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Vol.26
Organization and Independence. |
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In Japan, organizational
decision-making has been more
valued than individual ideas
over a long period of its
history. Much the same goes for
an organization itself, where a
small organization follows
decisions by a large
organization.
Democratic countries,
communist countries, and
authoritarian countries are
organized based on this
principle. Especially, an army
is the ultimate form in which
an order from the top reaches
all ranks, even privates. If an
order from the top is wrong,
however, the result would be
catastrophic. Japan during
World War II is a good example
of this.
Because of the
habit of flocking together,
human beings or animals
inevitably organize themselves
and follow orders from the top
in the end. However, the
important thing is a process of
how a decision is made in an
organization. You should have
courage and knowledge to say
"No" to mistaken policies and
even suggest alternatives.
That is why you must brush
up yourself and accomplish
something in your work.
Otherwise, you will be seen as
all talk and your suggestions
will be ignored. By always
asking yourself why, thinking,
and doing greater effort, you
will have faith in yourself,
leading to the birth of
courage.
Japan changed
its structure by external
forces including the opening to
the west after the Meiji
Restoration and the
democratization after World War
II. However, without the power
to restructure the country from
inside, Japan will be left
alone in an everyday changing
world.
The world was
surprised to see no looting or
riots in Japan right after the
Great East Japan Earthquake. It
must be a rare quality only
found in Japan among the modern
nations. If individuals develop
the strength to say "No"
without losing such a beautiful
quality, Japanese society will
be revitalized.
You
will never become independent
by depending on others,
organizations, or
fortune-telling in which you
don't decide things by
yourself. Being independent
means taking responsibility and
taking responsibility requires
faith and courage.
Life
doesn't always turn out as you
expect and plan. With being
aware of and having
self-responsibility, you won't
panic or feel disappointed at
such moments.
In an
organization, an independent
person, who can say "No",
should be thoroughly assigned
to every branch in the
hierarchy like decorations on a
Christmas tree. This makes an
organization look less unified
but actually makes it more
flexible, so that it can adapt
to an unexpected situation like
storm or earthquake.
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