Despite the development of technology and science, our spiritual development ...
No organization can successfully survive in a competitive environment if it does not have clearly defined benchmarks, directions that set what it strives for, what it wants to achieve with its activities. The old wisdom that there is no tailwind for a ship whose crew does not know where it is sailing figuratively illustrates this position. But the goal-oriented principle in the activities of the organization arises not only because it needs to have guidelines so as not to perish in a changing environment.
The concept of "mission" comes from the English language. "Mission" in translation e means "goal". In Russian management theory and practice, in a certain context, it is the term “mission” that is used, not the goal. The fact is that in English there are four designations for the concept of "goal":
1. Aim - goal, intention;
2. Goal-goal, task, destination;
3. Target - goal, task, target, plan;
4. Mission - purpose, purpose, calling, assignment.
All these words have the same general meaning - "goal", however they have small semantic differences, and the practice of using these words differ.
With the most generalized and at the same time with the most profound understanding, the role of the organization's mission is that it, as it were, establishes a link, orients in a single direction the interests and expectations of those people who perceive the organization from the inside, and those who perceive the organization from the outside. Moreover, the mission allows you to orient or even subordinate the interests of "internal" in relation to the organization of people to the interests of "external" people. By defining what the organization was created and exists for, the mission gives the actions of people meaning and purposefulness, allowing them to better see and understand not only what they have to do, but also why they are performing their actions. There is a wide and narrow understanding of the mission.
In a broad sense, a mission is a philosophy and purpose, the raison d'être of an organization.
The philosophy of the organization defines the values, beliefs and principles according to which the organization intends to conduct its activities. Purpose defines the actions that the organization intends to take and what type of organization it intends to be. The philosophy of an organization rarely changes. As for the second part of the mission, it can change depending on the depth of possible changes in the organization and in the environment of its functioning.
In a narrow sense, a mission is a formulated statement about what or for what reason an organization exists, i.e. a mission is understood as a statement that reveals the meaning of the organization's existence, in which the difference between this organization and its kind is manifested.
A mission in strategic management is a clearly expressed overall goal of an organization's activities, which answers the following basic questions:
Why does the organization exist (the reason for its existence), what products it produces and what needs the organization satisfies;
Who are the main consumers and what is the attitude of the organization towards them;
What is the main philosophy of the organization, how does it relate to society, partners and competitors, to its employees, what are the basic values \u200b\u200bshared by employees;
What are the basic principles of the organization.
The mission defines the essence of the organization's activities, its basic goals
and principles of activity, helps to unite efforts in one direction, contains basic guidelines that help to distribute responsibility and resources, provides a basis and context for developing a strategy, serves as a basis for building and correcting the goals of the organization.
The main question that the mission answers is the question of what kind of human need the organization satisfies. For example, an automobile plant satisfies the need for people to move; university - in education; the mayor's office - in creating conditions for a decent life for the townspeople. The correct answer to the question about the needs that the organization satisfies is in itself capable of bringing a lot of new things into the activities of this organization. For example, an automobile plant begins to develop a network of consumer service enterprises (repair shops, authorized dealers, leasing sales schemes), a university expands its scope of activities (short-term courses, sports services, library services), and the mayor's office subsidizes Internet services for city schoolchildren.
The mission connects and orientates the interests and expectations of people who view the organization both from the outside and from the inside. In the broadest sense of the word, mission is both philosophy, and the purpose of the organization, and the meaning of its existence.
Mission is a business concept that reflects the purpose of the business, its main goal. In contrast to the vision, the mission characterizes only the present of the organization: the type, scale of activity, differences from competitors, leaving out of consideration the prospects for business development. The mission details the status of the enterprise and provides guidance for setting goals and strategies at various organizational levels.
The main components of the mission:
1. The products or services that the company produces, i.e. range of satisfied needs. What are the products or services produced by the enterprise? Businesses often achieve market advantage by integrating product benefits with additional competitive opportunities, such as having a larger market share, a strong distribution network, or a positive image.
2. Categories of target groups of consumers. Who are the target customers of the enterprise? An enterprise may target government agencies, industrial consumers, a narrow segment of the high-income population, or the general population.
