No matter what kind of organization you are in, there will always be worries about building and managing the organization.

Taku Namura, who created a number of hit products at CyberAgent, including "Ameba Pigg," "AWA," and "AbemaTV," has now moved to LayerX after working at Mercari and Souzoh, where he is currently shouldering the heavy responsibility of building the organization as an executive officer of the business division and in charge of enablement.

How do you create an organization that is highly performing, even when it includes people who don't always behave rationally like a program? How do you use your experience as an engineer in this endeavor?

We will ask for tips on building an organization that maximizes performance.

What's interesting about both the product and the organization

--I heard that you joined LayerX in June 2022 and launched the "Enabling Team" at the same time as you joined. What role does the Enabling Team play within the company?

The enabling team:A team that draws out the performance of various members within the company and works to improve productivity and overall company performance..

Enabling is a relatively new concept introduced in the book "Team Topologies," which defines the role of an enabling team as "a team of specialists in specific technical domains who help fill capability gaps."

It is similar to the role of what was originally called the common infrastructure team, but while the infrastructure team only provides completed functions, the enabling team, while being outside the product development team, goes into the development team and works together to create functions.Being on the outside allows us to present the best options, helping each product team acquire new capabilities.

Currently we are still focused on engineers, but in the future we would like to provide a similar experience to people in non-engineering areas, such as sales and customer success, and work to improve performance across the company.

--You've said before that you like good programs because they have a rational basis and no part of them that you can't explain. It seems surprising that you focus on people and organizations that can't be controlled by logic alone.

Indeed, in a past interview, I said, "I prefer writing code to management." A good program is beautiful, isn't it? It has rationality and there is no part that cannot be explained.

But as I became CTO at Mercari and Souzoh, I started to look at the organization.Organizations also need to be created as something like "good programs."I began to think that way.

The same results will come out no matter who does it. Or, if there are highly skilled people, the results will be better. In terms of creating such an environment through mechanisms, an organization is similar to software.

On the other hand, the clear difference is thatThat humans have emotionsHumans do not always behave as rationally as programs. Therefore, in the process of creating an ideal environment, it is necessary to consider how to keep each individual highly motivated.

That being said, one could say it is difficult, but I feel that creating a system that can deliver high performance while incorporating human beings, who are highly uncertain, is an extremely interesting challenge.

The formative experience that taught me to "leave it to others"

--The more ambitious a business person is and the more idealistic they are about how things should be, the more likely they are to clash with those around them. How have you dealt with the emotional conflicts that can arise in an organization, which are unique to humans?

This is largely due to the experience I gained while working at CyberAgent, where I was creating a dress-up avatar service called "Pupe Girl."

At the time, I was a very sharp engineer. I had strong opinions about how things should be and what features we should create.

However, "Pupe Girl" was a service aimed at women. No matter how much I put my own ideas of how things should be, users would not use it at all. That's when I first learned that my opinions are not always right.

Even if someone has an opinion different from mine, if a professional in that field, for example a designer, says so, I've come to believe that it might be correct. I gradually began to have the mental space to understand people with different opinions and accept the possibility of moving in a direction different from my own ideals.

--From your experience of failure, you realized the importance of listening to the opinions of many people.

What was interesting was that, for example, when I pitched a vague idea to the designer, like "I want something like this," the response was always better than I had expected. Whatever I vaguely thought, "I wish I could make something like this," they always surpassed it. That was the kind of team they were.

How important is "letting go"?I was able to experience this for myself. Since then,I became very conscious of things like "team chemistry"Hm.

Of course, you can make things by yourself,It won't exceed my expectationsIsn't that right? Because it limits your abilities and creativity. I've been thinking recently that that's not very interesting.

There are quite a few people in the world who, when you give them a vague idea of ​​what they want to do or what they want you to make, can create something even more amazing than you would expect.The resulting products will surpass each of these limitations and become something amazing.Hm.

We inspire each other, improve each other, and grow together.I think making things like that is fun.

Exceeding expectations

--While I agree with what you just said, I also think that this is something that can only work if you have a strong team. What do you think makes a strong team, and what are the requirements for the people who make up it?

one,You must be a tolerant personI think.

The more pointed you are, the less tolerant you become. More people will reject anything that isn't how they think it should be. But if you're creating something as a team, you need to be open-minded and able to accept the opinions of many different people, including those of people with little experience.

Another necessary base isEveryone on the team shares the value of exceeding expectations..

Therefore, we are currently working on what kind of environment would encourage employees to have these values ​​and what kind of organizational culture we should create.

--I think many people have experienced the joy of "meeting expectations," but I feel like there aren't that many for whom "exceeding expectations" is their default. How did you yourself come to have the value of "meeting expectations by exceeding them"?

That may be because I'm an engineer.

No matter how long it takes, no matter how hard you work, it's all worth it if someone uses it and is happy with it. I think that's the most enjoyable part of engineering and manufacturing.An environment where you can experience funSo I think I was able to naturally get a pleasure that exceeded my expectations.

For example, if you're an engineer, you could implement new features and demonstrate them regularly, even if it's just within the company.You should consciously increase the number of opportunities to have people say "That's amazing!" to you.I think.

But to do that, you ultimately need technical ability and skills.Ultimately, you have to keep improving your skills and learning new things.This leads to the following story.

A fun environment creates innovation

--Mr. Namura, rather than tackling a difficult challenge like building an organization with hesitation, you always seem to approach it with conviction.

I personally love engineering and creating things that contribute to the success of the company and make people happy, but originally,Those who have been provided with an environment that they find enjoyableEnglish learning is necessary to prepare for life, learning and interaction with the global environment. <br> IT Skills (programming logic) is necessary to prepare for the needs of the future.<br> Financial literacy is necessary to prepare for creating, managing and being smart with time and wealth.<br>

I especially remember my time at CyberAgent. I was involved in a variety of projects from their inception, and overall, I enjoyed every one of them.

Authority was properly delegated. If someone wanted to try something new, there was no one to discourage them... I can think of many reasons why it was fun, but I was fortunate to always have that kind of environment, so I never had to worry about my career.I just did what I wanted, and before I knew it, I had accumulated a lot of knowledge and was doing well as an engineer.

So,I am currently engaged in this activity with the hope that I can be the one to provide such an environment.That's right.I hope there will be more engineers and craftspeople who can empathize.There are some things we do with that in mind.

--Finally, please tell us what you would like to do in the future, including your work with the Enabling Team.

I don't think engineering is a job or a hobby that people who don't like it should be forced to do. So I think it's fine for only people who like it to do it. I like it so much that I ended up doing things that weren't even asked of me. I think this job is suitable for people like that.

However, it is also true that the hurdles to becoming an engineer are lower than they were in the past. In the past, you had to know everything, even things you didn't understand, but now technology does that for you. It's easy to do and fun. And yet you can create a variety of things.

We will continue to lower that hurdle,I want to create a world where all kinds of people can join.I think.

When people who aren't engineers at heart do engineering, it can lead to the creation of things you never thought possible. That's how innovation is born.

Furthermore, if there are more people like this, it will be inspiring for us who have been in this industry for a long time, and we will think, "Oh, I see, there is another way of thinking about it."

By competing with each other, we can grow together.I think it would be fun if the world became like that.

[Text] Yuko Kawabata (XICA)
[Photo] Ryuji Hatate
[Planning and editing] Yuko Kawabata (XICA)　
[Interview cooperation] Rikio Suzuki