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Company Culture

Think Like a Businessbear ― Polar Bear in an Office Chair (Episode 2)

Polar bear sitting in an office chair, smiling

A few years ago, I left my public sector job in Switzerland and moved to Japan. From there, I drifted around from language learning to a few part-time gigs, until finally landing my first full-time job here at the Japanese tech firm Cybozu, the parent company of U.S. software provider Kintone.

Moving from the highly-regimented slow-moving public sector to the ferocious breakneck world of start-ups was in and of itself a fish-out-of-water experience. Doing so in Japan added a thick layer of mystery to the bedrock of unknown. Now that I'm finally starting to get used to my surroundings, I wanted to share with you some of what I've been through. Here are a few—perhaps slightly exaggerated—examples of what I've seen and felt in my life as, essentially, a polar bear in an office chair.

Unchanneled Agility

A boss meets with his team. He explains that big changes are coming, and that the team needs to be agile. The boss explains that the first change to come will be more coordination with the product promotion team. He will meet with them and give specifics later. The boss explains that the next change to come is new types of media content. He adds that the production team is looking into it and will give specifics later. The boss explains that the final change to come will be more events, although no budget has been approved, so he will have to give specifics later One of the team members asks the boss if there will be any immediate changes. The boss says no. She asks if the boss knows when the changes will come. He says no. The team member summarizes that the team should expect things to change without knowing how or when. The boss confirms that the lack of specifics is exactly why the team has to be agile
Alex
Alex
Business concepts like "agility" and "transparency" make a lot of sense on paper. However, they're often misunderstood and implemented in ways that seem divorced from the reality of daily work operations. Implementation pretty much always requires some form of adaptation.

Parroty Wisdom

The boss introduces Perry the Parrot, a new team member brought in to increase productivity. Perry stands on a desk, is about the same size as a computer screen, and looks intense. Perry looks at the team with intensity and says to never underestimate what a small team of motivated people can achieve The rest of the team gathers around and welcomes Perry. Alex the polar bear asks Perry how to be more productive. Perry responds that productivity is a mindset produced born from passion and concentration. Alex doesn't understand. Perry recommends that when feeling trapped, one should take a deep breath and be mindful of the present. Alex is even more confused. Another colleague, Dan, jumps in to say that Perry is only parroting famous business quotes. Perry responds by saying it is sometimes better to fail quickly than to succeed slowly.
Alex
Alex
While we all know that language can be powerful, we tend to forget that the power of language comes not from the words themselves, but from how their meaning is assimilated and interpreted by the listener. Being an inspiring leader is about empathy, not parroting other inspiring leaders.

IT Privilege

Alex the polar bear, working at a desk Alex working at a table in the office lounge, drinking coffee Alex working from a hammock in the office common space Corona virus outbreak announced on the news, with the recommendation to stay at home Alex lying on his couch working from home, claims he thinks he'll be just fine
Alex
Alex
Our whole team has been working remotely for a few weeks now. While the isolation can be tough, especially when living in a foreign country, I recognize that those of us working in the IT sector are among the most privileged in times of crisis. We face a rough road ahead, and to get through this, we have to follow the advice of local health experts and do our best to support the most affected. Stay healthy and safe out there!

Written by Alex Steullet. Edited by Mina Samejima. Illustrations by yummi.

Drifting Into a Sea of Technology ― Polar Bear in an Office Chair (Episode 1)

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Writer

Alex Steullet

Alex is the editor in chief of Kintopia and part of the corporate branding department at Cybozu. He holds an LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham and previously worked for the Swiss government.

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Photographer

yummi

After gratuating from the Nihon University College of Art, yummi began working as a freelance artist. In 2015, she received an honorable mention at the 2nd The Gate competition for her work "Sanpei-sensei No Jikan" (In Her Class), as well as an excellence award at the 69th Tetsuya Chiba competition for “Himitsu No Hanazono-san” (“The Secret Girl”).

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