Corporate Culture of Co-Creation Management

Corporate Culture of Co-Creation Management

Power to Create Innovations for the Future
To cultivate a corporate culture of co-creation management throughout the Group, MARUI GROUP is pushing
forward with human resource development programs that are blind to age and gender and spread acrossorganizational boundaries. With a corporate philosophy that calls for us to “equate the development of our people
with the development of our company,” we recognize the importance of stimulating the ongoing growth of every
employee and ensuring that they possess the power to create innovations for the future. We believe that developing our employees in this manner will no doubt contribute to the co-creation of customer happiness.

Corporate
CulturePromotingDiversity

MARUI GROUP has defined thepromotion of increased diversity
as an important management
policy, based on which it pursues the establishment of ahighly productive corporate
culture that is conducive tofostering innovation.

Innovation is crucial to further improvements in corporate
value. As such, an organization that creates innovation withdiversity is of extreme importance. This belief is based on
the idea that innovation is born when various senses ofvalue are present and are able to be seamlessly integrated.
When society as a whole is experiencing robust
growth on a single continuum, it is possible to succeed
simply by imitating other companies. However, in thecurrent era of great social change, characterized bytrends like globalization and the proliferation of IT, thesenses of value of individuals vary, leading to the diversification of customer needs. Responding to contemporaryneeds and growing in this era will require employees toturn their eyes toward society and act autonomously togive rise to innovation. In this environment, MARUIGROUP had defined the promotion of increased diversity
as an important management policy, based on which it
pursued the establishment of a highly productive corporate culture that is conducive to fostering innovation. It is,of course, crucial to promote gender diversity, but wemust also focus on developing human resources that areadept at responding to change by pursuing diversity interms of age and individual talents. It was for this reason
that we are installing frameworks for cross-organizational
career development, cultivating a corporate culture that
supports personal growth, and fostering a workplaceenvironment that provides opportunities to all.

58

Profession
ChangeFramework

Profession changes provide an
opportunity for employees tobreak away from their senseof normalcy and escape pre­conceptions to better practicea customer-first mentality anddiscover new ways of responding
to customer needs.

MARUI GROUP has been implementing its profession
change system since April 2013 with the aim of fostering
the diversity of individual talents. Through this sharedGroupwide system, we conduct personnel relocations
that place employees in different divisions or Group
companies. It is common for people, after having worked
in a single profession for a number of years, to go about
their jobs without putting much thought into their practices.
Profession changes provide an opportunity for employees
to break away from their sense of normalcy and escapepreconceptions to better practice a customer-firstmentality and discover new ways of responding tocustomer needs.
For example, when a member of our sales staff positioned in a sales office undergoes a profession change
placing them in the FinTech business at EPOS Card, they
are able to provide service in their new capacity whilecalling upon the retailing perspective they cultivatedpreviously. Such cross-organizational utilization of talent
contributes to improved productivity for the Group. The
number of people changing professions is rising at sales
offices, where staff members are increasingly relocating
to sales floors for different products. A new sales floor
results in interaction with new customers, which in turnleads to new discoveries.

Job Forum event at which employees fromdifferent Group companies explain theirmotivation toward their job and otherwork experiences

As of April 2016, a total of 1,418 employees(or approximately 25% of all Group employees) had
undergone relocations to different Group companies. To
promote profession changes and provide an opportunity
for employees to think about their careers, the Company
holds Job Forum events once every six months. In theseforums, employees from different Group companies thathave experienced various positions explain their motivation toward their job and other work experiences. As one
facet of these Job Forum events, individual consultation
events are held for each Group company. Furthermore,
we distribute Job Books to all employees and otherwise
support them in undertaking changes to new positions inorder to stimulate their personal growth.

Job Forum
Individual consultation event at which employees from each Group
company can be asked questions about their job and otherwise consulted

Total Number of Employees Changing Positions
between Group Companies
2013

2014

2015

2016

Employees changingpositions

287

383

552

196

Aggregate total

287

670

1,222

1,418

Totals for number of employees changing positions in April and October of eachyear; April only for 2016

Ratio of employees changing positions between Group companies
Aggregate total from April 2013–April 2016 (Excludes officers and managers)

Approx.

25%

Job Book
Booklet containing business and job descriptions from various divisions at Group
companies as well as messages from employees working therein59

Corporate Culture of Co-Creation Management

Activities ofthe Diversity
Project Team

Corporate Culture of Co-Creation Management

This cross-Group project teamwill provide a venue for teammembers from different divisions to help them learn more
about their peers.

