What is Japanese Design Thinking?

It is focused on how to best shape the brand around people and identifying how people can make a contribution in shaping the brand. It is borne out of building Shinto temples. Embrace economy of materials and means. Traditional Japanese construction and interiors used only natural, available materials, and in art and design too recycling was common. Waste and excess is at odds with wa. Think, for example, of tatami mats that comprise the floor of a Japanese room (washitsu) which were historically made from leftover straw from the harvest. There is a trend now emerging in Japan that embraces the use of more natural and recycled materials under the banner of "eco" or sustainability. How can we bring the principle of economy to our design work? One way is by practicing restraint. Yokusei 抑制 (control, restraint) and setsudo 節度 (moderation) or seigen 制限 (limit) are forms of self-restraint we can practice. It's hard not to give in to the habit of adding more when less would do; this is where restraint comes in.

Shinto - "the way of the kami" - is deeply rooted in pre-historic Japanese religious and agricultural practices. The term kami can refer to Japanese mythological deities, but also can mean divinity manifested in natural objects, places, animals, and even human beings. Shinto rituals and celebrations stress harmony between deities, man, and nature -- a key feature of Japanese religious life and art to the present time. Shinto has always been attentive to the protection of communities from unpredictable human and divine forces and has imbued its ritual practices with techniques and strategies to aid human life.

Avoid the obvious in favour of the subtle. To the Japanese, there is no beauty in the obvious or the overly direct. Indirectness and subtly, after all, is the stuff of poetry. And should not design — like life itself — be the stuff of poetry? The art of suggestion can be seen in many aspects of Japanese art, design, and language. Think of ways you can design with clarity while also including elements that are subtle and suggestive.

Think not only of yourself, but of the other. Harmony in relationships exits when people put themselves in the other's shoes and think of the greater good of the group. Wa does not exist where one thinks only of oneself. Think for yourself? Of course. Think only of yourself. No. All good designers know this: it's not about me, it's about them (or "us"). The concept of kyosei (‘co-living’) has long been known for its role in sustaining society and the environment in the East and it has had a significant impact on many aspects of Japanese life. Theoretically, some key notions of Shinto, animism, and Japanese Buddhism have increased awareness, and promoted the co-living concept to the Japanese people. kyosei is traced in the design and creation of architecture, everyday utensils, bridges, clothes, furniture, writing, and art.

The conceptual value of kyosei has been widely advocated by the Japanese as the treasure within because it is for moral objectives to: 

• nurture respect for human beings and human life

• nurture a rich mind and a sense of humanity

• foster people capable of renewing cultural tradition, and of developing and creating a rich original culture

• form people who will make an effort to create and develop a democratic society and nation

• form people capable of contributing to the realisation of a peaceful international community

• form Japanese who will play an active role in developing the future

• enhance morality.

Remain humble and modest. One of the characteristic traits of the Japanese people is “KENKYO”. The word “KENKYO” means “humbleness. Another phrase is “Harmony is noble”. This expresses the idea that it is more important to maintain harmony than to have people respect the individual. Being humble is the means of getting along with others in the community by belittling oneself, by temporarily lowering oneself in the vertical relationship. A case in point is denying praise from others, saying ‘I’m really bad at this’, even though one considers oneself capable. Many of us mistakenly feel that strong confidence cannot exist alongside humility and modesty. This is a mistake. True confidence exists only where you also find humility and modesty. Where these are lacking, you see a kind of faux confidence that feels insecure, overly individualistic, and inharmonious.

Over the generations, the Japanese created an extensive vocabulary of aesthetic terms that made it possible for them to describe the physical as well as the metaphysical attributes of their culture, and of their arts and crafts.

Why do many established and often well-managed companies struggle with disruptive innovation? Many times it is simply because companies have been doing the same things, in the same ways, and for the same reasons for so long, that they struggle with the concept of change. Disruptive business models focus on creating, refining, reengineering or optimising a product or service. Most people assume disruption occurs with the introduction of new technology but that often isn’t the case.

Japanese Design Thinking is based on an obsession with improving things. It is about interrogating every step and making positive changes on a regular basis. It is dedicated to ‘continuous improvement’ within the business as well as the lives of people.

