Kato Atsuro (加藤敦朗) and Otake Akiko (乙竹晃子), who lead DNP’s 150th anniversary project, discuss how they shaped cross-functional collaboration within the company and developed ways to involve employees. They also describe initiatives including workshops, an open call for logo designs, an online game and Photo Challe.
The two people responsible for the 150th anniversary project are working to update what is considered “ordinary,” both from the outside in and from the inside out. Through a survey of all employees and a series of workshops, they sought clues to bridge the gap between differences in employees’ willingness to take on challenges and the current situation.
The workshops began with questions prompting employees to imagine DNP 20 years from now, then moved on to questions asking them to envision how the media might cover it in concrete terms. This approach drew out a vision of the future that employees could discuss as something personally relevant.
The open call for a logo design attracted approximately 800 or more ideas from Japan and overseas. The final proposal, based on a design rooted in printing, was selected through a vote involving all employees.
The project has since established a system to encourage participation regardless of employees’ affiliations or roles by providing multiple accessible entry points, including the online sugoroku board game “Sugo-Challe” and “Photo Challe.” This has helped create a sense of unity through employees’ photographs and stories.