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.
In Japan, the emphasis tends to be on “persevering and getting things done”. However, Dr. Iriyama points out that what we lack most is the ability to quit. So, what are the factors that make it difficult to quit, and how do you overcome them?
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The power to quit is the most lacking for Japanese people
Hello, I’m Akie Iriyama.
When quitting club activities, part-time jobs, or quitting a company, there are probably many people who say, “For some reason, my heart aches.” Why do we feel guilty when we should be free to quit? Maybe it’s because in Japan people are admired for working on one thing and saying, “How many decades have you been on this path?”
This time, I would like to think about “power to quit”.
BIJ Editorial Department Tokiwa
I read a book called Quitting. A few years ago, a book called “The Power of Perseverance GRIT” became a hot topic, and many people have talked about the benefits of persevering through things, but this book argues the opposite. Based on the awareness that “giving up and quitting is also an important survival instinct for animals,” he preached the benefits of quitting.
On the other hand, I’m having my child learn to play the piano now, but well, I don’t practice (laughs). But I’m worried that if I give up easily here, I’ll become an adult who won’t last long. Iriyama-sensei, do you have any criteria for “whether or not to quit”?
That’s a good theme. This is my personal opinion,One of the most lacking things in Japan is the ability to quitI think so. This is because Japanese people have the preconception that “it’s good to persevere even if it’s hard.” Just like Mr. Tokiwa wants his child to continue playing the piano.
BIJ Editorial Department Tokiwa
yes. There is a feeling that it is hard to continue with clenched teeth.
But I don’t think that’s always the case. It may be an extreme argument, but even in the Pacific War 78 years ago, the Japanese people knew that they would lose, but they didn’t quit, and the people suffered. That’s why ‘the power to stop’ is important.
The most important thing in life for me is to be free.“Freedom to quit what you want to do when you want to quit” is more important than “freedom to do what you want to do”I think it is.
For example, let’s say someone starts a new business. But if it doesn’t go as well as you thought, and you think “This is no good,” the person who can say “I’m done” and quit is the freest person. But most of the time, I just keep slipping away thinking that “people around me are involved,” “I got funding,” and “I’m responsible.”
All the excellent managers and great innovators around me are “masters of quitting”. The most obvious person is Masayoshi Son (although I don’t know him directly). There was a professional baseball player named Itaru Kobayashi who went to Lotte from the University of Tokyo.
I met Mr. Kobayashi on a radio program, and at that time I heard a lot of “The Legend of Masayoshi Son.” After all, Mr. Son said, “I’m a genius in retreat battles.” Mr. Son starts doing various things one after another, but the moment he realizes that things are not going well, he quickly quits. Of course, the people around me get swayed, but Mr. Son says that “the leader should be morning and evening.”
According to Itaru Kobayashi, Sadaharu Oh, who was the manager of the Softbank Hawks, can do the same thing. Director Wang is also a genius, so he tries various things, and if he thinks it’s no good after all, he quits.
People around me can make a difference. For example, Mr. Norihiko Sasaki, former editor-in-chief of NewsPicks, now runs a media called “PIVOT.” I’m on good terms with Mr. Sasaki personally, but when I talk to Mr. Sasaki’s subordinates rather than Mr. Sasaki himself, it’s a good thing.
Mr. Sun, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Norihiko Sasaki all have a light and free atmosphere, probably because they are not afraid to quit.
You can’t start easily because you can’t quit easily
The reason why “the ability to quit” is important is that it is difficult to predict the future in a world that is undergoing rapid changes. There are many things that you will not know until you try, so it is necessary to challenge various things. That’s why highly flexible management, such as starting small as a trial and then withdrawing if it doesn’t work, and making additional investments if it looks like it’s going to grow, is highly valued. As written in “World Standard Management Theory”, this is called “Real Option Theory”.
However, in Japan, there is a strong belief that “you don’t have the guts to stop doing something once you’ve started it”. Japanese companies, in particular, invest in a “waterfall method,” in which the order of payments when profits are made is fixed, so “once you invest, you won’t withdraw.” In such an environment, we cannot start carelessly. That’s why even if there is a new business that looks good, I can’t help but feel heavy. So you miss your chance.
Or, once you start, you will never retreat and push forward. That’s why there are so many projects that sink as soon as they notice it.
That’s why I always think that it’s time to get rid of the idea that “It’s always right to work hard without giving up.”
The only thing that worries me about quitting is the “public eye”
BIJ Editorial Department Tokiwa
I see. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m not very good at quitting once I’ve started. I think this is also imprinted on me from my childhood, but when I quit, I somehow feel like I’ve lost, and I can’t help but worry about what other people think about quitting. How do I overcome this?
It’s very easy.
A long time ago, not me, but the founder of Coconala, Akira Minami, said this, but in the end, the only thing holding you back when you fail is the public eye.
In the first place, entrepreneurship and new businesses are more likely to fail, so it’s natural to fail. In the days when you had to invest your own money to start a business, nowadays you don’t have much to lose even if you fail. Right now, the biggest obstacle to withdrawal is the “public eye” that Tokiwa-san cares about. Other than that it’s not a big deal.
But people around me don’t care about me as much as I think. You don’t have to be so self-conscious. If Tokiwa-san started something, but stopped after a while, I think people would think, “It’s something Tokiwa-san thought about and decided, so it must have been a good decision.”
BIJ Editorial Department Tokiwa
Certainly, if someone other than myself withdrew, I might not think anything of it. For example, if Mr. Noda from the editorial department fails in some way and withdraws, I’m sure I’ll just think, “There must have been that kind of circumstances.”
Just like when declaring a diet, being aware of the eyes of those around you can help you continue with something, but it can also be an obstacle that prevents you from withdrawing. Sometimes it takes courage to break through.
Akie Iriyama:Professor at 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). He has been in his current position since 2019. His books include “What are the world’s management scholars thinking now?”
(Composition: Kiyoko Nagayama, series logo design: Mio Hoshino)
Source: BusinessInsider
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