Business and people are intertwined. Business operations and innovation are driven by people. It is a whole of business approach that continually improves both culture and business objectives. Musubi employs Japanese Design Thinking to focus on how the brand, organisation, and design translates human values into tangible experiences.

Japanese Design Thinking understands people’s beliefs, rituals, and values about your brand and then map the company around people. Brand level, culture level, UX level, and built environment level. It is an offering in human insights and design and innovation that create a complete suite of services to guide clients from problem definition through solution design and implementation.

A culture of peace: from dream to reality. Why do we need a culture of peace? Is there a genuine wish for peace within the region? Students might approach these questions by taking a historical perspective. Some of the unfortunate events of the past could be cited, including: colonialism; wars of aggression; inhuman cultural traditions; the impact of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and other acts of human destruction; dictatorship and exploitation.

The above realities are still far from resolved. Armed conflicts, oppression, tensions, and other inhuman acts still continue in the region. There are invisible and visible menaces for peace that students could explore, including: globalisation and the disquieting impact of materialism and consumerism that widen the gap between rich and poor, poverty, illiteracy, deprivation and discrimination, erosion of the family 's role, social transformation, urbanisation, slums, community disorganisation, the influence of the media, environmental deterioration, drug abuse and trafficking and human rights violations

What are some representative or common values in the region sustaining a culture of peace? Develop an issues-oriented description of some common values. This should stimulate thought-provoking description and analysis of regional situations. Also consider: religions; philosophical concepts; economic, scientific and technological developments; nationalism, politics and globalisation; and the issues of tradition versus change; progress and materialism versus spiritualism; and self realisation, self assertion and competition versus cooperation, harmony, caring and sharing.

The main purposes of JDT is to foster correct notions of respecting and caring for one another habit of helping, doing what one can in daily life. 

When it comes to sustained innovation, the Japanese have been doing it longer.

The Japanese created a variety of ritualised practices for enhancing their ability to recognise and appreciate beauty, brand, and good design.

It is this culture-based philosophy and tradition of Japanese design and beauty that is leading a growing number of westerners to change their way of innovating, developing brands, and designs to a style more in keeping with human nature, and therefore more satisfying sensually, emotionally, and intellectually. 

Japanese Design as a Way of Life

One of the foundations of Japan’s traditional design was a deep-seated compulsion to strive constantly for higher and higher standards of design, functionality, and quality. This effort extending over countless generations gradually seeped into the fabric of the nation's culture, eventually becoming an inseparable part of it. The standards of beauty and design were severe for rich and poor alike. Rigid convention and enforced avoidance of all excess prevented anyone from exercising poor taste or departing very far from a sternly graceful norm.

Thus developed a whole nation of people for whom a high degree of refined elegance in behaviour as well as in all of the artifacts of their daily lives became the universal standard.

Brand Anthropology

When Japanese design is married up with brand anthropology, we have a complete system to deal with all of the brand and design challenges companies face for the future.

It is anthropology's theoretical ability to deal with the holistic nature of a company's activities and its relations with the wider world (and vice versa) that makes it so valuable to organisation, management and business studies. Not only can anthropology examine social norms, and formal and informal relations within a company, as well as the industries, fields, institutions, networks and regulatory spheres in which it operates. It can also analyse organisational environments in terms of change, conflict, ethics, gender, identity, morality, power, symbolism and values.

is innovation important?

Importantly, we must establish why innovate AND for whom.

Innovation means introducing something new into your business. This could be: improving or replacing business processes to increase efficiency and productivity, or to enable the business to extend the range or quality of existing products and/or services.

Innovation isn’t solely represented by new devices, ideas or methods, but also by the process of uncovering new ways of doing things. It can also pertain to modifying business models and adapting to changes to achieve better products and services.

Innovation is vital in the workplace because it gives companies an edge in penetrating markets faster and provides a better connection to developing markets, which can lead to bigger opportunities. BUT… innovation should last. Built in obsolescence is alien to the Japanese.

Speed has its risks. The Japanese would calibration design against the people that would use it. Ergonomically, emotionally, rationally, and that the key ingredient to business success is learning to fail, something which is discouraged in Japan.

