November 16, 2011

Ikaho









My friends and I took a weekend trip to Ikaho hot spring area.  My camera quickly went out of battery unfortunately, but I managed to capture some reds and yellows and blues.

Went to watch Moneyball on Monday.  I've read the book years ago, but the movie still felt extremely good.  I have been quite busy these days with plans and strategies, so the story was kind of perfect.
I am super excited today because a friend of mine decided to join me for the Hokkaido trip in December.  I have been telling about my plan to everyone, and finally succeeded in recruiting!

November 06, 2011

Wanderlust


I know it's totally crazy but I am thinking about going back to the deserted and frozen land in the north during my winter break.  I wish I had a second house there.
This year, I thought about driving a bit, because you can't really go anywhere without driving in the region.  Last year my movement was limited to the immediate surroundings of the hotels.  But when I was surfing on the Internet about driving tips in winter in the region, all the comments were saying "DON'T DRIVE.  DON'T TRY TO KILL ANYONE".  OK.  I guess I have to give up on the idea of skating on the ice with a rental car.
So I will probably be walking in the snow, canoeing in the freezing cold, knitting and reading in front of a fireplace, and drinking wine by myself. 
Yey, can't wait!


Comfort Knitting


I am a scarf knitter these days.  I haven't knitted a single sweater since September, even though the weather is becoming wooly week by week.  Sweater knitting requires a strong will, good memory, persistence, and a lot of time.  Not for me, right now.

But what I can tell you is that I am a better knitter these days.  I can't say since when, but I became comfortable knitting something without a pattern, like, just pick a good yarn and swatch and calculate and start knitting.  This is really new to me.

This feeling of discovery is kind of like when I was still studying English.  Learning something is like climbing giant steps.  You try and try and try, then one day you find yourself on top of the giant step that you were trying to climb.  But there is another step in front of you.

A bulky snood, just completed.

November 02, 2011

カスタマイズと標準化

お仕事中失礼します。備忘録的に書いています。

最近の日経ビジネスオンライン記事:タイ洪水で日本企業が直面するジレンマ~なぜ日本の製造業が最も打撃を受けるのかでも取り上げられていますが、震災やタイの洪水で特殊部品の供給が止まって事業に打撃を受けている件。

コンポーネント化されたコンピューターのような製品にたいし、摺り合わせによる高品質の製品が日本の製造業の強みだとも言われています。でも企業のリスク分散を考えたとき、できるだけ部品やコンポーネントは共通化して、ソースを分散させることが求められます。共通化、スタンダード化。最近いろいろなところでこの言葉に行き当たります。

なんせ、自分も商品ラインのストリームライン化をするプロジェクトの真っ只中にいます。金融でも同じ。社内は木目細やかにカスタマイズされた、微細なバリエーションをもった大量の商品で埋もれています。物理的在庫がないのがせめてもの救い。
カスタマイゼーションが本当にお客様に価値をもたらしているのか?私たちの答えはNoでした。

そもそも、細かくサイロ化された組織の中でそれぞれ細かなカスタム化を進めてしまうのは、日本人のカルチャーというよりは組織統制の欠落と思えます。なぜなら、ルールのあるところでは日本人はまったく融通を利かせずリジッドに従うからです。

海外だったら窓口での会話やチップを払って交渉できる場面でも、日本では「決まりなので」といって全く受け付けてもらえないケースが多い(コーヒーに牛乳でさえ入れてもらえない)。それなのに、製品・商品だけなんでこんなに木目細やかなのか?
これからの時代、サービスは木目細やかにカスタマイズ、製品は共通化・標準化がリスク管理の面でも、顧客満足の面でも行くべき方向だと思う。