No. 32: 問題が起こったら (November 16, 2009)
日本航空の先行きが予断を許さない事態になってきた。日航は、金融バブルの影響で国際線を利用する日本のビジネスマンが激変したのが、大きな原因であるとしているが、業績をみると2005年以降、ほとんどの半期で最終損益が赤字に終わっている。このような収益構造では、事業に悪影響を与える環境の変化に対応ができず、赤字が増大するのは当然である。つまり、問題は金融バブルではなく、もっと以前から存在していたということである。事業に重大な問題が生じると、問題から目をそらして解決を先送りしたくなる。IBMのトーマス・ワトソンが問題解決について、すぐれた教訓を残している。彼は言う、「問題が生じたら、素早く解決せよ、そして、とにかく解決策を出せ。もし、解決策が間違っているのが分かったら、もっと考えろ。そうしたら、正しい解決策を生み出せる。」誰でも、重大な問題の解決を先送りしたくなる。しかし、これでは、事態は悪化するだけである。 (Written by Shigeo Sunahara of CBC, Inc.)
When a problem arises (November 16, 2009)
Japan Airlines posted a loss about \130 billion for the first half of the current fiscal year. The company attributed the deficit to the drastically decreased number of Japanese businessmen taking an international flight caused by the financial bubble that occurred last year. However, JAL's business results mostly ended in a deficit in most six-month periods since 2005. In this profit structure, no company can successfully cope with the change of business environment that adversely affects the business results, and it naturally piles up deficits. That is, problems that created the low profit structure had already existed in Japan Airlines well before it recorded such a large amount of loss in the first half of this fiscal year. When a problem arises, companies naturally leave it for later settlement instead of solving it immediately. Thomas Watson, Jr. of IBM gave us a very instructive lesson. He said, “When a problem arises, solve it quickly, and solve it right or wrong. If your solution is not right, the problem will come back to you and slap you by the face. And you can solve it right.” This lesson shows how great he was. Actually, he was one of the four finalists of the “Businessman of the Century” selected by the Fortune magazine along with Henry Ford, Alfred Sloan, and Bill Gates. Although the crown of the “Businessman of the Century” went to Henry Ford, his achievements are immortal. Putting off the solution only deteriorates the situation.
When a problem arises (November 16, 2009)
Japan Airlines posted a loss about \130 billion for the first half of the current fiscal year. The company attributed the deficit to the drastically decreased number of Japanese businessmen taking an international flight caused by the financial bubble that occurred last year. However, JAL's business results mostly ended in a deficit in most six-month periods since 2005. In this profit structure, no company can successfully cope with the change of business environment that adversely affects the business results, and it naturally piles up deficits. That is, problems that created the low profit structure had already existed in Japan Airlines well before it recorded such a large amount of loss in the first half of this fiscal year. When a problem arises, companies naturally leave it for later settlement instead of solving it immediately. Thomas Watson, Jr. of IBM gave us a very instructive lesson. He said, “When a problem arises, solve it quickly, and solve it right or wrong. If your solution is not right, the problem will come back to you and slap you by the face. And you can solve it right.” This lesson shows how great he was. Actually, he was one of the four finalists of the “Businessman of the Century” selected by the Fortune magazine along with Henry Ford, Alfred Sloan, and Bill Gates. Although the crown of the “Businessman of the Century” went to Henry Ford, his achievements are immortal. Putting off the solution only deteriorates the situation.
