Decoding “The Strength of Showing Vulnerability” and Organizational Theory of Self-Transformation through “Slam Dunk” [Manga x Organizational Theory Part 2]

“What do you think a strong organization is?”

• One with an overwhelming leader?

• One filled with highly capable members?

• One where everyone is charging hard toward a single goal?

Those are certainly elements that “look strong.”
However, there is a clear definition of what I consider an essentially strong organization. It is an
“organization where people can show their vulnerabilities to each other.””

You don’t have to hide your flaws. You aren’t blamed for making mistakes.
A team where you can say, “I don’t know,” “This is tough,” “I’m scared,” or “I need help.”
Such an organization is actually incredibly strong.

Recently, terms like “Teal Organization” and “Developmental Organization” have emerged, but
the point is whether you can make“growth as an adult” a part of your team’s culture.”
And I believe that the image of such an “evolving organization” isfully packed into the Shohoku High School basketball team in Slam Dunk.

At first, it was just a team where everyone followed the charisma of the leader (Akagi).
But as they headed toward the big stage of the Sannoh match, each memberfaced their own “role,” exposed their vulnerabilities, and changed.
In that process, Shohoku evolved from “just a club” into an “essentially strong team.”

In this note, I will talk from a slightly unusual perspective of
“explaining what it means for an organization to evolve” using Slam Dunk.

“Strength” is not power, but a “culture that allows for vulnerability.”

And that culture was supported not only by the flashy, standout players, but also by
Rukawa’s quiet transformation and Kogure-kun(I like to call him Megane-kun)and Anzai-sensei’s “vessel that accepts everything.”
Shohoku was an “organization with the potential for evolution” where“people trying to change” and “people watching over those trying to change” coexisted.

Pardon the late introduction! I’m Mine from Potentialight!
Recently, I’ve become obsessed with writing “Manga x Organizational Theory” notes and am steadily putting out content.
Though, this is only the second one…

Last time, for the first installment, I wrote on the theme of “Slam Dunk x Teal Organization,” but since this is the second installment, I will write on the theme of “Slam Dunk x Self-Transformation.”

Please, enjoy it until the end 📙

1. Shohoku started as a “Red-type”

I published the following note the other day.

As I mentioned there, in the early stages of Slam Dunk, the impression of the Shohoku High School basketball team could be summed up as “a power-based organization through and through.”

• The absolute ruler, Captain Akagi

• Unquestionable hierarchy

• The atmosphere of “It’s obvious you should do this if you join the basketball club”

• And Kogure, the vice-captain who keeps a watchful eye

What was depicted here was neither Teal nor Holacracy.
Rather, in terms of organizational theory, it was a“Red-type organization”—a team maintained by fear and power—.

◆ The early Shohoku where “strength = loudness”

Honestly, Akagi is incredibly strong.
But because he is too strong, one could say heswallowed up the “autonomy” of those around himas well.

• “I’ll do it,” “Follow me”

• If you make a mistake, you get glared at or yelled at

• If you don’t show up for practice, “You’re fired!”

In other words, it is a state whereeveryone is looking for the “option that won’t get them yelled at” rather than the “correct answer”—.
As a result, the basketball team looked united at first glance, but was actually on the verge of collapse.

◆ The existence of “broken gears” named Miyagi and Mitsui

The symbols of this were Ryota Miyagi and Hisashi Mitsui.

• Miyagi: Left the team due to injury and a violent incident. The scene where he confronts Akagi is nothing short of “rebellion.”

• Mitsui: Needless to say, the main culprit behind the basketball team attack incident.

They were not just “problem children,” but also“people excluded” by the distortions of the organization—.In other words,those who could not raise their voices could only prove their existence by “acting out”.

◆ Why did they come back?

What is important here isthe existence of Kogure—.

• Someone who can calmly say “Let’s wait” while Akagi is yelling.

• Someone who still tells Mitsui “We need you” even after being slapped by him.

