2. Our Management Philosophy “Create more creators“ | KAYAC

Having a good management philosophy is extremely important for a company.

…that may be true, but to be honest, it doesn’t really click. We could probably all agree on that.

At KAYAC, we’ve been particular about our management philosophy since we set up business, but even so, it was quite a while after our inauguration that we finally came up with one we’re happy with, and truly understood just why such a philosophy is so important. We’re so fussy, not even an inch of our initial management philosophy remains today.

It’s quite difficult to put into words what you want a company to value at the time you launch it. This is because at the start, not even the founders can tell what the company’s main concerns and strengths will be.

You could put a few good-looking words together, but that’ll just give you a facade. It happens all the time. Perhaps your company’s management philosophy suffers from something like that, too.

But if it does end up a facade, it may not be because you don’t value the importance of a management philosophy highly enough, but rather simply because that management philosophy is weak.

When you have a good, truly strong management philosophy, you can create innovation within your company just by pursuing it. This is the power a management philosophy possesses. After going head to head with our management philosophy, time after time, that’s the conclusion that we have come to at KAYAC.

And so, as of July 2016, KAYAC’s current management philosophy is: “Create more creators.”

Corporate philosophy and management philosophy

First, let's explain the differences btween the two terms at KAYAC.

Generally speaking, a corporate philosophy is the ultimate goal or purpose of a corporation, while a management philosophy is the methodology for realizing that goal or purpose.

KAYAC's corporate philosophy is "The Fun-Loving Corporation", while our management philosophy is "Create more creators".

The purpose of KAYAC's existence is "to contribute to making the world more fun and making people's lives more fun". "Create more creators" is the method used to achieve this purpose. In short, the corporate philosophy is the top philosophy and the management philosophy is below the corporate philosophy.

Company's were originally created to bring happiness to people, so it is only logical that a company's corporate philosophy, which is its ultimate goal or purpose, should be generally along the same lines. However, the methods for bringing happiness to people, the company's business, are different from company to company. So, we believe that methodoloy used by a given company is that company's management philosophy.

A company’s corporate philosophy is the true reason a company exists

“Why do humans exist?”

There aren’t many people who can answer that question. Some people say there probably isn’t an answer to begin with. However, if someone could answer that question on the spot, without a doubt in their mind, wouldn’t you agree that they’re strong?

Some people say they have a mission to bring peace to the world through the sport they play. Some people say they want to provide underprivileged children with an education. Even if it’s just all in their heads, people who have a mission they believe in are indeed, strong.

If that mission isn’t self-centered, but is instead for the benefit of others, you can believe in it with greater conviction. After all, people often say their final goal before death is to be thanked for what they have done…

So, what we’ve been talking about here can probably be applied to companies, too. Why does the company KAYAC exist? If we could answer that on the spot, without batting an eyelid, we would be stronger. And it would be even better if that answer contained thought for others, or to put it more simply, if one of the company’s main purposes was to contribute to society. In fact, we believe that companies should be concerned with nothing but the pursuit of ideals.

Furthermore, it’s often said companies exist to make profits, but to be precise, companies make profits so they can contribute more to society, or they receive profits as a bonus for their contributions to society. Unless you truly believe so, you will not be able to truly believe in your philosophy with conviction.

And so, why does the company KAYAC exist? We think the answer to that question should indeed be our corporate philosophy.

A management philosophy is a company’s unique methodology

Just like each person has their own set of values, each company has their own, too. If their set of values differ, the means by which they will contribute to society shall differ, too. In the case of a music label, it might be “to use music to create a world full of love and peace.” A company involved in sport might think, “We’ll use sport to create a healthier society.” By taking that further step, you’ll come up with words that only your company can say.

So, why exactly does KAYAC exist? There’s a hint in the first phrase we came up with ? our motto was “The Fun-Loving Corporation.”

On the 1. The Passion Behind “The Fun-Loving Corporation” page, we declared that we hope to increase the number of people in the world who have fun. So we could have made our management philosophy "We want to increase the number of people in the world who have fun".

However, just constantly repeating "fun this, fun that" gets a little old, so instead we thought about how we could go about increasing the number of people who have fun. And that is how we came up with the phrase, "Create more creators".

“Create more creators”

In order to become a creator, you must possess autonomy.

Let’s start of with the question: What would be the best way to get people to have fun at your company?

Well, we thought people would find it more fun if they were the ones making it. For some reason, rather than simply being told what to do, people seem to enjoy things more when they are involved in proactive roles. Apparently, that’s just the way it is.

So, that’s why we at KAYAC have come up with ways to make our members truly feel they are the ones making the company. We go on camps were everyone participates as though they were the boss, we alternate our group leaders on rotating shifts, and we share as much information about the company as possible.

While we’re at it, we don’t believe this concept is limited to companies ? it works for the community you live in, too. If you participate actively in your community, and feel that you are indeed a part of making that community, you end up liking it even more, and that makes it all the more fun.

To create is to self-reflect.

“What do you think is beautiful, and what do you think is ugly?” “What do you like, and what do you hate?” When people create, they obtain a hint about what their own standard of values really are.

Once you start to look at everything with your own set of rules and values, you stop echoing other people’s thoughts, and start to discover your own unique way to make yourself happy. Since one step leads to another, we think that by creating more creators, we’re contributing towards the creation of a society in which each individual makes themselves happy.

To create is to give.

Furthermore, although it has its limits, the act of creation possesses the power to make people have fun, and to move them. On the other side of creation there is a receiver, and a response.

Because people are creatures that find joy in their involvement with other people, we become aware that, through the act of creation, a stranger’s joy can become our own. As we accumulate more experience, those feelings slowly evolve, until we one day end up thinking, “I want to create joy for the whole of society.” All of this probably sounds a little abstract, but we do believe that even just one more creator will make society that much more a better place.

Make it an organization in which every member can recite the management philosophy.

The reason KAYAC exists, i.e., our management philosophy, is “Create more creators.” By creating more creators, KAYAC makes society a better place. When it’s a phrase this short, it’s something anybody can learn and repeat straightaway.

We could hold a meeting each morning and have everyone repeat it so often they never forget it, but in this day and age, it’s more effective to make one’s mission a short, simple phrase that everyone can remember easily.

And, thanks to its shortness, the meaning remains open for all to make their own interpretation. It’s completely fine for people to have their own perception of the management philosophy. When we have each person thinking autonomously, we can keep being creative.

So, that’s exactly why we made our management philosophy so.

If KAYAC the company ever gets caught wondering which direction it should take, all we have to do is remember those words, and they shall be our guide. It’s our compass, and it will always lead us in the right direction.

That is our management philosophy.

“Create more creators”

…more!