A year has passed.

March 11th tuned to be a special day for Japanese, and for me.

Life is suffering. And we faces many incongruous things during all our life.

But 3.11 reminds me　the our life is an integration or cumulation

of a series of highly unlikely coincidence.

I'll keep my eye straightforward and seek any tiny possibility for the future,

praying for the victims of disaster.

Real humility

　A few years ago, I attended a meeting where the presidents or the managers of

companies gathering to talk about serious issues in easy-going atmosphere.

The topic at that time was what is the most important nature the manager should have.

As the starter of argument, we were talking about "the self-confidence or pride

without reasoning" and "humility" are the important aspect of manager's nature.

I sometimes think about what is "real-humility". We often intend to be humble

person, but this notion might be a kind of way of protection from other's critisizm.

It is assumed that　ｔhis mentality is not a real-humility but a self-tormenting thinking.

And this way of thinking might be deeply taking root in the mind of Japanese people.

I suppose that the difference between real modesty and self-torture is how much

we are open to the others. Actually it is difficult to be open to other without fears

and judgment.

The topic of the nature of management are still continuing. and a kind of conclusion

is having a broad outlook or perspective on everything. I will continue to think about

this matter.

Basic Ability

　 The new government has been started. In this new government, people

seem to highly evaluate the speech ability of Prime Minister Noda. When Koizumi

government started, .the PM began to deliver the e-mail magazine to express his idea,

and after that, each Prime Minister using new ITC tools, like the blogs, Internet-broadcasting

or social media to expand their idea to the peoples.

Mr. Noda also seems to have started the blogs, but his strongest point would be

basic and simple way of expressing his idea in speech.

I read the biography of Konosuke Matsusita, who is the founder of Panasonic Coorporation,

for decades ago. And in the book Konosuke stated when his company faced severe situation,

he decided to do the speech every day. He was no confidence to speek in public situation,

but he thought he had to train his ability to overcome the distress.

Recently, we are in the flood of new technology, especially the advancement of

social media is amazing, and such progress realize the overthrow of political power in

the Middle East countries. But I assume that we also pay attention to the basic

ability to the human basic skills, by using his own voice and express his or her idea

repeatedly, until his or her passion will reach to other person's mind.

I'm feeling I also need to cultivate human basic skills or ability to make our organization

or our nation better.

the company as the tribe

　　When I go outside on train or by air, I always wondering

what kind of books should I take to read during the transportation.

I sometimes spent several minutes to consider, and forget to carry

on something more important than the books I take.

This weekend I've been on duty-trip, and I decided to read

"The TRIBAL LEADERSHIP" R/B D. Logan and J.King.

The subtitle of this book is "Leveraging Natural Groups to

Build a Thriving Organization"　I 'm interested in the idea

that the authors regards an organization as a kind of tribes,

not as a family or the hierarchical groups. And each organization has

the stages, which starts from Stage one to Stage Five, depending on

the quality of people's relationship in each groups.

Ａｎｄ the role of the leaders is to shift the stage of the group

they belonging more upper level..

I thought this idea is similar with Don Beck's "Spiral Dynamics",

that is, each human-groups has each stage of development.

Now I read the chapter which describes one of the tribal leader,

David Kelly who leads most fantastic designing company IDEO.

I'll mention how I feel in another opportunity.

What is the business?

I attended the meeting so called "SEWA-NIN Kenkyu Kai".

"Sewanin" means a go-between literary, and in this meeting this

keyword means the people who have interest in the atmosphere of

the workplace and want to change the situation with co-worker.

I firstly joined this gathering this spring, and today's topic was

"What is the business?"

Can we regard the activity without money, like volunteer activity

as the busieness? Or if we deal with money, all activities could

be worth to call "business"?

It's a basic question, and and we are talking the fundamental problem

what the definition of business.

Through these discussion I have joined for several months, I gradually

noticed that "the business model " is a combination of "commodity" or "services"

and "the sense of value of the company".

Our business model would largely depends on ,the way of thinking of companies,

if our commodities are similar to other companies have.

Are People Make Themselves Happy?

　　For these few years, I have less time to read　the book.　Instead

I "listen" the book, I mean, the audiobook from i-spod store, or audible.com in amazon.

When I go to bed, I usually listen the book of Tech Nat Hann,

The idea of famous monk make my feeling easy.

or when I jog in the morning, recent favorites are fhe jurne

of " Positive Psychology"

As for positive psychology, I firstly have slight negative image,

because it seems to be manipulative, and people can hardly

control their feeling.

