What does "turning passion into power at work" mean? We asked employees working on the front lines.

As the world changes rapidly, more companies are tackling the transformation of their "corporate culture. " In our previous article, we discussed the usefulness of driving change starting from employees' spontaneous "passions."

Rather than simply turning personal passions into jobs, "using your passion as a driving force in your work" could create positive effects within the company. So, what exactly does "using your passion as a driving force in your work" mean?

We posed this question to Dentsu Inc. employees working on the front lines. Responding were Ayaka Yagi, Ryosuke Oiwa, and Masuka Matsui, all participating in the "BUKATSU" project within Dentsu Inc.'s Marketing Division 2.

We asked these three individuals, who share a passion for "Japanese traditional culture," how they perceive their "passions" and "work."

Dentsu Inc.'s Second Marketing Bureau Launches "BUKATSU"

──You are all members of the Second Marketing Bureau (as of December 2024) and participate in the bureau's "BUKATSU" project. First, could you explain the overview of "BUKATSU"?

Oiwa: It's a project launched by the bureau chief in 2024. The aim is to deepen bonds among bureau members starting from their "likes" and to visualize the knowledge and experiences related to those interests. Currently, about 15 bureau members participate in BUKATSU. Besides the "Japanese Traditional Culture Club" formed by the three of us, there are clubs like the "Diet Club," "Women's Otaku Insights Club," and "Spice Club."

──So it's different from the company's official clubs?

Oiwa: Yes. Dentsu Inc. does have club activities, but those are purely hobby-based and unrelated to work. BUKATSU's ultimate goal is for bureau members to connect through their "likes" and generate new ideas and work from there. Dentsu Inc. supports clients' diverse businesses, not just advertising and marketing. We believe the specialized knowledge made visible through BUKATSU could help clients with their businesses and problem-solving.

For example, the Spice Club could potentially offer new discoveries to clients in the food industry. The more diverse groups of specialists and enthusiasts that emerge within BUKATSU, the more possibilities seem to open up.

Matsui: BUKATSU also provides an opportunity to ask, "Why do I like this?" Questioning the reasons behind your own preferences connects directly to the core of marketing work: understanding why consumers choose a particular product or service.

──I see. You're members of the Japanese Traditional Culture Club. What prompted you to join?

Oiwa: The Japanese Traditional Culture Club was born from my initiative. I developed an interest in Japanese traditional culture during university, privately taking lessons in tea ceremony and ikebana, and attending Noh and Kyogen performances. I hoped to meet others at BUKATSU who shared this passion and potentially connect it to my work.

Yagi: I was in the tea ceremony club throughout high school and university, and I'm currently part of the Dentsu Inc. Tea Ceremony Club. I have 18 years of tea ceremony experience and also studied flower arrangement. When I transferred to Marketing Division 2, I introduced myself by saying, "I practice tea ceremony." That's when Oiwa-san, who also studied tea ceremony, approached me, and that's how I joined the Japanese Traditional Culture Club.

Matsui: In my first year at the company, I only knew my peers and my direct supervisor. While thinking about how to expand my community, I heard there were people who liked tea ceremony in BUKATSU, so I thought I'd give it a try.

──You all connected through Japanese traditional culture, specifically tea ceremony. Could you tell us what you find appealing about tea ceremony?

Yagi: I see two main aspects. One is the "spirit of hospitality"—caring for others and paying attention to even the smallest details. The other is the "effortless precision of the movements." I'm deeply moved by how every single action, from the sequence of preparing the tea to each movement when drinking it, has meaning and is designed with absolutely no wasted steps.

Matsui: For me, the charm lies in how it values taking time to slow down. I encountered tea ceremony in high school, and its emphasis on performing each action carefully while thinking of others broadened my world.

 

A banner was raised declaring, "There are people within the bureau who love Japanese traditional culture."

──What initiatives have you undertaken so far within the Japanese Traditional Culture Department?

Oiwa: We borrowed a Japanese-style room within the company and invited members of Marketing Division 2 to an "Office Tea Ceremony" to introduce the philosophy cherished by tea ceremony. The tea ceremony was divided into three parts. Part 1 featured a presentation on the current state and appeal of tea ceremony. Part 2 was a "large gathering tea ceremony," a style commonly practiced today, where the three of us served tea to the bureau members. The third part featured a "One Guest, One Host Tea Ceremony," a style common in the samurai era, which we streamed live to bureau members.

Matsui: Many people think tea ceremony is just about drinking matcha, but every action involved in preparing and serving the tea, along with the flowers, hanging scrolls, and all the tools used to decorate the space, embodies the spirit of hospitality. We hoped to help them understand this and experience the beauty of Japanese culture.

Yagi: A "large gathering tea ceremony" is one where many guests are invited, but this time, the three of us prepared tea for about ten bureau members.

Oiwa: A "one guest, one host" tea gathering is a one-on-one tea ceremony between the guest and the host. This time, I welcomed the bureau chief and entertained him through tea.

──What kind of conversation did you have with the bureau chief?

Oiwa: In the Azuchi-Momoyama period and around that time, tea ceremony was historically used as a means of negotiation for samurai to gain allies without fighting. The bureau chief isn't my enemy, of course (laughs). Our usual one-on-one meetings often focus on career discussions or recent work matters. This time, however, by expressing my daily gratitude to the Director through the hospitality of the tea ceremony, we were able to move on to more personal topics like family and hobbies. I feel a heartfelt connection was formed with the Director, and our relationship deepened a little.

