established to learn about Mr. Inamori's management philosophy.
Here's why I'm still learning.
Mika Akami:
"Inamori's philosophy reminds us of the origin of our work, which is 'for the world and for people,' so it is worthwhile to continue learning in this difficult social situation for managers."
Bold business transformation supported
Three years ago, Mr. Akami made the decision to make a major change in his business.
In 3, the new coronavirus raged.
The company run by Mr. Akami has been canceled one after another due to the dispatch of staff to events and parties, which were his mainstay, and the number of requests has plummeted from 2020% to 1%.
While I couldn't see the future, what suddenly came to mind was a word from Mr. Inamori's book.
"If it is not something that people need, it will not remain."
Ms. Akami decided to make "employment support for people with disabilities," which she had been meticulously continuing until then, one of the pillars of her business.
For people with physical or intellectual disabilities, we provide light work such as packaging sweets and cooking in fruit parlors according to the degree of disability.
We have built a business model that allows employees to increase what they can do while working, which will lead to employment at companies.
Mika Akami
: "I was so anxious that I didn't know what to do, but after remembering these words, I started to look forward to thinking about what I could do now."
There are currently 41 members registered in Akami's company.
I want to become a manager like Mr. Inamori, who focused on nurturing people, and I try to train each member in a way that suits them.
Among them, I am conscious of Mr. Inamori's words, "Small good is like big evil."
The idea is that "superficial affection" that accommodates subordinates makes the other person unhappy as a result, and even if it seems harsh, guiding with conviction will make people happy in the long run.
In her own business, Akami does this in the form of "thinking together about how you can do it and what you can do, rather than taking over what members can't do or allocating only simple tasks."
I saw such a scene on the day I visited the fruit parlor run by the company.
The person in charge of the work that day was one of the members that Akami particularly cares about, Miu Niimura.
He has an intellectual disability and is said to have difficulty moving his limbs due to the after-effects of a brain disease that he developed as an adult.
Mr. Niimura's challenge was to pack sweets in bags.
Since detailed manual movements are required, it takes a lot of time.
Mr. Akami, who was watching the situation, said when the work was finished, "If you make fruit sandwiches, you may be able to do it smoothly, because it's okay to fail!" I propose.
Then, Mr. Niimura proceeds with the work with a bang.
Arrange the strawberries on the bread, serve the cream, and carefully insert the knife so that it does not collapse at the end.
Mr. Niimura said, "I want to try making cakes next time," showing a new desire to work.
Mika Akami:
"Not everyone is together, so I try to support them from a different direction instead of giving up.
Ms. Akami recently visited France, where employment of people with disabilities is progressing.
By learning how to manage a local universal café, I hope that people with intellectual disabilities will be able to be involved in customer service.
Ms. Akami's goal now is to create an "open environment where anyone has the opportunity to work" more than ever.
What is "Kagoshima Seikei Juku"?
The predecessor of the Kagoshima study group "Kagoshima Seikei Juku" in which Akami participates is "Seiwa Juku," which was founded by young managers in Kyoto who wanted to learn about Mr. Inamori's management philosophy.
The number of students at the school reached about 1,5000 in Japan and overseas, but it was disbanded four years ago in 4 due to Inamori's advanced age.
The following year, a new study group was launched in Kagoshima.
It is held once a month.
Approximately 2019 managers continue to work hard while exchanging opinions.
The advisor is Yuichiro Hamada, 1, the fifth-generation president of a sake brewery founded in the first year of the Meiji era in Ichiki-Kushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture.
He explains why he continues to learn even after Inamori died.
Yuichiro Hamada:
"As the times, the circumstances around us, and ourselves change, it is not enough to gain momentary enlightenment."
Mr. Hamada was also originally a student of "Seiwa Juku".
When the expansion route established by the shochu boom failed, and he was saddled with a large amount of debt, he clung to straw and knocked on the gate of Seiwa Juku in 1991.
In 2006, when management was starting to take off, a disaster struck Mr. Hamada.
One of the precious sake breweries that has been used since its founding burned down.
Mr. Hamada presented Mr. Inamori with a reconstruction plan to build a new brewery in order to build more than what he had lost.
When he received compliments, he was full of confidence.
However, what came back from Mr. Inamori was a deep sigh and a fierce reprimand.
"What, this plan?
For banks, Hamada's borrowing is a duck.
If you look closely, you can see tofu on the legs. It's Kamonegi Tofu."
The word "kamonegi", which means that the prey will come smoothly, is used to cut both swords.
Mr. Inamori asked whether insisting on rebuilding the brewery after borrowing a lot of money would really benefit the employees and the company.
Mr. Hamada canceled all plans.
The site of the former brewery is now a garden so that visitors to visit other breweries can feel a calm atmosphere.
"I was embarrassed in front of the executives," laughs Hamada.
The company has more than 300 employees and sales of 138.<> billion yen last fiscal year, growing to become the prefecture's leading sake brewery.
It has been more than half a year since Mr. Inamori passed away.
Mr. Hamada would like to continue to pursue shochu and spread it around the world while ruminating on the teachings he received from Mr. Inamori in his hometown.
At first glance, Mr. Inamori's management philosophy of "making an effort that is second to none" and "being sincere with a compassionate heart"
seems to be all natural.
When I asked this question to the managers I met during the interview, they all said, "It is a matter of course, but it is surprisingly difficult to continue to face it seriously every day, and it is because of Mr. Inamori's words that have continued to do so have weight."
What should we be as a company and as a manager?
How do we respond to the demands of society?
In this day and age, various questions are being posed to companies.
Mr. Inamori's words may be a guidepost.
Kagoshima Broadcasting Station reporter
Mika
FurukawaAfter joining
the Nagasaki station in 2004, she has been working at
the Kagoshima station since 2009, and is currently in charge of economics and education.
Kagoshima Broadcasting Station Director
Yuya
HosokawaJoined the news
bureau in 2020 News Bureau "News 7" and "Good Japan" to Kagoshima Bureau