IR 2022.06.30

What should ASNOVA do in the future society? Purpose Leads the scaffolding Industry's "Tomorrow"

≪Create your places of tomorrow with the power of "kasetsu". ≫ This Purpose, which was formulated by incorporating the ideas of a wide range of employees, from the president to new hires, regardless of their position or history in the company, has gradually begun to permeate ASNOVA as a guideline for each and every one of its employees. On the other hand, the project members say, “There is still more work to be done. What is the purpose of the Purpose, and what effect will it have on ASNOVA in the future? Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

We spoke to Mr. Motoharu Anami and Ms. Yui Sato from the Business Planning Department, who are in charge of communicating with both inside and outside the company through investor relations and branding, and Mr. Hisashi Aoyama and Ms. Haruko Miyauchi from SMO Co., Ltd., who are working alongside the purpose branding project, about what went on behind the scenes of the purpose formulation project and what lies ahead.

Text: Rumi Yoshizawa
Photo: Kaori Nishida

INDEX

PROIFILE

Hisashi Aoyama: SMO Co., Ltd. Realizing the need for purpose in Japanese companies, he has been working with Justin Lee since 2021 to provide consulting services based on purpose branding and purpose management. Utilizing his practical experience at a business company, consulting experience in various lines and industries, and his wide network, he creates the best project team and promotes the project. In this case, he led the project as the person in charge of all practical aspects, including planning, execution management, various interviews, and information analysis.
Haruko Miyauchi: SMO Co., Ltd. As a branding consultant, they support branding activities in a variety of industries. At Purpose Branding, they have a wide range of experience, from planning to penetration, including research, project progress management, workshop development and operation, and creative management. They also have a track record of working with many companies in the penetration area after planning, as well as supporting the execution of various plans and developments. In this case, they promoted the project in every aspect.
Yui Sato: Corporate Planning Office. Joined the company in August 2021. Engaged in branding activities, IR and public relations.
Motoharu Anami: Corporate Planning Office. Joined the company in February 2022. Engaged in branding activities, IR and public relations.

From the left: ASNOVA's Motoharu Anami, Yui Sato, SMO's Hisashi Aoyama, and Haruko Miyauchi

The purpose-setting project was carried out at a speed three times faster than usual!

How did the purpose-setting project get started?

Sato: Up until now, ASNOVA has been fulfilling its management philosophy, but while some employees understand it, others do not, and there was an issue that it had not penetrated the entire company due to company history and assignments, etc. By formulating a purpose that expresses the reason for our existence, we thought that we could show the reason for the company's existence both inside and outside the company, and that we could carry out consistent business with that as the axis, so we decided to formulate a purpose.

What is the difference between "business philosophy" and "purpose"?

Aoyama: Generally speaking, "management philosophy" is a comprehensive concept that refers to one's ideal state, the standard for value judgments, and the whole of the company. Depending on the company, it can be expressed in various words such as company creed, company motto, mission, philosophy, etc., but a concept that has been attracting attention recently is "purpose."

While business philosophy has a wide range of interpretations and definitions, purpose is quite clear and simple, defining why a company exists. It is important to clearly define purpose in terms of corporate management and branding, and interest in purpose has been growing in recent years.

President Ueda told me that it was difficult for employees to decide whether or not to take on new business ventures and grow them. Rather than doing something because it will be profitable or not, the decision should be based on whether it is socially meaningful and whether it is something that the company should do, and he approached me around September of last year about whether purpose should be a guide to finding the axis.

Around September of last year, this would have coincided with the time when ASNOVA welcomed new members and began to expand its organization.

Sato: Yes, that's right. They overlap. Around the same time, our number of members gradually increased and we were starting to focus on new business ventures.

Miyauchi: I understand that you want to clearly articulate why you are doing this business, both in order to advance new business ventures and to attract more diverse talent.

What process did you go through to formulate this purpose?

Miyauchi: Usually, in the first information gathering phase, we would interview people inside and outside the company, but since everyone at ASNOVA placed importance on speed, we conducted management interviews with four members of the management team to get input. At the same time, we conducted desk research at our company and formulated the plan in a workshop format together with ASNOVA employees.

