Hello. I'm Kagawa from the operations team.
I started working at the Kamiyama satellite office in January of this year, and I work hard every day with a total of seven other members, enjoying my job.
It's been almost six months since operational work began in Kamiyama.
Kamiyama is rich in nature and time seems to flow more slowly than in the city, but thanks to my work, it's never relaxing at all and the days pass by without me having a chance to look back.
So, in this episode of "Web Master On the Go," we interviewed Kurihara, the operations team leader.
Kurihara has been responsible for building the foundations of the Kamiyama Operations Team, including opening the satellite office, and we would like to look back over the past six months together and share with you what the Kamiyama Operations Team is up to.
When the phone rang for the first time I was like "Whoa!"
Kagawa : First of all, what is your most memorable memory from these past six months with the Kamiyama team?
When Kurihara's phone rang!
Kagawa : Ah! It's become an office. (Laughs)
Kurihara : That's right! Kagawa-kun contacted NTT and got the phone line laid, and finally we had a phone number...so when I tried calling, it rang! (laughs)
So, at first, the phone calls were always coming from Yoyogi, but when I got my first call from a customer, I was like, 'Ohhhh!!' (laughs)
Kagawa (laughs) That was definitely a happy moment.
Kurihara, leader of the Kamiyama operations team
Kurihara: To be more specific, it all started with laying the internet line. Where to lay it and how to use it, and so on. We started moving forward while worrying about all those obvious things...
As expected, I just end up wanting more and more things that I don't have.
Now I need a printer.
Kagawa : Yes. I would like to print it in A3 size.
Kamii-san (Manager), I would like a printer.
...We've suddenly gone off topic.
Kurihara Kagawa, do you have any fond memories of this?
I think it was the second day since I came to Kamiyama with Kagawa Ige-chan (Katata), but the night before my first day at work in Kamiyama, I was in the unfamiliar accommodation and muttered, "I'm nervous..." as I ate a cold, rock hard lunch that I'd bought at a nearby supermarket and that had been marked down to 150 yen.
The room was cold, there was no microwave so our lunches were cold, and I felt worried about the future.
Kurihara: What were you worried about specifically?
Kagawa: In terms of work, I was most worried about whether we would be able to get along well with the new members. Neither Ige-chan nor I had much experience teaching juniors.
Also, I was worried about many things in life.
Kurihara
How's it going, six months on?
It was difficult in Kagawa , but we managed to get through it.
Kurihara : It'll all work out somehow (laughs). I thought that having juniors was a huge career boost, so I wanted the two of them to experience that. Although, moving to Kamiyama instead of Yoyogi would have been a big hurdle in terms of lifestyle.
I think even if we asked the current team leaders, they would probably be able to do it easily, so it probably won't really improve their skills, and the most effective thing would be for Kagawa-kun and Ige-chan.
I thought that Ige-chan and I were the ones who would probably say "yes" if Kagawa pushed for it (laughs).
In terms of daily life, Kurihara-san has already become like a local of Kamiyama, showing Ige-chan and I to various places on our days off and introducing us to people, so I think we settled in quickly.
A cushion and a fishing rod in the middle of the night.
Unexpected satellite office life.
When I started working at the Kagawa Kamiyama office, I was surprised, or rather, something unexpected happened.
One day, when I was working late at night, an older woman who lives next door to my office just casually walked in and said, "Excuse me for stopping by," and gave me a cushion to sit on and an incredibly long fishing rod...
Kurihara : I see. The Kamiyama operations team exists because of interactions with the people of the town (laughs).
Is there anything unexpected that you didn't think of before launching Kagawa ?
Kurihara: Right now, I'm going through the procedures related to the satellite office, but it's quite a lot of work... Things that were supposed to be completed quickly are not going smoothly. All of the company seals and other things are in Yoyogi. And with that, I have to mail them to Yoyogi every time, and if there's a mistake, I have to redo it and send it again... Or I take a photo and ask them to do it this way.
Kagawa: That certainly sounds difficult...
Kurihara: I didn't expect that. Also, we have to get the missing equipment little by little, but there are budgetary issues and it took a lot of time to do that, which was unexpected... Can you write that down? (laughs)
A cute cushion I received from my aunt
Kagawa : I'd like to hear more about the operations team! Anything that was positively unexpected?
Kurihara : That's true. In that sense, the four new members are working harder than I expected. That was really moving. Most of the members had no work experience.
