On Saturday, September 25, I was invited to Vantan Cutting Edge 2010, Debut Collection by the graduating students of Vantan Design School. I was able to attend the award ceremony where the Grand Prix and two Runner-ups were announced. All three were very unique as each one had a very different concept and style. It was very interesting to listen to the interview with the winners. One designed maternity dresses, and another said that she wanted to show the waves and the sand. The winner of the Grand Prix said that he wanted to bridge the separate worlds which seemed to be in conflict and confrontation.
I was struck by how original each one was in their own way. They are all very young and full of hope. Watching their creation and hearing their words, I became very optimistic about the future.
The show was followed by the advisory board seminar for the parents of the incoming students. As in February when we had the second meeting for the parents, we discussed teaching philosophy of Vantan, design and business, and the role of designers today in Part 1. I was one of the panelists with Mr. Kumamoto, CEO of Real Fleet, Mr. Haraki of Design Nippon and Ms. Sato of H.P.F.
In Part 2, we discussed design – global and local – with Mr. Kansai Yamamoto. Kansai san is very charismatic, fun, with such high energy and passion. As he showed up, the atmosphere of the seminar changed as he engaged the audience immediately. It is obvious how much he loves what he does and how dedicated he is to it. I have become convinced that passion and enthusiasm is so contagious that people around those with passion get so stimulated. It was a long day after a long week of writing etc. for me, but definitely worth it. I received a lot of energy and got so excited. Who you interact with makes a lot of difference!
Yoko Ishikura is a Professor at Hitotsubashi University ICS in the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy in Japan. She has held positions as a professor at the School of International Politics, Economics and Business of Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, as a consultant at McKinsey and Company Inc. Japan and a visiting professor at Darden School.
Professor Ishikura is a consultant to a number of multinational companies and has been a frequent speaker at management conferences, seminars, and workshops throughout the world. She was a member of the Regulatory Reform Committee for the Japanese government and the International Competitiveness Commission for METI. She is currently a Forum Fellow of the World Economic Forum.
She is the author of Strategic Shift from OR choices to AND paradigm, Building Core Skills of Organization , and the co-author of the following publications: Managing Diversity in the 21st Century, Strategy for Cluster Initiatives in Japan , and Building a Career to the World Class Professionals – all in Japanese. Her books in English include: Asian Advantage, Hitotsubashi on Knowledge Management and Trust and Antitrust in Asian Business Alliances.
Professor Ishikura’s current research interests are focused on global competition, innovation, and knowledge management. She received her BA from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan; MBA from Darden School, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia; and DBA from Harvard Business School.
