Guest Lecturer: Takumi Inokuchi (Design Lead, SDD1 Unit, Strategic Design Department, Design Center, Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd.,)

On January 6th, during the “International Management Seminar I” lecture (instructor: Professor Kenichiro Kuroiwa), we invited Mr. Takumi Inokuchi, Design Lead, SDD1 Unit, Strategic Design Department, Design Center, Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd., to conduct a workshop using Business Origami®. Mr. Inokuchi facilitated this workshop to enable participants to experience the effects of shifting perspectives.

The session began with an overview of Business Origami®—its purpose and development rationale. Participants then used insights gathered during supermarket observations in the second and third lectures to tentatively define new service ideas. These ideas were expressed using Business Origami®. Specifically, they identified key stakeholders and facilities involved in the service, positioned them within and outside the supermarket, and visualized their interrelationships.

During this process, discussions naturally emerged to bridge differences in understanding among members, leading to insights for achieving win-win outcomes for stakeholders. As a result, a business ecosystem to realize the new service gradually took shape.

In the reflection session, diverse learnings were shared, such as: “It allows visual grasp of key elements,” “Adopting the characters' perspectives facilitates idea generation,” and “It enables consideration as a story, not just a snapshot.”

This workshop provided an opportunity to experience the value of utilizing tools like Business Origami®. It demonstrated not only the benefits of shifting perspectives but also how visualization stimulates creativity and reduces misunderstandings among team members.