3. Applied management technologies and functions, i.e. a way to meet consumer needs. Is the company focused on using the latest or traditional technologies?
4. Competitive advantages. What are the distinguishing features and strategic advantages of the enterprise in comparison with competitors? Such benefits may be unique product, technology, customer reputation, or geographic location.
5. Business philosophy. What are the company's critical values, aspirations and ethical principles? The philosophy of the enterprise can be manifested, for example, in whether it puts the interests of its employees or customers at the forefront, etc.
There are many interpretations of the concept corporate mission- the meaning of existence, the main goal of the activity; some kind of higher purpose; expression of social significance of the activity; the role that the company is going to play in the market; high-quality content of the business, a businessman's attempt to find the meaning of his professional activity; justification of the organization's non-financial goals.
We dare add our own mission definition to this collection.
- Mission (organization, project, institution etc.) - an expression of their ability and intentions to satisfy or create socially significant and ethically acceptable needs (requests) of humanity, groups of people (territories, states, peoples, communities, enterprises) and individuals.
And if we get rid of unnecessary complexity, let's say it even easier:
- MISSION OF THE COMPANY Is a social benefit that the company intends to bring (or is already bringing) to others.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CORPORATE MISSION
The mission shows how the company's products (goods, services, relationships) form and enhance qualitative changes in the daily life of the consumer and in the outlook of society.That is, the mission should be directed outward, at society, outside the company, and not at the company and its stakeholders. This is the main criterion for understanding - whether the mission is before our eyes or an attempt to justify the purely material interests of the business. A striking negative example of this is the missions of today's Russian banks and insurance companies, most of which have simply forgotten about the interests of the client.
The goals of the mission of modern Russian business that are acceptable to society may be:
- the formation of a new quality of life that summarizes the consumer properties of the company's products;
- the desire to improve the already formed quality of life and expand its distribution;
- creation of values \u200b\u200bof a higher level of significance for society than the resources expended;
- qualitative changes in the company itself, as a result of the emergence and mobilization of additional resources and a new attitude towards the world;
- growing adaptation of the company to market requirements and its integration into the world community.
There are many opinions about what the content of the organization's mission should be.
The so-called four-pronged approach involves taking into account the following aspects in the mission statement:
- market (products, strategies, competition, enterprise goals, markets),
- social (taking into account the interests of business participants, social groups, mentioning corporate philosophy, culture),
- private (business success from the point of view of the owners' personal interests),
- qualitative (the desire of business to change the conditions, the quality of life of society, the properties of the social environment).
Another approach advises taking into account the main strategic goals facing any company in any market, and articulating the business priorities for each of them:
- public (contribution to the local community, solving specific social problems),
- consumer (customer satisfaction, consideration of the needs of suppliers and partners),
- administrative-territorial (meeting the needs of a specific system in the structure of which the company operates),
- entrepreneurial (meeting the needs of participants and co-owners).
And, for example, the website of one Russian state university states that "The content of the organization's mission is:
1) philosophy (basic views, principles and values, a system of motives);
2) a description of the field of activity, product of the organization;
3) the goals of the organization (current and strategic);
4) characteristics of potential and technologies;
5) a description of the internal concept, strengths of the organization, its competitive advantages, development prospects;
6) characteristics of the market where the organization operates;
7) a description of the external image (image) of the organization ".
So it is not clear whether to believe something like that or smile.
According to which method your company will formulate a business mission - it's up to you. Let's add: contrary to some authors, we do not believe that the "Mission of the company" is a document, "the provisions of which must be implemented." The mission of the company must be known, it is desirable to share it, be guided by it, follow it, but fulfill its provisions ..? It is difficult to agree that the mission is "a corporate ideology, the values \u200b\u200bof which correspond to the employees of the company, and the philosophy of which is reflected in their work" (the quote is real). A mission is just a mission.
A well-formulated mission of the organization does not need additional explanations, additions, does not contain any embedded, expanding interpretations, provisions. It is a full-fledged, independent document, logically included in the set of documents under the general title “Company Ideology”.