But I recent "read" The Persuit of the Perfect witten by Tal Ben-Shahar

who is famous professor of Harvard , I noticed his idea is quite practical.

Simply put, his idea of making people unhappy is the attitude

to be the perfect person.

If people think we "must" or we "have to" do, that gap between

your and your real situation make you uneasy.

If people will be more flexible to what you usually do, you would be more happy.

he mentioned this idea is "Optimariｓｔ"or "Optimarizm", in contrast with

"Perfectionalist”or "Perfectionism"

This idea seem to be too simple, but I noticed this way of thiniking

is quite similar to Buddｈism idea having Tich Nat Hann or Pema Chodron.

The defiinｔion of suffering in Buddism is a kind of attachment to yourself.

Oops, Now the time to go to my workplace. This article is not finished.

but I chose the flexibility today. I will continue to this topic later.

I have the voice

　Last weekend I eventually watched the movie; "The King's Speech", which is said

one of the most reputable movies in past few years by DVD.

I was intrigued in the acting performance of Colin Firth, who casted as

stuttering　King George VI, and furthermore I was quite impressed with

Geoffrey Rush, who was acted as King's speech trainer.

The speech trainer is performed as witty person, and his character

made the serious situation of king's stammer and the lonliness of

the His Majesty more bright and humorous.

Through watching this movie, I was remembering the memory when

I took over this position, that is the president of small company, and

I was very annoyed to talk in public situation.

And also I noticed how the leader's voice itself, regardless of

its content, is influencial to the people in uneasy for the future.

This could be the same situation after 9.11 in the US and after 3.11

in Japan.

The tone of voices are strictly related the presence of those who have.

Next holiday I plan to watch this movie again, paying attention to how

the presence of the King was changed, though contacting with the

speech trainer.

I have no intention to explain the details of the plot, but I want to

express the key word from the King; "Because, I have the voice!".

Yes, we have the voice to something express for the future.

6 months passed from 3.11 2.46 PM

Today, actual 6 months passed since devastating the earthquake and
tsunami disaster has occurred in March 11th.
We are greatly suffer damage especially the problem of Fukushima nuclear plants
and annoyed by power shortage in this summer.
Nevertheless, I was little bit shocked by myself how easily I forget the situation
on coastal aria on tohoku region, during the period the mass media was
concentrated on only nuke issues.

In this morning, I watched TV program, which featured one of companies located
in damaged area by tsunami.
The name of the company is "Saito Confectionery" and they produce famous
sweet "The egg of a sea gull"..

I was moved the story that this company had a significant damage by tsunami and
almost all their workplace was turned to be debris, but the president of this company
decided to deliver their all stocks of sweets for evacuated person just the aftermath.

"I met a God in Hell" , someone mentioned.

At that time the president might have no idea when and how they will re-start
their business. And they might think they intend to quit because he dismissed
almost every employer after their factory collapsed.

But his decision had brought many applause from not only the evacuee but
the lover of their confectionary all through the nation.
And many letters which hoping their re-starting of production.

This is the one of the impressive example "For what we are working".
I'm wondering I could make a similar decision in such situation.

Now I pray again the people who suffered severe damage when 6 month ago.

２か月がたちました。

連休を利用して、家族が一時滞在している岩手県に訪問しました。
内陸のほうも余震の関係で建物等には大きな損害をうけていました。

また現地にふれ、改めて人のつながりの強さというものを個人的な
体験としても感じました。それは、労働や居住の制約のなかでつながりを
強くすることが生きていくうえでの必須条件になっているという背景もありました。
いずれにせよ、被災した建物をカバーしながら日々の生活に復帰をかけている
地元の様子を感じました。

しかしながら、原発の問題が私たちの本当のリカバリーの足かせになって
いることは間違いありません。
東京電力さんも結局は国の施策の遂行者にすぎない構造が、今回の
一連の補償処理の議論により、改めて確認させられることとなりました。

いずれにせよ、この原発の事故によって、私たちの生活の成り立ちのなかでの
資本主義における経済的合理性の重要性とその限界というものが再認識
させられます。

確かに、通信にしろ交通にしろ、民営化の流れによって私たちの利便性は飛躍的に
伸びました。駅ナカ店舗の発展や電子マネー、インターネット、スマートフォンといった
現在の経済活動を大きく支える物品の普及はこのようなインフラの経済活動合理性を
抜きにしては実現しえなかったでしょう。