Promotion of
Women’sContributions

We are promoting the contributions of women by developing
support systems and improving
awareness.

Diversity Book
Booklet published and distributed to employees to increase awareness regarding
work-life balance support systems and to cultivate a workplace environment that
fosters diversity

Open to all employees, the Diversity Project Team advances
initiatives for the purpose of fostering a corporate culture
in which all employees are accepting of one another andare properly motivated with opportunities to exercise
their talents. In July 2015, a meeting was held among 46members from across the Group that had been assembled
through open application. Back at their workplaces,
members have been sharing information on the matters
discussed at this meeting to further advance the dialogue.
These members are also central in promoting otherefforts through coordination among different workplaces.
The Diversity Project Team will continue to be a placefor discussions on how to make the Group a livelierorganization that is highly productive and conducive tofostering innovation. At the same time, this cross-Groupproject team will provide a venue for team members
from different divisions to help them learn more about
their peers.
As one facet of this project team’s activities, February
2016 was designated as Diversity Promotion Month.
During this month, Diversity Books were distributed toinform employees about the work-life balance support
systems available to them. As a new initiative, meetingsof the Supervisors Association (a diversity forum) were
held at which the supervisors who are directly responsible for managing other employees met to exchange
opinions on how to better utilize diversity in management.

As of March 31, 2016, MARUI GROUP had 2,685
female employees, representing 46% of its total 5,899
employees. We are promoting the contributions ofwomen by developing support systems and improvingawareness. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, we
defined women’s empowerment indexes for measuring
our progress in this regard and set targets to be achievedby the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. A substantialchange in the attitudes and behaviors of employees waswitnessed over the two years since these indexes wereintroduced, as indicated by increases of more than 50
percentage points in the ratio of applicable male employees taking childcare leave and 30 percentage points in
the ratio of female employees returning to work full timeafter taking childcare leave.
Initiative Results: Grand Prix Awardin Ikuboss Award 2015 Program
ボ ス の 理 解 が 、社 会 を 変 え る 。
Kazumi Abe, a director at
MARUI CO., LTD., and the store
manager of Omiya Marui,received the Grand Prix Awardin the Ikuboss Award 2015 program, spearheaded by

the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).
Reasons for Ms. Abe’s selection included her management style that inspires her staff, as well as her consideration for the unique situations of her employees, which
she achieves through meeting with them. Ms. Abe also
received recognition for her efforts to cultivate a corporate culture encouraging employees to leave work ontime and avoid overtime, in part by doing so herself, andto promote the use of childcare leave by male employees.
In addition, MARUI GROUP was awarded with a
special encouragement award in the Ikumen EnterpriseAward 2014 from the MHLW.
Platinum “Kurumin” Certification
In July 2016, MARUI GROUP
received Platinum “Kurumin” certification in recognition of it being acompany that actively supports
children. Through the Platinum“Kurumin” program, the MHLW
strives to recognize companies
that have made exceptional progress in introducing
and encouraging the use of systems for balancing
work and child-rearing. It also aims to promote ongoing
related efforts.
MARUI GROUP continues to build an environmentthat is even more conducive to balancing work and childrearing and has established corporate targets and actionplans to this effect.

Women’s Empowerment Indexes
FY2014FY2015FY2016FY2017(Target)FY2021(Target)

37%

60%

74%

100%

100%

41%*164%*162%*1

60%

80%

14%

54%

66%

60%

100%

Ratio of female employees returning to work
full time after taking childcare leave*2

36%

55%

66%

70%

90%

Number of female leaders

545

576

603

650

900

Fiscal years ended / ending March 31

Recognition of contributions offemale employees
Awareness improvement
Ratio of female employees pursuingand corporate culture
upper-level positions
cultivation
Ratio of applicable male employees taking
childcare leave

Promotion of women’scontributions
Diversity Project Team members from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016

Number of female managers

2428

293555

Ratio of female managers

7%

8%

8.9%

11%

17%

*1 Ratio of female employees pursuing upper-level positions is based on the results of surveys conducted in June 2014, June 2015, and April 2016.
*2 Ratio of female employees returning to work full time after taking childcare leave is the ratio of female employees returning to work full time to the total
number of female employees that returned to work shortened hours after childcare leave within a given year.

6061

Corporate Culture of Co-Creation Management

Activities of theMarui Future
Project Team

Corporate Culture of Co-Creation Management

The members of this crossorganizational project teamthink about the future of Japanand MARUI GROUP’s role inthis future.

