[ Nippon Keidanren ] [ Journal ]
Messages from "Economic Trend", December 2002

The Desirable Form of Improvements in an Era of Change

Isao Okui
Vice Chairman, Nippon Keidanren
Chairman & Representative Director, Sekisui House, Ltd.

After World War II, our country saw a rapid recovery and then a period of rather high economic growth. However, nothing remains unchanged; the systems and methods of success, it seems, suddenly became obsolete after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The result has been an overall sense of confusion in a wide variety of fields. Due to the marked progress in the IT field, all manner of information is instantly available and constantly assaults our senses. This constant flood of information has in turn placed a demand on the individual to maintain a solid sense of direction and focus. I can't help but believe this overwhelming flood of information is one of the reasons that people are losing confidence and feeling disoriented.

I also feel that it is extremely important in this time of rapid change that people distinguish between those things which are temporary and those which are permanent. The most permanent of all, of course, is people themselves. People, i.e. workers, are the very essence of a company. And it is they that comprise the society we live in. It is when companies forget the 'people principle' and focus mainly on market factors resulting in worker layoffs that they create an atmosphere of insecurity setting off a downward spiral which worsens the economy.

Currently, despite the unemployment rate being at its all time highest level, it is still up to people to enact and carry out the policies needed to better the economy. Therefore, any policy which ignores the importance of the human factor is bound to fail.

In addition, in the same way each member of a company needs to be headed in the same direction in order for a company to realize profit, likewise each member of society needs to have a unified focus and a clear view of what it truly means to be 'an affluent society'. It is important that we gain a clear national consensus.

Presently, I believe that there is no one single 'miracle solution' for economic change. Instead we who are in management need to focus on small daily improvements. At the same time developing and maintaining an environment where necessary change can be made at anytime.

Professor Theodore Levitt of Harvard University made the following interesting observation in his book. He wrote something like 'Almost all accomplishments are the accumulation of a number of relatively small things. It is more important to continue making small improvements day by day than it is to 'shoot for the moon'. Continued success is the result of continuing to make daily minor improvements.'

It has been said that 'God dwells in small things'. In our sincere effort to actualize revolutionary change, perhaps we've been spending too much effort 'shooting for the moon'. I believe instead that once again it is time to return to where we first started, remember where we first began and go back to basic.


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