3. Establishment of the New Philosophy
1986-
(1) Determination to Revise DENSO Creed
- 1994
- Amid navigating the aftermath of the bubble economy collapse, the importance of the “Spirit of Founding” became profoundly evident. President Tsuneo Ishimaru resolved to update The DENSO Creed to reflect contemporary language, leading to the creation of the “DENSO Philosophy” in 1994.
Since the late 1980s, during the bubble economy boom, the sensibilities of the younger generation had significantly shifted. Within our company, there were increasing calls to revise DENSO Creed to make its spirit more easily understandable and relatable for employees.
Facing the unprecedented challenges of the bubble economy collapse, it was imperative to return to the “Founding Spirit” and unite all efforts. Thus, it became necessary to revise the expression of DENSO Creed, originally summarized by first President Torao Hayashi, to ensure its clarity for younger employees. Convinced of this necessity, President Ishimaru decided to initiate the “Creed Revision” proposed at the 1994 Executive Roundtable.
Given its nearly 40-year history as the company's guiding principle, revising DENSO Creed required a universally acceptable approach, structure, and procedure. To undertake this task, the “Creed Revision Project” was launched in April 1994. At the project's commencement, President Ishimaru issued a single directive: “Listen carefully to opinions from all levels within the company.”
- Deep DiveInitiation of the Creed Revision Project
- In response to President Ishimaru's directive to “listen carefully to opinions from all levels within the company,” the Creed Revision Project formed a new team specifically tasked with drafting the revision proposal for The DENSO Creed. This “Drafting Team” was composed in a remarkably innovative way for our company at that time. The team consisted solely of ten young employees around the age of 30 or younger, all holding positions at or below the assistant manager level.
The team members were chosen from various job categories, including administrative, technical, and skilled positions, with careful consideration given to gender balance in the selection process.
The Creed Revision Project spent approximately six months developing a new philosophy draft. The project proceeded in two phases. In the first half, the team thoroughly examined and scrutinized the existing DENSO Creed while benchmarking widely against other companies' philosophies. This formed the basis for a careful study and discussion of the company's future corporate image. In the second half, the team focused on expressing this image in terms and phrases that were clear and precise for employees, thus creating the draft for the new philosophy.
- Deep DiveFormulating the New Philosophy
- During the initial discussions within the Creed Revision Project, the team conducted an evaluation of DENSO Creed. It was widely agreed that the principles embodied in DENSO Creed were still relevant despite changes in the business environment. The prevailing opinion was not to dismiss DENSO Creed but to acknowledge its enduring value. Additionally, there was a strong sentiment of attachment to the creed that had been cherished for many years.
However, it was noted that the creed's expression was in a classical literary style and somewhat lacking in clarity, making it challenging for current employees to uniformly understand. Consequently, the team reached a consensus to revise the expression of the creed. They aimed to create a new creed draft that would incorporate contemporary values and perspectives, ensuring it was communicated in a clear and relatable manner.
The draft, primarily based on the thoughts and sensibilities of younger employees, was systematically reviewed by experienced section chiefs, department heads, and executives, who provided feedback through written comments and other means. Based on this feedback, the content was further refined and wording adjustments were made. With President Ishimaru's approval, the new philosophy was finalized at the Executive Board meeting.
In December 1994, President Ishimaru announced the establishment of the “DENSO Philosophy” and explained the sentiments and intentions behind it to the employees.
Reference：Contents of DENSO Philosophy