Business Strategy as a process of cultural integration between the Orient and the Occident

The oriental world has always fascinated us occidentals: philosophy, culture, technology, in short, there are many topics we could discuss and the reciprocal cultural enrichment between East and West. However, what I am going to do is to briefly analyze the specific approach that the two main currents of thought pursue within the business environment and, more specifically, within the implementation of a Business Strategy between Orient and Occident. So, let’s try to formulate a hypothetical path, identifying several stages. 

Canvas Continental breakfast based on Business Model Canvas 

The Business Model Canvas is a tool that can describe the high-level strategic details needed to successfully bring a business (or product) to market, identifying the areas that make it unique and distinctive. Created by Alexander Osterwalder – Entepreneur & Co-Founder di Strategyzer, the Business Model Canvas allows to achieve a clear vision of how to create and distribute value, through the compilation of nine areas that represent the core elements of a company, making the business idea clear and intuitive to everyone, regardless of educational background and department of belonging. It is, in short, an extremely functional model for kick-starting your own business idea. 

Lunch in the Land of the Rising Sun with the Kaizen model 

We now land in the East to analyze a different approach that has profoundly influenced the way we work all over the world: Kaizen, which was introduced by Masaaki Imai, Founder of the Kaizen Institute. Il Kaizen, The Kaizen, of Japanese matrix, is therefore translated into a holistic approach, as it aims to improve every aspect within an organization, from people to processes to products. Just like Agile, Lean or Six Sigma systems, the goal is to reduce waste and eliminate errors – but through a different approach, creating an environment where employees and leadership feel comfortable addressing issues and growing together. 

This implements a continuous improvement process that encompasses all aspects of life, not just work. 

International aperitif: is it possible today to make East and West coexist in one big project? 

The answer is undoubtedly yes. There are many companies around the world that make the most of these teachings, coming from cultures that are undoubtedly different, but with values of economic (and other) well-being that act as a common denominator overall. This applies not only to geographic areas, but also to market types, including the pharmaceutical sector, where innovation is extremely important. 

If you’d like to learn more, we talked about this and much more in the 5th episode of “AI Makes Sense!” (learn more about the project here) with Andrea Pecci – Customer Excellence & Innovation Director Takeda, Fabio Moioli – Head Consulting & Services at Microsoft and the moderation of Fulvio Giuliani – Journalist, Director La Ragione & LinkedIn Top Voice.  

Elisa Valentino – Content Marketing & Social Media Executive