Purpose Award Winners in Conversation

Inagaki: What are your impressions of the corporate culture at Seven Bank?

S. Watanabe: I truly feel that there is an environment here that encourages employees to take on challenges regardless of tenure or career stage. I am currently in my seventh year since joining the company as a new graduate, and I have been given many opportunities to take on challenges.

Kono: I previously worked at an IT company, and I was pleasantly surprised by how entrepreneurial the culture is. Even though I was still new to the company, people around me encouraged me to give it a try, even in areas where I had no prior experience. The supportive environment enabled me to take on the challenge of developing 7Bank-Brain, a generative AI application for internal use, in my very first year.

K. Watanabe: I hold positions in both the Sales Division of Seven Payment Service, Ltd., a Group company, and the ATM+ Planning Division of Seven Bank. As Ms. Watanabe and Ms. Kono mentioned, both companies have a corporate culture that encourages listening to everyone’s opinions and incorporating good ideas, regardless of their tenure or past achievements.
Rather than blaming individuals for failures, both companies focus on improving systems and processes. That creates an environment where even younger employees feel comfortable taking on new challenges.

Inagaki: At Seven Bank, we value a culture of mutual respect and support, as well as the ability to take on challenges. In terms of systems, we have encouraged a change in employee awareness through initiatives such as the establishment of “Seven Lab”, an internal innovation promotion organization, as well as business innovation contests. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, it is a welcome change to see more employees taking initiative and embracing new challenges , thanks to the combined efforts of these two values.

S. Watanabe: Speaking of taking initiative and embracing new challenges, the proposal for business improvement measures that I worked on was a major challenge. From the time I joined the Administration department, using paper and seals for administrative work was standard practice, and everyone assumed they could never be done away with. So I started questioning whether seals were truly necessary for procedures that were completed entirely within the company. I find it rewarding that my proposal has become established as a new standard within the company.

Inagaki: It takes courage to question the status quo, doesn’t it? What were the reactions of those around you?

S. Watanabe: The other day, someone from the General Affairs Division told me that the amount of paper they order has decreased. We have successfully reduced paper usage by approximately 50,000 sheets per year, and I feel that this truly delivers measurable value.

K. Watanabe: It’s great when, like in Ms. Watanabe’s case, contributions can be clearly measured in numbers. The “ATM cash receiving” service, of which I am in charge, involves very little direct contact with users. Nevertheless, there are moments when I hear firsthand accounts from users through local government officials or the media, and that is my greatest motivation.

Kono: In that respect, I receive direct feedback since the recipients of my work are internal, and this is a great source of encouragement for me. When employees say things like, “Tasks I used to struggle with have become much easier,” or “I can’t imagine a world without 7Bank-Brain,” I truly feel that what I’ve created is leading to value for our customers.

Inagaki: You all seem to have a clear understanding of how your work contributes to society and to the company. That shared enthusiasm is likely what led to each of you winning the Purpose Award. Each individual’s desire to “be of service to someone” leads to various challenges, which in turn directly contribute to the company’s sustainable growth and the resolution of social issues. We will continue to strengthen our systems to leverage employees’ aspirations and support them in taking on challenges.

K. Watanabe: With all the support we receive, I feel that we must continue to grow. A saying I value is, “Understanding should never be taken for granted; misunderstanding is always a possibility.” Since it’s largely a matter of chance whether what I want to convey is understood with 100% accuracy, I want to continue to be mindful of explaining things carefully so that my intentions and objectives are clearly understood.

S. Watanabe: What I value most is “not making decisions on my own.” When you’ve been in the same department for a long time, it’s easy to assume that the improvements you need will be beneficial to everyone, and I’ve made mistakes in which my ideas were not implemented in practice. That’s why, in the regular meetings I host to discuss operational improvements, I explain issues and objectives by explaining the background behind each issues and actively ask for everyone’s opinions.

Kono: I try to focus on the value it brings to others. Since I have only been with the company for a short time, when I ask for cooperation from other departments, I present numerical values and success stories in order to show them that “if we achieve this, it will lead to this much improvement in work efficiency.” By doing this, I have found that even busy people are more willing to cooperate.

Inagaki: The way one communicates and the ability to see things from the other person’s perspective are both ways of fostering collaboration. Do you ever feel the effects of learning from one another?

K. Watanabe: Thanks to 7Bank-Brain, developed by Ms. Kono, the time spent on research before business negotiations has been significantly reduced. The time saved has been allocated to EX10, a program that encourages employees to dedicate 10% of their time to innovation, and is being used to gather feedback on new services.

Inagaki: Learning extends beyond the individual, creating a culture where we support one another’s work. Going forward, we will not slow down our investment in human resources development. EX10 is also a system for gaining medium- to long-term experience, which will have a positive impact on both skill improvement and personal growth.

Inagaki: Finally, please tell us about your future aspirations, career vision, and your thoughts on Seven Bank.

Kono: I want to further integrate the use of generative AI throughout the company. I personally feel that I have been able to significantly improve my skills in a short period of time using generative AI. While Seven Bank has a relatively small number of employees compared to other companies in the banking industry, I believe we have high productivity per person. I want to further enhance this strength through generative AI.

S. Watanabe: I also want to make greater use of generative AI and automate processes that do not require human judgment. However, even with increased automation, the quality of administrative work must never be compromised. I want to deepen my expertise to determine what can be automated and what should be handled manually and grow into a person who can lead projects effectively.

K. Watanabe: Seven Bank’s strength lies in its ability to create new businesses from scratch, turning “0 into 1.” As a sales professional, I would like to play a role in taking that “1” and expanding it into “10,” and ultimately into “100.” In the long run, I hope to help create new pillars of business beyond ATMs, so that people will say, “When you think of Seven Bank, you think of XX.”

Inagaki: You all truly embody the self-directed professionals that the Company aims to cultivate. As the saying goes, “a company is its people,” and an organization's strength ultimately comes from its people. With our business and administrative departments working together as two parts of a whole—business and administrative functions—we have fostered a culture that encourages employees to take on challenges by repeatedly clarifying our Purpose and reviewing our evaluation system. In order to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and digitized society, It is essential that every employee takes initiative, thinks for themselves, and embraces new challenges. Going forward, we will accelerate collaboration across departments and continue empowering our people to take on new challenges and grow.