🌸Management Future Notebook - Tuesday - (Issue 69) - Complete Preservation Edition: "Why Are Certain Companies and People Supported by Everyone?" — How "Oshi" (Fandom) and "Support Capital" Strengthen Management
🌸Management Future Notebook - Tuesday - (Issue 69) - Complete Preservation Edition: "Why Are Certain Companies and People Supported by Everyone?"
— How "Oshi" (Fandom) and "Support Capital" Strengthen Management
(Written by: Akifumi Yasumura / Business Capability Development Co., Ltd.)
■ Introduction
The other day, while watching a Showa-era music program, I saw a singer call out to the audience from the stage, "Everyone, please support me!"
Nowadays, the word "support" has been replaced by "oshi" (fandom), which has deeply permeated youth culture.
So, do "oshi companies" or "companies that are supported" exist in management?
Konosuke Matsushita once said:
"My work cannot progress for even a single day without the help of others."
This quote hits the essence of management. To survive, a company must have the power to gain support from those around it.
■ 5 Points for a Company That Is Supported
A company that is supported = "Vision × Effort × Gratitude × Integrity × Flexibility"
Companies that balance these five elements naturally attract both people and resources.
A company that shows consistent effort
Accumulating small improvements and continuing to learn from failures.
Having an attitude that is visible from the outside, showing that "this company is moving forward."A company that can articulate its vision
Clearly showing employees and customers "where we are aiming" and evoking empathy.A company that never forgets gratitude
Having a culture of saying "thank you" to customers, business partners, employees, and the local community, and expressing achievements as "thanks to everyone."A company that is sincere and trustworthy
Prioritizing long-term trust over short-term profit, keeping promises, and fulfilling accountability.A company that has flexibility (margin)
Not aiming for perfection, but having the softness to accept external cooperation and support.
Having a human touch that makes people think, "I want to be involved with them."
■ Self-Diagnosis Checklist (Yes/No Format)
If you can answer "Yes" to 13 or more of the following items, it can be considered that support capital is rooted both inside and outside the company.
All employees understand and can talk about the company's vision.
We are continuously making small improvements and sharing the results.
We express "thank you" to customers and business partners on a daily basis.
We have a culture that does not hide mistakes or failures, but turns them into learning.
We prioritize keeping promises and deadlines above all else.
We have a climate where employees support each other.
Respect and welcome external collaborators and supporters.
Have a habit of expressing achievements with gratitude.
Value long-term trust over short-term profit.
Do not fear new challenges and repeat 'small experiments'.
The 'feeling of being supported' is a topic in management meetings.
Have been told by customers, 'I am rooting for you.'
Take an interest in and act upon local community and social issues.
Have been told by employees' families that it is a 'good company'.
The manager themselves is aware of being a 'leader who is supported'.
✅ 13 or more Yes → Support capital is rooted inside and outside the company
✅ 8-12 Yes → Support capital is growing, further reinforcement needed
✅ 0-7 Yes → Support capital is still weak, fundamental review required
■ Practical methods for management meetings
While 'support capital' may seem like an abstract concept, it can be visualized through a monthly review.
Procedure:
Preparation (30 minutes)
o Each department answers and aggregates the checklist.
o Share 'words of gratitude' and 'support messages' received from employees and customers.Confirmation at management meeting (60 minutes)
o Announce checklist scores.
o Check items that improved or worsened from the previous month.
o Each person reports on 'specific episodes of being supported'.Action plan (30 minutes)
o Decide on 'one action to increase support capital' to work on next month.
o Set simple KPIs such as 'number of support messages' and 'number of thank-you statements'.Sharing (10 minutes)
o Post 'this month's support capital achievements' on the internal bulletin board or chat.
👉 The point is to share not just numbers, but 'stories'.
Specific examples like 'received a letter of support from a customer' or 'employees praised each other' accelerate a culture of support.
■ Editor's Note
As a manager, I also want to be supported.
To be supported as a person,
'Creating invitation-style relationships'
'Creating situations that are easy to support'
are apparently necessary.
I see... perhaps this was the true nature of what makes one think,
'I really want to support that shop.'
■ Today's Question
Does your company meet the '5 conditions for being supported'?
✅ Perform a self-diagnosis at least once a month to check your support capital (the accumulation of empathy and trust).
■ Cat's Whispers
'Companies that are supported are probably called "Oshi" (favorites) by their own employees, meow.'
■ Conclusion
You are likely familiar with the words of Isoroku Yamamoto.
'If you do not praise them, people will not move. If you do not entrust them, people will not grow. If you do not trust them, people will not bear fruit.'
Support begins with recognizing, entrusting, and believing in one another.
Management is the same. A company that is supported is, first and foremost, a company where a 'culture of support' is deeply rooted within.
■ Today's Conclusion: Let's become a company that is supported.
■ This article is a re-edited version of a post from September 2025.
■ Next issue preview: Wednesday, March 18th
'Coffee and Questions about the Future'
— The future is born not from 'predictions' but from 'questions'
👉 Please send us your thoughts.
yasumura@biz-noukai.com We will be sure to reply.
■ Appendix