We gathered about 15 employees from across the divisions and held three workshops. We held six workshops including the one on brand identity, and we also considered measures for penetration after formulation, so we held a total of eight workshops.

Aoyama: We completed those eight sessions in just one and a half months, which is a pretty fast pace. ASNOVA is good at working quickly on everything they do. It was a flash from when we met with the president to when the project started.

By the way, how long does it usually take?

Aoyama: Most projects last between three and six months. If it takes a long time, it can even last up to a year. Simply put, the bigger the organization, the more employees there are, the more work you have to do.

Miyauchi: In large organizations, it is not uncommon for it to take three months to get internal approval to start a project.

Aoyama: If you were to do eight workshops like the one we did with ASNOVA, it would typically take three to four months.

That being said, it must have been quite difficult even within ASNOVA to move at such a fast pace.

Sato: The president didn't suddenly start saying, "Let's work quickly," but it's something that has already been ingrained throughout the company. When I asked the participants of the workshop, they all immediately agreed, saying, "Okay," so we were able to get started on the workshop right away.

Miyauchi: That's amazing, considering that some companies take a month just to select their members.

Sato: As part of our personnel system, we have a system that utilizes an external educational institution called "ASNOVA Recurrent" to supplement knowledge and support individual growth. There were nine employees who were using the system, so we reached out to these members. We thought that Purpose would be better if people who have a high level of awareness on a daily basis, such as "I want to grow for the company" or "I want to go to school because I want to grow," participated.

Aoyama: In addition, the president and three other executives also participated, and in the end, the workshop was held with a mix of various members, including the on-site leadership. In other companies, people tend to be hesitant to speak up when there are people above them, or their superiors end up doing all the talking, so they divide teams by hierarchy and adjust the number of participants, but in ASNOVA's case, it was very impressive to see the president and new employees discussing things on an equal footing.

The gap between the headquarters and the field is reaffirmed, but we are still aiming for the same direction

Through this workshop, what did you feel about the organization ASNOVA?

Sato: People who work in the field and people who work at the head office have different perspectives and feelings. In this workshop, I was reminded of that gap, and I felt that the gap was bridged to some extent by exchanging opinions.

Although there are gaps depending on the position, the keyword "scaffolding" is common to all of us, so I thought that in the end, we are aiming for the same direction.

Aoyama: I felt that many of them had the mindset of actively speaking out. In workshops, it's common for people to not want to be the first speaker and for the space to warm up. However, in the case of ASNOVA, everyone was very positive, and there were many developmental discussions in which Mr. B covered Mr. A's opinion, so I think we were able to proceed in a good way.

Miyauchi: What impressed me was how proud ASNOVA is of its rental business. When I first met President Ueda, he said that "rental is a business that can contribute to the issue of reducing CO2 emissions and other current social issues," and I could sense that the employees also see the rental business as a model that can contribute to a circular society. The word "society" was included in the purpose that was formulated because ASNOVA is a company that has always been conscious of contributing to society.

After the workshop, "Creating places of tomorrow in society with the power of 'Kasetsu'. 》 The purpose has been decided. What has been the reaction within the company since it was formulated?

Sato: When we made flyers for internal use and for distribution outside the company, people in the company started saying, "We want to include our purpose in the phrases on the flyers." I was happy that purpose was seen as a part of the company, not just as a slogan. They may not have understood the exact meaning of every word, but the fact that people are aware of our purpose means that it was worth all the work we did together to make it.

Miyauchi: It's the same idea as setting a goal at the beginning of a project, and it really does convey everyone's awareness of starting with this purpose.

Mr. Anan, who joined ASNOVA in February of this year, must have had an objective view of Purpose when joining the company. What did you think of it from the outside?

Anami: I had seen ASNOVA's purpose before I joined the company, but I didn't know they even held workshops until I joined. The company itself is very passionate, and the president is also willing to think together with employees from their perspective, which I thought was very appealing.

How much do you feel this purpose has permeated the company?

Sato: You may know that the purpose was formulated, but I think that there are still a few people who can explain the purpose. For example, even if it is pervasive among the members at the head office, there is a part of me that is worried about whether the awareness is shared with Equipment Center and sales personnel nationwide.

