Interviews

As a key member of the Green Phoenix Project (GPP)—a groundbreaking collaboration between industry, government, and academia—Sumitomo Chemical continues to take on the bold challenge of leveraging scenario planning to drive its own transformation. In this interview, Shogo Kaneko of Sumitomo Chemical and Masaharu Kimura of Sumitomo Chemical share insights into the real-world application of scenario planning, uncovering the essence of innovation behind the process and the unique value created by cross-industry co-creation communities.What is the true power of scenario planning? And how does co-creation fuel transformation?

Chinatsu Takahata leads the web promotion for the Future Co-Creation Initiative. Overcoming adversity, she has forged a unique career at the intersection of industrial design and information engineering. Through conversations with diverse members, she has discovered her true self and honed her ability to empathize. The power of diversity, the transformative impact of genuine dialogue, and the essence of finding joy in work—what insights has she gained through the challenge of shaping the future?

"It looks tough but fun." Trusting that intuition, Ohsaki embarked on a new challenge as a "Second-Generation" Scenario Ambassador for the Future Co-Creation Initiative starting in 2023. Through collaboration and dialogue with diverse members across professions and generations, how has Ohsaki discovered and honed their strengths? What long-term perspectives and passion for human development have they cultivated through this initiative, and what vision of the future do they aim to create beyond it?

At the inception of the Future Co-Creation Initiative, Nobuko Ouchi, then in the third year at the company and the youngest Scenario Ambassador, embarked on this journey. What does this challenge mean, and how has it been pursued with autonomy and determination? This article explores the relentless pursuit of growth, efforts to discover new ways of connecting with organizations and society, and forward momentum driven by an insatiable curiosity.

Amid rapid changes such as the global movement toward carbon neutrality, how can we ensure a stable supply of energy and raw materials? Yuichiro Fujiyama of ENEOS and Tatsuya Chiba, R&D expert at ENEOS, are focusing on scenario planning. Both are members of the Green Phoenix Project (GPP), an industry-government-academia collaborative learning community. What motivates these two busy professionals to actively participate in GPP? What value and appeal do GPP and the Future Co-creation Initiative hold for them?

Future Artisan, Inc President/CEO Takashi Tanaka and Yokogawa Future Co-creation Initiative Project Leader Nobuyuki Tamaki, have built a relationship spanning over 10 years, sharing a passion for value creation and nurturing the next generation of leaders with a vision for Japan's future.Tanaka is currently a Future Co-creation partner and active member of the Green Phoenix Project (GPP), a shared industry-government-academia learning community. In this interview, we had the opportunity to hear candid insights from Tanaka and Mika Takaki, also a participant in GPP and a business producer at Future Artisan, about the value and appeal of the Future Co-creation Initiative.

Ideal leadership is redefined as time and environments change. In today's world, with its unpredictable future, co-creative leadership spurring value creation through ideas and growth with diverse partners is replacing touted styles of instructive and dictatorial-type leadership.

Professor Jusuke Ikegami of Waseda University's Governance & Sustainability Research Institute joins Nobuyuki Tamaki, Project Leader of the Future Co-creation Initiative, in examining the distinctiveness and superiority of the Initiative that distinguish it from conventional leadership education.

This installment examines the Green Phoenix Project (GPP), a joint industry-government-academia undertaking which developed into a broad learning community.

This interview focuses on two Scenario Ambassadors of the Future Co-creation Initiative—technical researcher Akio Nakabayashi and systems consultant Kohei Kiyotake. The pair agree that their involvement with the Initiative has boosted their professional and personal growth. They discuss their activities, how they utilize what they have learned and realized, and their current and future challenges.

As Scenario Ambassadors of Yokogawa's Future Co-creation Initiative, they absorb vast amounts of information, determine directionality, and dig deep into the details to formulate future scenarios. How did they overcome the many challenges accompanying the creative process? Moreover, what did they learn through their participation, what values did they rediscover, and what aspirations do they now hold?

In 2021, Yokogawa established the Future Co-creation Initiative to help develop next-generation leaders. What unique value does this project generate from the viewpoint of Yokogawa’s long-term commitment to human capital management?

Young employees bring great potential hidden in formative experiences