Japanese are taught to abhor failure. The consequences for the nation’s entrepreneurial spirit are predictable, 

There is an old Japanese saying, ‘Fall down seven times, get up eight,’

Organisational wide innovation requires sharing of information, a clear understanding of the relationship between all staff and the corporation. Where Americans celebrate failure in public, the Japanese will keep it within the company.

Innovation doesn’t have to be the next Google or Microsoft with massive public relations behind it.

Sometimes it’s those quiet achievers who can make just as big an impact without having to be ostentatious about it.

BRANDS

The refinement and beauty they achieved in their work came from the power of tradition-the values, attitudes, and skills that were passed down to them by their forbears. There was no separation of life and art; they. were the same thing.

A short history of brands 

The word brand comes from the Old Norse brandr, meaning to burn, and from these origins made its way into Anglo-Saxon. It was of course by burning that early man stamped ownership on his livestock. It's a pretty aggressive act. The world has changed. Brands now grow from the ground up!

Creating an indelible impression 

In developed economies consumers have an astonishing – often bewildering – array of choice. So the best way is to begin from human needs and experience. 

Brands have a voice but there are multiple layers to how that voice is and makes as 

Must be scalable without losing humanity

Brands need to wear in not wear out.

Every space, object, Brands must work at multiple level. When we design and create a brand it must achieves the long term business objectives but we also design to the relationship that people will have with all brand environments to remove any emotional friction and heighten the values of the brand to the point that people don't think about it.

Are the things that the brand is doing really making an effect and making a change.

Companies have so much freedom now to create a total ecosystem that is on brand. There is not excuse today to have any discord.

The measure of brands will be based on  interaction, engagement, participation Interaction begins before a brand is redesigned Listen, observe, participate, converse, lurk, collaborate, count, classify, learn, help, read, reflect and—with luck—appreciate and understand what goes on (and maybe why) in the social worlds they have penetrated.

Ritualised Design

There is no other culture in which design and quality have played such a significant role in the day-to-day life of the people. Not only did the Japanese institutionalise good design and quality, they ritualised it as well. One might say that the Japanese turned good design and quality into a religion. However, it's important to note that the arts and crafts that the Japanese produced over the centuries that became o-meibutsu, or ''great masterpieces," were not designed or created to be masterpieces in the Western sense. They were common things made in the traditional way. Virtually all Japanese craftsmen were just ordinary people with no claim to scholarly or intellectual achievements. The refinement and beauty they achieved in their work came from the power of tradition-the values, attitudes, and skills that were passed down to them by their forbears. There was no separation of life and art; they. were the same thing.

Sabi and Wabi Are Universal

By the turn of the twenty-first century, sabi and wabi had become new code words in the design world. A third concept, shibui, is an even more important term insofar as Japanese design is concerned. Shibui is the adjectival form of shibumi and can be translated as astringent, simple, and unaffected. In its traditional Zen sense, shibui beauty is beauty that is in perfect harmony with nature and has a tranquil effect upon the viewer. Shibui, together with wabi and sabi, forms the foundation of those aspects of traditional Japanese culture that are physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually satisfying.

Their importance and power in Japanese culture derives from the fact that the Japanese made these concepts primary pillars of their traditional lifestyle, institutionalising and ritualising them as integral parts of their culture.

In earlier times sabi was used to describe something that was withered with age. Wabi was generally used in reference to living alone in an isolated hut with no amenities. Around the fourteenth century, the meanings of both words began to evolve in the direction of more positive aesthetic values as a result of the teaching and writing of Buddhist monks who eschewed all comfort and materialism in an effort to achieve enlightenment.

WABI-SABI

This wabi-sabi lifestyle was buttressed by Shinto, which provided the early Japanese with the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual dimension that people needs to be fulfilled. The introduction of Buddhism from the Asian continent between the fourth and sixth centuries brought amazing technological advances to Japanese civilisation, dramatically raising the physical quality of life. But the precepts of Buddhism did not alter the basic ancient wabi-sabi lifestyle of the average Japanese.

Other writers on the wabi-sabi factor in Japanese design have emphasised the introduction of Zen into Japan from the thirteenth century and its subsequent contributions to the wabi-sabi way of life, particularly in its influence on the tea ceremony and its implements. But the great Zen-inspired tea masters from the fifteenth century on did not invent any new wabi-sabi elements. They practiced and taught a return to the past-using the simplest, roughest of implements, and avoiding all the adornments and sophistication that had come with a more technologically advanced culture.