MISSION DEVELOPMENT
Of course, you can hardly “develop” a mission. Realize, formulate - yes. We agree that every legal entity has a purpose (mission, meaning of existence), regardless of its awareness. The process of realizing the mission can go gradually, and maybe explosively - with insight.In the context of small and medium-sized businesses, the mission of an organization almost always contains energy, philosophy of owners, founders. Without their participation, a full-fledged mission rarely appears.
There are many approaches to mission design.
MISSION DESCRIPTION REQUIREMENTS
- The mission of the enterprise really answers many questions (why? Who? What? How? Why? By what means? In the name of what?), But does it as succinctly, simply and briefly as possible.
- The mission statement should be non-descriptive, but at the same time leave room for creative and flexible company development.
- Mission drafts can be of any size. The final text is 1-2-3 sentences. Such a short mission of the company is especially well understood, remembered and easily retold. However, if you like smiles on the faces of your clients, you can write a corporate mission statement on a page.
- The simplicity of the mission lies in the consistency of presentation. Do not make a verbal mess from the text of the mission of the enterprise, do not add elements of vision, strategic goals, a detailed description of services, philosophy, descriptions of areas of responsibility - all those provisions, the place of which is separate, independent text documents, into the mission statement.
- The document "Company Mission" should not begin with the words "The philosophy of the company is to ensure that its own goals and the long-term interests of society are aligned." Why mix everything in one heap? The mission text is not a place for the concepts of "vision", "goals", "tasks", "values", "policy", "principles", "philosophy", "strategy". For them - other documents.
- From the text of the mission it should be clear without prompting - what the business is doing (industry, direction of development, type of services) and why-why it is doing it.
- Do not be afraid of beautiful text if it correctly conveys the concept of the mission. Use rare, flashy words and phrases, but avoid accidental unpleasant associations.
- Reduce the distance, get closer to the consumer. Just call the company "We".
- Do not mention material benefits in the mission (with the exception of financial market players, banks). The money earned is not what your business will be famous for for centuries.
- Avoid the dominance of obscure terms, such worn-out words and phrases as "customer focus", "social partnership", "maximum benefits at a minimum price", "mutually beneficial cooperation", "business development and improvement", "value our customers". Don't make your competitors laugh with such platitudes.
- Make the mission text active-active, not passive-observant. The best verb for a business mission is in the present tense.
- It doesn't matter that many corporate mission statements start out similarly: we do ..., we teach ..., we improve ..., we care ..., we help ..., we decide ..., we develop ..., we provide .., we increase .., we contribute .. we provide .. we feed .. we donate .. we serve. The main difference is in the sense of the words that follow.
- The wording of the company's mission should not be fabulous, overstated, unrealistic, miserable, clumsy, tortured, so as not to generate a smile and doubts about the sanity of its authors. Better - no than a funny mission.
- A competent text of the mission is like a blank verse: full of meaning, graceful and laconic. Misprints, misprints and missing punctuation marks in the organization's replicated mission are an indicator of its negligent attitude towards its own business and a severe blow to its image. It is obligatory to edit the text of the mission.
FORMULATE A MISSION companies you can independently or with the help of bureau specialists PUNCTUATION MARKS.EXAMPLES OF MISSIONS OF RUSSIAN COMPANIES,
formulated, from our point of view, very briefly, weighty and meaningful.Gazprom's mission - the most efficient and balanced gas supply to Russian consumers, fulfillment of long-term gas export contracts with a high degree of reliability.
Transport company mission Aeroflot is the most complete and safe provision of one of the fundamental human freedoms - freedom of movement.
Mission of the group of companies GAS. To produce commercial vehicles that guarantee the customer purchase benefits through uncompromising quality and reliable, impeccable service, backed by the highest competence of personnel, partner suppliers, innovation in production and products.
Mission of the brewing company Baltic. We create a quality product that gives people the joy of communication, makes their life brighter and more interesting.
MegaFon mission... MegaFon will unite Russia, breaking down barriers and developing communications to become everyone's obvious choice.
Bank mission (Rosselkhozbank). Ensuring affordable, high-quality and effective satisfaction of the needs of agricultural producers and the rural population of the Russian Federation in banking products and services, all-round assistance to the formation and functioning of a modern national credit and financial system of the agro-industrial sector of Russia, support for the development of the agro-industrial complex and rural areas of the Russian Federation.
