[Book] "Why Doesn't Anyone in My Company Understand What I'm Saying?" — An Organizational Prescription for HR Professionals, Learned from "How to Create a Common Language in the Workplace"
Many workplaces struggle with issues like "I want young employees to be more proactive" or "Our philosophy isn't reaching the front lines." Even when managers explain the importance of "value creation," young employees often feel it is "too abstract and doesn't resonate." This communication gap is not caused simply by generational differences or a lack of individual skills. This book points out that the root cause is the "lack of a common language," meaning that even when people use the same words, their meanings and the images they evoke are not shared.
For example, take the word "proactivity." A manager might see it as a positive growth opportunity—"understanding the organization's purpose, identifying challenges, and taking on tasks." Meanwhile, a subordinate might see it as a negative risk—"acting without instructions and being blamed if things go wrong." As long as this gap in perception exists, no matter how much you shout "be proactive," the true intent will not be conveyed.
The "common language" advocated in this book is not just about aligning definitions. It refers to a process where a team shares not only the meaning embedded in a word but also the background experiences, values, and the images and sensations it evokes. Unlike "verbalization," which is the one-way transmission of individual thoughts, "common language creation" is the core of two-way communication that builds a team's shared assets through dialogue.
The "Philosophical Dialogue" Approach Essential in the VUCA Era
We live in a "VUCA" era—unpredictable and rapidly changing. In such circumstances, the importance of a common language is increasing. This is driven by "complex communication" due to widening generational gaps and diverse work styles, "market changes" that require responding to diverse and fast-changing customer needs, and "organizational changes" as we shift from hierarchical to autonomous, decentralized structures. In organizations where individual members act autonomously, a common language that shares a vision and values is essential as a centripetal force to keep everyone aligned.
As an effective means of building this common language, the book suggests "philosophical dialogue." Philosophical dialogue is not about finding the right answer to fundamental questions like "What is responsibility?" or "What is value?" but rather a form of communication where people continue to think together. In business, philosophical dialogue is powerful for fostering innovation by questioning existing premises and generating new perspectives, re-evaluating corporate philosophy as a personal matter, and deepening mutual understanding within a team.
What is important is combining "dialogue" with "philosophy." Dialogue that merely respects diverse values tends to end with "to each their own." By adding philosophical thinking—which involves "questioning premises and deepening thought"—a common language is born that leads not just to mutual understanding, but to new meaning and value creation for the team.
Techniques of "Thinking" and "Dialogue" for Creating a Common Language
So, how can we create a common language? The book provides detailed explanations of specific "models," thinking methods, and dialogue techniques for this purpose.
The models for creating a common language are broadly classified into four types.
Finding similar images: A method of sharing the image of a word using analogy. For example, whether you view a "company" as a "home" or a "ship" significantly changes your image of the organization.
Clarifying the differences between words with similar meanings: Increasing the resolution of words by clarifying the differences between similar but distinct terms, such as "respect" vs. "coddling," or "proactivity" vs. "spontaneity."
Identifying differences in meaning contained within a single word: For example, by categorizing the word "new" into levels like "new globally," "new in the industry," or "new to our company," the direction to aim for becomes clearer.
Naming phenomena or sensations that do not yet have a name: By giving names to common workplace occurrences or vague feelings, they become easier to recognize and address as shared issues.
To practice these models, you need the dual techniques of "thinking" and "dialogue." The technique of "thinking" is "philosophical thinking," which has three aspects: "critical thinking" to examine things, "creative thinking" to find new facets, and "interest-based thinking" that starts from one's own desire to know. What drives this is the power of "questions"; it is important to ask not only methodological questions like "How can we do this?" but also essential questions like "What is this, fundamentally?"
On the other hand, for "dialogue" techniques, one must first understand that dialogue is a communication mode distinct from "conversation," "debate," or "discussion." Dialogue is not aimed at simple information exchange or winning/losing, but is a process of exploring together while deepening mutual understanding. Mindsets for this include: "not being bound by one's own ideas," "not being bound by the relationship with the other party," "not easily ending with 'to each their own' and not giving up on consensus," "prioritizing listening/asking over speaking," and "speaking based on one's own experience." It is also emphasized that physical setting (sitting in a circle, removing desks, etc.) is extremely important for ensuring "intellectual safety" and promoting dialogue.
Transforming Daily Work into a "Space for Dialogue" and Cultivating Organizational Culture
In the final chapter of the book, it is shown concretely how to apply these theories and techniques in actual organizations, including workshop examples. The most important thing is not just to have special sessions, but to incorporate elements of "dialogue" into daily work and root it as a culture.
For example, setting aside time at the end of a meeting to "organize the meaning of important words used in today's discussion," asking philosophical questions in 1-on-1s like "What does 'growth' mean to you, fundamentally?," or re-questioning "What is the definition of success/failure this time?" during project reviews. Accumulating these small efforts will create and nurture a common language within the organization.
The author discovered the potential of philosophical dialogue through their own intense experiences, and after working in the field of education, expanded their activities into the business domain. At the root of this is a strong belief that the "creation and updating of a common language" is the key to overcoming communication breakdowns and social fragmentation, and to building better relationships. This book can be called a concrete compass for achieving that.
