Sanpo-yoshi Communication
Sanpo-yoshi Communication
President's Column] Five-way Management
The other day, although it was an online session, I had the opportunity to listen to a lecture by Mr. Koji Sakamoto, author of *The Company We Want to Cherish Most in Japan*. This was the second time I’ve had the pleasure of hearing him speak.
The theme is “Management for the Benefit of All Five Parties.”
We, too, strive for “three-way win” management, which I believe is a familiar concept to most people, but Professor Sakamoto advocates for “five-way win” management. These five parties are:
(1) Employees and their families
② Non-employees and their families
③ Current and Future Customers
④ Local communities and socially vulnerable groups within those communities (people with disabilities and the elderly)
⑤ Shareholders and Related Organizations
The teacher is placing particular emphasis on points ② and ④ this time.
The term “external employees” in point ② refers to suppliers and subcontractors. Our company also works with many suppliers and subcontractors. The speaker emphasized that, particularly when dealing with suppliers and subcontractors of the same size or smaller than our own company, we should show consideration not only for the company itself but also for its employees and their families.
Payment is made in cash on the 20th of the following month; we do not unilaterally haggle over prices; and we do not switch from outsourcing to in-house production just because we happen to have a little free time, and so on.
Regarding the areas mentioned in point ④ and socially vulnerable individuals in those areas, the professor’s consistent position is that “you were born able-bodied in order to help the socially vulnerable.”
Not only do we employ people with disabilities at a rate that exceeds the statutory quota, but we also pay them their full wages without applying for an exemption from the minimum wage. For example, when we outsource work to facilities for people with disabilities, we pay them wages that are higher than the market rate.
The 70-minute lecture was eye-opening and compelled me to change my management style. While there are many areas where I need to reflect—and I won’t go into details here—I have already made several policy changes.
As Drucker noted, “Profit is like air or blood; a company cannot survive without it, but it cannot in itself be the company’s purpose.” This served as a strong reminder that we must not fall into the trap of putting our own profits first.