It seems that the “political divide” is getting deeper in many parts of the world. It seems that political gridlock is intensifying in the U.S. Whenever I listen to the podcast, I hear quite a few comments about the “negative” ads around the presidential election.
It seems that the Super Bowl ad has been somewhat affected by this “negative” tone. I have heard about the Chrysler ad featuring Clint Eastwood causing some discussion. As I understand it, some people seem to read into the wording and perceive it as something political. I do not quite understand why it has gone so far.
I recall the conversation I had several weeks ago in which I heard politicians from the U.S. were arguing over so hard at dinner. The person from whom I heard this story seems to have been fed up with the never-ending conflict and argument.
The US is not the only country where there seems to be continuing debate and never-ending discussion without some type of agreement and plan of action. I realize that the issues and problems today are very complex and inter-related, making the solutions difficult to come by, not to mention to implement in a timely manner. But we need to shift our course to take some positive and constructive argument to get something done. With a step forward, we can make it.
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.
