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How to put "creative" human resource management into practice? Learning from Soup Stock Tokyo and ASNOVA
Human capital considers the knowledge, skills, abilities, and qualities possessed by individuals to be capital that creates added value and is subject to investment. In today's rapidly changing business environment, human capital is becoming increasingly important in order to enhance the power of companies.
So, what can be done to bring out the individuality and abilities of individuals and connect them to corporate value? In order to find hints, an event was held to discuss the possibilities of human resource development and organizational development in the future, and Daisuke Kato of ASNOVA Director General Manager of Administration Department took the stage.
"Renew your organization! Learning from Soup Stock Tokyo and ASNOVA on creative human resource management"
Text: Tomo Fujiwara
Photo: Kaori Nishida
INDEX
PROIFILE
- Miwa Ezawa
- Soupstock Tokyo Co., Ltd., Director Vice President & Human Resources General Manager After graduating from junior college, he worked as a part-time worker before joining Smiles Co., Ltd. in 2005 as a partner (part-time employee) of Soupstock Tokyo. One year later, he was promoted to an employee and served as a store manager at several stores. After that, he was transferred to the corporate sales group, where he was in charge of launching a frozen soup specialty store, launching 17 new stores, and developing human resources. In 2016, when Soupstock Tokyo Co., Ltd. was spun off, he was appointed as Director and Human Resources Development Senior Manager. Currently, as Vice President and Human Resources General Manager of Director, he has developed 12 personnel systems based on "valuing people" and is working to create a new recruitment and training system. In December 2018, she won the Changemaker Award at the Forbes JAPAN WOMAN AWARD 2018.
- Daisuke Kato
- ASNOVA Co., Ltd., Director General Manager of Administration Department After working in marketing, corporate planning, and finance at an information service company in Nagoya, Japan, he handled IPOs and market changes in corporate planning for a staffing company. In 2020, he joined ASNOVA Co., Ltd. and contributed to the realization of an IPO in the Meisho Next market as the person in charge of Administration Department. Currently, he is in charge of general affairs, human resources, and accounting, and is involved in the construction of the "ASNOVA WAY" system, which is ASNOVA's personnel system.
- Eri Iwasawa
- Loftwork Inc., Culture Executive/Marketing Leader Joined the company in 2015. As the person in charge of marketing communications, he is responsible for creating the first point of contact between Loftwork and clients through event planning and design. He also supports the design of marketing strategies for projects, drawing on his experience in interview-based marketing research and his experience in creating a variety of spaces, such as setting up and running a shared office and an employment support school, as the person in charge of new business ventures. He is currently active with an interest in creating spaces that change relationships between people and bringing out the individuality that lies dormant in the ordinary.
- Kazuto Kojima (Hamo)
- Loftwork Inc., Producer After studying architecture at a vocational school, he has been involved in a wide range of projects as a designer, director and planner, including new brands, stores, product development and PR planning. He is also active as an art artist under the name "Harmonism", creating works that transcend genres through collaborations with fashion, plant research and urban gardens. In 2018, he joined Loftwork, where he is responsible for a wide range of production work, including new business creation, co-creation space creation and local industry promotion. Since 2020, he has been actively incorporating methods such as science fiction prototyping, proposing what companies and organizations should do going forward in an uncertain society. As both a businessperson and an artist, he is interested in designing questions about the "future". His nickname is "Hamo-san".
HR reform to create a corporate brand
The first case study was presented by Ms. Miwa Ezawa, Vice President and Human Resources General Manager of Soupstock Tokyo Director Co., Ltd. Mr. Ezawa, who started as a partner (part-time) and achieved an unusual promotion, became the head of the Human Resources Development Department, which was established six years ago, and has been working to create a new recruitment and training system.
The first thing Ezawa did was to listen to the voices of employees on the ground. After a series of interviews with each employee, he identified issues facing each store, which he then addressed as management issues for the company.
"Our company philosophy is 'Raising the temperature of the world,' so this philosophy is the measuring stick for everything, from sales to human resources. Therefore, we have begun to act with the belief that our mission is to raise the temperature of our employees and partners working in the field."
Mr. Ezawa, who started creating a new personnel system, says he came to an awareness.
"At first, I tried to think things through from the perspective of clearing up each and every issue that was happening in front of me. But my boss advised me, "If you think like that, the first step will take years, and the second step will be even further away. It's important to understand the current situation, but it's better to picture where you want to be in the end and work backwards."
After receiving this advice, Ms. Ezawa says he made a major shift in his way of thinking, to visualize an ideal situation based on the company's philosophy and work toward that goal. Soup Stock Tokyo's personnel policies, which started in this way, are now being implemented in various forms, including the in-house SNS "Smash," the hospitality achievement presentation event "SST Grand Prix," the "Pivot Work System" that lifted the ban on side jobs, and the "What I Want to Do Competition" to support new projects.
"We're still only halfway there, and there are many areas where we haven't reached the ideal state we envisioned at the beginning, but I think that these systems and mechanisms have helped us to improve the skills and experience of our employees."
