Unconventional Encounters Spark Innovation

Yokogawa’s corporate purpose states: “Using our ability to measure and connect, we fulfill our responsibilities for the future of our planet.” The company’s Future Co-creation Initiative aims to transcend conventional boundaries in co-creating with external partners, building on the precedent set by the Green Phoenix Project (GPP), a fused industry/government/academic learning community comprised of the Future Co-creation Initiative, Waseda University, and external professionals.

In October 2024, Future Co-creation members visited the SYNERGYCA Creation Lounge at Sumitomo Chemical’s Tokyo headquarters. SYNERGYCA is a place where members of Sumitomo Chemical and other entities can interact and spark new values through shared ideas and discoveries.

After a warm welcome, we sat down for an in-depth talk with GPP members and Future Co-creation partners Shogo Kaneko (General Manager of the Battery Materials Department and former General Manager of the Digital & Data Science Innovation Department) and Masaharu Kimura (Senior Associate in the Sustainability Department), who graciously accepted our interview request.

The interview sought to illustrate how a 2017 Sumitomo Chemical project leveraged scenario planning to effect organizational transformation within the company. We asked the pair for their frank views on their interactions with facilitator Nobuyuki Tamaki as well as the value and potential of the GPP.

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

 

The project began with invisible resistance

In 2016, Tamaki was serving as a facilitator to develop the 2030 Chemical Industry Scenarios for Japan at an industry meeting. A Sumitomo Chemical executive was impressed by his skills and later reached out to him directly.

When Sumitomo Chemical launched its scenario-planning project in 2017, Tamaki was named planner/facilitator. The project was led by a cross-organizational team comprised of young and mid-career employees representing diverse backgrounds.

At the time, Kaneko headed digital transformation (DX) and smart factory planning/promotions in the factory and production department. He was selected as one of the dozen or so project members, which led to his first meeting with Tamaki. His first reaction was confusion.

“My work had given me some familiarity with IoT, AI, and future technology and social change, but I initially could not envision how the project would apply to business strategy. And I was surprised when we were given two weeks to read more than 10 assigned books.”

Tamaki remembers those days as well. “When I handed them the books, I got icy stares in return. It was as though they were saying, ‘You expect me to read all this? Who do you think you are?’ It felt a bit perilous at that moment …,” he says with a grin.　

The project seemed enveloped in gloom in those early days.

 

Scenario planning: Navigating the peaks

Project members were figuratively jammed into a small meeting room, where they continued to debate and analyze. Kaneko recalls that, at the time, Tamaki likened the task of scenario planning to mountain climbing.

“The job began with us reading lots of references. Neither our route nor final output was evident at this early stage. It was as if we were at the foot of the mountain, plodding along without making any apparent progress. In the latter half of the project, you determine the impact-uncertainty matrix, influence diagram, and scenario drivers (*). If we compare it to mountain climbing, this represents the final push to the top from the 7th station. Yet Tamaki did not leave us in peace to continue climbing.

*Scenario drivers: critical uncertainties that shape and influence possible futures.

“He would tear up what we had completed and have us rebuild from scratch. I remember that he had us repeatedly revise our output. We felt like we could see the summit but never seemed to arrive, no matter how hard we climbed.”

Throughout the process, Tamaki kept a close eye on the discussions and the work of each member. He invariably offered encouragement and general follow-up, devoting time to each member. As the project advanced, conflicts were overcome, and the members forged good relationships.

Kaneko recalls, “Tamaki is a super-facilitator. Whenever discussion veered off track, or our perspective narrowed and prevented deep scrutiny, or we jumped to conclusions, he instantly appeared and asked, ‘What about this angle?’ or ‘What are your thoughts on this?’ He kept us digging deeper and elevated our overall quality by serving as a sounding board.”

Ten months later, the Sumitomo Chemical future scenario was completed.

 

Results = organizational transformation + personal growth

The project generated significant value, beginning with its impact on organizational change within Sumitomo Chemical.

For this project, the two scenario drivers of the future scenario were digital transformation (DX) and low-carbon (currently referred to as “carbon-neutrality) status. Nowadays, most companies specify those goals, but in 2018, few elevated them as management issues. In 2019, Sumitomo Chemical formally incorporated them into its mid-term management plan.