Mission Russian Insurance company - provide all-round protection, confidence and harmony in life for those who strive for the best!
Mission of beauty salons and stylish clothes ELITE: We decorate people's lives, make important events in their lives brighter and more memorable, providing beautiful outfits for any holidays, celebrations and ceremonies, high-quality services to create an image and style. Mission Creation Feedback
Agency mission ROSPECHAT - to be a link between publishers and readers.
Mission of the restaurant Indian cuisine Orissa: combine Indian cuisine - one of the most delicious and ancient - with European service culture against the backdrop of interiors in the style of oriental palaces and baroque.
Insurance company mission MOSKOVIA - to promote the growth of insurance coverage for every citizen of Russia, actively support insurance coverage for domestic business, ensure the growth of the national economy, promote social and economic development, ensure reliability, high quality services, and help strengthen the country's financial system.
Hotel mission SIGNS OF PREPARATION (working option) - to provide high-quality, modern, comfortable accommodation that will help city guests better appreciate the beauty, cultural and business activities of St. Petersburg.
Construction company mission METALLINE: We are building modern residential and office buildings in Yekaterinburg - we create comfortable living and business conditions, thereby ensuring the economic development of the region, the company and the well-being of its employees.
Shop mission Castorama - to help buyers make their homes more perfect and more comfortable, to transform the time-consuming and costly process of renovation and furnishing into an interesting hobby accessible to everyone.
Shop mission TERVOLINA: High-quality, comfortable shoes and excellent service - to every customer!
Mission of the travel agency SUNNY SAIL - development of water tourism in the North-West region of Russia.
Mission automotive factory URAL - meeting the needs of society for vehicles with a total weight of 12 to 44 tons and creating conditions for maintaining the performance of vehicles during operation.
Mission factory packaging products - to provide industrial enterprises in Russia and the CIS countries with modern packaging solutions, thereby contributing to their economic growth, as well as the development of the industrial packaging industry as a whole.
Mission educational institutions (KROKHA kindergarten) - creating conditions that reveal the individuality of the child and contribute to the formation of competencies that will ensure his success today and in the future.
Interpreter P. Morozov
Editor O. Galkin
Commissioning Editor S. Turko
Technical editor N. Lisitsyna
Corrector E. Chudinova
Computer layout K. Svishchev
Cover artist S. Prokofieva
© 1984 PHP Institute, Inc.
© Edition in Russian, translation, design. LLC "Alpina Publisher", 2014
All rights reserved. The work is intended solely for private use. No part of an electronic copy of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including placement on the Internet and corporate networks, for public or collective use without the written permission of the copyright holder. For copyright infringement, the law provides for the payment of compensation to the copyright holder in the amount of up to 5 million rubles (Article 49 of the ZOAP), as well as criminal liability in the form of imprisonment for up to 6 years (Article 146 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
From the partner of the publication
Today it is generally accepted that the main goal of any business is making a profit. All the attention of managers is focused on process management, on improving efficiency, on finding new solutions, and so on and so on. Konosuke Matsushita draws our attention to the fact that business is not only money, but also a process that results in something useful and useful for a person. His book, of course, can be recommended for reading to every leader in order to remind him of the main goal (mission) of any enterprise. This goal, according to the author, is to benefit people.
In his book, Matsushita explains that the profitability of a business and its benefits to humans do not contradict each other. His policy of “taking a product that is necessary and useful for people, improving it and making it available to a large number of buyers” does not exclude, but, on the contrary, welcomes the receipt of profit - after all, the company must ensure its life.
To understand the full value of the author's advice, you need to have some experience at the level of strategic management. On the other hand, examples from the practice of Matsushita himself are so vital, contain so many details that the book will be interesting to read even for a novice leader.
We hope you find a lot of value in this book. Happy reading!
Julia Sokolova,
marketing Manager of Megaplan Company
Konosuke Matsushita was born in 1894 to a peasant family and was the youngest of eight children. Despite chronic illness and lack of funds, he started his own company in a small rented room. Subsequently, he was able to create one of the largest and most respected electrical engineering companies in the world.