しかし、国の施策を民間企業に要望という形で提示するという構造は、この構造の
限界を露呈しました。

私たちの企業活動は、経済原理そのものですが、それを統御する枠組みとして
政治というものがあります。この２つは、なにをその目的とするかということによって
そもそもの存在意義が違います。しかしそこには、最終目的は異なれども、職務と
いうものを通じてプロフェッショナル性に磨きをかけてきた人の存在があります。

たとえば、陸前高田へのエクソンモービル社への支援活動のように、企業活動と
行政活動が同じ目的を共有することで、いままでの規制の枠をこえてプロフェッショナル
としての成果を社会に及ぼすことができることに、ある種の感銘をうけます。

エクソンモービルが被災地に仮設スタンドを設置

いずれにせよ、自分たちの組織体の目的はなんであるか、そしてその組織体
がなりたっている前提条件はなにか、ということをこの極限の状況は、私たちに
確認をさせてくれているように思います。

ただし、コンビニエンスストアの募金箱も５月にはいり、徐々に撤収されているようです。
現状では部品供給のめど等、震災の影響をうけているといえますが、徐々に今までの
生活の中に埋没していっている事実も感じます。

「３．１１」により長かった日本の戦後が終わったといった人がいました。
私たちはこの時期に、改めて経済活動に身を置くものとしての自分たちの目的を
再認識すると同時に、この日本という限られた環境の中にいきている人間としての
あり方をもう一度振り返る必要にせまられているのではないでしょうか。

なお、今後ＢＬＯＧはまた別の形で展開していきたいと思います。

当事者であること。

組織の問題をかんがえるときに、私自身一国民として、政府に対して
どのように自分が感じるか、ということを引き寄せて考えることがしばしば
あります。

すなわち、政府に対する私自身の感情が、逆に組織の中で私自身に
向けられる感情ととらえられないか、ということです。

たとえば歴代の宰相のありがちな欠点、たとえは上から目線であったり
途中でなげだしてしまったり、方針がぶれたり、ということを自分に重ねあわせ
て考えることがあり、連れ合いからは「立場が比較にならないでしょう」と
たしなめらることがしばしばあります。

ところで、今回の震災においても、復興のために政府が「復興会議」を立ち上げ
ました。この背景の気持ちは、ある意味わかるところがあります。

有識者の意見や現場の意見を聞く、という意味では重要なことだと思いますが、
実は増税といった国民に対しての厳しいことを導入せざるを得ない時に、
このような第三者機関から提言してもらうというのは、自らの批判を回避する
手段として無意識にとってしまいがちなことだと感じます。

しかし、国民の立場からすれば、内容の是非はともかくとして
厳しい話こそ政府が自らの責任として発言してもらいたい、という
いう気持ちもあります。

私自身も無意識のうちに、社員の方に仮に厳しい要求をしなくては
ならないときに、それが部門長などといった中間階層から作り上げて
もらえればという都合の良い考えをしがちなこともあることを反省します。

しかし厳しい局面であればあるほど、大切なことは要求する側と
それをうける側の直接の対話の機会だとおもうのです。

今回の有識者の会議では、地元の県知事さんも入っているのはまっとう
なことだと前置きしつつ、地元の代表といえる皆さんがもっと入っても
よかったのではないか、と思います。

というのは、本当の知恵というものは、本当に当事者と感じている
人たちからしか出てこないものではないか、と思うからです。

もちろん委員会のメンバーの方がそうでないわけではありませんが、
どれだけ本来の意味での当事者が参加できるか、という事実が新たな
動きを起こす上では大変重要なのではないでしょうか。

原子力の問題でも、国の責任なのか東電の責任なのか、と「上が悪い」
「下が悪い」という視点をお互いがもっているかぎりは本当の意味での
新たな変化を興しにくいのではないかという懸念があります。

十分な情報をもっているわけではないので、憶測で物をいってはいけない
という自戒をもちつつ、東電にせよ、あるいはＪＡＬにせよ、国家の政策を
おしつけられている」という気持ちをもたされているというある種の「あきらめ」
感があったのではないか、ということを、当事者のみなさんの本音ベースで
聞いてみたいようにも思います。

構造に問題を帰することはよくないという意見もあろうかと思いますが、
いずれせよ、どのような枠組みをつくるかが、かかわっている人たちの
当事者意識をどのように妨げることになるか、ということには、私自身も
含め、組織や集団の大小にかかわらず敏感である必要があるでしょう。

ある原子力の作業員の方の「地域を救うためには自分がうごかなければ」と
マスコミでおっしゃっていた言葉が印象的でした。
少なくともこの方は「当事者」でありつづけようという選択をされていると
思います。