An organization needs not only an “angry captain” but also a “receptive vice-captain.”
And because Kogure was there,
both Miyagi and Mitsui were able to think “there is a place I can return to”.

From Red to the next phase—Shohoku was standing at the “beginning of evolution”

At this point, Shohoku is not yet self-managed or development-oriented.
But,
they began to change their phase just a little, from an “organization that listens to what someone says” to an “organization where dialogue begins”—.
It was just a small trigger—
from the single sentence Mitsui said: “I want to play basketball.”

2. When they showed their “vulnerability,” Shohoku began to move

If there is a moment in the work of Slam Dunk where the
Shohoku basketball team truly “began to evolve,”
it is—when someone laid bare their own “vulnerability”.

Regarding “why an organization that can show vulnerability to each other is strong,” our representative Yamane has outputted thoughts on this below, so please be sure to read it.

◆ “I want to play basketball” — one of the most famous instances of “forgiveness”

The turning point of the story is that famous scene.
A desolate gymnasium.
Mitsui, beaten and on his knees.
A single phrase, squeezed out from his lips.

Why does this line strike so deeply?
It is because it was the moment he first opened up his
“vulnerability” and “true feelings” to the organization.

◆ Teal-style evolution begins with “self-awareness”

In Yamane’s note, “dialogue with the self” was repeatedly mentioned as the first step for a developmental organization.

This single phrase from Mitsui was truly a statement that faced “the self of this very moment,” not “others’ expectations” or “past glory”.

• The pride of being a past ace

• Regret over two wasted years

• Anxiety that it might be too late to return

Even so, he was able to say “I want to.”
This was the beginning of “vertical growth” = self-transformation.

2-1. What he accepted was not “instruction,” but “people who believed and waited”

What we must not forget here is the existence of the receiver.

• Kogure said, “It’s necessary,” even after being slapped.

• Akagi swallowed everything in silence and said, “Come.”

• Coach Anzai did not blame him for a single word, but simply nodded quietly.

This is what is called a “culture of acceptance” in an organization, and it is close to the “compassion” and “tolerance that transcends values” that Yamane-san spoke of.
In other words, Shohoku here
stepped away from being an “organization that forces correctness” toward a “culture that allows for vulnerability”.

◆ Vulnerability is not a “defect.” It becomes a “connection point” that builds culture

The act of “showing vulnerability” is sometimes confused with “self-indulgence” or “dependency.”
But in Slam Dunk, every time someone shows their vulnerability, the organization moves forward.

• Mitsui’s tears changed Akagi.

• Sakuragi’s “I’m here!” gave Miyagi courage.

• Kogure’s “hidden efforts” were also visible to Rukawa.

I believe that “wholeness” in an organization is not a “team composed only of strengths,” but a “culture where scattered vulnerabilities are forgiven and supported by one another”.

◆ The “Teal-like soil” that Shohoku began to acquire

To borrow Yamane-san’s expression, a Teal organization is “a culture where ‘wholeness,’ ‘self-organization,’ and ‘evolutionary purpose’ are naturally fulfilled”.

The series of events born from Mitsui’s confession were:

• Wholeness: Even if you cry, regret, or lash out, “there is a place you can return to”

• Self-organization: After “returning,” Mitsui begins to sweat and run without being told by anyone

• Evolutionary purpose: The atmosphere where the ego of “I will make the team win” changes to “I want to win as a team”

These “accumulations of small events” evolved the organizational culture.

3. The Sannoh match was a “chain of self-transformation”

That said, Shohoku did not suddenly change during the Sannoh match.
Before that, the “preparation to change” was progressing slowly, but surely.

◆ The defeat against Kainan: The day they hit the reality of not being able to win

Shohoku, defeated by Kainan led by Maki, keenly realizes that “we are still immature.”
You can’t win with just power or spirit.This defeat forced them to face the fact that “the power to think” and awareness of “one’s own role” are necessary.

Especially those tears from Akagi.
This is the moment he became able to say
“It’s impossible for me alone,” instead of “I have to carry this and win.”