This book, containing his observations and reflections over the years, tells how Mr. Matsushita's practical experience allowed him to become one of the best managers not only in Japan, but throughout the world. As he himself says: “It has been a full eighty years since I left my hometown at the age of nine and started working as an apprentice. I have watched for a long time how the world is changing rapidly and dramatically, and this has allowed me to accumulate significant business experience. Life has convinced me that no matter how frightening or chaotic everything around may seem, everyone can improve their management methods and achieve business success. "
His business philosophy is idealistic and based on an almost religious sense of mission. The author's philosophy is centered around people and is based on a down-to-earth, realistic understanding of human nature. This combination makes the author's comments on various business issues extremely important and relevant.
The Mission of Business book allows serious businessmen to learn a range of ideas (some of which are based on common sense and an unusual view of things) about how to behave and steer a company towards prosperity, and how to maintain balance and integrity in the process. management.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been completed without the help of the people who have devoted their valuable time and all their skills to preparing it. The first translation was done by Eisaku Onishi, former Deputy Director of International Operations at Matsushita Electric, who has been my official translator for many years. The translation was edited by Erica Young. The final stages of the translation were reviewed and monitored by Tsutomu Kano, Director of the Center for the Humanities. The final editing of this book was done by renowned editing professional Patricia Murray of the Center for the Humanities. She has made an invaluable contribution to the improvement of translation and turned it into an easy-to-read and beautiful text. I am deeply grateful to these four people, as well as CSSC staff Kiyoko Kizaki, Lynn Riggs, and Manabu Takechi for their contributions to this book. I would also like to thank Katsuhiko Yeguchi, with whom I have worked closely over the years, for the introduction.
Introduction
It has been a full eighty years since I left my hometown at the age of nine and started working as an apprentice. Business has always been at the center of my life during all these years. I have watched for a long time how the world is changing rapidly and dramatically, and this has allowed me to accumulate significant business experience. Life has convinced me that no matter how frightening or chaotic everything around may seem, everyone can improve their management methods and achieve business success. The present time is often called the "time of coups" or "transition period". Executives and companies face significant challenges, but I believe there are an unlimited number of ways to address these challenges. In order to determine the correct method and know how and when to start solving a particular problem, each of us must clearly understand the basics of business and understand the secrets of successful management. In addition, we must fully devote our hearts to our work. If a person is sincere and conscious, he will be able to overcome the crisis or any other problem facing him and lay the foundation for new growth.
We take it for granted that business management is a difficult thing. It doesn't matter how many years you have been doing your business. You will always find something new in him to learn. However, on the other hand, the management is quite simple. If you believe that your business exists because it is necessary for society, because it meets the needs of people, you will comprehend the basic rule of management: study what people want and respond to it correctly. Of course, you must provide services in good faith and do whatever is necessary to meet the needs of your customers. This is what I made my guiding principle sixty years ago when I founded Matsushita Electric.
A few years ago, Thoughts on Man was published, an English translation of one of my previous works in which I shared my views on human nature. The book was well received by the readers, and many wanted to know even more about the business and management ideas that I had pondered over the years. The book you are holding in your hands arose in response to this reader's interest and tells about my approaches to business and management.
One of the main tasks of management is to set goals for the achievement of which the organization is formed, functions and develops as an integral system. The objective function begins with the formation of a strategic vision and the establishment of the mission of the enterprise, expressing the philosophy and the meaning of its existence. It details the status of the enterprise, declares the principles of its work, statements and actual intentions of the management, defines the most important characteristics of the organization. This is followed by the process of defining long-term goals. This part of the strategic management of the process of defining short-term goals ends. Defining the mission and goals of the firm leads to the fact that it becomes clear why the firm operates and what it is striving for. Knowing this, one can more correctly choose a strategy of behavior.