(For more information on the new members of the Kamiyama operations team, see this article .)
Thanks to Kagawa-kun and Ige-chan, I still have a long way to go, but when I say "please do that" I get "okay." I think the flow has been established faster than I had originally expected.
Kamiyama and Yoyogi.
What I can do because I'm here.
Kagawa
You've managed to establish the foundation for your team in just six months, so I'd like to ask you about your vision for the Kamiyama operations team going forward.
What do you think, Kurihara Kagawa?
Kagawa: That's true... Ige-chan and I are in charge of the main projects and interact directly with customers, but the new members hardly have that opportunity yet.
After all, I believe that an operations team is only truly successful when it comes to interacting with customers.
It can't be helped since it's the first time, but right now Ige-chan and I are just breaking down the intentions that the customers have and communicating them to them, and then we each create our own work.
In the future, if I can have them take an active role in interacting with customers, I think I will feel a greater sense of responsibility, which will be tough, but will also make my work more enjoyable.
Kurihara: I think that's an area where we still need to improve.
As Kagawa said, we are currently carrying out the detailed instructions, but I would like each employee to be able to think about what they need to do to achieve that goal, for example, if they have to deliver the product by 6 p.m.
At Geta's birthday party, all members of the Kamiyama operations team
*Unfortunately, Merapi (top right) is absent as he is on vacation.
Kagawa : Then it's Kurihara's turn next (laughs).
Kurihara : First of all, I want to get rid of the idea that it's just because it's Yoyogi or Kamiyama.
Whatever the case, when the request comes to Kamiyama, the ideal situation would be to be able to say, "Yes, I understand."
Kagawa: Indeed, just because the location is different doesn't mean that what we can do for our customers will change. That's what's great about it. I want the Kamiyama team to be able to do everything from planning to design to coding.
Kurihara : Also, basically, there's the issue of distance with Yoyogi.
We can have conversations via video conference, but when communicating through a screen, it can be hard to communicate what you want to say to whom. Especially when the meeting is mainly held in Yoyogi and you're alone.
In order to improve the way this kind of enthusiasm is conveyed, I think that not only the Kamiyama side but also the Yoyogi side needs to be creative in how they approach meetings.
Kagawa : Is there anything you feel you can do because you're in Kamiyama?
Kurihara: The project that Kagawa-kun is working on now, and the projects that the operations team started after coming here, are progressing in a slightly different way than with previous clients.
I've seen things that I didn't see when I was working in Yoyogi, and now that I'm here, I've made connections and the way I interact with customers is different, so I think the scope of my work has expanded in that sense as well.
Kagawa: That's true. The way the project is being carried out and the tone of the design are both different from any projects I've worked on before, so I've learned a lot.
Kurihara : I also wondered if we could give more of our skills back to the community.
For example, Mr. Kono (a local car dealer that we use) started a rental car service...
Kagawa : Oh, I didn't know that!
Kurihara : Exactly. We help with spreading the word, for example by making posters and pamphlets. We think there are many areas where we can help with the design skills and computer skills that we have.
I think this isn't work, it's something that's driven by personal preference.
Also, something I want everyone to keep in mind is that while "satellite offices" are now accepted as a given by the people of Kamiyama, this was not the case in the past.
Long before Monosus, there was undoubtedly a lot of hard work and effort from the people of Green Valley, including Ominami-san, the companies that set up offices in Kamiyama, and many others. It was only because of the good relationships they had built with the people of the town, including Manabe-san, who moved here with his family a few years ago, that Monosus was able to open a satellite office smoothly and get to work every day.
So we need to respect that and not destroy that relationship. I'd be happy if everyone could do it naturally, rather than trying to do it too consciously.
On the other hand, it would be nice if we could now, as the hosting side, support the newcomers with their own experiences and any problems they may have, without being too tense.
Kagawa : Speaking of which, at the upcoming Tanabata Festival, someone asked me if I would like to write a message on a strip of paper, and it made me realize just how close the local people and businesses are.
The reason we are able to work smoothly in Kamiyama now is because of all the accumulated experience we have gained up to now.
Kurihara : Yes, that trend has brought us to where we are now... Now, how can we get involved and build on it? I would be happy if the Kamiyama Operations Team, as well as Monosus' Kamiyama satellite, could think about this and work together to make it even more exciting.
Kagawa : Yes, I will do my best (laughs).
KAGAWA YUTARO