At Nikken, we contribute to global industry through our technology and ideas while maintaining
an attitude and spirit of "research every day".
The founder of Nikken Kosakusho, who gave the company its name and corporate philosophy,
had a vision we call the "Nikken Spirit", which is embedded in our corporate DNA as we continue to
play a key supporting role for the world's leading manufacturers.
Below we present some excerpts from "NIKKEN HARMONY", which is a compilation of the Nikken Spirit,
as well as a number of other words passed on to us by our founder.
Discipline (shitsuke) is the driving force behind a company's total power
They say that the character representing shitsuke was invented in Japan, not borrowed from China.
This highlights the fact that discipline is an admirable tradition to be cherished.
In Japan, discipline is the foundation of our schools and companies alike. Its presence or absence is what determines the difference in total power between companies.
For senior leaders in particular, when guidance is given in the spirit of "revealing anger but leaving no hatred", the effects of that loving education are spread throughout the company, generating strong emotional bonds (kizuna).
The responsibility of leaders
I believe that leadership entails three requirements: public speaking, character, and strictness.
Children grow up by watching their parents.
As leaders, it is important that we create an atmosphere that motivates young people through the development of public speaking, character, and strictness.
Just as parents are responsible for raising the child, we are accountable for the foundation of the company.
People are more important than hardware and software.
It is possible to be rich in hardware and software, but poor from the perspective of professionalism.
One must rekindle love for one's work and occupation and play the role of a professional in one's field with energy and passion. With effort, anyone can develop a sparkling personality. To unleash the glorious "humanware" hidden within us, we must fall deeper in love with our work and use our talents as performers to attack issues with exaggerated actions.
Cooperation with singleness of purpose ("three-legged racing") and emotional bonds (kizuna)
If each person thinks in a shallow way, as an observer or supporting player, good work will not get done.
The person giving instructions and the person receiving instructions interact with the sense that each is playing a "leading role", and the result is noticeably different levels of satisfaction in the pursuit of their work.
However, a person who has ability but does not use it, or who has knowledge but does not share it, cannot get real joy out of working.
When colleagues, for example pairs of junior and senior employees, cooperate with singleness of purpose, as if they were bound together as participants in a three-legged race, the results are demonstrable.
Two people cannot run a three-legged race unless their spirits mesh well with each other.
When things go poorly, their efforts cancel out instead of combining, and the results become 1 + 1 = 1.5. By aligning the efforts of junior and senior employees who are joined in spirit, you create an emotional bond (kizuna) and generate synergies so that 1 + 1 = 4 or 5. This pair bond forms the core of the entire company.
First effort, then profit
In recent years, I have noticed an attitude of hesitation hidden behind the rhetoric of meeting the needs of the customer.
We need to understand that no matter how long you hesitate to act, the storm will never pass. The era is long gone when one could get ahead by silently following someone else's lead.
Sometimes it is necessary to act with reckless passion, to maintain an aggressive posture that is alert to every insight, to burst boldly into the inner sanctum of the customer to carefully examine all the details at the manufacturing site.
I believe that the era of directness has arrived, when an attitude that embraces spirited effort yields results directly. I want to emphasize that ultimately effort comes first, and then profit follows.