The Marui Future Project Team is a committee open toemployee participation that was established in July 2015,
with the aim of further evolving the social contribution
activities that we have been conducting through ourbusiness in a project format since 2011. The committeefeatures a diverse variety of members from various age
groups and workplaces and differing stores and Groupcompanies. Banding together, the members of this crossorganizational project team think about the future ofJapan and MARUI GROUP’s role in this future. Discussions
began with seven themes for social issues that are closely
related to our daily lives. Based on these themes, weconsidered how the Group could help resolve the issues

A total of 59 representatives
from stores and Group
companies participate in
the project team along withthe store managers,
deputy store managers,
and section managers thatsupport them

faced by society and what our customers expected of us,
formulating and then implementing initiatives to accommodate senior citizens, people with disabilities, and all of
our other customers.
Seven Themes of Discussion 
1. Aging of society (population) and people with disabilities
2. Women’s contributions, child-rearing, and the declining birthrate
3. Non-Japanese customers and inbound travelers
4. LGBT community
5. Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
6. Global warming and other environmental issues
7. Regional development

Accommodation of All Customers

Activities of theMedium-Term
Management
VisionaryCommitteeActive discussion is conductedamong members that areselected from the approximately
1,000 applications received foreach meeting.

The Medium-Term Management Visionary Committee isa forum for discussing various topics that will be important to the future of Group management. In the past,meetings were primarily focused on explanations ofmanagement policies and other such matters. However,topics are now selected that require a medium-term
perspective and for which initiatives will be advancedwith a timeline of three-to-five years. While this committee was previously only open to members of Group management, from January 2016 any interested employee isable to apply for participation, and meetings have been
held almost every month since. Active discussion isconducted among members that are selected from theapproximately 1,000 applications received for eachmeeting. Furthermore, we regularly invite outside lecturers to conduct special lectures.
2016 Committee Meeting Discussion Topics Almost all employees have undergone
Service Care-Fitter training*1 to learn how
to accommodate elderly customers andcustomers with disabilities. These training
programs are performed by nine employeesthat have acquired instructor qualifications.

January

Corporate value as viewed by the market, special lecture
Report on activities of Credit Card Evolution Project TeamFebruary

Accommodation of all customers—LGBT community,special lecture

March

Corporate value as viewed by the market 2, special lecture

April

Analysis of MARUI GROUP’s operating environment andfuture projections

June

Medium-term management plan for Retailing segment
Medium-term management plan for FinTech segment
Report on anime business activities

July

Hakata Marui co-creation initiatives
Report on interactions with investors (investor relations
activity report)
Retailing business and MARUI GROUP as seen byanalysts, special lecture*1 Training program operated by The Nippon Care-Fit
Education Institute
Training for assisting customers using wheelchairs inwhich employees learn how to operate wheelchairs
through actual use

Senior citizen simulation training in which employees wear special goggles to show how objects
appear to someone with cataracts

COLUMN   
Workplace Environment Supporting
Energetic Sales Staff

Breaks are incredibly important to ensuring thatmembers of our sales staff are able to work with vigor.
It was for this reason that we spared no expense withregard to the employee breakrooms at Hakata Marui,
which was opened in April 2016, and also took othersteps to ensure a comfortable workplace environment.
This store features two break rooms with atmospheres much like a café that allow staff to have amore enriching break experience. Facilities include
counter seats at which one may sit alone as well astables where several people may sit together. Also, thebreakrooms are equipped with automatic water heaters to remove any concern for hot water running out
as well as powder rooms and smartphone chargers—
additions made based on staff requests. These highly
comfortable breakrooms are available to all sales staff
members, including those of tenants.

MARUI GROUP took part in TOKYO RAINBOW PRIDE 2016, an event sponsored by
TOKYO RAINBOW PRIDE*2 in April 2016. During this event, the five buildings ofthe Marui and Modi stores located in Shinjuku and Shibuya participated, and rainbow
flags were displayed on the front of these stores, garnering much attention. Prior tothis event, 243 employees underwent LGBT manner training,*3 and employees
greeted customers while wearing “LGBT Friendly” badges during the event period.

“LGBT Friendly” badge and Shibuya Modi during
event period62*2 Organization that seeks to help create a society in which LGBT individuals and other sexual minorities areable to live optimistically and to be themselves, while remaining free from discrimination and prejudice;the name “TOKYO RAINBOW PRIDE” is also used for the organization’s events*3 Training offered by Mirairo Inc. that supplies knowledge about the LGBT community, provides specificexamples of its members, and explains factors needing to be considered in addressing their needs

Partitioned counter seats based on requests for a place wheresales staff can comfortably enjoy time to themselves
Lively question andanswer sessions held after
each lecture63