Mitsubishi Electric has launched a new initiative, the Purpose Project, targeting approximately 150,000 employees of group companies in Japan and overseas. The goal is for each employee to think about his or her own purpose, as well as the company's, which will become the driving force for change. So what is the full scope of the Purpose Project, and what exactly is being done? We interviewed Mr. Takato Abe, Corporate Executive Senior General Manager, Corporate Advertising Division, Mitsubishi Electric, who is promoting this global project.

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The word, "purpose," is often heard in the business world as it is a buzzword with many related books on the subject. It means, "goal, purpose, and the meaning of existence." Businesses do well to ask themselves what their purpose is – in other words, "For what do I or my company exist?

"Purpose" is an aspiration that expresses the significance of the Mitsubishi Electric Group's existence and the role it should play in society, and is the ultimate goal that we will continue to pursue. From the perspective of employees, "My Purpose" is the personal aspiration that each and every one of us values and wishes to achieve. At Mitsubishi Electric, various communication measures are underway with "My Purpose" as the starting point, and the Corporate Advertising Division is the one that will lead the others. When starting the project, Mr. Abe said, "There are no right answers, and there will probably be pros and cons, but we wanted to make a project that everyone would think was good and that they were glad to have tried."

"The Purpose Project is a project that has been running internally for about a year and a half. Mitsubishi Electric celebrated its 100th anniversary, and it was an opportunity for us to think about what kind of company we want to be for the next 100 years. The Purpose Project was born out of our president Mr. Uruma’s contemplations. As part of the project, we asked all employees to think about their purpose. However, when we started the project, we didn’t want to give them specific instructions, so we devised a variety of ways to make it an ideal undertaking that they would find interesting – we wanted them to discover its benefits for themselves, and work on it spontaneously."

As a start, two original picture books (culture books) were distributed to about 150,000 employees. The first book was a history of the Mitsubishi Electric Group, and was accompanied only by a card that asked the question, "What is our job?" This book displays the history of the Mitsubishi Electric Group and conveys the values and principles that the company has cherished. The other book, "The Spirit of Doing Great Work," is said to be a story that encourages people to think about what work is, and what it means to work. Thinking about "My Purpose" is nothing other than looking honestly at oneself.

"When we finally create a purpose and discuss the process and base ideas together, it becomes very exciting, and by thinking again about the meaning of our existence and the meaning of work, we realize that we actually had these ideas and thoughts. As the result of a trial with a total of several dozen people, we discovered that many individuals – including myself – have become more positive about working. This has been a constructive experience for us, and I hope that our employees will feel the same."

We would like to connect the employees' facing of purpose to the driving force that makes the company better. Mitsubishi Electric believes that the most important factor to revitalize the company is for each employee to work cheerfully with his or her own thoughts and feelings. So, how can we get employees to think about purpose? The first step was to "start with the immediate steps."

"We thought it was important to start with the leaders and make "My Purpose" public. If we suddenly asked everyone to do this, it would be seen as something coming from above, so we started with the president, followed by executive officers, senior executive officers, and then the senior general managers of works and divisions, for a total of 156 "My Purpose" of members. Any employee can see that."

As a company with approximately 150,000 employees at group companies in Japan and overseas, there are many aspects of the company that cannot be conveyed through an internal website alone. That is why we can reach out to our employees from outside the company by running a TV commercial with "purpose" as its theme, and we can also communicate to their families, friends, customers, and other people outside the company that Mitsubishi Electric is a company with this kind of philosophy. In addition, the website "Our Stories," on which this article appears, also plays a role in communicating the Purpose Project both internally and externally.

"I see this project as part of our corporate branding, including inner branding. I think it is necessary to continuously communicate this project, both inside and outside of the company, and as the Corporate Advertising Division, we want our employees to think about it while having as much fun as possible."

Generally, these projects are often led by the Corporate Human Resources Division or the Corporate Strategic Planning Division, but with Mitsubishi Electric, the Corporate Advertising Division is in charge of this project. Why is this?

"You have probably heard of the 2:6:2 rule: when you try to do something new, 20% will act positively, 60% will wait to see what happens, and the remaining 20% will give negative feedback. I think it is important to continue to implement a wave of measures for that 60% who are wondering what to do. The skills of the Corporate Advertising Division, which has been involved in advertising and publicity, will come in handy in the planning and execution of such plans."

Various difficulties will arise as we move forward with the project. To overcome these hurdles, we are prepared to work hard, day and night.

"There is a ‘message game’ aspect to it, and the more we are aware of more distant targets, the harder it is for our thoughts to be accurately conveyed. Some people write something close to their business goals as "My Purpose," but I would like them to go back and think about more fundamental aspects, such as what they had in mind when they started working at Mitsubishi Electric. We sometimes receive questions about how to do this sort of thing, so in order to carefully convey the purpose project, we are making steady efforts such as actually visiting the work site and holding an explanatory meeting."

From 2024 , they will start the "My Purpose" project in Japan and overseas group companies.

"I was worried about how these initiatives would be received overseas, but my fears were unfounded. At a meeting with overseas group companies, we held a workshop in which participants came up with their own "My Purpose" and presented their ideas. It turned out to be more exciting than I had expected. I felt that this was only possible for people from cultures where people have verbalized their own ideas from an early age. When I heard the reactions of the overseas employees, I felt that the overseas activities might soon overtake the speed of the Japanese activities."

Overseas and Japan. The more that interaction increases the enthusiasm for the project in each area, the more it will be nothing but good for the Mitsubishi Electric Group as a whole.

"I was personally impressed by one overseas leader's "My purpose". He said, 'I thought I was going to do something small for society, but then I realized that I could have a bigger impact and improve society through Mitsubishi Electric's business, and since then I have enjoyed going to work and working at the company.’ It is wonderful to be able to feel that what you thought was small on your own is becoming even bigger with the help of the company and others around you. So, for example, suppose there is an employee who makes small parts for a certain product, and he thinks he is only doing a rather mundane job. If he can feel that the work he is doing will eventually become part of a larger product or system, and be useful to the world as a whole, he will feel that his work is more meaningful than ever before, and he will be proud of it. I hope that everyone will realize and discover such a big story. To that end, I hope that all will freely discuss "My Purpose," tell themselves and others what they think is good about it, and by all means, share it with others."

Written by Our Stories Editing Team