Chapter III : Recovering from Managerial Crisis (1986–1994)

Chapter III Recovering from Managerial Crisis (1986–1994) Establishing Managerial Principles and Daikin Management The period from 1986 to 1994 saw truly tumultuous international changes, including the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the unification of East and West Germany, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the end of the world’s Cold War structure. Shortly before that, in September 1985, the finance ministers of five countries— France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—met to discuss the highly appreciated U.S. dollar. They reached an agreement, the Plaza Accord, which subsequently led to a rapid appreciation of the yen in Japan from the end of 1985. Once into 1986, concerns emerged about the negative effect a strong yen would have on exports, and the Japanese economy entered a peri- 118 Chapter III Recovering from Managerial Crisis (1986–1994) 119 od of temporary economic adjustment. But there were internation- of the company’s air conditioning business. Daikin introduced re- al expectations for an expansion of demand in Japan, and in that forms in that business during the recession following the Plaza context the Bank of Japan lowered the official discount rate and Accord. It built a strong business base at that time, and together the central government introduced other policies to stimulate de- with the ensuing turn-around of the Japanese economy and the mand in Japan. As a result, from 1987 the economy made a 180-de- rapid domestic growth that followed, the company comfortably gree turn, and business expanded quickly. The four leaders in the handled increased demand. Daikin also rebuilt a firm business new business situation were land, housing, the stock market, and foundation for its chemical business, which grew into a most im- other forms of individual consumption and private-sector de- portant component in the company’s subsequent growth. Al- mand. An economic situation called the “assets inflation” devel- though Daikin achieved an all-weather managerial structure by oped. With the backdrop of this rapid expansion in domestic de- 1992, the ten years from 1993 were called the ”lost decade,” a long mand, Japan’s economy came to be called a “bubble economy,” period of depressed business, which told the company its busi- and the highly favorable economic situation continued until the ness structure was not as solid as it thought. Daikin later came to early 1990s. Daikin’s business results, meanwhile, supported by realize that the organization it established during the bubble an expansion in the domestic demand for air conditioning equip- economy was like a house of cards, and it thus had to tackle basic ment, grew rapidly. The chemical products business, in contrast, reforms to its managerial structure from 1994 on. Simultaneously, was sluggish, mainly because of difficult issues the company the company was also scheduled to review the Vision Manage- faced related to restrictions on the emission of fluorocarbons, a ment Plan established during Minoru Yamada’s tenure as presi- lawsuit in the U.S. related to the dumping of fluororesins, and a dent. violation of COCOM regulations. Daikin termed these issues its Together with the globalization of Daikin’s air conditioning “triple ordeals,” and while responding to them it tackled the mat- business, the make-up of the employees in the group of over- ter of essentially reforming the physical make-up of its chemical seas-related companies became internationalized. Even in Japan, business. As a result of those efforts, the company returned vigor as the company grew larger its workforce quickly expanded and to its sluggish chemical business and realized further growth. diversified, including new college graduates and those who joined Daikin prepared “Vision 95,” its new business plan, in 1990. the company midway through the year. As a result, the company The company worked vigorously according to the plan for recov- came to be comprised of a mixture of employees with differing ery of its chemical business and construction of a global system cultural and educational backgrounds. Even for Japan, Daikin for its air conditioning business. By the year 1992, smack in the stood out for its mixture in the workplace made up of employees middle of the Japanese “bubble” economy, Daikin had achieved of different ages and backgrounds. Not only managers, of course, three main business goals: an all-weather organization, emphasis but all levels of ordinary employees had to embrace a common on technology, and strengthening of group management. What awareness, and the company had to establish clear management made such business development possible was the rapid growth principles and behavioral guidelines. With that backdrop, Daikin 120 Chapter III Recovering from Managerial Crisis (1986–1994) 121 established a new set of management principles in May 1990. The company’s basic philosophy when its employees appreciate that previous principles guiding the company dated from 