Sustainability arises when individual and organisational purposes overlap
This article is an excerpt from our research publication SJ3: The pathway to regenerative business. A Japanese version is available on Note.
Introduction
With the mission of ‘increasing the number of adults who live with purpose in this era of ‘The 100-year Life’, Project Mint provides learning for ‘adult self-innovation’ through academic-based programs, coaching, and a community based on academic knowledge. Tomoe Ueyama, who had long questioned the uniformity of Japan’s school education, left her job at a major corporation and became a student at Minerva University’s graduate school, known as a next-generation educational institution in the United States. After graduating, based on her own experience of rediscovering learning, she launched Project MINT. We spoke with Tomoe about what companies can learn from programs that empower individuals.
What brings people to participate in your program?
The catalyst is when individuals feel a sense of discomfort within themselves, such as not truly connecting with their colleagues or experiencing isolation in the workplace. Through the program, individuals who want to change gather to objectively discuss their core values and to talk about the direction of the life they want to lead. The COVID-19 pandemic, which provided more time for introspection, acted as a trigger, and many people reevaluated their lives.
What meaning is associated with the name MINT?
Continuing education is endless. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the meaning of one’s existence (Meaning), understand one’s own purpose (Ikigai), connect with empathetic individuals (Network), and take action towards transformation (Transform), spelling M-I-N-T. Purpose-driven approaches have individualistic elements, but there are times when one needs someone to push them forward to manifest what they want to do. In my own experience, when I transitioned to the field of education, the support and encouragement from those around me gave me the courage to pave my own path.
Additionally, MINT is a combination of the words ‘mentor’ and ‘intern’. I believe that if more adults possess both aspects, they can continuously learn and contribute to creating a better society.
That mindset seems to have applicability at the corporate and organisational levels as well.
Empowering individuals leads to sustainability in the workplace. It is crucial for organisations and employees to understand each other’s purposes and to be connected through trust. For example, during the hiring process, it is ideal to have open discussions about how the person’s life goals can be achieved while also contributing to the organisation’s purpose. By doing so, we can ultimately be aware of the overlap of mutual purposes, and we can create a transparent, healthy and sustainable work environment for everyone.
While the program provides a space for participants to have honest discussions without conflicting interests, I believe that within organisations, fostering such dialogues while maintaining psychological safety is possible. This enables individuals to raise their hands for fulfilling work and to continue challenging new roles and opportunities or to be able to work with others in the company who resonate with them. Creating these chances thereby drives innovation.
Regarding the process of Theory U* in the program, what benefits do you think it holds from an organisational perspective?
In Theory U, which is utilised during group learning, individuals carefully observe who they are, engage in metacognition of their unconscious assumptions and thoughts, accept them, and then contemplate how to move towards their desired goals. However, if we constantly expect employees to follow Theory U within organisations, operations may become stagnant. On the other hand, solely pursuing plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycles aimed at operational efficiency and improvement can leave individuals behind. This compromises wellbeing and disrupts teamwork. Therefore, I believe that maintaining a balance between PDCA cycles and Theory U is crucial.
* Theory U is a change management framework developed by MIT academic Otto Scharmer that aims to facilitate transformation by first creating space for deep listening, reflection and empathy.
What are the differences between Japan and Western countries regarding the relationship between organisations and individuals?
Creating a workplace environment where individuals listen to each other’s needs without being judgmental is an area that has not been fully achieved in the West either. For example, there seems to be a defensive aspect of engaging in strategic negotiations to extract better conditions from companies, as evidenced by the trend of ‘quiet quitting’. Therefore, it is uncertain whether both employees and employers are truly satisfied in a state of complete transparency.
On the other hand, Japanese individuals tend to conform too much to the organisation and struggle to articulate their own needs, which is different from the West. In Japan, the notion that work should enhance wellbeing and fulfil one’s purpose is fundamentally absent. However, in the midst of changing workstyles, it is crucial to create an environment where individuals have their own purpose and can communicate it to the organisation. This is what is being sought in Japan today.
And ultimately, this is connected to wellbeing.
The overlap between the purpose of the organisation and that of individuals is one element that enhances wellbeing, as research has shown that employee wellbeing strongly associates with overall productivity.¹ Approaching the situation with an attitude of ‘let’s work together if there is something that resonates with the purpose set by the company’ can lead and guide people through empathy, bringing out the autonomy of employees with diverse perspectives. In the end, this can lead to sustainability.
In larger companies, I feel they are currently in the stage of trial and error, placing emphasis on wellbeing as part of their human resources strategy. Firstly, it is important to create an environment with a high level of psychological safety, where employees can openly discuss their individual wellbeing and purpose. Moreover, it is crucial for companies to have the determination to support such an environment.
Tomoe’s purpose of ‘wanting to promote an education that values the individual’, derived from deep introspection, has not only set her own new narrative in motion, but has also generated a unique social value. Questioning one’s own purpose is a worthwhile endeavour for everyone to enhance their wellbeing. If individuals cherish their personal purpose, and companies and individuals uplift each other with respect, we can create a more interesting, dynamic, and sustainable society.
References
- Krekel C., Ward G., De Neve J. (2019). Employee wellbeing, productivity, and firm performance: Evidence from 1.8 million employees. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/employee-wellbeing-productivity-and-firm-performance-evidence-18-million-employees
Fabric is a Strategic Design and Sustainability consultancy helping businesses move towards more innovative, sustainable futures. Based in Tokyo, we’ve been consulting with global and local companies since 2004. We have extensive experience bringing together design thinking, sustainability, and human insight to deliver good strategy for clients.