Despite all of the complex philosophical and ethical elements that underpin Japan's modern designs, it is not that difficult or time consuming to understand and develop the same level of refined sense of taste and appreciation for really good design that is an integral part of Japan's traditional culture. By creating specific vocabulary for their aesthetic concepts, the Japanese have made it possible to talk about them in precise terms, to create guidelines for achieving them, and to teach them. As a result, they have made a unique contribution to mankind.

Naturally

Shinto contained the mythological story of the creation of the Japanese islands and the people of Japan, and held that all life forms and natural phenomena had their own unique spirits, their own proper place and role in nature, and deserved a certain amount of respect and reverence. This animistic view of all things in nature resulted in the Japanese paying special attention to both the design of the things they made and the process of making them. 

Shinto showed that frugal design works. It tenants translates to corporate world like to was fit for purpose.

Shizen 

As is well known, one of the special skills that have long distinguished the Japanese is their ability to apply shizen characteristics, or the characteristics of nature, to the things they make, with landscaped gardens being one of the most conspicuous examples.

The obvious idea behind basing designs on shizen principles is that nature is the original designer and nature-made things are inherently appealing to human beings on both a conscious and subconscious level. We instinctively recognise that we have a physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual connection to nature; the more closely a product relates to certain aspects of nature, the more attractive it is to people. This especially applies to building materials, household furniture, utensils, and interior decorations. The Japanese learned this bit of wisdom a long time ago. 

The spiritual and physical relationship the Japanese had with nature led them to adopt both the outward beauty and the inner essence of nature as guidelines.

Harmony

The Law of the Land.

Wa, the Japanese word for harmony, is now known by many people around the world, but what most people probably do not know is that the concept of harmony was so important in the traditional culture that it was one of the seventeen articles that are often described as Japan’s first constitution, written in A. D. 604. This law stated that all behaviour was to be conducted in a harmonious manner-not only social behaviour but business and political behaviour as well.

The importance of harmony in Japanese life was to have a profound influence on every aspect of the culture, from the nature and use of the language to the daily etiquette of the people. Eventually, wa became the prime directive in Japanese behaviour, often taking precedence over both logic and common sense.

Wa also played an equally important role in Japan's arts and crafts. An incredible amount of time and effort were expended in making sure that all of the elements of the object-the material, shape, surface, ornamentation were in- absolute harmony.

This physical expression of harmony is especially key to the appeal of Japanese gardens and to the interior design and decoration of traditional Japanese-style buildings, particularly private homes, ryokan inns, and ryotei restaurants. This same attention to harmony is one of the secrets of the appeal and success of Japan's modern commercial products, particularly small consumer items.

Traditionally, the basis for the ''harmony with nature'' in Japanese design was in the natural materials they used-wood, stone, straw, and mud plaster.

SHIBUI

A Zen Standard of Beauty

Shibui can be translated as astringent, simple, conservative, rough, elegant, unaffected. Some of Japan's greatest tea masters used the word to sum up the nature of beauty.

It is a work of art in which all the elements are arranged and balanced in such a way that they have an almost transcendental affect on the viewer. One often sees this kind of beauty in Japanese kimono, lacquerware, and ceramics. Often combined with a wabi-sabi appearance, it is also prominent in other traditional artifacts of Japanese culture, from vases made of bamboo to paper lanterns and natural wood counter tops.

There is also another kind of shibui beauty that one sees in modern-day electronic devices, appliances, automobiles, and a host of other consumer products. Here beauty is the result of these products being reduced to their essence, having a surface colour and texture that is serene, soothing, elegant, and sensual.

In practice, a certain colour scheme is necessary to produce the shibui quality. Combinations of the colours of unpolished gold and silver, ashes, various shades of chestnut or russet, and such natural colours as kelp green and grain chaff are among the most common and essential for producing the subdued, tranquil effect that is described as shibui.

After centuries of exposure to the principles and practices of shibui living, the Japanese developed the ability to recognise and produce this quality almost instinctively. They did not have to strain to judge whether or not something was beautiful.

