Purpose Permeation Project Roundtable Discussion
Shinnihonseiyaku established its Purpose in January 2023. The employees in charge of the Purpose Permeation Project were asked to review the project so far and discuss future activities.
Participants： IR and Public Relations Office, Management Promotion Division: Konishi, Hirabayashi, Yonemura
Q: What circumstances led you to launch the Purpose Permeation Project? Also, please let us know your thoughts and feelings when you started this project.
Yonemura: In 2022, when our company celebrated its 30 year anniversary, we worked together with management to formulate the Purpose. From the formulation phase, we thought that it would be meaningless if we did not make it permeate throughout the company, so we very naturally decided to launch the Purpose Permeation Project. The Purpose is the "why" of the company, and the Mission is the "what" (what we do). I believe that awareness of the "why" will lead to the realization of our Mission.
Hirabayashi: Since I joined the project after the Purpose was formulated, I did a lot of information gathering to understand what the Purpose is. I thought other people would probably feel the same way about the questions I was having, so I thought I had to understand them first.
Konishi: At first, I was not familiar with the word "Purpose" because I also joined the project after it was formulated. As I proceeded to understand it better, I came to realize that “we should just keep on valuing what our company has always valued.”
Q: What did you do in the Permeation Project?
Yonemura: In carrying out this project, I thought that without a goal for the project itself, the purpose of the project would be to implement measures along the way. So we worked on setting goals first. After discussions with the members, the goal was set as "a situation in which employees are voluntarily practicing actions with awareness of the Purpose," and it was decided to work toward this goal by dividing the phases into recognition, understanding, empathy, commitment, and voluntary actions. In FY2023, we promoted awareness and understanding of the Purpose.
Q: Is the implementation of group work and the display of the Purpose throughout the company are part of the measures for this "recognition" and "understanding" phase, isn't it?
Konishi: Yes. At first, I had all sorts of worries about how to promote awareness and understanding, and how to communicate this to employees. However, when I had the opportunity to speak with a person who is in charge of the purpose permeation in other company, I was advised to strike while the iron is hot. Those words made me think that we should keep moving forward with the measures that we can implement anyway, and see the results and correct the course. I'm working on it every day “let’s just give it a try.” Now, in order to make sure that all employees understand that Purpose is the axis of our company in the future, we put Purpose on every bulletin board, ballpoint pen, sticky note, PC wallpaper...and everywhere else.
Hirabayashi: I gathered employees from each division and conducted group work on the Purpose. I hoped that this group work would help employees who were wondering, as I did at the beginning, "What is a Purpose?" and I hoped that this group work would give employees the opportunity to find out for themselves what other companies have as their Purposes. Therefore, we incorporated a game where participants matched Purposes to companies into this group work. I believe that by thinking about the connections between other companies' Purposes and the company's business on their own, they were able to think about Purposes in a more active manner.
Q: Thank you. Now, as one of our employees, I feel that wherever I look in the company, the Purpose catches my eye. I am sure that all employees feel the axis of the company is changing through these visually noticeable changes. Finally, what is your outlook for the future?
Konishi: I believe that there are two things, and one is to promote this project with a sense of speed, and to dissolve the project when the Purpose is talked about within the company as a matter of course.
Yonemura: The other is that as more and more new employees join, we need to consider how to incorporate the practice from the permeation of the Purpose into the internal structure of the company. I believe that there is no end to efforts to promote the permeation of Purpose when there is employees are moving around, and I would like to continue to work with the aim of making it a normal part of our company's culture.
