In recent years, which can be called the VUCA era, risk-averse management (over-planning, over-analysis, and over-compliance with laws and regulations) and management emphasizing economic rationality have been increasing, and it is believed that more and more managers are reluctant to make long-term investments in irrational, illogical, and risky innovations (Japan Productivity Headquarters 2019).
However, even under such circumstances, as Takeishi et al. (2012) pointed out, "creative justification of resource mobilization (hereinafter referred to as 'creative justification')", instead of pursuing objective economic rationality, inherent reasons (irrational thoughts of the proponents) understood and approved by specific proponents and specific supporters make continuous There are cases in which continuous resource mobilization becomes possible and innovation is realized due to inherent reasons (irrational thoughts of the proponents) understood and approved by certain proponents and specific supporters. This type of innovation is a collectivist organizational decision-making process similar to the approval system often seen in Japanese firms, and is considered to be deeply related to "NEMAWASHI," which is a part of the Japanese corporate culture.
In this study, we focus on "NEMAWASHI," which is deeply rooted in Japanese corporate culture, and clarify the relationship between "NEMAWASHI" and the innovation process, namely, the resource mobilization process by creative justification and the knowledge creation process, and propose an innovation promotion model based on "NEMAWASHI". In this study, we interviewed key personnel in a large Japanese company, Company A, who utilize "NEMAWASHI" to investigate the relationship between "NEMAWASHI" and the resource mobilization process by creative justification. As a result, it was revealed that while "NEMAWASHI" contributes to each of the three routes to realize "creative justification," it also induces traps associated with the "creative justification" process and can be a factor that inhibits the "creative justification". In addition, we newly discovered that the formation, accumulation, maintenance, and renewal of human networks through "NEMAWASHI" generates the learning effect of "NEMAWASHI," and that knowledge creation occurs in the "NEMAWASHI" process. These points are novelties of this study. In Japanese companies, activities that lead to "creative justification" are not recognized as "creative justification" but are widely practiced as "NEMAWASHI". However, the contribution of this study is that it clarified that "creative justification" and "NEMAWASHI" do not completely coincide.
Furthermore, a questionnaire survey of 224 people working for companies in Japan revealed that the abilities gained from the learning effect of "NEMAWASHI" can be classified into three categories: "ability to gain from human networks," "ability to execute knowledge creation," and "ability to gain empathy and trust," and that the failure factors of "NEMAWASHI" can be classified into 16 factors.
In the knowledge creation process, the SECI spiral model proposed by Nonaka and Takeuchi (2020) revealed that the learning effect of "NEMAWASHI" contributes to collaboration, manifestation, linkage, and internalization, accelerates the speed of spiral rotation, and increases the spiral's expansion. In addition, as a result of analyzing the relationship with the innovation process, it was clarified that the implementation of "NEMAWASHI" in the innovation process can promote innovation while increasing the total amount of both resource mobilization and knowledge creation necessary for innovation to occur. We proposed an organizational learning cycle process and innovation promotion model based on "NEMAWASHI". Furthermore, we found that if Nudge is successfully applied to "NEMAWASHI," the loss of diversity, which can be a disadvantage of "NEMAWASHI," can be reduced.
This study is of practical significance in that it can contribute to the promotion of innovation by applying the results of this study to "NEMAWASHI," which is practiced in many Japanese companies.
VUCA時代とも言える近年では,リスクを避ける経営(過剰計画,過剰分析,過剰法令順守)や経済合理性を重視する経営が増えてきており,非合理的かつ非論理的でリスクが多いイノベーションへの長期投資に消極的な経営者が増えていると考えられている(公益財団法人日本生産性本部 2019).
しかし,このような状況でも,武石ほか(2012)が指摘した「資源動員の創造的正当化(以下,「創造的正当化」と略す)」のように,客観的な経済合理性を追求するのではなく,特定の推進者と特定の支持者が理解・承認する固有の理由(推進者の非合理的な想い)により,継続的な資源動員が可能となり,イノベーションを実現するケースが存在する.このようなイノベーションは,日本企業でよく見られる稟議制度のような集団主義的な組織の意思決定であり,日本の企業文化の一つである「根回し」が深く関わっていると考えられるが,「根回し」とイノベーション・プロセスとの関係性を研究した論文は管見の限りない.
本研究では,日本の企業文化として根付いている「根回し」に焦点を当て,「根回し」とイノベーション・プロセスである創造的正当化による資源動員プロセスと知識創造プロセスとの関係を明らかにし,「根回し」によるイノベーション促進モデルを提案する.
本研究では,「根回し」と創造的正当化による資源動員プロセスとの関係について,日本の大企業A社で「根回し」を活用しているキーマンへのインタビューを行った.その結果,「根回し」は,「創造的正当化」を実現する三つのルートにそれぞれ寄与する一方で,「創造的正当化」プロセスに付随する罠を誘発し,「創造的正当化」を阻害する要因にもなり得ることが明らかになった.また,「根回し」により人的ネットワークの形成・蓄積・維持・更新が行われることで,「根回し」の学習効果が生まれ,また,「根回し」のプロセスで知識創造が起こることを新たに発見した.これらの点が本研究の新規性である.日本の企業では,「創造的正当化」につながる活動を,「創造的正当化」とは認識せず,「根回し」と認識して広く実践している.しかし,「創造的正当化」と「根回し」が完全に一致していないことを明らかにした点が本研究の貢献である.
さらに,日本国内で企業に勤めている224人のアンケート調査の結果,「根回し」の学習効果で得られる能力は「人的ネットワークから得られる能力」,「知識創造を実行する能力」,「共感・信頼を獲得する能力」の3つに分類され,「根回し」の失敗要因は16要因に分類できることが明らかになった.
知識創造プロセスでは,野中・竹内(2020)が提唱したSECIスパイラルモデルにおいて,「根回し」の学習効果が共同化,表出化,連結化,内面化に寄与し,スパイラルの回転スピードを加速し,スパイラルの広がりを大きくする働きがあることを明らかにした.また,イノベーション・プロセスとの関係性を分析した結果,「根回し」をイノベーション・プロセスの中で実行することにより,イノベーションを起こすのに必要な資源動員量と知識創造量の双方の総量を増やしながら,イノベーションを推進できることを明らかにし,「根回し」による組織学習循環プロセスとイノベーション促進モデルを提案した.さらに,「根回し」に上手くNudgeを適用すれば,根回しの短所になり得る多様性の喪失などを低減できることも明らかにした.
多くの日本企業で行われている「根回し」に本研究の成果を適用することで,イノベーション促進に貢献できるという点で,本研究は実務的な意義があると言える.