This week, Professor Akie Iriyama of Waseda University Business School talks about issues based on management theory. I refer to the teacher’s book “Global Standard Management Theory”. However, this series can be easily read without this book.
I don’t have anything in particular, but I get in touch with him and ask him, “How are you these days?” In fact, it seems that this little voice is effective in maintaining human relationships. In the age of SNS, it has become easier to connect, but it is necessary to devise ways to make it a long-lasting personal network. What kind of things does Mr. Iriyama keep in mind?
[Click here to listen to the audio version](Playback time: 7 minutes 50 seconds)*Click for audio
loneliness is scarier than death
Hello, I’m Akie Iriyama.
Do you prefer to keep in touch with your acquaintances and regulars? This time it’s a story that ‘maintenance of relationships’ is important.
BIJ Editorial Department Tokiwa
This time I would like to talk about an article I saw in the New York Times. About 6,000 people participated in the experiment presented in this article. If you casually ask a friend you haven’t seen for a while, “I don’t have anything in particular to do, but how are you doing lately?”
Certainly, some of my acquaintances are good at this kind of casual voice. I don’t have anything in particular to do, but he contacts me about once every few months. And I am very happy to hear from you.
Iriyama-sensei has a wide range of faces, but are you conscious of this kind of maintenance of human relationships?
I do it unconsciously. Just a few weeks ago, I just sent an e-mail to my mentor in America and my colleagues at the time. “Congratulations,” said a former colleague, who had been selected to be the editor of a well-known academic journal. The other side also replied immediately, but what I don’t like is that I don’t reply after that because I’m busy. Thanks to you, I may be causing trouble in various places.
Now, I think it’s very possible what you’re saying in this New York Times article.
As I have mentioned several times in this series, there is a theory in business administration called ‘the strength of weak ties’.Weak ties such as acquaintances are more effective in conveying information than strong ties such as close friends and family.That’s the theory.
Or there is something called “embeddedness theory”. It’s not a very estranged relationship, it’s not a rigid hierarchical relationship,Relationships embedded in personal and social networks encourage people to act on trust.That’s the theory.
After all, humans live in social relationships. It is said that people fear loneliness more than death. On top of that, we cannot be immune to the influence of the people around us. What kind of people you have around you also affects how successful you are socially. Even your physique will change. Public health research has shown that if you are surrounded by fat people, you are more likely to gain weight, and if you are surrounded by thin people, you are more likely to become thin.
Although the impact is so great,In fact, there was almost no research on the “maintenance” of human relationships in business administration.That’s my understanding.
It’s been 10 years since I left the United States, so research may have progressed since then, but at least until 10 years ago, there was almost no research on maintaining connections. In contrast, there is a lot of research around the world on connections called social networks.
The reason why there has been no research is that business administration up to now has been thought in this way. Once people get to know someone, the relationship lasts forever. The relationship once connected cannot be broken. Even if it is cut, it is connected once, so it will be revived immediately, and in a sense it is the same as being connected.
But in reality, that’s not the case.Without regular maintenance, it will become estrangedI think it’s a thing. The reason why I suddenly sent an e-mail to my teacher and colleagues the other day was, “Come to think of it, I haven’t been in touch with them recently. ’ I thought somehow.
Especially now, we live in an era where we can connect with many people at the same time virtually. If you don’t maintain it by pushing “Like” on Facebook, you may not be able to maintain a large number of connections.
Any excuse to contact me
Noda, BIJ Editorial Department
However, if I suddenly contact a friend I haven’t contacted in over a year, they might think I’m trying to recruit them for a religion or a multi-level marketing scheme (laughs), so I hesitate to contact them because I’m afraid. In that case, how should I contact you? Iriyama-sensei, please tell us if there is anything you have devised.
It’s not so much as a device, but after all it’s a “story”,Anything is fine, you should have an excuse to contact meIsn’t it? If you suddenly call out to someone who is unfaithful, you might startle them.
Most of the times when I think, “Let’s talk to this person,” it’s when I think of that person for some reason and want to contact them, so I just tell them.
For example, when you talk to someone about soccer, and you remember, “I used to watch soccer with that person a long time ago,” I think, “Well, let’s get in touch.” At times like that, I would send a message like, “I happened to be talking about soccer with an acquaintance, and I remembered that I used to watch XX games with you. Lately, that team has been in a bad mood.” increase.
Noda, BIJ Editorial Department
I see. It’s certainly reassuring to hear people say, “I’m contacting you because I wanted to talk about something like this.”
Writer Nagayama
For that matter,I think New Year’s cards are a good system.. Actually, it’s not auspicious just because December turns to January, but you can use the New Year’s guise to say hello to people who are unfaithful on a daily basis. I’ve been slacking off lately, butNew Year’s cards often lead to work.
New Year’s cards are certainly nice. I don’t put out much myself, but it reminded me of a story I heard from a super big business owner.
He is very good at acquiring companies. What’s even better is that you’re getting a company with good performance and potential, rather than a company that they want to let go of. But of course, it’s hard to get a company like that. Therefore, it seems that he will send out a New Year’s card every year.
“Happy New Year. Please sell my company.”
Of course, Ken mo Hororo, but I will do the same the next year and the year after that. Keep doing that for about 10 years.
Then, no matter how good a company is, there are good times and bad times. It seems that M & A will be established by bearing fruit. This is also a skill that can be used to maintain relationships.
BIJ Editorial Department Tokiwa
I see. If you’re going to sell your company anyway, you’d rather sell it to someone who remembers to give you New Year’s cards for 10 years, rather than someone who suddenly asked you to sell them last month.
The demand for paper New Year’s cards is on the decline, but it might be a good chance to use it as a greeting card once a year to maintain connections. The end of the year is approaching, so why don’t you all think about New Year’s cards?
(Composition: Kiyoko Nagayama, photography: Takuma Imamura, serialization logo design: Mio Hoshino, editing and sound editing: Yutaro Kobayashi, Ayuko Tokiwa)
Akie Iriyama: Professor, Waseda University Graduate School of Business Administration (Business School). He graduated from Keio University Faculty of Economics and completed the master’s program at Keio University Graduate School of Economics. After working at Mitsubishi Research Institute, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business in 2008. In the same year, he became an Assistant Professor at the Business School of the State University of New York at Buffalo. Since 2013, he has been an associate professor at Waseda University Graduate School of Business Administration (Business School). Incumbent since 2019. His books include “What are the world’s management scholars thinking now?”
Source: BusinessInsider
Emma Warren is a well-known author and market analyst who writes for 24 news breaker. She is an expert in her field and her articles provide readers with insightful and informative analysis on the latest market trends and developments. With a keen understanding of the economy and a talent for explaining complex issues in an easy-to-understand manner, Emma’s writing is a must-read for anyone interested in staying up-to-date on the latest market news.