Management's vision of what the organization should strive for and what its long-term course should be shapes its strategic vision for the future. Strategic vision is, in fact, a big picture, reflecting the idea of \u200b\u200b"who we are now, what we are doing and where we are going." Strategic vision is a vision of the future direction of the organization and its business course; an important concept that defines what an organization seeks to do and what to become. It leaves no doubt about the long-term direction of the business and the position towards which, in the opinion of management, the company should strive. A well-thought-out strategic vision prepares the company for the future, helps set long-term directions for development, and indicates the company's intention to take certain positions in the business. Companies lacking a strategic vision do not know which market position they should strive to win back for themselves.
Although both terms are used interchangeably, one must distinguish between strategic vision and business mission, or mission statement. Mission is more about present time. The mission statement details the organization's activities and composition. A mission statement defines the nature of a company's business and creates a clear vision of what the company intends to do for its clients. The mission and strategic vision of the organization creates a "sense of purpose" among employees and convincingly justifies the direction of its development in the future. A well-formulated mission creates enthusiasm for the future course of development set by management. The motivational goal of spreading the content of the mission is to involve all employees of the organization in its implementation.
The strategic vision and mission statement are always highly personalized. General language applicable to any company or industry has no managerial value. A strategic vision or mission statement distinguishes a company from others in a given economic sector, becomes its distinctive features, character and individual development path. Management science has not developed any universal rules that apply when formulating a mission. Therefore, there are many different approaches to the definition of the mission and to its content, reflecting the assessment of the role and importance of the organization, primarily on the part of decision-makers. The central point of the mission is the answer to the question: what is the main purpose of the organization? In the first place should be the interests, expectations and values \u200b\u200bof consumers, not only now, but also in the future.
Sometimes companies mistakenly state their mission in terms of profit. However, it would be more correct to define profit as the goal or result of what the company does. The desire to make a profit does not say anything about the field in which this profit should be found. A profit-based mission cannot separate an aspiring company of one type from an aspiring company of another type.
There are three main aspects to consider when forming a strategic vision and expressing it in the form of a mission statement:
a clear understanding of what area of \u200b\u200bbusiness the company operates in,
expressing your vision and mission in a clear, inspiring and stimulating way,
The business of a company is determined by what requests it seeks to satisfy, which consumer groups it targets, with which technologies and the performance of which functions it serves its target market.
The mission must be developed taking into account the following five factors:
the history of the company, in the process of which the philosophy of the company was developed, its profile and style of activity, place in the market, etc .;
the existing style of behavior and mode of action of the owners and management personnel;
the state of the organization's environment;
the resources it can put into action to achieve its goals;
distinctive features possessed by the organization.
The accompanying mission transcript should reflect the following organizational characteristics:
targets of the organization;
the scope of the organization;
philosophy of the organization;
the possibilities and ways of carrying out the activities of the organization.
The mission should not contain specific instructions on what, how and in what time frame the organization should do. It sets the main directions of movement of the organization, the location of the organization to the processes and phenomena occurring inside and outside it.
It is very important that the mission is formulated as clearly as possible so that it is easily understood by all actors interacting with the organization's strategy, especially all members of the organization. At the same time, the mission should be formulated in such a way that it excludes the possibility of different interpretations, but at the same time leaves room for creative and flexible development of the organization.
The mission forms the foundation for setting the goals of the organization as a whole, its divisions and functional subsystems (marketing, innovations, production, personnel, finance, management), each of which sets and realizes its own goals that logically follow from the overall goal of the enterprise.
Business mission
Preface to the Russian edition
Why are Japanese companies resolute
beat the competition?
How the Japanese manage to release
super quality products?
Why Japanese companies after each
crises are getting stronger?
Who is the greatest entrepreneur
in the entire history of modern business?
Like a country that has nothing: no oil,
no gas, no metal, no wood, created
second economy in the world after the United States?
All these questions are answered by this beautiful, cult, wise, useful book.
For me personally, Matsushita, without exaggeration, is not just an entrepreneur, but also the greatest philosopher of our time.
His wisdom changed my life. His instructions and experience allowed me to create more than one multi-million dollar company, and I can safely equate his life example with a feat.
If you think that you have no start-up capital, no connections, no education to start your own business, then this book you need to read twice. The life path of Konosuke Matsushita will not only be a powerful motivation for you, but also an endless source of optimism, energy and faith.
