Mogic considers

With the combination of a small number of people + software + servers and robots
We are promoting a new era of company management.
We hope to share part of this process with you in this corner.

Representative Director Yoichi Yamane

March 05, 2024

stall the production of a new product in a hurry

It is said that you only live once.

If it is only once, it will always be a bumpy ride.

This is because we cannot experience in advance what is about to happen, and no matter how similar we make the situation, in the end it is a practice, not a real event.

If so, we think.

I wondered what kind of results would be most likely if we could only go for a bang-up performance.

The equation is roughly expressed as follows.

Result of a spur-of-the-moment performance = reasonable success + a little failure

If you are suddenly on stage, failure is inevitable.

Still, I dare you to substitute "as much as possible, without fail".

Result of the actual performance = All successes + Zero failures

and so it is almost impossible to be empirical.

Therefore, I believe that what we should think about under the assumption that we are going to do a rehearsal is not to avoid failure, but rather the gradation of the failure itself.

If it is a section of failure that cannot be erased, address the question of how to handle its breadth.

I'll plug one other famous story here.

When asked how they feel when a glass of water is half full, they have the choice of thinking it is only half full or half full.

It is a categorical solution that I can handle.

If applied well, this can stretch the way we perceive failure.

Like, have I failed this badly, have I failed that badly yet, was it a fatal failure that cannot be undone, or is it a failure from which some recovery can be made?

In other words, as long as one can freely move one's point of view, failure can spread like ink spilled on water.

If we can believe that this is possible, then we may be able to take on the challenge with a little less fervor.

February 27, 2024

The big mistake is raising them.

When I start a business and am involved in management, I am often asked, "What mistakes have you made in your career?" I am often asked.

Of course, there is no shortage of stories of failure, so it's a very long story.

It's all trial and error, and there are so many new things to do.

However, it would be bad if it were too many examples, so I am giving you an analysis I have compiled myself in the past, focusing on major failures.

As a result, though, we may be converging on findings we've heard somewhere else.

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The big failure," he said, "was due to the fact that a few years ago.

Failure cannot grow up to be a big failure until several years have passed.

So what was the cause a few years ago?

It is usually a quick and casual decision made when sales have increased significantly, the number of users has grown, or the reputation of the company has improved.

When you are in a good mood, everyone's spirits are high, and without knowing it, judgment can become lax.

The atmosphere is that it will go up more, that it seems to be able to recover even if it fails, and that it is a dream come true.

When that happens, you want to invest with a bang and put your stamp with a bang.

Because the entire company is collectively optimistic, checks do not work and small risks accumulate.

Of course, those that were unchecked are likely to become probable bad debts at some point.

If the wind direction changes, even more so.

To begin with, what is a non-performing loan?

It refers to a situation in which the cost-effectiveness of the investment is far below what was envisioned at the time of the investment, and the company is stuck with it for a little while or not.

For a while, you are dizzy with the weight of the amount of money, time, and effort you have invested, and you reflexively turn away, telling yourself that this is within your expectations, and eventually, when the situation becomes imminent, you have no choice but to accept it.

Oh, I must have made a big mistake.

So the most damaging failures are those that occur when we are in good shape.

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Similar things happen not only to companies but also to individuals.

As you may have already guessed, this is also a reminder to myself that I tend to pursue only fun things.

Carefully scrutinize, check from multiple angles, and gather opinions from different perspectives.

These phrases are simple, time-consuming, and may sound like they are ringing in your ears, but I believe that this thin message contains a wealth of nourishment that allows us to continue our mundane daily lives.

February 19, 2024

The story of the filial piety trap

In many cases, Mogic workers have relatives far away and may one day care for someone from a distance.

If so, I am thinking about what the company should do in anticipation of such a situation.

First, I will quote from a book that gives a clear picture of the realities of long-distance caregiving.

Happiness in Long-distance Nursing Care
A Happy Shape of Long-distance Nursing Care
Rie Shibata (Author)
h ttps:// www.sun.s-book.net/slib/slib_detail?isbn=9784396618155

Shibata: (I am currently living in Tokyo.) I am an only child, and my mother lived alone at home in Toyama after my father died.

So when my mother fell ill and needed care, I initially considered taking her in.

But I stopped.

I knew I would be rejected.