[HR Perspective] How to Utilize This Book for Organizational Transformation
For HR professionals, this book is highly thought-provoking and provides essential clues for solving many of the challenges faced in daily operations. In all HR functions—recruitment, development, system design, and organizational development—the approaches of "philosophical dialogue" and "creating a common language" presented in this book can become powerful weapons.
"Creating a Common Language of Values" to Prevent Recruitment Mismatches
In recruitment, the gateway to HR operations, one of the biggest challenges is the "mismatch." Even if skills and experience are impeccable, there is no end to cases of early turnover due to a lack of fit in culture or values. At the root of this problem is the fact that the interpretation of "words," such as the corporate philosophy or the ideal candidate profile, differs between the company and the candidate.
Many companies use words like "proactive talent" and "an environment where you can take on challenges" on their recruitment pages and in interviews. However, as the book points out, what exactly that "proactivity" or "challenge" refers to is extremely ambiguous. HR personnel should first go through the process of creating a common language for these words within their own company.
For example, by conducting a philosophical dialogue on the theme of "proactivity" with management and high performers in the field, you can clarify the "meaning" and "image" accompanied by concrete behavioral examples, such as: "The proactivity we define is taking the company's purpose as your own, setting questions yourself to solve problems across departmental boundaries, and taking action while involving those around you."
Use this common language standard in interviews. Instead of just asking candidates, "What is your idea of proactivity?" or "Tell us about an experience where you demonstrated proactivity," you can initiate a dialogue by saying, "At our company, we think of proactivity in this way; what do you think about this idea?" By doing this, you can understand not only whether they have the experience, but also the depth of the candidate's values and thinking, which will significantly increase the accuracy of culture fit.
Training and Talent Development that Encourages Taking Ownership
There is no end to the frustration that even after conducting training, there is a strong sense of "being forced to do it," and it does not lead to behavioral change in the workplace. The case study of the "My Purpose Formulation Program" in this book is a groundbreaking approach to this challenge. Instead of unilaterally inputting the company's purpose or MVV (Mission, Vision, Values), you ask, "How do you interpret this purpose?" or "What is the core concept of your work?" Through this process, each employee can rethink the company's philosophy as their own and learn to speak about it in their own words.
For example, incorporating philosophical dialogue into training for newly appointed managers is extremely effective. The themes are fundamental questions such as "What is leadership in the first place?" and "What does it mean to support the growth of members?" Many managers tend to uniformly perceive leadership as "powerfully leading the team," but through dialogue, diverse perspectives emerge, such as "Isn't it also leadership to draw out the proactivity of each member and support them in a servant-like manner?"
Rather than seeking a single correct answer, the very process of building a common language of "leadership in our team" that matches the situation of one's own department and the characteristics of the members broadens the manager's perspective and becomes practical learning.
"Intellectual Safety" Enhances Engagement
In recent years, the importance of "psychological safety" has been emphasized, but this book presents the concept of "intellectual safety," which goes one step further. This refers to "a place where thinking itself is respected and any question or opinion is recognized as having value for exploration." A culture where people can ask, "In the first place, is this method really correct?" without fear of making mistakes, and an atmosphere where people can speak up even with unfinished ideas, saying, "I was thinking about this." This is the soil for innovation and the key to increasing employee engagement.
As HR, you should be the facilitator who fosters this "intellectual safety" throughout the organization. Specifically, it is conceivable that the HR department could act as a facilitator and hold cross-departmental dialogue workshops on a regular basis. Themes could be grand questions that all employees can think about as stakeholders, such as "What is our company's 'value proposition'?" or "What do we need to be a company that society needs 10 years from now?" The experience of employees who usually have no contact talking to each other across the walls of positions and departments through such places deepens mutual understanding and fosters a sense of organizational unity.
It is also important to rethink the way 1-on-1 meetings are conducted. Instead of just checking progress and setting goals, they should be redesigned as "places for dialogue," as introduced in the book. By providing guidelines and sample questions for this purpose and training managers, HR can improve the quality of 1-on-1s and encourage the intrinsic motivation of subordinates.
Dialogue that Increases Satisfaction with Evaluation and Promotes Growth
The evaluation system is one of the most delicate and difficult topics for HR. Dissatisfaction with evaluations leads directly to a decline in employee motivation. Much of this problem stems from a gap in the interpretation of the "words" used in evaluation items between the evaluator and the person being evaluated. For example, even if "proactivity" is an evaluation item, the supervisor might imagine "the number of times they speak in meetings," while the subordinate might imagine "voluntarily introducing new tools." If you conduct an interview at the end of the term while leaving this gap unaddressed, you cannot expect a satisfactory evaluation.
To solve this problem, institutionalize a time for supervisors and subordinates to have a dialogue about evaluation items at the beginning of the term. Ask, "What specific actions does 'proactivity' in this term's goals refer to?" and create a common language for "proactivity" for that term. This makes it easier for subordinates to set concrete action goals, and supervisors can provide accurate feedback even during the term. The role of evaluation can evolve from "judgment" to "feedback (growth support)," and it can evolve into a system as it should be, contributing to the growth of employees and the development of the organization. The approach shown in this book is not a superficial technique, but one that works on the "relationships between people," which is the foundation of an organization. By taking on the new role of "facilitator of philosophical dialogue" and fostering a culture that creates a common language within the organization, won't companies be able to acquire the true competitiveness needed to overcome the era of change?
