About 30,000 of the NEC Group's 110,000 employees work outside Japan. NEC President & CEO Takayuki Morita has been engaging in dialogue with employees in Japan and around the globe since being appointed to his current position in 2021. Initially, these town hall meetings were primarily held online for global employees due to restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, however, he has been focusing on expanding the reach of these meetings by actually traveling internationally to participate in them. Morita says, "Part of my role is to generate new value by connecting organizations and people." What thoughts does he want to convey to employees and what are his reasons for continuing dialogue to facilitate the growth of the NEC Group as a whole?

Speaking candidly with employees

One day in June 2024, you could feel excitement and tension in the air at the NEC APAC Ltd. office in Singapore. This was the first in-person town hall meeting to be held with employees from the ASEAN region. Around 100 employees gathered together in a large room filled with people from all over the region, while several hundred people from each country also participated online. Morita was welcomed by applause, with the employees gazing at him as they waited for him to begin speaking.

"Thanks to your efforts, we have returned to a sounder business situation and are now on our way to a new growth stage." Morita began with a simple, easy-to-understand explanation of the current state of the NEC Group and its path to future growth—that is, what it has achieved thus far through its transformation efforts, what it needs to reflect on, and what it hopes to achieve in the future. Clearly communicating the direction in which the company should be heading ensures that management and employees are on the same page. Morita's approach to dialogue with employees is one of transparency and sincerity. This is also the spirit of integrity valued by NEC since its founding.

At first, the young employees seemed nervous as up until this moment they had only seen NEC's top global executive on their computer screens. However, they were soon taken in by Morita, who spoke directly to them, and began asking him many questions. These questions covered numerous topics, including ways to work globally in roles transcending national and regional boundaries, the future of internationally-based research laboratories, ways to promote inter-regional collaboration, and whether young employees should focus on acquiring diverse knowledge or skills in a specialized field.

The employees in this diverse group also had varying interests and levels of awareness regarding issues facing the NEC Group. Morita took the time to answer each question posed to him in detail, saying, "I want all of you to take on the challenge of personal growth by utilizing systems and platforms that are becoming increasingly standardized" and "NEC possesses a host of cutting-edge technologies and a wealth of know-how. Communication transcending geographic regions and business domains creates opportunities for value creation. Let's make the most of our Group's strengths and capabilities." So how should NEC use its abundance of assets and opportunities to take action? Morita says he expects employees to act autonomously. One employee who really took this message to heart said, "President Morita's words were filled with deep insight into how employees should approach personal growth. I believe this will lead to growth for the entire organization."

The need for both employees and organizations to continue changing to fulfill the Purpose of the NEC Group

Without change, there is no growth. This is something Morita has constantly stressed to employees. Underlying this is the NEC Group's Purpose of "creating the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential." The challenges and needs of society and customers are constantly changing and diversifying as a result of technological innovation. Therefore, to remain a company capable of providing value with a sense of speed, it is imperative that NEC's technologies, organizations, and employees continue to change in order to achieve growth. Sharing the importance and significance of change with all NEC Group employees is another major objective of these town hall meetings.

"The guiding principle for change is our Purpose. What role should we play within society and in serving our customers? If we go back to our Purpose, we will begin to see what actions we need to take." In September, Morita spoke to employees who gathered together at NEC Australia's Melbourne office. In its history spanning more than half a century, the company has experienced constant change, including the localization of management and shifts in its business model. Morita took the time to explain the need for such changes to the employees in attendance, saying, "Sometimes change is painful. There are times when we need to make tough business decisions that change the way we have always done things."

Some employees may feel somewhat uneasy about the word transformation. For a message to be understood and resonate with the audience to which it is directed, it must be sincere and straightforward, not just rhetorical. An employee who is working in NEC Australia as a Learning & Development Consultant smiled and said, "I am really happy that the President & CEO spoke openly about the company's aspirations," adding, "Hearing what he had to say made me feel that there is even more I can do to facilitate transformation aimed at new growth."

What President & CEO Morita wants to share with all employees, what NEC is striving to achieve, and what it values

To fulfill its Purpose, the NEC Group will never stop its transformation efforts. Morita elaborated on this, saying, "We want to deliver greater value to society by fully harnessing the technologies, human resources, and overall management resources of the NEC Group in and outside Japan. I would also like to see us ensure that the NEC Group evolves to become a stronger and more competitive organization."

To be globally competitive, Morita believes that all employees must be highly motivated and committed to maximizing their individual strengths. He also feels it is essential for employees to understand the direction in which the company is heading and share NEC’s vision for the future. As such, he takes the initiative in communicating with the NEC Group’s global employees, listens directly to what they have to say, and plans to continue engaging in face-to-face dialogue with them in various countries and regions. In this way, the distance between NEC and its employees worldwide is steadily shrinking, and everyone now has their sights set on fulfilling the same Purpose and achieving the same vision.

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