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It sounds good to say long-distance caregiving, but it sounds like a tease, or like I am making excuses for not being able to properly care for my parents because I am leaving everything to someone else.

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Just then, I was working with Mr. Kawauchi on TV, and he told me, "You know, I've been working with you for a long time, but I'm not sure if I can do this.

He said, "It's not easy for parents and children who have been living apart from each other to suddenly move in together just because their parents need care.

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Kawauchi: To begin with, if you live apart from your parents, you cannot go back to your parents' house that often.

Transportation costs are also very difficult, so many people probably only return once or twice a year, during the Obon or New Year's holidays.

When such people jump over the moderate distance they have felt between themselves and their parents and suddenly take them into a close relationship, or home, just because their parents need care, they often become frustrated with each other, and the parent-child relationship often collapses between parent and child, despite the children's best intentions.

It's called the "filial piety trap."
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Well, I am reminded that it is called a filial piety trap.

It should be the best thing to care about others and do what is best for you.

But the story is that it has unwanted consequences for both parties.

I think it is like an old saying I heard somewhere, and I also feel that the ideal situation is to have someone listen to you during difficult times, and to be able to help casually with the people you work with.

February 14, 2024

Household accounts and income statement, own accounts

Like household accounts at home, companies often use profit-and-loss statements.

In layman's terms, this means looking at monthly income and expenses to see if there is a surplus or deficit.

In a household budget, the familiar items to classify are income, housing, utilities, communication, insurance, transportation, automobile, education, and entertainment expenses, while in an income statement, sales, salaries, advertising, sales promotion, rent, utilities, supplies, entertainment, travel and transportation, and depreciation are familiar.

The general framework is similar, but the difference is that the balance of subjects varies greatly depending on the size of the company and the type of business.

A nuclear family of three rarely becomes a large family of ten, but in a company, three people can become 20, or start a different business, or have a big increase in sales, or buy large equipment.

In light of this, we are allowed to create our own unique subjects in the income statement to make it easier to grasp.

For transportation, there will be more vehicle accounts, for wholesale, more purchase accounts, and for Mogic, the web server group, license service related, computers and chairs, etc. are subdivided.

Then, once or twice a year, we review the subjects to be recorded and add new ones.

You may think it sounds like a lot of work, but it is rather interesting because you will make unexpected discoveries in the process.

February 05, 2024

Communication with Professionals

The theme of the fifth representative interview was communication with IT professionals, namely engineers and designers.

I usually speak to them without being conscious of it, so when I put it into words, they say, "Oh, I see.

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- It seems like a lot of work for a non-professional to ask a professional, but isn't it?

Yamane: Regardless of whether it is a professional job or not, in fact, no matter what kind of job you have, you don't know the details of other jobs.

For example, let's say you make one interview article like now.

We have a writer and a photographer who work in the same place and combine them at the end to complete the project.

But the writer doesn't know what the photographer is doing in detail, and the photographer doesn't know what the writer is doing in detail.

I don't know, but it seems that writers can provide feedback to photographers, and photographers can provide feedback to writers.

In the same way, the programs and designs that engineers create are likely to be able to provide feedback even though we cannot see them, and the same is true of the designs that designers create.

So what is important when you have to give advice or instructions across different professions?

A minimum level of knowledge is required, but the rest is probably a sense of trust that allows us to share the image of the goal.

I believe the fundamental question is how to create a trusting relationship.
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It may come as a surprise that trust is so important, even though we use a heap of IT.

Please wait for a while, as this edition is currently being edited to great acclaim.

[To be added at a later date] Click here for the rest of the interview article.
h ttps:// www.mogic.jp/category/interview/13829

January 29, 2024

2009 Mogic Trip

The company name Mogic Mogic was often mistaken when it was established, and "Mr. Magic Magic" was one thing, while "Mr. Text Assembler" and "Mr. Text Proofreader" were quite distant and sometimes referred to as "Mr. Text Assembler" and "Mr. Text Proofreader".

Fortunately, I am rarely mistaken for Mogic these days, but since I no longer have the opportunity to talk about why we chose the name Mogic, I thought I would write it down here.

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When I created the company, I was alone, so I had to ask myself the same question to come up with a name for the company.

My first thought was that the company is people.

