Senior Managing Consultant Kyoko Kokusho at IBM advises clients around the world on talent operations, organization architecture, and executive development. GLOBIS faculty Cristian Vlad recently interviewed her on how she creates value for clients, employees, shareholders, and society. CV: How do you ensure that your team delivers value to clients? KK: Frankly speaking, I don’t always know whether my team is delivering meaningful value. Even when I’ve known a client for a long time, depending on their specific situation, mood, relationships with others, and so on, “value” for them can change. On top of that, it’s a real challenge to identify their needs. They may think that t
Is innovation rooted in technology, or can it be promoted by other means? In this interview led by GLOBIS faculty Cristian Vlad, Ryosuke Asakura of CaSy’s Corporate Design Division explains how his company is positioning itself for innovation that will impact society. CV: To begin, can you give us a brief rundown of what CaSy does? RA: CaSy provides a wide array of housekeeping services, ranging from cooking and cleaning to housesitting. Here in Japan, it’s still pretty uncommon for ordinary people to use these kinds of services, despite the time they could save for other meaningful activities. Our mission is to create a new social mindset that will help people remember the i
Back in school, a teacher once dropped a stack of workbooks on my desk and demanded my attention. “Stop doodling,” she said. If I catch you doing that again, you will be punished. Understood?” Doodling was—and is, somewhat—frowned upon by many, from teachers to parents to senior coworkers, who see it as an absentminded practice. “To draw something without thinking about what you are doing” is, in fact, in the very definition of doodle as a verb, according to Merriam-Webster. In recent years, however, doodling has started to get some fair recognition. Not only as a hobby, but as a business tool. Perhaps it’s time to revisit the definition of doodling as we usher in a new age of creativity. Wh
NTT is one of the top 10 telecommunications companies worldwide, and yet diversity remains a challenge. GLOBIS lecturer Cristian Vlad interviewed HR Senior Vice President Kyoko Yamamoto on the company’s globalization efforts and how mindset is key in today’s everchanging world. CV: With such a long history in Japan, when and why did NTT start making diversity a priority? KY: This is actually a very good topic to start with. Like everyone else in the telecommunications industry, we are constantly concerned with how to attract top talent, retain and promote top performers, and drive results in all our markets. To be honest, NTT still struggles with diversity management. It is not
