The article about me that was featured on Diamond Online recently caused quite a stir and even made it to the Yahoo! homepage (a great joy for this humble sake brewer!). I actually read the comments section from readers on that article. I found myself drawn in and, as I kept reading, I came across comments that were selected by the diversity AI. I ended up reading quite a few of them. These days, it’s interesting that diversity AI also includes minority dissenting opinions. I found it helpful.
Most of the comments were along the lines of, “(although there are a few differing opinions) generally, this makes sense,” but there were also some harsh opposing opinions. Many of those opposed to the article seemed to have a strong dislike for Dassai, with some comments saying, “If you hate the monk, you hate the robe too,” (meaning of such as “Hatred makes you despise everything related” ) or emotional reactions like, “I refuse to ignore the weak 20%” or even the frightening comment, “I’m done with Dassai.” Aside from those comments meant to be cynical, it seemed that many were opposed to the 2:6:2 rule presented in the article.
Honestly, at times like this, it might be more advantageous for company executives to make neutral, non-offensive statements. However, I think it’s important to express what I truly believe, even if it causes some backlash. Here’s why I think the way I do.
“Why does the chairmen of Dassai emphasize involving the top 20% when trying to achieve something?”
It’s because, in order for the weak Dassai to survive, this is the only option. But is Dassai weak? Yes, it is. We are facing off against the overwhelmingly powerful wine and champagne industry, so we are “extremely” weak. If I were to put it in the style of Ryotaro Shiba, “A heartfelt and earnest challenge undertaken by a tiny island nation in the East—deep in the mountains, in a remote sake brewery.”
When a weaker party goes into battle, the only option is to adopt the “join if you want” method. For instance, when Nobunaga was at his most disadvantaged in his life and defeated the large army of Imagawa, he first left the castle at dawn with only a few attendants. Along the way, he reformed his army with only those who had followed him, and he charged into the large Imagawa army (essentially excluding those critical of him). Similarly, Takasugi Shinsaku, to shift the opinion of the dominant pro-surrender faction in the Choshu clan, raised the battle cry with only a small force of his elite troops. That eventually led to the defeat of the far superior Shogunate army in the Second Choshu Expedition.
There was once a local government leader who said, “If even one person opposes it, we won’t build a bridge.” That led to great stagnation in the administration. A more relatable example is when the sake brewery association staff members were often advised to, “Form a scrum with other breweries,” but after 50 years, the industry’s total sales shrank to a fifth of what they once were. In other words, prioritizing the unity of the entire organization may reduce stress within the organization, but it leads to contraction overall. You can see this when comparing the seemingly disjointed American economy with the more orderly, government-led Japanese economy in recent years.
When considering the lives and futures of 300+ employees, including 210 manufacturing staff and other sales/management staff, I could never say, “We won’t do anything until the last person agrees.”
Lastly, I am a small business owner. And I am 74 years old. In this organization of fewer than 300 people, the staff and employees are roughly the age of my children or grandchildren. How could I not care about them? I am particularly concerned about those who are not performing well. Conversely, I am very strict with the top 20% of employees. At Dassai, those who are capable are subject to even harsher standards. Furthermore, even employees who were initially part of the bottom 20% can suddenly become excellent employees when they are transferred to a different department or when their job responsibilities change.
But after reading some of the AI-chosen comments, I thought, “AI isn’t always going to help humans in the best possible way” and “It could also play the role of stirring things up.” AI can also assist in pushing humans toward foolish decisions. It makes me wonder about the future a little bit.