Launching organizations that transcend departmental boundaries for data utilization in the manufacturing industry, where interdepartmental barriers are said to be thick -
Introducing a manager who deploys data analysis know-how and skills in business.
Launching organizations that transcend departmental boundaries for data utilization in the manufacturing industry, where interdepartmental barriers are said to be thick -
Introducing a manager who deploys data analysis know-how and skills in business.
Why ABeam ?
In my previous position, I was in charge of new business planning, consistently involved in the processes of business launch and operation, from product planning to systems development, business process design and post-launch product improvement and marketing measures. Based on that experience, I want to determine my future career path not so much as one of running and expanding businesses, but of launching them, including new business concept and business model ideation, capital procurement and human resources recruitment, as well as business process design.
So, I narrowed the choices down to consulting firms and began my job search. The reason I decided on Abeam was the impression I got from my interviewer. Although it was a brief interview, I found the interviewer’s gentle personality and the logical way the discussion was structured appealing. So, I decided to join.
Experiences in ABeam ~ Impressive Project~
The project that has left the deepest impression on me has been a DX advancement project for a client in the electronic device industry. The client was facing issues with data utilization in particular. The reasons for this included a lack of interdepartmental connections, and uncertain data ownership, which prevented data utilization and deletion. They also couldn't make use of data because they lacked data analysis know-how and human resources, despite having accumulated data in their data analysis infrastructure.
This is where we recommended creating a data utilization promotion organization structured across departments. Our aim was to construct an organizational structure to facilitate resolving actual issues confronting each department through an approach stressing data utilization. We did this through the training and placement in each department of personnel in charge of promoting digitalization who were knowledgeable in data utilization.
I handled overall project advancement, was involved in planning and running data utilization workshops to train personnel in charge, and held weekly three-hour lecture, practical training and discussion sessions. These covered the value of data analysis, goal setting and specific methods, as well as methodologies for applying analytical results to business.
The aspect of these activities I felt to be an issue was the challenge of maintaining motivation among the personnel in charge. The data utilization promotion organization was made up of personnel recommended by each department head within the operations division. These personnel evidently felt more or less resistant to allocating work time to undergoing workshop training and debating other departments' issues.
In order, therefore, to enable them to take ownership of the task with a sense of conviction, I carefully communicated, point by point. I conveyed what great value could be achieved over the long term by looking at issues within the company from a cross-departmental perspective, the need for new technology inputs, and the role and expectations for this organization.
While steadily and repeatedly engaging in plain communication like this, I sensed gradual changes in the awareness of the personnel in charge, and in the content and speed of their output. I felt the response to our shaping of the organization as it came to involve a variety of people. Ultimately, it became an organization capable of picking up on the issues facing departments, and of discussing solutions including cost effectiveness. We received gratifying feedback from the client regarding the project, including word that "it's getting high marks from employees on the ground, and we were also able to clarify what kind of personnel are needed in moving forward with further digitalization."
Through this project, I came to understand the genuine importance of having created a venue for interdepartmental discussion, and of having increased the knowledge of the personnel in charge. It enabled me once again to get a true sense of the key points of DX promotion, including the necessity of drastically transforming existing rules and systems, of building processes and organizations that presuppose interdepartmental function, and data-driven thinking for issue resolution.
Future ~Growth Story~
In future, I hope to provide support not just for a particular client (one company), but for transformation of industrial structures through industry-government-academic efforts that involve government administration.
This is because I intend to deepen ties that cross over the boundaries between business categories and industries, working in the ecosystems that include other companies to accelerate the flow of problem-solving with respect to the values and systems that already exist within company value chains.
Another thing that is extremely challenging about industry-level business structural transformation is the need to nurture multiple perspectives that are more high-level than just support for one company, including perspectives of government, investment and value chains. In this domain, an understanding of existing business schemes, power balances and business practices is a given. This is why I want to hone my skills to work with a comprehensive overview of the business environment through the cumulative, high-quality input unique to ABeam, while also taking advantage of our rich record of supporting clients in diverse industries, and our knowledge of digital technology.