This time, Inamori* spoke about the above motto in Kyocera philosophy.
What Inamori said is quoted with “”.
“ Kyocera conducts business fairly and openly in accordance with the ‘fair play spirit.’ Therefore, we hate most the idea that we can do anything as long as we can make money, or that minor violations of the rules or small frauds in accounting figures must be condoned.
Under the sports competition, it is true that only the performances based on the fair play spirits move, touch and impress us. Anyone who notices inconsistencies or fraud must point them out fairly and openly. To ensure that our workplace is always refreshing and vibrant, every one of us must be a fair player while also having the eye of a strict referee. “
The below are the process of how we develop and secure fair play spirits.
1. Understand what the fair play means
2. Never allow even a minor deviation
3. Develop the open and transparent working environment
Let me elaborate one by one.
1. Understand what the fair play means
“ When I say ‘fair play,’ I mean ‘fairness.’ In other words, I have always stressed that a company’s discipline should be centered on ‘securing fairness’ and ‘doing the right thing properly.’ No dishonest conduct is permitted. This is something that everyone, from the CEO to the employees, must thoroughly adhere to. “
→Recently, when watching the news from Japan or abroad, unfortunately we sometimes get disappointed to find that all we see is lies. The media and politicians keep telling lies. Worse than that is to cover up those lies, they pile on even bigger lies. Since we find ourselves in this environment, we need to be very careful not to get used to those lies and dishonesty.
2. Never allow even a minor deviation
“ The important thing is to make this ‘ fair play spirit’ deeply implemented within the company. When we are told to ‘play fair and do the right thing,’ we all think, ‘that’s right,’ but after a while, we, human beings, tend to change. When a chance to make a little profit appears, we sometimes are tempted and justify ourselves by thinking ‘Such a small deviation may be tolerated.’
‘Without much effort, just by using a little ingenuity, we can please our clients, our profit will increase, and the company will grow rapidly.’ During the bubble period, at the end of the day, such a mindset tempted many securities companies, and they were driven to compensate for losses and manipulate sales prices of the products. “
→ This is the issue of where our values come from. Under the value system that ‘power is everything, and the strongest wins’, those who have money have the power. Those who have empowered dominate all other races.
On the other hand, under the value system that living in a group (herd) is everything and that is the ultimate meaning of human existence, the core values are not strength but altruism. It is important to cultivate values that are centered on humanity and be careful of power (money) driven value standards.
3. Develop the open and transparent working environment
“ Anyone who notices a deviation, contradiction or fraud in a company should be honest and point it out. It is extremely important to create an atmosphere where you can confidently say, “This is what is happening in this company, and this is wrong”, even though you are a new employee.
If everyone turns a blind eye to the issue simply because they are afraid of being scolded or fired, that would be the worst for the company. In other words, we need an atmosphere where all employees, regardless of their position, look at the company with a strict and critical eye. “
→ This all depends on the company’s reason to be. Mr. Inamori says that the ultimate purpose and objective of the business must be clarified. We must understand what the purpose of the company is. Before I knew Kyocera, the companies I knew, including the ones I worked for, existed to benefit some shareholders and managers. So even if I pointed out that ” this is for the self-interest of the shareholders or managers,” my voice was silenced.
Superficially, such companies demonstrate justifiable objectives like “for the good of society,” “SDGs,” and “increasing staff engagement,” but they fundamentally seek purely the profit and interests of a few owners and managements. I think there are many companies like this. Companies like Kyocera, which are completely transparent and have nothing to hide from the top to the bottom, are in the minority, but they do exist in the world. I think that creating such a culture will ultimately lead to fulfillment for everyone, including employees and shareholders.
To sum up, maintaining a spirit of fair play means that from the top to the bottom of the staff, the meaning of injustice is understood, even the slightest “deviation” is not tolerated, and everyone works in a corporate culture where anyone can point out injustice. I would like to reconsider the reason to be in our company and make sure that this purpose does not waver.
* Mr. Kazuo Inamori, the founder of Kyocera, KDDI (one of the top tele communication companies in Japan) and the top of revitalization project of JAL. As a well-known Japanese entrepreneur, he has been sharing his experiences and management know-how with managements of small to middle companies in Japan.
Further queries or doubts, please email to ytomizuka@abrilsjp.com
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