The power of people drives transformation.
We will continue building a companywide foundation and culture that supports the acceptance of challenges.

Inagaki: We are in an era of rapid change in the world and constant vicissitudes in the business environment. To realize “the future of everyday life” which Seven Bank established as its Purpose, it is necessary for each individual employee to take on challenges and continue to be creative in pursuit of the ideal. We believe that people drive the creation of new value, and as a company, we strive to promote autonomous growth to give our employees the ability to adapt to change and continue contributing to society.

Nakayama: The term “DX human resources” is sometimes used in the context of adaptability to change. At our company, however, we want to cultivate human resources who can bring about diverse transformation (X) not just digital (D). The reason for this is that technology is merely a means to an end. What is important is whether we can bring about transformation that lies ahead on our own.

Inagaki: I couldn’t agree more. We are looking for people who can solve the issues right in front of them using creativity and technology, and in the process, transform themselves, the company, and society. We also need people with a global perspective who are able to work across borders. Even if they have the skills and expertise, though, they will not contribute to the growth of the company without the right mindset and leadership to guide them to success.

Nakayama: When embarking on new challenges or transformation, what we need above all else in any situation are the determination to carry through and resilience. Put another way, it is passion and physical strength, combined with a unwavering spirit in the face of adversity, and the determination to persevere.

Inagaki: It is extremely important to gain experience in seeing things through. I believe that trying various things, broadening our knowledge of problem solving, and expanding capacity will lead to resilience in the future.

Nakayama: We want to create an environment in which we do not expect perfection from our employees; rather, we encourage them to actively take on challenges with the aim of completing tasks. Even if they fail, they can learn from it and apply that lesson to their next challenge. We believe that this accumulation leads to personal growth and, ultimately, to the sustainable growth of the company.

Inagaki: When we talk about transformation, we tend to focus our attention on growth-oriented divisions like new businesses, but it is because the defensive divisions handling routine tasks as a bank are solidly supporting them that we are able to take on growth-oriented challenges with confidence.

Meanwhile, the defensive divisions also require a mindset and attitude of constant challenge. Recently, various innovation has been emerging from back-office and corporate divisions, which are using no-code and low-code tools to improve operations.

Nakayama: It’s absolutely true that anyone is capable of bringing about transformation. Seven Labo is implementing a variety of measures to ensure that the mindset of “transformation is a personal responsibility” becomes firmly entrenched throughout the company. In addition to in-house measures, we are also looking to expand our external network and provide opportunities to view things from wide-ranging perspectives.

Inagaki: The Human Resources Division plans to increase the number of multidisciplinary personnel who gain experience in various divisions within the company. Gaining experience in several different divisions within our company will enable employees to develop the ability to view our business from multiple perspectives. Employees can then build on these experiences to refine themselves as individuals and contribute to the strength of the organization.

Nakayama: It is important for companies to establish a solid support system that gives each employee the freedom to take the initiative in pursuing transformation. I believe that this leads to strength as an organization.

Inagaki: Seven Bank has established “seven skills” as the behaviors and attitudes necessary for leadership. In 2024, we incorporated them into the behavioral evaluations of all employees. The program is designed to enhance these strengths so that anyone can aim for a managerial position in the future.

In addition, over the past four years, we have completely revamped our personnel system. We have revised our evaluation system so that both evaluators and evaluatees have shared goals. The evaluation is based on the level of achievement expected in the tasks required of each employee, in line with the ideal employee profile we aim to achieve.
We have also incorporated systems that encourage challenges. One such example is EX10, a scheme that allows 10% of work to be allocated to innovation activities.

Systems are merely tools, however, and they are meaningless unless they are used effectively, regardless of how well designed they may be. We are aware that the question is whether or not these systems will lead to behavioral change in the workplace.

Nakayama: We want our employees to avail themselves of Seven Bank’s assets and capabilities to realize their goals. For that purpose, over the past few years, we have focused on fostering a companywide culture of innovation. There has recently been an increase in the number of mid-career human resources with diverse backgrounds being hired. We view this as an prime opportunity to leverage new perspectives and knowledge that we have not had before to bring about even greater transformation, and to make diversity a driving force behind corporate growth.

Inagaki: A company is capable of sustainable growth if its people are willing to take on challenges voluntarily. This is the reason we have established a system that supports each employee’s career development and challenges. We are increasing the number of projects in which employees can voluntarily participate, and we are developing an organizational culture that encourages new initiatives even during working hours.

Nakayama: In the interest of fostering an environment in which employees can take on challenges voluntarily, isn’t is also necessary for us in management to change our awareness and behavior? When it comes to the ideal form of leadership for promoting transformation, I am always conscious of my own behavior.

Inagaki: I agree with you. This is why we are also focused on management reform, transitioning from the previous management style that emphasized instruction, control, and evaluation to a style that stresses nurturing subordinates by engaging in dialogue and providing support. There is no one correct management method, but we believe that leadership from management is an extremely important factor in ensuring that the growth of employees and the company are closely linked.

Inagaki: Employee engagement has steadily improved thanks to our efforts to this point. However, there is still much room for improvement, so we will continue to implement measures to address these issues.

Nakayama: As suggested by the term “well-being,” it is important to achieve both a comfortable work environment and job satisfaction. Here at Seven Bank, with regard to systems and structures, we feel that we have established a comfortable work environment. So going forward we would like to focus on heightening job satisfaction.

When each employee is able to explain in their own words the value they offer to society, I am convinced it will lead to a sense of job satisfaction. For this purpose, we will continue to promote initiatives that foster awareness change internally through the company’s structure and corporate culture.

Inagaki: Each employee envisions their ideal self, then learns and works to continuously transform themselves. This will enable us to continue growing together with our employees toward the realization of the “future of everyday life” set forth in our Purpose. This is the fundamental concept underpinning our human resources strategy. By realizing co-growth between our employees and the company, we aim to achieve sustainable growth and enhance corporate value.