◆ The Fierce Battle with Ryonan: The “Dilemma” of Not Winning Even When You Score

The fierce battle against Ryonan, led by Sendoh.
In that match, Sakuragi, Rukawa, and Mitsui all clash with their “individual strength,” but they are forced to face the question of “how to fight as an organization.”
Especially when Rukawa was shut down by Sendoh,he had no choice but to admit that “he couldn't win on his own”.
At this moment, something began to quietly stir within Rukawa.

◆ Sakuragi’s 20,000 Shots: A “Tenacity” That Burned Quietly

Sakuragi’s 20,000 shots were not just practice. I believe it was his own form of “atonement” and “proof of resolve”.”
The simple mistake in the Kainan match.
The fact that his “flashy play” held the team back. If it were the usual him, he might have bluffed and brushed it off, saying, “It’s not my fault!”
But Sakuragi didn’t do that.

In the gym all by himself, without being told by anyone,
Sakuragi faced the “plain and gritty practice” of shooting.
This was not about “wanting to stand out,” but also a change toward the desire to“be trusted.”At this point, he had completely achieved a
“vertical shift in motivation”from “approval from others (extrinsic)” to “conviction within oneself (intrinsic),” which is avertical change in motivation.

◆ The “Choice” in the Sannoh Match Determined His Growth

And then, in the final stages of the Sannoh match, that famous scene arrives. It is the scene where Sakuragi,despite being open, does not shoot and passes to Rukawa instead.
That “man who loved to stand out” silently made the “choice to win.”
This scene is the very symbol of the character Hanamichi Sakuragi turning froma “lump of ego” into a “self-transforming player.”

• From “wanting to stand out” to “wanting to win”

• From “I am the protagonist” to “the team is the protagonist”

Behind this choice, perhaps he was able to respond becauseAkagi, Mitsui, and Miyagi had already shown him “backs that transcended themselves.”

In other words, this is not just growth.
“The transformation of others draws out one’s own transformation,”which was a “chain of self-transformation” within the organization.

When Sakuragi’s back said, “Leave it to me,” Shohoku was no longer“just a high school club.”
It was an evolution of culture at a level where one could say,“the organization has changed.”

4. Bonus: “Self-Transformation” of members other than Sakuragi

◆ Takenori Akagi: From domination to trust, the transformation from “I will lead” to “I will entrust”

Akagi’s self-transformation was arewriting of the “definition of strength.”He had always carried the burden, thinking, “I have to get stronger,” “I have to make us win.”
But in the Sannoh match, facing the fact that he couldn’t handle Kawata, he was confronted with his “limit” for the first time.
At that moment, he let go. He entrusted it to Rukawa, passed the ball to Sakuragi, and ran in rhythm with Mitsui.

It was the moment he entered the“trust phase” of the organization,not “I will do everything to win,” but “I will entrust it to win.”

This is a transition from what Yamane calls “self-directed” to “self-transforming,” and I believe it was a“maturity” that does not fear “changing oneself” and invests in the future of the organization.

◆ Hisashi Mitsui: Beyond regret and obsession, to a person who stands in “this very moment”

Mitsui's transformation was a “shift in the time axis.” He had been trapped in the “past” for a long time.

• The version of himself that was an MVP

• If only he hadn't been injured...

• If only he could go back to those days...

But in the Sannoh match, as his stamina ran out, he slipped on his sweat, and his knees felt like they were shattering, a “resolve to contribute to the win with his current self” was born.

Instead of “catching up to his former self,” he chose to “take pride in his current self.”

This was the moment his values shifted from “pride” to “contribution,” and I believe it was a glimpse of him
climbing one step higher on the staircase toward “self-transcendence.”

◆ Ryota Miyagi: Metamorphosis from a “Breaker” to a “Connector”

Miyagi was originally the type to drive the game with his own speed and ability to break through defenses. However, in the Sannoh match, faced with overwhelming defense, his drives were shut down. At that moment, he chose a shift from

“I will break through” to “I will utilize my teammates.”

