What is needed in the future is the will to do what you want to do.
. And the staff members who work at the inn also play a major role in the inn. What do you consider when hiring?
Honma:I want the good guys to work for me. As I often say, it is very important that they want to have dinner with us. Since we are in the lodging business, of course we work shifts, but to put it bluntly, we spend 24 hours a day together. Since we are involved in people's daily lives, if the people working there don't get along with each other, the restaurant will basically not be good. Even if it is impossible for everyone to get along, I would like to work with people whom I would at least want to have dinner with. That is why we still have lunch together. I think that, when you take that into account, it means that they are "good guys.
Nowadays, it is possible to learn how to serve guests in hotels, isn't it? However, the four of us started this project without any such experience, didn't we?
Honma:Yes, I would say so. Very few of our current staff have worked in hotels.
Do you mean to say that they are aiming at different things?
Honma:. maybe. I think the motivation for working is probably different. Many of the people who want to work with us are backpackers and like to travel, or they can speak English but don't have the opportunity to do so in Japan, so they come to us.
Do you have any wishes for the people who work for you?
Honma:. there is. . we have a system, but we are flat. There are no managers, no department heads, and no difference between part-time and full-time employees. Everyone has the right to make decisions, and each staff member can decide what kind of coffee beans to use, what kind of music to play, and what kind of furniture to buy.
Just recently we held the 7th anniversary party of "Nui." , and the staff who wanted to do that also organized it by themselves as a project team.
You didn't even ask me if I wanted to do it?
Honma:There is accountability, so we share with everyone what kind of project we are going to do. The system is designed to listen to the opinions of those who agree or disagree, and then the originator will make a decision.
. In order to create a good party like that, it is necessary to have common values and thoughts at the root of the party, isn't it?
Honma:I often talk about this, but even if you put a player on a soccer court who does not know the rules, I don't think anyone would suddenly start running with the ball in their hands. . In the same way, there is a philosophy, a space, a design, and people working here. If they knew that, I don't think anyone would suddenly black out the interior and hang mirror balls. Even if there were, they would oppose it. . If there is a strong passion to push through that, then that is a new value. . Maybe it's the right answer, and maybe it's worth a try.
. if only you could be that persuasive.
Honma:. Of course, there are some ideas that are not very precise or are not quite right. Nevertheless, I think it is healthier to have an organization that gathers many ideas, including ideas that will fail, than to have an organization that does not allow such opinions to be expressed. We are putting a lot of effort into this area.
A Brazilian company called Semco is growing based on such a concept, and many books have been published on the teal organization theory. It is a theory that productivity improves when each individual has a shared intention rather than a top-down approach. I believe that this will increase the independence of each individual and make the organization stronger.
Instead, I think everyone feels pressure because their own opinions are always being sought. It's like a sense of tension. If you are told to do something and it doesn't work, you can say, "I did it because I was told to," but that doesn't work.
. And then it's important to think for yourself and act accordingly.
Honma:. yes, I know. I want them to think about what they want to do. I want them to climb the stairs on their own feet, not just climb the escalator to get there. The staircases are wide, so at best they are free, but at the same time, it is necessary for them to express their own ideas.
I think AI and other technologies will develop tremendously in the next 10 years or so. I think that most simple jobs will disappear. What will be necessary in the future is the will to do what you want to do. If you can't form a team and realize what you want to do, I think you will lose interest in the future. I hope that this is where you will learn how to do that.
I guess that since Mr. Homma and his team started this company as an independent company , the spirit of the company has not changed. Is there anything you would like to do in the future?
Honma:Exactly 10 years have passed since the company was established. In the future, as well as opening new stores as Backpackers' Japan, I would like to use this moment as a milestone to challenge to expand one hotel brand to the world at once, including overseas.