Matsushita did not even graduate from a regular primary school. When he was 9 years old, his family went bankrupt and was forced to send him to work in another city. Matsushita began to take his first steps in life without any support. A sickly nine-year-old boy worked from morning till night, looked after the master's children and so polished metal items with his children's hands that they were covered with bloody calluses.
As an adult, Matsushita tried to dig in the evening school, but this attempt failed, since there were not enough textbooks in Japan at that time, and the students had to write down all the material in class. Matsushita wrote slowly and poorly, did not manage to make the necessary notes for further education and was forced to leave elementary school without receiving any formal education.
In order to start his first business, Matsushita put not only his wife's jewelry, but also clothes. He went through the hardest, hardest life path. But despite all the trials that fell to his lot, he became one of the richest people not only in Japan, but also on the entire planet. Ksche during his lifetime, workers at their own expense erected three monuments to Konosuke Matsushita.
When this great sage, thinker, philosopher and strategist left our world, all the presidents of the leading countries of the world expressed their condolences to his wife, and George W. Bush called the widow personally.
Why reinvent the wheel?
Why step on the same rake?
Why get in the same trouble
if there is a smart book that I wrote
the wisest of the wisest, the man who created
one of the greatest companies on earth?
I am honored to write this foreword. I wish I could find words that the whole world would hear.
If my introduction will help you make the right decision to acquire this priceless book, this treasure of wisdom, then I am sure that you, like me, will become one of the passionate admirers of the invaluable, non-obsolete experience of a true multibillionaire.
Health and happiness to you and your loved ones!
Vladimir Dovgan,
Konosuke Matsushita was born in 1894 to a peasant family and was the youngest of eight children. Despite chronic illness and lack of funds, he started his own company in a small rented room. Subsequently, he was able to create one of the largest and most respected electrical engineering companies in the world.
This book, containing his observations and reflections over the years, tells how Mr. Matsushita's practical experience allowed him to become one of the best managers not only in Japan, but throughout the world. As he himself says: “It has been a full eighty years since I left my hometown at the age of nine and started working as an apprentice. I have watched the world change rapidly and dramatically for a long time, and this has allowed me to accumulate significant business experience. Life has convinced me that no matter how frightening or chaotic everything around may seem, everyone can improve their management methods and achieve business success. "
His business philosophy is idealistic and based on an almost religious sense of mission. The author's philosophy is centered around people and is based on a down-to-earth, realistic understanding of human nature.
The Mission of Business book allows serious businessmen to learn a number of ideas (some of which are based on common sense and an unusual view of things) about how to behave and steer a company towards prosperity, as well as how to maintain balance and integrity in the process. management.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been completed without the help of the people who have devoted their valuable time and skill to preparing it. The first translation was done by Eisaku Onishi, former Deputy Director of International Operations at Matsushita Electric, who has been my official translator for many years. The translation was edited by Erica Young. Verification and control of the final stages of the translation were carried out! Tsutomu Kano, Director of the Center for the Humanities. The final editing of this book was done by renowned editing professional Patricia Murray of the Center for the Humanities. She has made an invaluable contribution to the improvement of translation and turned it into an easy-to-read and beautiful text. I am deeply grateful to these four people, as well as CSSC staff Kieko Kizaki, Lynn Riggs, and Ma-nabu Takechi for their contributions to this book. I would also like to thank Katsuhiko Yeguchi, with whom I have worked closely over the years, for the introduction.
Introduction
It has been a full eighty years since I left my hometown at the age of nine and started working as an apprentice. During all these years, business has always been at the center of my life. I have watched for a long time how the world is changing rapidly and dramatically, and this has allowed me to accumulate significant business experience. Life has convinced me that no matter how frightening or chaotic everything around may seem, everyone can improve their management methods and achieve business success. The present time is often called the "time of coups" or "transition period". Executives and companies face significant challenges, but I believe there are an unlimited number of ways to address these challenges. In order to determine the correct method and know how and when to start solving a particular problem, each of us must clearly understand the basics of business and understand the secrets of successful management. In addition, we must fully devote our hearts to our work. If a person is sincere and conscious, he will be able to overcome the crisis or any other problem facing him and lay the foundation for new growth.
