Empowered by Curiosity: Connecting and Taking Action

Scenario Ambassadors participating in Yokogawa’s Future Co-creation Initiative are primarily youthful millennials in their late 20s to early 40s selected across departments within the company. Using the co-created future scenarios to fuel discussion, members are proactively working across organizational and industrial boundaries in Yokogawa’s initiative to cultivate the development of next-generation leaders.

Nobuko Ouchi became the youngest scenario ambassador at the age of 25, only three years after joining Yokogawa. She edits her company’s newsletter and takes part in determining corporate strategy from her post in the Corporate Administration Division of Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation. She also serves as the spokesperson for the Future Co-creation Initiative.

*Insights shared in this dialogue are personal and not those of an official Yokogawa.
*Affiliations and positions are current as of December 2024.

 

Even the youngest can thrive at the corporate hub

When Ouchi was asked to join the Future Co-creation Initiative, she read and reread the two-page outlines drafted by the project leader Nobuyuki Tamaki describing Project Lotus, the Initiative’s predecessor which he led. She was left with more questions than answers. “I didn’t fully understand the project, but I said, ‘I’ll do it,’” Ouchi recalls.

What propelled her to come aboard without a full grasp of the concept? The answer lies in advice from a senior colleague when she entered the company: Position yourself near the heart of the company. As the Future Co-creation Initiative was a virtual team reporting directly to the CEO, it perfectly matched the advice.

Was Ouchi concerned about being too young? “Of course, I worried about my inexperience, but when I decided to join the effort, I saw it as a chance to explore the unknown and find ways to develop and contribute as a young person.”

 

A presentation misstep has a positive impact

As the Initiative’s spokesperson, Ouchi often speaks at external seminars and appears on television. She was also interviewed on SDGs and ESGs Change Our Future—Maoko Kotani’s Great Survey of the Earth, a BS TV Tokyo program.

In 2021, during her first external webinar, Ouchi endured a bitter experience. “I was incredibly tense, and my mind went blank when someone asked me a question. What’s more, I’d forgotten my glasses and couldn’t read the script I’d prepared, so I panicked in the moment.”

She rose to the occasion, responding in her own words. That effort captured the hearts of the 400 viewers, who gave the webinar a 97% satisfaction rating. The episode unleashed a ripple of positive events, including affirmative feedback from company executives and an increase in external collaborations.

“Thanks to my misstep, I was able to share my thoughts and experiences frankly and naturally, rather than couching them in prepared prose. That great opportunity allowed me to describe the value of our acquired knowledge and Initiative activities more effectively, creating new connections.”

 

The Future Co-creation Initiative: A powerful impact on life

Ouchi describes the impact the Initiative has had on her life.

“I would say that conventional on-the-job training and education sessions are not experiences which fundamentally alter your values. On the other hand, participating in the Initiative has changed the information I seek and the things I want to know. It has also modified the content of what I share. I can feel the great impact it has had on my life.”

She adds, “I feel like the line separating my private and work lives has disappeared. I can’t explain it well, but I feel like I’m learning deeply as an individual and meeting and connecting with a diverse range of people.”

One of the key words used when discussing the value of the Future Co-creation Initiative is “proactive.” Ouchi feels she has increasingly become a communicator through participating in the Initiative. In the early days, she simply digested the books and information which she was given. Now, however, she affirms that she “shares what I’ve learned, as well as useful articles and books, with my departmental colleagues and superiors. And now, others increasingly share issues and concerns with me and ask my opinion on matters.”

 

The ability to connect stems from curiosity

The official Yokogawa purpose states: Utilizing our ability to measure and connect, we fulfill our responsibilities for the future of our planet. “If I were to redefine ‘the power to connect,’” Ouchi considers, “I would say it emerges from having curiosity. Because without interest and curiosity, you cannot connect the dots you glean from various experiences, discussions, and actual products. If you have a playful side, curiosity will emerge.”

Ouchi has valued curiosity and leveraged it to her benefit since her student days. She focused on water-related issues while studying peace and human rights and traveled to India and the Himalayas. After joining Yokogawa, she requested to be assigned to the department responsible for the water and sewage market, and the company obliged.

Her experience in the Future Co-creation Initiative has refined her curiosity, the trait which is the driving force behind organizational reform.

The Initiative’s unconstrained atmosphere encourages curiosity and exploration, connecting individuals, fostering development, and steadily bringing about growth in Yokogawa businesses and companies. 

From left: Chinatsu Takahata, Nobuko Ouchi, Shogo Ohsaki (Yokogawa)