This is the sixth installment of the "Resilience" series, a dialogue between economist Shinichi Yamaguchi, Associate Professor at the International University of Japan's GLOCOM, and ITOKI's General Manager of Advanced Research Division, Kazuhiro Ohashi. This final installment expands the subject of resilience that has been explored thus far to "organizations," and addresses the theme of "How can organizations gain resilience?"
In this age of "diversity," what should managers do?
Ohashi:Last time, you mentioned that accepting "diversity" is important to increase resilience. This is true not only for people, but also for organizations.
Yamaguchi:Yes, that's true. When we think about organizational resilience, diversity is also an important point.
Ohashi: So, naturally, one thing that comes to mind is the existence of a "manager who can make the most of the diversity of his or her members." What do you think is necessary to be such a manager?
Yamaguchi:"Making the most of diversity" is fundamentally connected to "respecting others." As I mentioned in the Part 4, "respecting others" is essential for communication. No matter how diverse an organization is in terms of attributes such as "gender," "age," and "title," if members do not respect each other and listen to what others have to say, it cannot be said to be truly "diverse."
Also, although it is easy to say "listen to others," in reality, many people find it difficult to do so. For example, there are people who will obey their elders, but who will suddenly try to dominate those younger than them.
In the worst case, I have seen people who "never exchange business cards with women" at a social gathering. It is a very unfortunate way of thinking, but I think that at the root of it is the assumption that "women have a lower status, so there is no point in exchanging business cards."
What should managers do to prevent such tragedies from happening? The key is to ensure "psychological safety." It's important to create a psychologically safe space where young people, men, women, and everyone can feel comfortable speaking up.
Ohashi: I also think that "psychological safety" is a very important factor for resilience.
Yamaguchi: If psychological safety is ensured, people can speak up without worry. Being able to hear the opinions of many different people is very meaningful, especially for managers. For example, there aren't many opportunities for a manager in his 50s to hear fresh ideas from members in their 20s in everyday life. I think there is a lot to learn from this kind of interaction.
Even when criticizing, it's important not to simply reject something outright, but to respect the other person, point out areas for improvement, draw out their opinion, and engage in a constructive discussion.
Ohashi:Now that I think about it, I remember a certain film director I met once told me, "My job is to create a space where everyone can easily express their opinions." Normally, the director has all the decision-making power, but he creates a space where professionals in the fields of camera, art, lighting, and sound can freely express their opinions. He told me that creating an atmosphere where each professional can share ideas creates a sense of unity that leads to a good work.
Yamaguchi:He respects the work of each individual professional, listens to their opinions, and tries to bring out their abilities.
Ohashi:Having experienced first-hand how the director works, I was reminded that this kind of thing is a great asset in managing an organization, and that it is important for younger people to also cultivate this experience.
Yamaguchi:Respect for professionals is a very big key. When I write manuscripts for various media, I work with editors, and sometimes they are extremely reluctant to express their opinions. From my point of view, on the contrary, I would like to fully trust professional editors and listen to their opinions. I can research and write about it, but I don't know anything about ``books that sell''...
But I'm sure there are some authors who get angry when they receive criticism. Just looking at that one example, the "people who get angry" are actually missing out on a big opportunity to create a book that sells.
Therefore, if there is a space where everyone can exchange opinions on an equal footing, I believe that both people and organizations can grow and develop, and will be able to respond to new things even if they arise.
Ohashi:I want both the juniors and seniors on my team to experience the difficulties of "building a diverse team," so I welcome lively debates (laughs). Otherwise, everyone will be reluctant to express their opinions or will be shy. Meetings where everyone responds to what their boss says with "Yes, I understand" probably go more smoothly, but I don't like the meeting to end like that, so I want to make sure that everyone is satisfied with the discussion and talk. So sometimes the meetings end up being long. I'll regret it later, but...
But as Yamaguchi-san said, if you truly respect the other person, listen to them, and have the desire to properly convey your opinion, you shouldn't give up. In terms of building an organization, I want to seek and welcome opinions different from my own, so I want to work with people who have completely different experiences, knowledge, and values. I think that would be an absolute plus for the organization.
Yamaguchi: There is a trick to discussion, isn't there? In educational settings, there is almost no open discussion, so even if a manager initiates a discussion, it may be difficult to get it going.
I believe that by creating more opportunities for mutual respect and discussion at the school education level, we can create an environment where each person's diversity can be utilized to the fullest.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are "bad at arguing," there are two important things you can do to overcome it. The first is to never attack someone's character, even when criticism is necessary, and to "criticize their opinions" while respecting them.
Another thing is, when you are the one being criticized, don't think of it as an attack on your character. Clashing opinions is completely different from denying someone's character.
The most important thing here is respect. By creating more opportunities for discussion while respecting each other, I think we can make the most of our diversity.
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This is the final episode of this fascinating discussion on resilience.
When you think about how "being considerate and respectful of others can also help develop your own resilience," it seems like it could somehow change your daily mood.
Start today by being mindful of how important you are to yourself and others. Big changes may start from such small things.
