Basic Philosophy of Management
I came across this career by chance.
The most enjoyable and excellent state in the world is to have a career that can be carried on for life.
– Yukichi Fukuzawa
Purpose of Working
We only have one short life. The purpose of working is to gain satisfaction through significant achievements and to feel 100% positive that your life was spent efficiently. We strive in business as a team to meet goals, reflect on our materialistic and spiritual sides to develop a feeling of completeness and provide meanings to our lives through recognition of our own existence and contributions we make to support others.
Why does our company exist. (In current societies, the existence of ‘companies’ are inevitable)
= We contribute to the world with our prosperity by growing the business.
(‘The world’ refers to the earth, people, countries and stakeholders).
1. For the World – We will reflect our sincerity on every plant we deliver by making our best effort in every step we take.
We provide the society with various products, skills, and services related to plants. Through our efforts, we hope to provide benefits to people’s health and comfort in our environment.
2. For the Country – We will make profits and pay taxes.
The best possible way to make a contribution to the government is to make profits and to pay taxes.
3. For the Customers – We will nurture our employees through work and training.
Our company sells top services and skills to our customers along with the plants. Therefore, we emphasise on the importance of “people”. By educating our trusted talents to become greater respectable employees, we also hope to make all the customers happy.
4. For the Employees – We will continue to develop an excellent company that will be worth working at.
Our company creates a workplace that offer job roles for the employees. Having a career is the most important status in our life. Therefore, accommodating people with a company that continues to grow and is worth working at is the best contribution we can make.
Let’s continue to reflect on our results; if we are acting with the right morals and providing benefits to the world.
Let’s continue to fill our environments with flowers and greens.
Let’s continue to strive in the competitive industry by delivering quality goods and services.
In-depth Analysis of the Basic Philosophy of Management
It is said that management structure is solely dependant on the manager’s will. So the manager’s will is the management philosophy.
The most important factor in management are the employees. Therefore, managers must make an effort to convey their management philosophy in ways so that the employees will understand them. When the employees are able to understand the reasons behind the philosophy of management, everyone can advance towards the same goals.
For the first 20 years I ventured to establish this company, but around the time when I turned 40, that hunger to excel in business gradually died down. Since then I began to ponder who I should work for and what I should work towards. So I have been relying on the basic philosophy of management to keep me focused.
The philosophy of management is an emotional support for the solitary manager. I believe the level of comprehension will be different amongst everyone; that is not a problem. However, I would like to ask everyone to at least try their best to understand the core concept of the management philosophy as a requirement to be employees.
When I was younger, I felt motivation through results that made me feel like I was making the best out of my life. I wanted to be the best in Osaka, the best in Japan! Yet, after reaching some of those goals, there came a point when I realised, at the end of the day the value of a company merely depends on how much it contributes to the society. In other words, a well-established company is equally recognised as a successful contributor in the society, not only because of their end-results. Therefore, unchangeably since the day we decided to start the business, we should never feel too comfortable with the current state. To seek ways to provide what we can for the world (i.e. the earth, people, countries and stakeholders) is our fate as businesspeople. The value of life can be found when you break through the walls and keep moving forward.
Our company happens to be involved in a wonderful field that work towards a good cause. Currently, global environmental issues are considered as one of our biggest threat. This is caused by the increase of global population and the development of technological science. The human race must find better solutions to balance the development of economic growth and retaining the environmental niche, or the world will eventually collapse. The more I try to think of ways to improve this situation, the more I realise how ordinary and insignificant I am as a person in comparison to the issue, which then also reminds me of how short one’s life is.