Miyauchi: As part of the formulation project, we recently came up with a 1.5-year plan to spread our purpose. It's like a roadmap for getting everyone to understand it, to get them to empathize with it, and then to put it into action.

Not only did we produce a purpose book that conveys our purpose in a more detailed way, but we also revamped our company guide and website, but we are currently planning what we can do to be more effective in the future. We received opinions and ideas at the recent workshop, so we plan to start implementing the ones that seem most practical and effective.

Anami: It's hard to grasp that gap when you're at the head office, but I think it's hard for people working on the front lines to imagine it because they have few opportunities to come into contact with purpose in the first place. We're making videos and purpose books as part of a project to spread purpose, but we also think we need measures that will make everyone feel active and take action.

Taking on new challenges with purpose as the starting point, while also incorporating feedback from partner companies and the field

In the future, how do you think ASNOVA will change if the purpose is spread to every corner of the company, including Equipment Center and local Sales Department?

Sato: I feel that if our purpose permeates the entire company, it will spread outside the company as well. Currently, by sharing the purpose within the company, new ideas such as new businesses are emerging from various members, so if it spreads throughout the company, there may be voices from Equipment Center people in various regions saying, "I want to do this kind of business to solve problems," and it will spread outside the company that "ASNOVA is working hard with this axis." I hope that it may lead to the revitalization of the industry.

Aoyama: Generally speaking, purpose serves as a standard for employees' decisions and leads to internal unity, so it has the effect of allowing employees to take on challenges without hesitation. ASNOVA, which is actively challenging itself with new businesses, is making good use of the "cases" in purpose to tackle new challenges.

Also, in terms of the external meaning of purpose, it will make it clearer what kind of company ASNOVA is, what makes us different from others, and what we are trying to achieve. This will make it easier to gather collaborators and partner companies who want to create something new together.

In addition, now that ASNOVA has gone public, I think its social significance will become even more important in the future. It's not just about the company, its purpose also includes ambitious aims to revitalize the industry and change the image of the industry, so communicating this will send a strong message to the outside world, which I think will lead to increased brand value for ASNOVA.

Are there any measures you are currently implementing to further instill purpose within the company?

Anami: We are still exploring. We are currently working with SMO to come up with various measures and put them into action.

Sato: We already have a lot of ideas. As part of our internal branding, we can periodically communicate about our purpose in our company newsletter and owned media, and in terms of communicating to the outside world, we have a big plan to create a video to communicate our purpose. We want to create a video that will let people understand everything about ASNOVA, and that will convey the value and appeal of ASNOVA.

Miyauchi: In terms of understanding the purpose, simply distributing a booklet is not enough, so our future challenge is how to reinforce that. I think there are things we can do in the understanding phase, whether that be adding a segment to existing training or creating a video.

What I'm personally looking forward to is hearing from people in the field. We received some ideas at the workshop, but we would like to realize as many requests as possible, such as "We want this kind of tool to help us understand" or "We want this kind of project." We are still looking for ideas, as we would like to realize any idea that is effective.

Anami: It's important for us at the head office and our partner companies, including SMO, to come up with various ideas, but I think it's more important to reflect the opinions of people on the ground, who have a lot of contact with the outside world, so the ideas will penetrate both inside and outside the company quicker. Our thinking is somewhat rigid, so we really need the help of people on the front lines.

One of ASNOVA's strengths is that it actively listens to the opinions of partner companies and the field. Perhaps this is why new ideas and new trends are so actively born.

Aoyama: This project, which looked back on the project, wrote an article about it, and shared it both inside and outside the company, is wonderful. As the term "purpose washing" suggests, there are many cases where the goal is to make something and then be done with it, or to make something because everyone else is making it, but I feel that the people at ASNOVA have really grasped the essence of purpose.

This is also written in the mid-term business plan, but ASNOVA is planning to develop a new business that connects with end users. What I think is great about this is that they are thinking about what BtoC ASNOVA should do, starting from their purpose and linking it to their actual business activities.

There is no end to deepening understanding and penetration, but Purpose is already being put to concrete use in new businesses and reviews of existing businesses.

SMO Co., Ltd.
A consulting firm that supports branding and innovation
WEB:https://www.smo-inc.com/index.html