"Organizational culture" is the source of a company's superiority and centripetal force. Although we understand its importance, many people may be concerned about how to cultivate it.

Tomoyasu Ishii, CEO of Ishii Foods Co., Ltd., famous for its Ishii meatballs, has introduced an engineering culture including "agile" to the long-established company he inherited from his father, and is attracting attention for his ability to bring about organizational change.

How did Mr. Ishii instill the idea of ​​agile? What is the difference between engineer culture and non-engineer culture? We asked him about the mindset and actions necessary to foster a new culture.

Ishii Foods Co., Ltd.
Representative Director, President and CEO
Tomoyasu Ishii

In June 2006, he joined Accenture Technology Solutions (now Accenture). As a software engineer, he was involved in building core systems for large companies and supporting digital marketing. In 6, he began working as a freelancer, practicing agile contract development, developing software for new businesses and building teams, mainly for venture companies. In 2014, he joined Ishii Foods Co., Ltd., which was founded by his grandfather. In June 2017, he became Representative Director and President. Now in its fourth founding period, the company is working with farmers to create food products with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients. He is a certified Scrum Professional.

"Laziness, impatience, and arrogance" are the three major virtues of engineers

—— First of all, please tell us what you think are the characteristics of engineering culture.

It varies greatly from company to company, so it's hard to generalize, but I think there are three major characteristics.

One is"logical"Software operates on a binary system of 0 and 1, so it is clear whether something is correct or not. There is a culture that prioritizes logical correctness, regardless of experience or position, such as superior or subordinate.

The first one"Open Source"There is a philosophy that technology should not be monopolized but should be shared, and that everyone should work together to improve it in order to create something good. I think that the strong connections and communities outside the company are also characteristics of this industry.

The first one"Enjoy your work"That is because many people are originally nerdy and love making things, and because it is a logical world, they have always tried to have fun.

--When you worked as an engineer in the past, how did you approach your work?

The feedback I got from a senior at Accenture was, "You're so lazy." At first I thought it was a criticism, but later I realized it was a compliment.

There are three virtues of engineers that are the qualities of a top programmer. Laziness is one of them. It is not about not working, but aboutTrying to streamline and systematize tedious work to make things easier, etc. It has a positive meaning.

The other two of the three great virtues are "impatience," which refers to a speedy response, and "arrogance," which expresses a professional attitude. I was surprised at the time, but now I think they are very important values ​​in terms of improving production efficiency.

"Agile" is a people-focused workflow

—— Your slightly self-deprecating way of speaking is also interesting (laughs). Do you think that kind of engineering culture has permeated business culture as well?

Yes, I think there is a trend to adopt the ideas of growing IT and software companies. The same goes for "Agile." It is accepted because it is a systematization of good software development methods.

But actually, part of the origin of agile is in Japan. In the 1980s, a study was conducted in the United States on the strength of Japanese manufacturing at the height of its power. That research paper and Toyota's methods had a major influence on agile.

So, in general, the impression is that of "speed" and "agileness," but at the root of it all is the JapaneseContains the essence of "valuing human connections and emotions"Hm.

-- It may not be widely known that the origins of agile are in Japan. Could you please explain to us again what kind of thinking agile is?

Agile incorporates various opinions to meet customer requests,A way of being that is resilient to changeRecently, this has been reflected not only in development but in all aspects of management.

For example, an autonomous and decentralized organization is more likely to produce flat opinions and to notice opportunities and difficulties than a pyramidal organization where one person thinks and issues orders. Diversity, including gender, age, and nationality, is also important because it allows us to meet the needs of many customers.

And instead of thinking of members as replaceable,"Human-Centered Design" places value on how to bring out the motivation and capabilities of current membersAnother characteristic of agile is that it strongly reflects the idea of ​​"It would be overwhelmingly great if we could maximize people's interest and the number of active brains through dialogue," which is the agile way of thinking and what it values.

Just like in agriculture, waiting is also important in cultural development

--So you brought that agile thinking to Ishii Foods.

Rather than simply expanding our ideas, we wanted to preserve the traditional qualities of a long-established company,Things I think should be tackled from a human and universal perspectiveWe introduced it with this in mind.

Specifically, to make work more visible, we started writing out all of the tasks for each member on a whiteboard. At the time, we were working in the office, so we always had a view of the whiteboard in the office. If we couldn't fit everything into the designated frame, we could see that we had too much work and take action.

In addition, we introduced Slack to a place where the phone culture, let alone email, still remained, and the phones of busy executives were constantly ringing during the day. We started using it on a small scale, such as with the surrounding management and projects. Then, people who understood its convenience spread it further. It also quickly took hold during the COVID-19 pandemic when people worked from home.

—— It is easy to understand that culture can take hold due to changes in the external environment, but if that is not the case, how can you spread it?

The basic premise, when dealing with culture, is thatAccept that things won't go the way you want them to, even though you hope they will.I think organizational development is similar to agriculture in the sense that it involves sowing seeds and waiting for the moment they bear fruit.

Every plant, every seed, grows a stem and tries to bear fruit. If they don't bear fruit, then there is something wrong, and it is the farmer's job to figure out how to get rid of that problem.

In an organization, most employees want to enjoy their time at work and have their work help others. However, it is up to each individual member to blossom.We will provide maximum support, but it is also important to trust and wait.I think that culture is cultivated through these repeated experiences.