1958, and philosophy the most and that is also the best time to have that were expressed in three points: “absolute credibility,” “enterpris- thinking spread widely throughout the company.” Such thinking ing management,” and “harmonious personnel relations.” At the expressed Yamada’s wish to have all Daikin employees thorough- time, those principles were sufficient for guiding the employees. ly appreciate the company’s guiding principles. And in response Under the new business environment in the 1990s, however, ten to the Daikin Group’s global development, an English language new guiding principles were established with the focus on “peo- version of the guiding principles was prepared and distributed ple,” and each principle had specific, detailed behavioral guide- around the world. The employees of the overseas group of Daikin lines. The ten management principles, expressed as follows, out- companies were then urged to read and appreciate the company’s lined the type of company Daikin aimed to be, and they guided basic philosophy and its behavioral guidelines. the employees specifically in terms of the behavior expected of Included among the company’s ten management principles them inside the company. are six items that directly express respect for the individuality of each employee, a reflection of President Yamada’s beliefs. He 1. Daikin should be a company trusted by society played a leading role in establishing personnel policies that em- 2. Daikin should be a company offering various opportunities phasized respect for all employees. And to realize true fairness in to its employees dealing with employees, he felt a strong necessity to support a 3. Daikin should constantly be growing and developing system in which the company clearly rewarded employees who 4. Daikin should grow together with its individual employees made greater efforts to contribute to the company’s growth. He 5. The foundation of management should be harmony among believed that personnel in the company were “people who came high-spirited employees together for some reason” and he supported policies that treated 6. The foundation of management is responsive labor-manage- employees well. On a related note, in 1989 the company increased ment relations the separation pay of employees, increased the scholarships grant- 7. Fair personnel affairs, and a flexible organization ed to children left after an employee’s death, reviewed the system 8. Three essentials for business managers: Sensitivity, courage, and conditions for employing handicapped persons, and intro- and creative leadership duced a system for rehiring employees after they retired at the age 9. Development as a group of 60. All those steps let the employees feel pride and an attach- 10. Activities as a good corporate citizen; activities based on cor- ment to the company. It was truly a Japanese-style employment porate ethics; and formation of a network of people system that the company built and improved over the years. It responded to the Japanese life cycle by providing stability in em- President Minoru Yamada once said, “The regular business ployment and allowing employees to relax concerning their con- activities of management in a company are most in line with the tinued employment. Daikin was among the earliest Japanese com- 122 Chapter III Recovering from Managerial Crisis (1986–1994) 123 panies utilizing such a system for evaluating the capabilities of Kanaoka Factory, Rinkai Factory, Kashima Plant and Shiga Plant. employees. It was exactly because Daikin strongly enforced “man- It also invested heavily in its air conditioning equipment delivery agement centered on personnel” that it was able to build a “group centers and to increase the number of its air conditioning agents. of people filled with vitality.” That same spirit remains unbroken Looking only at the company’s investments in directly related in Daikin to this day. companies, total investments in 56 domestic and overseas compa- During the years covered in this chapter—1986–1994—Dai- nies for the period ending in March 1988 were 3.2 billion yen. For kin’s business scale expanded quickly and globally. Sales of 276 the period ending in March 1993, those investments jumped to 66 billion yen for the period ending in March 1989 for Daikin alone companies and 23.9 billion yen, a roughly eight-fold increase in a reached 368 billion yen for the period ending in March 1992, five-year period. which was 30 percent growth in three years. Among total sales, To cover the investments it made at that time, Daikin secured those for air conditioning accounted for over 70 percent of the to- external funds in various ways. In the 1980s, several major finan- tal, constantly maintaining an annual profit of 9–12 percent. The cial moves, such as the issuance of convertible bonds and war- company continued its globalization during this period, with ag- rants overseas had become much easier than previously after the gressive investments particularly in European countries and financial Big Bang.

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