When I struggled through this despair, the phrase in Mr. Masahiro Yasuoka’s book enlightened me. It was “一燈照隈 萬燈照国 (ittou-shougu bantou-shoukou)”. A single light can only illuminate a corner (ittou-shougu), but 10,000 lights can illuminate the whole country (bantou-shoukou). Figuratively this means, although each of our power is small, if we all work towards our best, the power we form together will become valuable and important. I wish to create a better environment through this wonderful career (to shine a light from above). Then by carrying this hope in every small plants we offer, I would like to spread this desire across the country and the world (to bring more light and make the country and the world a brighter place). Do not fear what feels to be a lack of power because by working on what’s in front of you, you will achieve greater goals. Do not fear the darkness, just look for that single light. Darkness is a metaphor of the problematic world and life itself. So the light refers to your true belief and will.
When we work at our best, our achievements are recognized by customers, and profits will be obtained as a result In other words, a lack of profit indicates a lack of recognition. It is sinful not to be able to make profit whilst using precious labour and materials. When we make a profit, half of it will be paid to the country, prefecture, and city as a taxation. Thus, as profit increases, the contribution we can make will became larger. We are able to live comfortably because everyone is working hard and paying tax. Without it, we won’t be able to construct bridges or roads. Our company is the top taxpayer in the industry and one of the biggest amongst the other SMEs. Although volunteer works are also beneficial, paying the taxes are the best contribution we can make for the world and it is an action to be proud of. Growing profit is relevant to sustainable business, retaining human resources and increasing the contribution for our society through tax payments.
We are able to live at ease because our country exists, so it is also our duty to make an effort to give back for what we are provided. However, even amongst the greatest managers, there are people who are skeptic of their government, inconvenienced with the system or wants to take control over the taxed capital. I also believe that the government is not using their budget efficiently, but that only concerns about 5% to 10 % of it. However, it is a fact that the remaining 90% is certainly used for the citizens, country and humankind.
It is our aim as a company to nurture our people. If people improves their performance, the customers will be happy and the company will prosper. Human growth does not only refer to improving product knowledge and techniques, but also the individual’s personality.
There is a saying, “花は香り、人は人柄 (For flowers it’s the fragrance, as for humans it’s the personality)” A good person will be considered as a good person by others. However, being a good person does not mean you will be productive in the world. You will need to be considered as a good person by your colleagues, managers, executives, clients and the rest of community. As part of your personality trait, you might be honest, lovable, influential, positive, so on and so forth. These traits will in fact make yourself feel happier too. Unfortunately, the world does not only consist of good people. So we seek to work with those who are nice and are capable of forming an amiable team.
Let’s go back to the concept of will to “fill our environments with flowers and greens”.
It is tough that there is competition in business. I even once thought that maybe it would be better for the world if our company did not exist Then again, competition is what motivates us to produce better services and products. So without it, ordinary people would probably slack in business. We have to face our competition and be stronger without escaping from it.
People are more likely to avoid competition when we succeed, but the actual causeis because we age. To strive youthfully, we cannot pretend to act maturely by avoiding competition. This is what is means to have an established spirit.
In the past, I did not have anything (fame, network, money, materials) when the company was only a start-up. However, I fought against the big competitors and managed to win through. Currently, our company is renowned as a “big competitor” in the industry. If we forget our position, our performance will start to decline. So now it is important for us to be challengers and overcome rigorous competitions.
When we fight through business it is easy for us to make bad judgements just so we can be a little more ahead of the game. It might seem like a small disgrace and you might think it will be okay. However, this can cause a bigger problem and thinking in this way will eventually ruin the company. We must keep reflecting on our morals and ethics to make better advancements. No matter how our world changes, this is basis will never change. We must make our best effort to reach goals and it is important to seek rightness even under desperateness. This is the core reason why our company exists today. If our way of thinking was wrong, we would not have made it this far. From now on we must protect this philosophy, believe in justice by making the right choices and be aware of our direction.
As mentioned above, our company is not just a supplier for plants and flowers. It is more of a coincidence that we deal with those goods and services, there is a deeper meaning as to why our company’s exists. When our principles of management is understood, the purpose of our existence can be valued, which leads to further development that makes our effort meaningful and worthwhile.
