Redefining Leadership Direction in Japan
To clarify the direction of its Japan organization in line with global priorities, the leadership team defined a vision and strategy in their own words and promoted company-wide dialogue.
Through offsites and focus groups, they established stronger unity and transparent communication, achieving continuous improvement driven by collaboration between executives and employees.
A New Direction Needed in Japan
As part of refreshing the leadership structure in Japan, it was essential to define a clear direction and strategy aligned with global priorities. At the same time, with significant business growth anticipated, changes were also required in focus areas and ways of working.
Starting with Leadership Alignment
The first step was to build alignment among the leadership team. By defining the direction at a high level, executives then took ownership in driving company-wide dialogue and engagement.
Implementation Through Offsites and Focus Groups
- Leadership Offsite (2 days)
Executives gathered to better understand each other’s communication and working styles, and co-created the company’s vision, business strategy, and organizational strategy.
- Company-wide Offsite
Executives shared the strategies with all employees, inviting ideas and perspectives from different roles and levels.
- Focus Groups
Areas that had become bottlenecks in daily operations were identified. Executives formed focus groups to address themes such as cross-functional collaboration and process improvement, and actions were reviewed regularly in leadership meetings.
Stronger Unity and Greater Transparency
- By articulating the direction in their own words, the leadership team demonstrated ownership and commitment to employees.
- Employees shared their visions of the future, broadening perspectives beyond day-to-day tasks and strengthening mutual understanding and organizational unity.
- Focus group activities improved operational efficiency and shifted siloed mindsets, reinforcing the recognition that helping other departments contributes to overall company growth.
- As a result of this initiative, regular company-wide communication forums were established, providing greater transparency in sharing the company’s business and organizational direction and progress. Feedback from these sessions has been incorporated into leadership actions, driving continuous improvement.
Fostering Employee Ownership and Engagement
Building on the new dialogue established between executives and employees, the company will continue to improve and place greater emphasis on fostering individual ownership and engagement going forward.