Feeling like you are being treated like a mere cog in the machine of your company is one of the most demoralizing elements of any job. In contrast, bottom-up corporate culture, which both values and encourages contributions from all workers regarding workplace decisions is closely related to all aspects of wellbeing, including mental and physical health as well as happiness. If companies and society can shine a light on the diversity of ingenuity, innovation and consideration held by all staff working in all sites, both large and small, and strengthen those relationships that resonate through mutual reinforcement, then sustainability will most likely also shoot up.
A Corporate Culture That Cultivates Spontaneous Innovation Improves the Entire Organization
Of the several convenience stores in my neighborhood, I always go to the one at the top of the hill. This is because the young man who works night shifts remembers the items I want to buy and sometimes even gets them without me needing to say a word. He always says, "Thank you for always shopping here," but I think I'm the one who should be grateful, as his gesture lifts my spirits even when I am a little down. His attentiveness makes me want to contribute to this store's sales, no matter what I purchase, rather than shop anywhere else.
However, it appears that stores and franchise companies do not particularly value this kind of talk about feelings. The young man I like commutes by train, and he looks tired whenever I pass him late at night in front of the station.
"Create value on the ground," "No two workplaces are the same," and "It's contradictory to say 'create value' but also demand 'just follow orders.'"
As I listened to Azbil Corp. President Kiyohiro Yamamoto speak these words over and over again as if they were the most natural thing in the world, the face of that hard-working young man at the convenience store sprang to mind.
Azbil, formerly known as Yamatake-Honeywell, was a joint venture with American company Honeywell Inc. In 2002, it became a wholly owned Japanese enterprise and in 2006, the firm chose a new name for the brand – Azbil. This name represents the keywords of the Group's philosophy: utilizing automation technology to build zones of safety, comfort, and fulfillment. Azbil manufactures systems to measure and control temperature, humidity, and pressure as well as the flow rates of liquids and gases inside buildings, factories, and homes. The firm's technology is also used in a range of social infrastructure, including hospitals, data centers, and gas and water systems.
Since no two buildings or factories are identical, the company's mission cannot be realized without building each system individually. With this in mind, it seems that the Azbil's corporate culture must naturally respect the specifics of every workplace. However, in all businesses, the whole is the sum of the individual locations, so President Yamamoto's way of thinking should be more common.
At Azbil, the term "Kabochare" (a combination of Japanese words meaning challenge for carbon neutral) apparently became quite a buzzword last year. There was an internal event aimed at helping employees understand how their work directly contributes to carbon neutrality via the company's creation and supply of energy efficient systems for society. During a challenge step session at the event, one-third of the roughly 10,000 employees who participated tackled the task of talking to others about the carbon neutral theme in their own words.
Many employees were spontaneous, despite the fact that today's world is seeing people tend more towards being withdrawn and less direct. Moreover, it was clear to me, given my own experience there, that these employees have a deep interest in the meaning of their work . When I asked one senior Azbil employee about the company's culture, he said that he had never seen anyone criticize someone for failing a task they were working on. The company is driven by respect for every individual's pride in their work, and I feel that all these different expressions of engagement and enthusiasm are one and the same in the way they combine to demonstrate Azbil's character.
Azbil Corporation
The Kabochare program was started in response to online discussions with employees during the COVID pandemic. Some of them expressed that they did not understand the ways that their work contributed to carbon neutrality. I realized that I had taken for granted what I found rewarding in my own work and that not everyone was aware of the connections to the bigger picture.
However, after setting up the secretariat for the program and leaving it in their hands, I said nothing at all. I just thought it was not acceptable for top management to dictate, "This is what carbon neutrality is all about, and you have to understand it." For me, even one person voluntarily participating would mean a perfect score of 100 points. We have a policy of taking note and adding up all those 100 points. As a result, more employees participated than I expected, and for that I am very grateful.
My business partners often tell me that "Azbil employees are very serious." In today's world, it may be difficult to understand this as a real compliment, but I think it is the kind of remark that I appreciate. Monitoring and control systems only become meaningful work when we are able to fulfill client requests. So, it can be said that there is a genuine appreciation for our modest, sincere, and adaptable approach.
At Azbil, activities such as product development, production, sales, and system construction are all inextricably interconnected to make value. I am sometimes troubled that this does not fit with the current trend of focusing on the distinctive activities and skills of individuals encouraging them to excel from the early stages of their careers.
During the Apollo program, there's a well-known story about a janitor who, when asked by the U.S. president what his job was, promptly responded, "I'm helping put a man on the moon." In a similar way, I want all our workers to be able to share values that reflect the bigger picture they are connected with throughout our corporation. Although we are still in the process of achieving this goal, I am confident that we can do it, because the fact is that all of us here at Azbil are contributing to the greater conveniences for society and a better global environment.