Global Optimization

Recently I read an interesting article about a difference of business
structures between western countries and Japan. The article was an interview
of a CRM software company selling president.

The essential point of the interview for me was like the following:

In order to exploit CRM software enough, a company must optimize its
business activities company wide not per business division basis.
For example, a design center of its products and factories must cooperate
shooting for the maximum benefit of the company not each business division.
Quite a lot of Japanese companies have a problem from that point of view.
Simply speaking, it's a sectionalism among business divisions in one company.

The president talked about the strategy and foresight of his company more, but
for me the above was interesting.
Actually, that story reminded me of what an executive of my company said
at a kickoff meeting of this fiscal year about a month ago.
I'm working for a company with a quite traditional business structure, and
a lot of business divisions inside the company are always competing with
with each other for their own budgets and benefits. It's like a bureau of
something. :(

BUT!

The executive finally began to say, "Think company wide optimization,
not per business unit basis."
Furthermore, about two weeks later of the kickoff meeting, I heard a news that
the executive would be the president of my company soon. :o

The above story also reminded me of a similar issue I wrote before.
I think a big company can be regarded as a society or a community which
consists of multiple organizations with different stakes. Here,
the organizations are like species with different *genes* carriers.
If the genes are essentially different and competing with each other,
the theory of evolution says that it's not stable that those species
cooperate each other. Thus, the problem is that if employees of my company
are sharing the same gene or not.
I joined my company about three years ago after 10 years of life at other
company, and for me their mentality looks like almost uniform one.
So, I believe the competing divisions share the same gene. :)

BTW, the executive of my company is Mr. Yamashita.
Hey, Yamashita-san, I'm really looking forward to seeing your strong
leadership. :)