A human resource development system and media strategy that will revamp the industry's image
Next, Mr. Daisuke Kato of ASNOVA Director General Manager of Administration Department took the stage with Kazuto Kojima, a producer at Loftwork Co., Ltd., who is working on a project in collaboration with ASNOVA.
Mr. Kato introduced "ASNOVA WAY," a personnel system aimed at developing human resources who can take on new businesses and services. The system is made up of "AMP!", which collaborates with external creators to gain new insights and produce output, "ASNOVA Recurrent," which provides a place for working adults to acquire knowledge outside the company, such as through graduate school, and the "ASNOVA Challenge System," which aims to develop human resources with an entrepreneurial spirit.
In addition, as a media strategy, the official owned media "KAKERUBA" that started in April 2022 was also introduced. KAKERUBA By disseminating our own initiatives, including the "ASNOVA WAY," we have increased the number of applicants in recruitment activities, and we have seen an increase in the number of applicants and the application of new types of human resources that have never been seen before. He says there are signs of change.
"We've been working on a lot of initiatives over the past two or three years, but what has the reaction been both inside and outside the company?" Mr. Kojima asked. Kato replied, "The influence is gradually spreading from employees who are using the system to attend external educational institutions and employees who have participated in AMP! programs to other employees. We've had more opportunities to receive attention from outside the company, with people saying, 'That's something interesting'"
However, as he implemented one initiative after another, he says there was a moment when he suddenly stopped to think.
"Why are we doing this initiative in the first place, and what are the criteria for deciding whether to do it or not? In the midst of such hesitation, we decided that standards were necessary, and we established our purpose of "creating places of tomorrow in society with the power of Kasetsu." Currently, we are making decisions based on how this purpose permeates and how to build it based on the purpose."
After hearing this, Mr. Kojima commented, "Instead of starting from a philosophy like Soup Stock Tokyo, ASNOVA is unique in that it builds its purpose by trying things out and then reflecting on them, which is a very speedy approach." Mr. Kato replied with a smile, "First, try things out and keep going until they take root. Repeat the cycle of quickly executing and quickly correcting course. That may be our company culture."
Finally, Mr. Kato stated, "If you are too preoccupied with the things in front of you, you will not be able to come up with new ideas or improve your work," and introduced the Liberal Arts System that was launched as part of the "ASNOVA WAY." Under this system, all employees choose from a number of recommended books and the corresponding books are distributed every month. This system encourages communication among employees, such as exchanging books and talking about the contents of the books, and is an initiative that raises the perspective of all employees.
The challenge of cultivating a culture that draws out the creativity of each individual
The third case study was presented by Eri Iwasawa, Culture Executive/Marketing Leader at Loftwork Inc. Ms. Iwasawa explained why Loftwork is "fostering a culture that brings out the creativity of each individual."
"We believe that the diverse creativity of each individual expands the possibilities of a company. The creativity of each individual can be pooled together through a company to generate value that will change society. I believe this will lead to new businesses and activities."
First, Ms. Iwasawa introduced examples of Loftwork's many initiatives, such as "FabCafe," which creates innovation by bridging the barrier between the digital and real world, and "LAYOUT," an experimental unit that produces three-dimensional urban experiences based on the theme of participatory urbanism, as "projects that start with one person's desire to do something." He said, "The pursuit of one person's curiosity and the vision they want to realize can also be the driving force behind an organization's new field development and business development."
He went on to say that "opportunities and communities are important for discovering your own curiosity about the unknown and nurturing the seeds of that curiosity," and introduced examples such as training camps for small creative activities, study groups where people learn from each other both inside and outside the company, and the "COUNTER POINT" project-in-residence program held at FabCafe.
He went on to explain that "recommended activities and behaviors are also incorporated into the evaluation," and introduced Loftwork's evaluation system, which uses a goal management method called OKR and evaluates employees based on three axes: "Performance," "Leadership," and "Presence."
"We believe in creativity within all. We believe in the creativity that exists within everyone. This is the starting point for all of our activities. As we consider how we can unleash creativity, we are undertaking many other measures and activities in addition to those I have mentioned today. We are still only halfway there, but I hope that through our discussion today we will find some hints for further polishing our efforts."
What are the policy outcomes and individual evaluation methods?
From here on, Mr. Kojima will act as moderator and the discussion will deepen in a cross-talk format. The three companies have implemented many measures, but how do they measure the results of these measures? Also, how do they evaluate the changes that occur in individuals? Ms. Ezawa says, "When it comes to HR, it takes time for results to appear, and it's very difficult to measure."
"I think that while there are results that can be measured quantitatively using numbers, there are also qualitative results that just cannot be quantified. In our case, we consider the fact that we have started receiving interviews and other inquiries from outside the company about 'people', such as our personnel system, to be one achievement. And the fact that we were invited here today is another example of this," said Ms. Ezawa.
In response to this, Mr. Kojima commented on the connection to media strategy, saying, "When we started working with ASNOVA on AMP!, of course we wanted to create a good program, but at the same time, I remember you saying that you wanted AMP! to be evaluated by a third party and for new people to see that and come. I think it would be a good idea to evaluate what you can evaluate yourself, and borrow the perspective of a third party for things that you can't measure on your own, and then use the media to spread that evaluation."
