I hosted Open Forum 2011 last night (April 15). It was originally scheduled for March 18, but had to be canceled due to the earthquake, tsunami and potential blackout. As we had more than 50 people who applied by Wednesday, the requests from some that applied after that date were declined, to my regret. However, we ustreamed and you can watch through this link. (My introduction at around 10 minutes from the beginning, and last two presentations out of five were done in English.)
We tried pechakucha style presentation in which visual slides are changed every 20 seconds for the first time. Four presenters are from Global Agenda Seminar (GAS) series which I taught last year at Roppongi Academy Hills. They presented their own project and asked a question which they would like participants to brainstorm. I did mine as well, as I have been struggling with developing Real Project at KMD.
After each presentation which was done in 5 minutes, I asked for the keywords which caught attention of the participants and listed a few on the board, in addition to the question raised. After five presentations, participants (some 50) selected any one of the five groups and brainstormed for 40 minutes or so. Then each group reported back what they discussed and we wrapped up.
This is the format called ideaslab at the World Economic Forum and one of my favorites. As it was the first time I tried this format in complete form, AND with people some of whom I met for the first time (they came through my blog), I was a bit concerned whether it would go smoothly or not. I was very happy with the result, as I learned a lot by doing it. For example, I thought the question should be as specific as possible, I should have used the key words we listed during the discussion (I completely forgot about it!) etc. I hope both presenters and the participants had as much fun as I did.
After the Forum, we had get-together at the Italian Bar downstairs. It was great talking with many people and they even gave me a gift at the end! (My birthday was in March and they also wished me good luck for my new job at KMD. See photo of myself with the present!)
Many people helped me to make this event happen–some taking care of ustream broadcasting and others making arrangement for the place, and taking attendance etc. I realize how much I love working with the young people in such casual and informal context. I am already thinking about how to continue this type of event, probably in virtual space as well as real space.
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.