• Passes that make Rukawa run

• Timing that makes it easy for Mitsui to shoot

• Trusting Sakuragi's momentum and entrusting the ball to him

He turned his “individual weapon” of speed into a “weapon for everyone.”

This “transformation of ego” is a role shift in an organization from “domination to facilitation,” and to borrow Yamane's words, it is the “stage where one begins to integrate oneself with the values and goals of others.” What Miyagi showed here was a transformation into a “player who makes others win.”

◆ Kaede Rukawa: The moment a self-contained genius decided he “wanted to win with others”

Rukawa is the well-known solitary genius. In the beginning, he was a player for whom “I will score” came before “I want to win.” But in the Sannoh match, it was different.

• He received passes even while clashing with Sakuragi,

• showed the will to ride the “flow that leads to victory,”

• and in the end, he even “entrusted” the ball to Sakuragi.

Not “I do everything because I'm a genius,” but “I have the power to delegate precisely because I'm a genius.”

This is a “quiet transformation” that is different from Akagi, Mitsui, and Miyagi.
The change of “breaking away from one’s own success stories,” which is the most difficult thing in an organization, is something Rukawa managed to pull off.

In this way, “the values of five people who were once scattered begin to melt together toward a single goal.” This chain reaction is surely
the very process of “an organization developing.” Isn't that right?

5. Not “someone changed,” but “the organization changed”

Toward the end of Slam Dunk, the Shohoku High School basketball team achieves a victory that could be called a “miracle.”
However, it was not due to mere coincidence or an ace player exploding with talent.
It was the result of the entire team being “reborn as a different team.”

◆ Not “strong members,” but “a culture that becomes strong”

For example, if only Sakuragi had changed.
If only Mitsui had put in the effort.
If only Akagi had let go.
Then, they would not have reached that victory.

At that time, Shohoku had “people trying to change,” and right next to them, there were “people who could wait for those trying to change.”

• An atmosphere that makes you feel “it’s okay to make mistakes”

• A culture that believes in “speaking through one’s actions”

• Space to let go of “self-centeredness”

• A relationship that doesn’t make you feel guilty about “being helped”

In other words, it was no longer just a “team.” A place where “self-transformation chains through relationships”—Shohoku had become “a developing organization.”

◆ “Developmental-oriented organizations” and their resonance with Shohoku

In the context of adult developmental theory, we call these types of organizations “developmental-oriented organizations.”

• Treating others as “individuals” and assuming mutual understanding

• Viewing weakness and immaturity not as “defects” but as “starting points for relationships”

• Self-transformation leads not to “individual growth” but to “organizational evolution”

Isn't this Shohoku itself?

• Akagi's dominance ended, and trust remained

• Mitsui's obsession dissolved, and he became someone who lives in the present

• Sakuragi's desire to stand out changed into a desire to help someone else win

• Miyagi connected, and Rukawa accepted

• Kogure and Coach Anzai accepted it all

It wasn't a 'strong team,' but a 'team that allowed itself to keep changing' that won in the end.

6. Conclusion

If you feel that your organization is rigid, that you are the only one working hard, or that no changes are happening among your members, please try reading Slam Dunk again.

Shohoku's evolution is not a fantasy; it teaches us where the 'moment an organization changes' lies.'Strength' is not power, but a 'culture that can tolerate vulnerability.' And that culture is born only when there is the 'courage to try to change' and the 'soil to support those who try to change.'

If teams like Shohoku really started to increase in reality, I truly believe the world would become a little more interesting.

• Those interested in organizational development

• Those who want to know more about developmental organizations

• Those who want to spark a 'Shohoku-like evolution' in their current team

If you'd like, let's talk sometime. Wouldn't it be a fantastic time even if we just spent it talking about Slam Dunk? ☺️

Recently, at Potentialight, we have been providing a wide range of support, not only for recruitment but also for HR organizational systems and organizational development.
We also put out a lot of output regarding that support on note (the notes written by Yamane are even more full-scale), so if you are interested, please be sure to read them ❤️‍🔥