A few Western designers and interior decorators have been following the principles of shibui since the 1980s or even earlier. It can be seen in the work of noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who got most of his best wabi-sabi and shibui design and decorative ideas from Japan prior to and during the years he spent there designing and overseeing the building of Tokyo's famous Imperial Hotel. 

Shibui, is commonly used to mean a measure of the depth or shallowness of the beauty of any object, and the ability of an individual to recognise this measure is a reflection of his or her aesthetic prowess. In Japanese terms, anyone not capable of judging beauty on the basis of its shibui qualities is not considered aesthetically mature. And to quote the art historian Soetsu Yanagai, '' Shibui is the sesame to open the doors to the infinite mysteries of beauty."

Truthful Culture

You sit in a room with smart and well-respected people to discuss the future of your company product. There are many good reasons on why you would want to be careful on what you say. You will think twice before saying something stupid. You will think about how much work other person did before criticising how bad it is. After you said something stupid and nobody took it into account, you would think: “how many times can I tell something dumb again?” At this stage, you are not even thinking about being honest. You are thinking about not being an idiot in front of the man signing your pay check.

Telling the truth is difficult, but it is the only way for a creative culture to thrive and grow. Every creative person, no matter of his field, can create his own “solution group”. What will you need to create it:

The people you choose must make you think smarter; People should be able to put lots of solutions on the table in short amounts of time; And the point is, it doesn’t have to be someone with the expertise. Great ideas can come from anyone. Janitor, intern, customers or even your mother. If they can help you do that, they should be at the table. Creative culture can be created when you find people that are willing to level with you and make you grow. Once you see them, hold them close.

The promise of being part of a hip, equity-incentivised, fast growing team? Closer, but still no.

Culture is often referred to as “the way things are done around here.” But to be useful, we need to get more specific than that. I’ve been working in HR for over twenty years, and the best companies I’ve worked with have recognised that there are three elements to a culture: behaviours, systems, and practices, all guided by an overarching set of values. A great culture is what you get when all three of these are aligned, and line up with the organisation’s espoused values.

A hallmark of a healthy creative culture is that its people feel free to share ideas, opinions, and criticism. Lack of honesty, if unchecked, leads to dysfunctional environments.

Still about people.

Often the organisation doesn’t know their customer enough to know what’s working and what isn’t. So we went through an Japanese Design Thinking exercise with their customers.

Providing tailored workshops ‘Why is that person pausing? What’s making them think? The upshot was 2500 observations giving rise to 167 initiatives, “things we could do”. It ended up giving us a narrative. We wrote a story from the customer’s perspective that we used as a frame of reference. The process took us to a very different place.

The standard business approach is to talk to staff who – from assumed knowledge and experience – list what they think the problems are for customers. However, we’re looking for pleasure and pain points from the customers’ perspective, how we can remove the pain from the key touch points and enhance the pleasure points.

We start by mapping the current business model and management capability, then park it and look at the types of customers who might disrupt that – new customers, extreme customers. We do a deep dive around the customer influence and then look at how the business model, products and services might look for that, and then map it back to their business.

Japanese Design Thinking begins by understanding people. Why? The one unmoving irrefutable fact in this ever-changing world is that people are first. And Japanese Design Thinking helps businesses make sense of what people experiences and then create seamlessly interconnected experiences that reinforce each other. It translates human values and corporate strategy into branded solutions. It is a method of using anthropological concepts to understand people's similarities and differences and explores how brand’s shapes, and is shaped by, people’s cultural values and social practices. It then synthesises brand and design solutions that are collaborative, ethical, culturally appropriate, meaningful and sustainable. 

Brands are vessels of symbolic meanings that evoke personalities and emotion through rituals, purpose and ethos. Symbolism is a culturally-determined activity, and the object of symbolism is the enhancement of an idea. brands can be known only by the unfolding of their unique stories within the context of the symbolic perception they create and then manage for long periods of time. So we apply an anthropological lens and build new relationships with employees and customers.

Many companies around the world are seeking ways to improve culture performance and develop innovative ideas and products more quickly and efficiently. With Japanese Design Thinking they are recasting their relationships with employees—very often modelling their efforts on approaches adopted by world-class Japanese companies, such as Toyota, Panasonic and Nissan.