I think freedom comes from a situation where everyone plays their own role.

Hello, my name is Sugimoto and I am a writer living in Kyoto.
At the beginning of September, I visited the satellite office in Kamiyama, Tokushima together with Reiko Takita from the Monosasu website office. The Kamiyama satellite office faces the town's busiest shopping district, Yorii Shopping Arcade (although only a few cars pass through it per hour, and most of them are light trucks). Through the glass door, you can see the back of Ryohei Asada, aka "Asa-chan."

Monosus' office in Yorii Shopping Arcade, the town's most bustling shopping district (Courtesy of Kurihara)

In this episode of "Freedom and Responsibility: Everyone's Systems and Work Styles Laboratory," we interviewed Isao Kurihara, the chief director who has led the operations team for a long time. We also heard about the launch of the Kamiyama satellite office. So, what does "freedom and responsibility" mean to Mr. Kurihara?

Even when he couldn't do something, he raised his hand and said, "I'll do it!"

Sugimoto: Mr. Kurihara, what kind of work did you do before joining Monosus?

Kurihara: It's a job to evaluate the quality of television image-related systems. It's like a TV station version of the work that quality control people do at Monosas.

Sugimoto: Why did you decide to work in the web industry?

Kurihara: When I was studying at a technical school for information technology, the only thing I enjoyed was web classes. I went with the flow and joined a company that offered me a job, but when I turned 30, I wondered if I should continue doing this job, so I went back to school to study web production. I thought I would be able to get a job right away, but I didn't even pass the document screening. I think I applied to 100 companies in a year and a half. My unemployment insurance was running out, and I was starting to get anxious, so I applied to Monosus.

Sugimoto: What did you want to do in web work?

Kurihara: Coding. At the time, Monosus was looking for a designer, so I didn't get the job. I thought I needed some skills first, so I worked part-time at another web production company, and then six months later, I got a sudden call from Nagai asking if I wanted to interview again. The atmosphere of the interview was frank, and it seemed like a web production company, so I thought it would be fun. At the end of this year, I'll have been with the company for 10 years.

After I joined the company, I worked really hard. I was 31 years old and had almost no experience, and the people around me were in their 20s working at the front lines. I thought the only way to fill the gap was to gain experience, so I raised my hand and said, "I'll do it!" even when it was something I couldn't do at the time.

In Kamiyama, work and life coexist

Sugimoto: You became the principal of Monosasu Juku in 2016. What did you think when you were told that you wanted to go to Kamiyama?

Kurihara: We had just launched the operations team (Webmaster Support), and the members were finally growing and working, and we were in the middle of thinking about our next move, so I said "No." I remember Mr. Hayashi telling me that we needed to train people in order to strengthen the operations team in the future. In the end, I tend to be persuaded by what Mr. Hayashi says...

Sugimoto: I imagine that in order to expand the operations team, Mr. Kurihara decided that it would be best for him to train people himself.

Kurihara: That may be true, but I couldn't understand the meaning or significance of doing it, and it made me quite frustrated. I'm not good at things like "for the sake of the world" where I can't see people's faces. I think relationships with people I can see, like the customers and members in front of me, are more important.

Sugimoto: After Kamiyama Juku, you launched a satellite office, then met a wonderful person and got married. I think 2016 was a big turning point in your life. I imagine your lifestyle has changed a lot too.

Kurihara chopping firewood at home (Courtesy of Kurihara)

Kurihara: In Kamiyama, there is always something to do. I'm not the type of person who has a specific goal in mind. But living in Kamiyama means that I have to cut trees, chop firewood, and mow the grass. It's better to have something to do than just lazing around at home. I like to exercise, so I think it suits me.

Sugimoto: What does "working" and "working" mean to you, Kurihara-san?

Kurihara: To be honest, it may be boring, but it's a way to make money. Some people don't have a clear line between work and life, but I'm the type who wants to create a line. Money is necessary to live, and I want to make money from the web, which is what I want to do the most.

Kamiyama Office and Full Flex

Sugimoto: Shortly after you started living in Kamiyama in 2017, Monosus introduced a full-flex system. How did this change the way you work?

Kurihara: At that time, I was managing the operational members in Kamiyama and Yoyogi, so I thought, "Another strange system has been started," in the sense that it would be difficult to manage. I was worried, "What if some members misunderstand the new system?" To begin with, I have a strong desire to eliminate any changes that come my way, and I also want to manage and be managed.

