New Learning Opportunities Through Cross-Organizational Interaction
CROSS BORDER
New Learning Opportunities Through
Cross-Organizational Interaction
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation (MCO)
Printing & Packaging Machinery Headquarters,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems, Ltd. (MHI-MS)
BAMBI Holds Event:
#1 Global Team Building through MSJ Development
—Creating Results in a Multi-cultural Team—
On September 8, 2023, BAMBI,(Note) a volunteer group at MCO, hosted an event titled “#1 Global Team Building through MSJ Development: Creating Results in a Multi-cultural Team” at MCO headquarters in cooperation with BEACH, a similar volunteer group at MHI-MS. At the event, MHI-MS and MCO held a panel discussion on global team building, a topic of much interest to their companies’ members. The panel shared lessons and experiences in building teams and trust across national borders in MSJ development with more than 100 in-person and online participants. In this month’s CROSS BORDER, we will share the event’s timeline and our future outlook.
- BAMBI: A volunteer group led by young to mid-career MCO employees. They are promoting a variety of initiatives, both large and small, under the philosophy of “Becoming a Door in the Invisible Wall.”
We introduced activities of BAMBI in CROSS BORDER,Toward a Culture of Challenging Oneself,in August 2023.
What is BEACH?
BEACH is a group founded in April 2023, consisting of six volunteer members, mostly young employees from the Printing & Packaging Machinery Headquarters of MHI-MS. Their activities include revitalizing internal communication and efforts to improve business processes. The name “BEACH” comes from “Best Engagement Action Change our mind and High productivity” and was chosen to evoke the beautiful ocean seen from Mihara. As members think about BEACH’s Mission, Vision, and Value, they are working to create a place to explore your own potential and to contribute to improving engagement wherever possible.
- BEACH’s Philosophy
- MISSION：We are the first small step toward a brighter future.
- VISION：We are the center, embracing the diversity and fluidity of people to become a bright star (organization) shining in the night sky.
- VALUE：
- Customer-focused
- Protect unchanging traditions while boldly incorporating new trends
- Have fun (If we aren’t fun, no one will join us.)
- Be aware of and accept your noticeable presence and what you lack
- Find and incorporate good things found from a diverse and overarching perspective
A plan born between BAMBI and BEACH
Before BEACH connected with BAMBI, they had trouble coming up with a concrete plan to realize their philosophy, and their days were filled with agonizing discussions. However, after connecting with BAMBI through an online gathering, they realized that all Group companies had similar worries and were taking on various initiatives with their colleagues to improve them. The advice they received from BAMBI based on the group’s experiences have had a major impact on the activities implemented following BEACH’s launch.
During a discussion between BAMBI and BEACH, two BEACH members, Ryota Kojima and Atsushi Ako, talked about their time involved in the MSJ development business. During this exchange, it was discovered that members of the MSJ Development team were facing similar problems to BAMBI, which was focusing on Global Team Building Tips activities to overcome cultural barriers, leading to the decision to host a panel discussion on global team building.
If it wasn’t for this interaction between BAMBI and BEACH, the event probably wouldn’t have happened.
Experience gained from MSJ development will “Become a Door in the Invisible Wall”
Mitsubishi Aircraft (MITAC) globalized rapidly after 2017, with about one quarter of employees being non-Japanese at the peak, and the official language changed to English. When working as a team overseas, it is common for work to proceed in a kind of top-down fashion in which the boss first sets clear goals which are approved by the team, and the members carry out the assigned tasks. Conversely, in Japan decisions are often made from the bottom-up, so overcoming this gap is a major impediment to smooth business operations.
How did the members of MITAC working in the MSJ development business communicate in this kind of environment? We welcomed members doing business on the front-lines and held a panel discussion on the theme of global team building so they could learn from the experiences of those in the MSJ development business. By introducing real experiences, we were able to share with the attendees many valuable hints for realizing BAMBI’s philosophy.
- Only available in Japanese and only accessible by those who can access the MHI portal
Continuing to teach both inside and outside the company
The most significant takeaway from this event was a wider perspective. The event was prepared through collaboration between employees, including members of BEACH, BAMBI, and MSJ development. Members of BAMBI were able to learn about a world they had not yet experienced by listening to the experiences of senior colleagues who worked on the front-lines of MSJ development.
Although there were some minor points that we would like to improve on, we found it to be very rewarding to be able to share the lessons learned from MSJ development. This event was labelled “#1,” and we want to continue to collaborate with the panelists on new projects to share lessons using a different concept.
From the left: Yasuhito Oshima, Engineering & Design Division, MCO
Masaki Shakuda, Engineering & Design Division, MCO
Toshiyuki Umemoto, JGSDF & JMSDF Programs Section, Integrated Defense & Space
Systems (GL, Air-conditioning, Fire & Water Damage Prevention Section, MITAC at the time)
Hitoshi Kurahashi, F-2 Avionics Design Section, Integrated Defense & Space Systems (GL, EWIS(Note) Design Section, MITAC at the time)
Atsushi Ako, F-X Project Management Section, Integrated Defense & Space Systems (Quality Assurance Department, MITAC at the time)
Ryota Kojima, Paper Converting Machinery Sales Section, MHI-MS (Corporate Administration Division, MITAC at the time)
- Electrical Wiring Interconnect System
From a founder of BAMBI
I want to grow the connections born from BAMBI
Engineering & Design Division MCO
Masaki Shakuda
We created BAMBI because we wanted to have more fun working with colleagues at MCO. This is reflected in the philosophy of “Becoming a Door in the Invisible Wall.” Through these activities, I have had opportunities to meet people I do not normally come in contact with during daily office work, communication barriers between departments have been lowered, and there have been many good changes around me – all thanks to BAMBI. The global team building event also helped grow my network outside of MCO, and I learned a lot.
If you want to “Become a Door in the Invisible Wall” too, and feel like you have some valuable ideas, please feel free to contact BAMBI or me!
Inquiries: Masaki Shakuda
[email protected]
From BEACH members
Cross-boundary interactions are the driving force behind our activities
BEACH was able to define our Mission, Vision, and Value and expand the scope of our activities thanks to external interactions, including with BAMBI and EKKYO BASE.*3 We want to continue to value internal and external connections and to actively share our thoughts, because cross-company and cross-business interactions are the driving force behind our improvement activities. Sharing our thoughts may enable us to find more colleagues who sympathize with our philosophy, so we will keep our eyes and ears open for more opportunities both internally and externally and cheer on our colleagues together!
- A platform that supports community building for MHI Group’s internal and external volunteer groups