"From Share to Open" ~The Current Global Trend Toward Publicization~

Dentsu Design Talk No. 74 (held December 1, 2011) featured Hiroto Kobayashi, who supervised and wrote commentary for Jeff Jarvis's 'The Public: Maximizing the Value of the Open Internet' (NHK Publishing). Mr. Hiroto Kobayashi, who served as the book's editor and wrote its commentary, was invited to speak on the theme "From Share to Open," discussing the relationship between corporations and the public. A talk session was held with Mr. Kohei Washio of the Strategic Planning Bureau (at the time).

　

#The Concept of "Publicness"

First, Mr. Kobayashi explained the concept of "publicness," a neologism defined by author Jeff Jarvis at the beginning of 'Public': "Publicness is the sharing of information, thoughts, and actions, and the state of sharing them." He further stated, "It means opening up processes to collaborate with those around you. The term 'publicness' symbolizes the ethics behind this." Jarvis stated his motivation for writing the book was that "while many defend privacy, no one defends the public." The book details, with concrete examples, how companies and individuals can open their information and reap the fruits of the public sphere. During this talk, the focus was particularly on the corporate aspect, with Mr. Kobayashi speaking on the theme of "how companies should engage with publicness."

 

#The Public Emerges When Individuals Open Up and Share

What fundamentally distinguishes Jeff Jarvis's concept of "the public" from the traditional notion? Kobayashi explains, "The public space most ordinary Japanese people envision is likely a vague idea where such spaces are pre-established by public institutions, and people must behave in a public manner when they enter them. With sharing services, however, individuals open up their own resources, allowing access to the value each possesses. It is from this that public space emerges." For example, rideshare services—where commuters match with others to share their car—transform the vehicle. While driving alone makes the car a private space, adding a passenger through a matching service turns it public. In other words, "public and private aren't opposing elements; it's about self-determination—individuals choosing what to keep private and what to open up and make public." Various sharing services, like Airbnb, which opens up private rooms to provide lodging worldwide, or Cookisto, where amateur cooking enthusiasts share homemade meals with locals, demonstrate that "when individuals publicize and share their various resources, benefits, value, economies, and markets emerge for everyone."

 

#Co-Creation: Companies Creating Value Together with Consumers

When considering this public nature within companies, a concept gaining attention in recent years is "co-creation" – where companies collaborate with consumers to create products, services, or the platforms that enable such creation. Additionally, approaches like "co-innovation"—using internal social media to uncover good ideas buried within various company departments—and "open innovation"—opening up company resources to collaborate internally and with other companies—all share aligned organizational and societal goals and are based on "publicness." "Being publicly available and accessible is the starting point for moving toward co-creation. For corporations, determining what should remain closed and what should be opened up and made fluid is a key challenge going forward," stated Kobayashi.

 

#The Difference Between Closed Business and Open Business

Traditional closed business involved creating integrated strategies to differentiate from competitors and expand territory, using monologue-style mass communication where the company broadcast its message. However, "in open business and open innovation, processes are disclosed from the outset or broken down into modular components. The communication method also shifts to polyphony—conversations starting simultaneously in many places, becoming dialogic communication," explained Kobayashi. Marketing, too, should "focus less on what the company wants to say and more on how it can respond to the social needs of society as a whole. It should pursue a more polyphonic approach."

Automaker Fiat produced a concept car dubbed "the world's first crowdsourced car," where registered users discussed and decided on parts and design via the cloud. The entire process was documented and released under a Creative Commons license. "Traditionally, concept cars were kept secret until the last minute for unveiling at motor shows. But co-creation prototypes, where everything is disclosed and built together with users, will likely increase going forward," Kobayashi explained.

 

#Corporate Publicity Starts with Small Internal Successes

Following Kobayashi's remarks, Washio stated, "While the concept of co-creation has existed before, I believe the key to modern co-creation lies in opening up and sharing the process." He then pointed out, "I think Japan has potential, but most advanced examples are overseas." He identified three barriers to Japanese companies becoming public: ① Japanese companies traditionally focus on approaches that listen to customer voices and don't feel a strategic necessity for openness; ② a corporate mindset that fears risk more than opportunity; and ③ organizational barriers requiring high levels of consensus across flat, cross-functional units. He then asked Kobayashi about the potential for public engagement within Japanese organizations.

Kobayashi explained that cultural differences are often stereotyped, noting that both Japan and the US actually possess diversity. While the degree varies, a shift in mindset is needed in the US too. The crucial factor is "accumulating personal success stories" through openness.

Mr. Washio also stated, "When starting small within a company, begin by gathering volunteers to launch cross-organizational study groups. Creating small successes internally is the entry point." Both speakers pointed out that introducing external facilitators is also crucial to reduce the uncertainty surrounding success.

 

#Omotenashi Culture Leads to Co-Creation

Furthermore, regarding the "exhilaration of co-creation" needed to overcome the aforementioned barrier ①, Mr. Washio stated: "Social media has the aspect of being a platform that brings about unexpected discoveries. For companies too, co-creation should become an opportunity to bring about innovation that transcends the extension of existing business."

Mr. Kobayashi added, "Japanese companies have traditionally tended to bind employees with uniform norms. The key will be how to leverage diversity beyond just gender and nationality. It seems to hinge on how much each company can embrace outsiders and how effectively they can utilize the 'Mr. & Miss Serendipity' (those who bring unexpected discoveries) who exist in every company."

 

Finally, Mr. Washio pointed out, "The hospitality culture of the tea ceremony involves not just the host but creating something together with the guests. The ideal co-creation space in Japan should embody that spirit." Mr. Kobayashi added, "It's crucial that this emerges in a form aligned with Japanese values. We also need to recognize the value of small failures and even encourage them," expressing his hopes for future public initiatives in Japan.

 

〈End〉

(Planning & Production: Dentsu Inc. Human Resources Bureau, Aki Kanahara / Article Editing: Sugatsuke Office / Composition Cooperation: Eiji Kobayashi)