In operations work, we get orders like "Please change this urgently," so we have to work around the client's working hours. Some people changed their work hours, but basically, no one, including myself, changed their working style that much.

Sugimoto: The lights in the office are on until quite late. What are your working hours like?

Kurihara: In the case of Kamiyama, when I asked the members, they said, "The supermarkets close early, so 9 to 18 is best," so I did that. In Tokyo, I worked while worrying about the last train, but in Kamiyama, I commute by car, so I ended up working overtime. Starting this year, we discussed it together and started going home much earlier.

Also, when I was in Tokyo, I felt like I was only working. I would sleep on the weekends and not go anywhere, and on Mondays I would go to work, and that was the same routine. Since I came to Kamiyama and got married, I have started to pay more attention to my lifestyle. For example, my wife is pregnant and not feeling well, so I take the kids to and from school and do the housework. To accommodate that, I pick up the kids at 5 o'clock, put them to bed, and then go back to work.

Sugimoto: Now that we're moving towards full flextime and full remote work, what do you think is the best direction for companies?

Kurihara: In the future, it would be the best if each person could manage themselves and fulfill their role responsibly while working. I wonder if full flextime or full remote work would be one of the stages leading up to that.

What is important as a leader who develops people?

Sugimoto: What do you keep in mind when training students at Monosasu Juku and members of your operations team?

Kurihara: Originally, I was closer and I would give detailed input. But as the number of cases I was looking after increased, I couldn't keep up if I had a say in every case. I had to leave it to them, so I started to put up with it and distance myself. Then, the more I distanced myself, the more they would do things on their own, and I realized that that was fine. However, I do change the sense of distance depending on the person. Of course, I will go to those who can't raise the alert even if something happens.

Sugimoto: Mr. Kurihara, is there anyone in Monosus that you feel has taught you?

Kurihara: For a while after I joined the company, I worked under Mr. Nagai (Vice President). Mr. Nagai taught me everything from management to project progress management. Whenever a problem arose, I would consult with Mr. Nagai and ask him how to handle it. I always believed that Mr. Nagai's ideas were correct, and I still do today. Mr. Nagai was the one who taught me everything, so I think I've inherited the Nagaiism.

Sugimoto: What did you learn from Mr. Nagai that you still value today?

Kurihara: I guess it's about judgment. For example, when we were asked a question during a meeting with a client, Nagai would answer right away. I would persistently ask him how many options were hidden behind that answer and why he chose that answer. In a follow-up interview, Nagai said, "I didn't like how persistent he was" (laughs).

To provide trusted webmaster support

Sugimoto: I think it's important to gain the trust of your customers when working in operations. What do you pay attention to in order to gain the trust of your customers?

Kurihara: I think that the most important thing is human relationships, so I think the first step is the number of communications. I make the best use of emails and make phone calls, and keep in close contact. The more contacts you have, the more you can get to know the other person and talk about different things, so I think that's the key.

Sugimoto: In addition to building trust by carefully responding to customer expectations, you said that you would also like to be able to make suggestions on your own.

Kurihara: If you just do what you're told, you'll lose work. I think we can't survive unless we create work and value ourselves. Right now, we're creating what we're good at.

Sugimoto: What do you like about working in operations?

Kurihara: Being able to work with customers whose faces I know. It's easier to work with customers I've known for 5 or 10 years, and I naturally feel a stronger desire to do more for them. I think this kind of feeling is unique to Webmaster Support.

Sugimoto: What's the secret to a relationship that lasts for 10 years?

Kurihara: Monosus's webmaster support is very serious and does exactly what it says. I think that sincerity gives customers a sense of security. Also, after working with them for 10 years, I think they have a deep understanding of the system. I think that's the key point.

Also, many of the members are the type who get better the more they chew. It's like, "Oh, they do it before you know it," or "They actually don't make any mistakes." They're also very nice people. More and more customers are starting to associate with us because they know that.

Sugimoto: I hope we can continue to get more jobs that allow us to utilize the strengths of our members. Thank you very much!

Actually, I go to Kamiyama quite often, so I often meet the Monosus Kamiyama people. The other day, I was at a roadside station when I heard someone call out "Mr. Sugimoto!" and turned around to see Kurihara and Kagawa. They showed me the oyster mushrooms they were holding and told me, "These are really good!" I enjoyed them by adding them to pasta and to rice. This time, I was able to take my time to talk and get a glimpse of how Kurihara and the Webmaster Support team work. I'd like to ask them about their work again.