[Circular Project Dialogue Vol.2] Starting from ASNOVA’s Culture, Envisioning the Future of “Circulation” Through Diverse Perspectives
- Circular Economy
- Butterfly Diagram
- Loftwork
- Circular Business
- circular economy
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Closely following the general affairs department that supported the first general meeting of employees
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, remote work has been promoted and operations have become more efficient, but on the other hand, there are fewer opportunities for employees to meet face-to-face, and interaction is becoming less frequent.
Therefore, the first general meeting of employees since the company was founded was held on July 8, 2023.
The objectives were to share future visions and business strategies, to increase unity among employees by having them look in the same direction, to deepen understanding of their work, and to stimulate communication between employees.
The General Affairs Department's Senior Manager Shunsuke Takeuchi, Assistant Manager Yuki Kuchida, Ayano Yamamoto, and Shungo Tanaka managed and supported this general meeting of employees.
We asked the members of the General Affairs Department about their impressions after the general meeting, as well as about their daily work and ASNOVA as a company.
Text: Sayaka Mitsuda
Photo: Sho Kobayashi
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PROIFILE
- Shunsuke Takeuchi
- Senior Manager of the General Affairs Department. Joined ASNOVA in 2019. He has been in his current position since April 2023, after serving in general affairs, including the General Shareholders' Meeting.
- Yuki Kuchida
- Assistant Manager of the General Affairs Department, joined ASNOVA in 2021. He is mainly responsible for internet-related operations at the equipment center and the head office.
- Ayano Yamamoto
- General Affairs Department. Joined ASNOVA in 2021. He is in charge of general affairs.
- Shungo Tanaka
- General Affairs Department. Joined ASNOVA in 2022. He is in charge of general affairs.
With a "try it first" mentality, each person acts without fear of failure
Q. This was your first general meeting of employees. How did it proceed?
Takeuchi: Originally, we had a plan to hold a business etiquette course for employees as a human resources content. We considered inviting an external instructor for training, but sales office ・ If you gather employees for each area, the budget will be high. Therefore, we thought that it would be possible to conduct business etiquette training as a "general meeting of employees" by having our human resources staff conduct it, along with the dissemination of the company's purpose and the medium-term management plan.
Yamamoto: This story has been coming up since around 2022. Initially, it was planned to recruit volunteers like the "Executive Committee of the General Meeting of Employees," but General Affairs Department decided to undertake the project in consideration of ease of coordination with executives and departments.
Kuchida: This time, I was given the role of moderator and organizer at General Affairs Department, but as ASNOVA's Values says, I had the spirit of "try first," so I didn't have to worry about what to do if it didn't work out or to be blamed if I failed.
ASNOVA has a corporate culture of "try it out, and if it doesn't work, we can just learn from it next time," so I was able to operate without too much stress.
Yamamoto: That being said, the advance preparations were quite difficult.
Takeuchi: That's right. Our company had the general shareholders' meeting the week before the general employee meeting, but we couldn't help but focus on the general shareholders' meeting, which is an event for the outside world, rather than the general employee meeting, which is an event for the inside of the company.
Moreover, it was the first general shareholders' meeting since the company went public. Since I was attending meetings for two major events at the same time, I don't think I had much time to relax in the last month.
However, as I mentioned earlier, our corporate culture is one of tolerance for failure, even if we make mistakes, so I feel like we were able to hold both the shareholders' meeting and the employee meeting to our heart's content.
Q. So that was the background. What did you pay particular attention to in terms of the production and progression on the day?
Yamamoto: One of the purposes of the event was to encourage interaction among employees, so we randomly assigned seats by drawing lots to ensure that people who knew each other were not grouped together. Employees have said things like, "It was great to be able to talk to people I don't usually have a chance to talk to!" and "I happened to be at the same table as someone I only know on the phone, and it was great to be able to talk face to face!"
Tanaka: Also, because many people were coming to Nagoya for the first time, we sent them a PDF in advance with arrows showing the route from the station to the venue (Global Gate). Just answering phone calls from people who got lost on the day would take up a lot of time and mental space.
Takeuchi: The last time we had a major exchange involving each base was a company trip in May 2019, before the spread of COVID-19. Even then, we split into two groups for the trip, so all the employees never got to meet at the same time.
We considered planning a company trip again this time, but we had some issues with the burden on families and the cost, so we wanted everyone to enjoy this general meeting in the same way as a company trip. We hope it was a meaningful experience for everyone.
If we decide to hold the second event, we will do our best to make it even more fulfilling, taking into account what we learned from this one and the good points!
Supporting each unique department from behind the scenes. A reliable presence that creates harmony within the company.
Q.Could you tell us about your daily work at General Affairs Department?
Kuchida: It covers a wide range of responsibilities, including the maintenance and management of systems and information infrastructure, equipment management, company vehicle management, IT setup, mail processing, and telephone answering.
Yamamoto: General affairs is the coordinating role within the company. We have to work with people from various departments and our work is diverse, so we try to communicate everything in one go to avoid having to contact people twice, and we try to leave messages in chat to prevent mistakes.
Kuchida: Also, I try to speak without putting too much emotion into my conclusions, in a good way. For example, when I hear someone say, "I wonder if there's anything we can do about this," I can't help but want to side with them, or I want to do something that's unreasonable.
However, if we did that, it could lead to differences in how we respond, so in the end we try to reach a mechanical conclusion like, "This is written here in the regulations, so we can't do it."
If we make decisions based on our own convenience or mood, it will end up causing trouble for everyone. Of course, when I communicate with people, I try to speak as gently as possible and try to convey things in a way that they can understand.
Takeuchi: At ASNOVA, each department has its own unique personality and a vision of how it wants to be.
I think that our role as General Affairs Department is to support each place from behind the scenes so that it can shine.
Q. From the perspective of General Affairs Department people, what kind of company is ASNOVA?
Takeuchi: It's a tolerant company that allows for failure. It's a corporate culture where if you try something and it doesn't work, you can change the way you do it and try again. That's why we were able to go ahead and hold this general meeting.
Yamamoto: I think it's a forward-thinking company. The president is decisive, and the company is young, having been in business for 11 years, so it's a company with a lot of momentum.
Tanaka: I have the impression that this is a company that is starting a lot of new things. New initiatives such as "ASNOVA STATION" and "ASNOVA Ichiba" have been born one after another in the past few years. I think that's why it's such an environment where it's easy for employees to take on challenges.
Kuchida: We are a company where each employee is thinking about what would make the company better. I think that's why it's easy to come up with ideas.
I would be happy if new people joining ASNOVA would feel the same way.
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