──What feedback did you receive from participating bureau members?

Matsui: Some mentioned that this was a new way for bureau members to connect beyond just lunches or drinking parties. Others were captivated by the world of tea ceremony, which values not just drinking tea but cherishing the space and communicating with others.

Yagi: Many participants were in their twenties, and even within the same bureau, many hadn't interacted much before. But after sharing this time together, they started greeting each other when they met on the floor.

Oiwa: I produce events related to Japanese traditional culture at Toei Uzumasa Movie Village in Kyoto. Hosting the "Office Tea Ceremony" allowed me to share the existence and significance of that work with bureau members. Raising the flag that "there are people within the bureau who love Japanese traditional culture" was very meaningful.

When you turn your passion into your job, can you still love it!?

──The theme of this interview is "turning passion into power at work." How do you all think about "passion" and "work"?

Matsui: For me, the feeling of "liking" something is the source of my actions. I'm the type who wants to try anything I find interesting. I chose Dentsu Inc. as my employer because I believed I could do work I loved there.

Yagi: I don't have this desire to "make my passion my job"... I'm the type who wants to keep my passions within myself.

Matsui: I see a lot of people around me who think like Yagi-san. They want their passions to be a place of peace and relaxation during their off-time. For me too, I don't think everything I love would necessarily be fun if I forced it into my work.

Oiwa: I feel there's a difference between "tasks I enjoy" and "subjects I love." For me, the tasks I enjoy are planning and strategizing as a planner. What BUKATSU visualizes is more like "subjects I love," like Japanese traditional culture. I think it would be great to do tasks I enjoy with subjects I love.

That said, I also feel it's incredibly difficult to handle things I love as work. Even in daily tasks, proposals based on things I love rarely get approved. Plus, when you turn what you love into work, it somehow feels like you're turning your "love" into a "business tool"... and eventually, you might stop loving it.

──Turning what you love into work carries the risk of losing that love. As well-being researcher Yoshiki Ishikawa pointed out in the previous article, even things you initially enjoyed can become unpleasant once money is involved.

Oiwa: That's why I think "how much you love it" becomes crucial when tackling something you love as work. It's about having a sense of self-imposed mission – not something others tell you, but feeling "I have to do this myself."

—So it's not a sense of mission, but a sense of self-imposed duty?

Oiwa: Dentsu Inc.'s work involves supporting clients' businesses from a third-party perspective. When you have that "liking" feeling, you can sometimes spot viewpoints or breaking points that the stakeholders themselves can't see. Harnessing that "liking" can reveal things only you can do, and above all, it can become a powerful persuasive tool for the client.

 

What does "working by harnessing your passion" mean?

Yagi: Earlier, I said I don't have the desire to "turn what I love into my job." But I feel the essence of tea ceremony—thinking of the guest and hosting them—is similar to how Dentsu Inc. thinks about clients and proactively makes various proposals.

The part about working with the other person's best interests in mind aligns with why I love tea ceremony. Even if I don't directly turn tea ceremony into Dentsu Inc.'s business, valuing the essence of tea ceremony in my own work – that's what I think "working with passion as your strength" means. Also, the "Office Tea Gatherings" that connected agency staff starting from my love of tea ceremony could be seen as another way I harnessed my passion as strength.

Matsui: Yes. I believe "passion" is contagious. Sharing what you love can invigorate interactions with others and foster a sense of security within the organization, where people feel, "It's okay for me to share my passions too." I think it has a positive impact.

──Does sharing your passions translate to benefits at work?

Oiwa: I think it does. People who love games or cars often get assigned related work. Having passion and deep knowledge about something is important for clients too. On top of that, they want people who have planning skills as Dentsu Inc. employees and can tailor their approach to fit the client. If you have things you love or are good at, the proportion of that kind of work increases.

Yagi: But if people don't know what you like, you won't get assigned to those projects, right? When others know your passions, they can say, "Why don't you try this?" when new work comes up. Especially now that remote work is common due to COVID, limiting who you talk to, having something like BUKATSU is really valuable.

──Being assigned work you enjoy is a unique feature of Dentsu Inc., right? With thousands of clients and projects spanning various industries?

Oiwa: I don't think that's necessarily the case. For example, someone working at a confectionery company who loves Japanese traditional culture could incorporate elements of that culture into the packaging for sweets. While it's true that Dentsu Inc. handles a wide range of client businesses, I believe other companies also offer opportunities to leverage your passions as a strength.

──Is there anything you'd like to pursue next within the Japanese Traditional Culture Department?

Oiwa: We could customize the "Office Tea Ceremony" we held this time for external clients and propose it as a Dentsu Inc. solution. For instance, if a company faces challenges with internal communication, we'd be happy to assist them.

Yagi: Some companies have tea rooms, so collaborating with them on projects could be interesting. Since many people haven't experienced tea ceremony, it might feel fresh and new to them.

Matsui: Not just externally, but looking at Dentsu Inc. as a whole, the number of people practicing tea ceremony is small. I want to convey the value of tea ceremony as a form of communication and the beauty of Japanese traditional culture.

──Hearing your stories today, I felt that turning passion into professional strength creates positive impacts both within the company and for the individuals themselves. Thank you for your time today.