The company also launched the Digital & Data Science Innovation Department and the Environmental Impact Reduction Team. Kaneko was named to head the former, while another project member took on the carbon-neutral technology development team. Scenario planning served as a vehicle for the next generation to help advance the company and contribute to organizational reform.

Kaneko subsequently led DX projects such as the Digital & Data Science Innovation Department for five years, changing the trajectory of his own career and contributing to the development of DX-focused human resources. He relinquished those responsibilities when he assumed his current post in April 2024.

Kaneko asserts that the experience also afforded him personal growth. “Tamaki’s facilitation improved members’ thinking capability and scenario quality. As we created the scenarios ourselves, both the logic structure and our debates remain deeply ingrained within our minds. Project members exhibited tremendous energy, enabling them to report directly to management in their own words.”

The responsibility and passion felt by the next-gen participants toward the company produced a high-quality scenario, generating significant value.

 

Designing unconventional encounters

Meanwhile, Kaneko tapped Kimura—who heads up Sustainability—to join the Green Phoenix Project (GPP) in 2023. Kimura had been posted to Europe following 12 years of research experience, and he is now Sumitomo Chemical’s ranking expert in sustainability.

As Kimura puts it, “I have used Yokogawa’s future scenarios as a resource in planning for our own sustainability promotion committee. Those scenarios are a far cry from similar plans put out by consulting firms. They are extremely detailed and vivid. Living, breathing visions, you might say.”

Kaneko reflects on the value of the GPP community. “It is a gathering of members who cannot be judged by their corporate affiliation, occupation, or position. Their only common link is an open-mindedness in pondering the future.”

Tamaki designs the GPP member composition with an awareness of the chemical reactions between individuals. It is not about whether one represents a major corporation or is president of a large firm. It is a conscious effort to create an environment in which mutually trusting individuals can grow and contribute together. His role, then, is that of a catalyst that promotes chemical reactions between individuals.

Kaneko adds, “I love the concept of the GPP’s unconventional encounters. Gathering individuals from diverse industries, expertise, and generations who gradually share their unique perspectives ignites the sparks of innovation. I believe in that potential and treasure this community.”

 

Nourishment to enrich the soil

Sustainability requires consideration of trends in the foreseeable future, such as evolving laws and regulations in Europe. However, Kimura points out that this approach alone is insufficient.

“In the GPP, we talk about the unforeseeable future. And nobody has answers. Sometimes dedicating time and discussion to hammer out one point after another pays off as a ray of sunshine suddenly pierces your cloud of frustration. The GPP is a treasure trove of such ‘aha’ moments.

“The chemical industry is located upstream in the manufacturing supply chain in that it provides materials to various industries,” suggests Kimura. “It has a broad influence. Therefore, it is important to expand our analysis and informational organization to encompass all of society, just as scenario planning encourages us to do.

“Even if you sense no immediate effect, there will surely be one when you least expect it. This community is all about nourishing the soil over the long haul.”

The GPP exists to enrich our personal resources for the long term while feeding our personal growth.

Conclusion

Japanese industries require breakthroughs to help restore their competitiveness on the international stage. However, having the same members in the same environment produces the trap of homogeneity. Without new insights and ideas, there can be no innovation.

Kaneko praises the Future Co-creation Initiative and the GPP. “Yokogawa’s younger members have their own opinions and voice them unhesitatingly to management and external experts. They are particularly eager to learn and seem to enjoy participating. Moreover, I think they are delighted to be working for Yokogawa Electric, which officially offers this sort of co-learning environment.

“I believe that activities fostering innovation play a crucial role in strengthening Japan. It is important to collaborate with forward-looking members of the GPP community to help change Japan and ponder the future.”

In the GPP, it is not about consolidating thoughts and opinions. Rather, the hope is that each person will find the opportunity to deepen their outlook for the future.

Such a well-nurtured environment will enable each member to see personal growth. This individual growth that emphasizes the value of diversity will, in turn, foster the seeds of innovation. The Future Co-creation Initiative and the GPP each seek to play the role of both catalyst and forum for such breakthroughs.

From left to right: Shinichi Chiyoda (Yokogawa), Nobuyuki Tamaki (Yokogawa),
Shogo Kaneko (Sumitomo Chemical), Masaharu Kimura (Sumitomo Chemical)