—— It's important not to rush and plan too much. On top of that, are there any tips for how to sow the seeds and how to water them?

There are a few important ideas. One is to utilize the "brain science knowledge" that is also found in agile thinking.

There are various findings in neuroscience, such as the fact that continuous feedback is more effective at sustaining motivation than monetary rewards.Design it so that people naturally want to do itI think that's a good idea.

In addition, "We don't impose a single methodology"It is also important to be flexible. Depending on the organization, the person, and the situation you are facing, the appropriate methodology will be different. You need to be flexible and think, "When this pattern occurs, do it this way." After trying out several tools, Slack was naturally chosen and established.

In the first place, "agile" refers to being flexible in adapting to change, so it would be counterproductive to insist that "introducing agile is the right thing to do."If there are any ideas, initiatives, or tools that could be used in the current organization, it is best to take a relaxed approach and try them out.Maybe. What ultimately fits the organization will become its culture.

Capture the excitement in small trials and errors

--Is there a difference between organizations where it is easy for culture to take hold and those where it is not?

Space is necessary to foster a new cultureIn a meeting, people tend to get into a fighting mood, so I think it's important to have time to relax and exchange ideas, share our true feelings, and discuss opinions.

However, this is quite difficult. It takes time to change a culture, so even if you are aware of the issue, it is inevitable that you will only be able to focus on the task at hand.

-- Just as engineers quickly try out new knowledge and technology and implement the PDCA cycle, it would be great if we could also try out different cultures.

As you say"Trial and error"It's important to think like this.

Engineers don't write perfect code in one go, but rather their job is to read and resolve errors that appear. Making errors is important, and few people are resistant to it.

However, when it comes to culture and organizational development, we tend to try to avoid failure as much as possible. After spending a year or so debating the issue or spending money to implement a system, it becomes even more difficult to make mistakes.

What is important is that the organizationTake small steps and let errors accumulateIn order to increase communication within the company, start small and try just "coffee time on weekend evenings." No one will be hurt if it fails, and if it succeeds, you can expand it by saying, "Well, next time, let's try lunch."

--At Ishii Foods, are there any initiatives that started with small trial and error and have since grown into something big?

Creating products that make use of local ingredients"Region and Season"They are working on commercializing products that use seasonal ingredients and incorporate cooking methods unique to each region. One of their products is a hamburger steak series, which started out by making hamburger steaks using new onions from Otsuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and currently offers hamburger steaks made with eight different local ingredients.

At first, this initiative was only undertaken by one department and no one paid any attention to it, because the product was outside the theory of the food processing industry.

It was nearly twice as expensive as our existing main product, the chicken hamburger, and we could only sell one type for about three months while the ingredients were in season. We also had to purchase small quantities, and it was difficult to reduce manufacturing costs or increase productivity, so there were mixed opinions within the company.

-- Why did you decide to expand what was originally a small initiative to a company-wide scale?

Because I felt the "emotion" of the people involvedThe first hamburger was very well received by the people of Otsuki City, who provided the new onions, and some even bought 10 of them to distribute to their neighbors. The salesman on-site also felt a sense of accomplishment after seeing this.

The farmers also expressed their gratitude to the person in charge of purchasing the ingredients. I felt many such moving experiences from this project.

I believe that product development and culture building should not be judged solely on data.It is important to discover the passion and future potential that exists there.What is it?

"Involve people in the emotion" rather than "convey emotion"

--If you have a passionate initiative, how can you spread the word?

It's about getting people involved."Involve" rather than "communicate".

You can only understand emotions that cannot be conveyed in words and energy that cannot be reflected in data by experiencing it for yourself.Thing.

For "Local and Seasonal," we provided factory members with opportunities to interact with customers at special events and festivals, as well as to meet farmers directly and hear about their commitment to their produce.

In the case of the coffee break mentioned earlier, I would think, "Next time, I'll get that person involved." At first, some people may be reluctant to join,If the activity is truly worthwhile, people will realize how good it is through experiencing it.

On the other hand, what the management can do is:Creating a system that naturally increases the number of people who participate in the initiativeRegarding "region and season," we set "fan communication" as a company-wide goal and encouraged them to go and meet their fans.

Adding it to your goals gives people who are interested in the initiative a reason to get involved and encourages them to make time for it, no matter how busy your department is.

——So the overall system design is also important. Finally, can you give some advice to people who want to get others involved in the initiatives they are doing?

No matter what you do,"Fun" is importantIn the myth, Amaterasu, who had hidden herself in a cave, was attracted to joyful music and dancing and came out.

"Fun" is also very important in terms of engineering culture. To write good code, you need to keep your brain active.It is necessary to relax and have fun in order to free yourself from stress and pressure and make the most of your abilities.What is it?

In Japan, there is still a culture that says "work is hard work." Because work is hard, people have been able to have fun outside of work, such as drinking parties. In that sense, I hope that an engineering culture that tries to bring fun into work will spread.

By doing so, we can stimulate both minds and hearts and move closer to becoming an organization where the seeds of good initiatives and cultures spread naturally.

[Interview and text] Fumiaki Sato　
[photograph]Daisuke Koike
[Planning and editing] Yuko Kawabata (XICA)