Next, Mr. Kato spoke about ASNOVA's personnel evaluation system:
"When we first started ASNOVA WAY, we focused too much on recruiting talent for new businesses, which we regretted. In our company, the majority of our employees are involved in accumulating daily sales in the field, and employees who want to try new businesses are an overwhelming minority. If we only valued talent for new businesses, the personnel system would become unbalanced. This is why we decided to go back to the idea of developing talent that is aligned with our purpose. Whenever we encounter a problem, we always return to our purpose." (Mr. Kato)
Ms. Iwasawa also speaks of the difficulties of the evaluation system, saying, "Even if half-yearly goals are set, there are cases where those goals cannot be fully evaluated six months later. It may be necessary to be flexible and adapt to changes."
"But there is meaning in just putting your goals into words and expressing them. When you express them, it becomes an opportunity for everyone to think, 'Let's do this together,' or 'How can we achieve this?', so I think that's very important." (Ms. Iwasawa)
Start small and involve people inside and outside the company
Expressing your views is an opportunity for everyone to think about it. From Iwasawa's words, the topic turned to "how to involve people inside and outside the company." When Mr. Kojima asked, "Since there are people with all kinds of opinions, do you ever hear people say, 'I don't like this policy?'" Ms. Ezawa responded:
"I don't think there is anything that everyone can relate to. But if you just take the average, it won't resonate with anyone. So you need to get people who can relate and are interested, even if it's only a few, involved, and then expand from there. Having people for and against means that, in a sense, you're making an impact, so I think it's important to start small. If there are voices of support and opposition to a single topic, it also gives you an opportunity to hear the voices of your employees." (Ms. Ezawa)
After hearing this, Mr. Kojima said, "I see. Maybe creating a slightly unsettling situation can help spark dialogue." He then challenged Mr. Kato, asking, "Aren't there many similar gaps between the workplace and ASNOVA?"
"There have been times when we created personnel systems with good intentions, but they didn't fit at all. We need to examine each case individually to see if the system itself is bad, or if it's because it hasn't been adopted properly. Employees can't help but feel like they're being forced to do systems created by the company, so we try to create systems that effectively combine the voices of employees who say, 'I want to do this' with what the company wants them to do." (Mr. Kato)
Following on from Ms. Ezawa and Mr. Kato, Ms. Iwasawa continued:
"In the case of Loftwork, we value the energy that comes from when two or three people who want to try something get together, so I really resonated with what Ezawa said earlier about trying to give it some shape, even if it's small. In the early stages of evolution, it's something that's just been born, so no one can really evaluate it. So rather than thinking about whether it's good or bad before it's born, we just try it out. I think that's when the passion to get others involved is born." (Ms. Iwasawa)
Investing in human resources in terms of money, time, and roles
How can a company invest in something that has just been born and whose value is still unknown? Should they invest money, time, or a role? When Mr. Kojima asked this question, Ms. Ezawa replied, "In our case, it's time first."
"In the restaurant business, time is a daily struggle, so we have to make time for people. I think it's a good message for the company to send out the message that it's okay to use work time, not just private time, to do what you like or want to do, and to give people the time to do so." (Ms. Ezawa)
Iwasawa had this to say about investing in a role:
"Being given the role of Culture Executive has allowed me to see things in a new light. So I think giving people roles, even in areas where you don't know if they can do it, is a way of investing in them. And it doesn't have to be a leadership role, it could be a special title like 'special mission'." (Ms. Iwasawa)
After listening to the two, Mr. Kojima said, "Investing in time and roles seems like it's easy to start right away, but it takes time to change. On the other hand, investing in money may be able to speed up change." Mr. Kato then spoke about investing money:
"AMP! is being developed with the cooperation of Loftwork, but if we had tried to do it on our own, it would have taken five to ten years to achieve. Of course, we would like to do it in-house in the future, but first we will make an upfront investment and try it with the cooperation of another company. That way, we can quickly learn about the good and bad points and make a decision." (Mr. Kato)
Sowing seeds for the future
Finally, when Kojima asked how we can create "creative" human resources, which was the theme of the event, Iwasawa responded as follows:
"Listening to everyone's stories, I was reminded that it's important to create open opportunities. Let's unleash the things we want to try and the curiosity we have and see what will grow from that. I think we all need to work together to create that kind of space, little by little." (Iwasawa)
Mr. Kojima then laughed and said, "It's about investing without knowing what you're getting into. Listening to Mr. Iwasawa's story, I imagined a scene of planting a seed without knowing what it is into the soil. It might sprout in a year, or five years, or even 20 years, but you have to think of it as an investment of that magnitude. The key is to not rush things."
"Let's try planting without rushing. Let's till the soil first," said Iwasawa and Kojima, and Ezawa and Kato nodded with smiles on their faces.
Throughout the 90-minute talk event, we were able to get a glimpse of the three companies' different approaches and trial and error processes, their underlying thoughts about people, and the future that lies beyond.
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