No matter how hard you work on IT, at the end of the day, it's people.

So I was wondering what it would be nice to think of when various people get together.

It would be perfect if I could think, "I had a good encounter here.

So what would be considered a good meeting?

It would be nice if there was a burst of laughter and something that I could not do alone appeared in front of me.

Yes, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke said that.

He said, "Well-developed science and technology are indistinguishable from magic."

So I was inspired to do so.

I think that "the results achieved when people meet and create wonderful chemical reactions, and with the help of well-developed information technology, are indistinguishable from magic."

This may sound like a made-up story, but I really came up with the idea while soaking in the bathtub, Archimedes-style.

Let's shorten it a bit and make the base phrase "connect people, share wisdom, and accomplish magic."

Furthermore, how can we condense it down to the company name?

Yeah, if you put the two kanji characters for "person" and "human" together, it looks like an M.

Next, let's express "connect" with "◯".

Magic is Magic.

So, M + O + Magic = Mogic.

Mosic, it may sound strange, but I'm sure you'll remember me, so here goes!

-----

That was the way it went.

So it is natural that the company's style is to "grow together and emphasize teamwork" rather than individual skills.

And the catchphrase "Creativity Beyond Imagination" that the interns gave us along the way.

This also matches in the sense that it is a creation that goes beyond one's own imagination, a creation that overlays everyone's individuality.

We jumped out as a company in 2009 and have traveled all over the place together.

If I hear more and more "it was a good meeting" in each passing day, I will only be happy from my perspective of floating in a starry sky far away in a bathtub.

January 22, 2024

It's a mere thing, but that's how it works.

I was so impressed by a certain cookbook author's recipes that when I read his essay, I unexpectedly felt the need to take care of my pots and pans.

We'll start with the hardest one, a little nippy little milk pan.

Roughly scrape off the outside scorch, apply coarse sandpaper, and finish by polishing with a cloth.

When I wiped it with a breath of fresh air, the well-worn tool began to shine dully and moistly.

It's a strange thing, but looking at them makes me want to cook again.

The importance of keeping a proper hand on the tools because they are familiar.

This seems to me to be true in business as well.

For example, writing a very simple email.

Keyboard and mouse operation, dictionary-registered proper nouns, writing style to reduce misunderstandings as much as possible, clarification of subject/verb/object, how to avoid copy/paste errors, flow to minimize back and forth emails, presenting options that are easy for the recipient to choose, separators to include for easy viewing, distribution of abstract words and proper nouns, when to send a message that is easy to send, considering the possibility of the recipient returning it When to send, self-checking before sending, consideration of the possibility of the email going into a spam folder, and security-conscious file exchanges.

If you polish them one by one, you can use them as you wish.

It's just an email, it's just an email, so an email, there is not a single thing wrong with reviewing it.

January 15, 2024

Processes that are not the best

It would be nice if we could always follow the best process, but that is not always possible.

If you think that the best is rather less than the best, it will change the way you train on a daily basis.

In creating an IT service, a project is launched.

Gather the members, calculate the money, come up with the idea, research the market, set the schedule, motivate, summarize the requirements, draw the design, code, build the infrastructure, design the system, write the program, pour in the data, test it, and then fix the bugs, Put together a press release, get it out to the media, and then users start using it.

It would be rare for it to be easy to write and go through this number of steps.

In addition, members have different skills, different ways of communicating, different areas of expertise, different experiences, different workloads, different environments they have lived in, different values they emphasize, different ages and genders, and different things they enjoy.

Needless to say, it is more normal to be discrete.

Then, imagine what the "not-so-best" process would look like, which should be the norm.

With a little thought, we can see that it is rather more difficult to do so.

After all, the number of branching patterns is so large that thinking cannot proceed from there.

But if you do, you will not be able to train because you will not be able to envision the not-so-best process itself.

It means that even if you want to develop the ability to deal with a not-so-best process in order to achieve the best process, you cannot envision the not-so-best process itself.

How should this dilemma be overcome?

One solution would be to minimize blurring by standardizing the selection of people's skills and experience in advance and applying common rules to the process in the first place.

But I think the important training will be the time to share the sensibility that there really is no best process, and to let everyone on the team stop and kneel together until they are satisfied with the imperfections that rise up before them.

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