# Organizational Ikigai ## What is an *Ikigai* Lets understand the concept of Ikigai first. It combines the the word *gai* (deriving from *Kai* - also the word for shell, something very valuable) with *Iki* meaning (everyday) life. Sometimes *Gai* is also used to mean reason. In translation, *ikigai* is therefore referred to as *The Purpose of Life* or *The Reason Why You Get Up Every Morning*. So basically, the term refers to a full and happy life. Please see Winn's diagram below, it is consisted of four main circles for: * What you love * What you are good at * What you can be paid for * What the world needs Combining the four circles in a diagram creates overlapping areas for your Passion, Mission, Profession and Vocation, and the *ikigai* where all the aspects are covered in the centre. Moer sophisticated interpretations also add segments for *Satisfaction* but feeling useless, *Delight* but without income, *Comfort* but feeling emptinessi and *Excitement* without foundation. (see figure 1)  Figure 1 ## *Ikigai* In a Business Context In the same way that many individuals get caught up in a life without purpose or meaning, many communities also fall into the same trap. Reducing an organisation’s purpose to mere profit generation may have been enough in Henry Ford’s times and it may still hold true for some, but it does not reflect the modern idea of purpose and impact-driven enterprise. After its long history of ruthless exploitation of social, ecological and economic resources, the role of business in modern societies has started to change and will have to change further. Expectations are rising. Organizations are now under pressure from many different directions to find new ways to meet the needs of previously overlooked stakeholder groups. The voices are getting louder and the demands more specific, as members change their behaviours and beliefs. Companies are increasingly being identified as the cause of many of society’s problems, and are under pressure to adopt more benign goals. With some corporate budgets being larger than the budgets of entire countries, there is a point to these demands. Enterprises therefore have to find new ways to deliver purpose, meaning and impact not only for themselves, but also the ecosystem in which they operate. They have to identify their specific *ikigai* and integrate and support, instead of exploiting. Following the definition of the individual ikigai–the reason we get up in the morning–we can define the ***Ikigai of Business as the reason why we do business or the purpose and meaning of our corporate activities***. As with the individual model, we are looking for meaning and purpose, mission and passion, joy/ happiness and success. The challenge here is to focus on both the collective and individual state in the business context. The individual happiness of an entrepreneur, business partner or factory worker is not the only yardstick in this case. An ikigai corporation attains a sufficiently strong collective state of ikigai both in and around the business organisation. In this way it also empowers the individual ikigai of its internal and external stakeholders. To achieve this we need to redesign the four main dimensions of the individual model for a company setting (see figure 2).”  Figure 2 Let’s start our search for business *ikigai* by first considering **purpose**. On the one hand let’s try to find out **why a business/community exists**. This is closely related to its mission of course. On the other hand we can look at **what inspires its members to go beyond the bottom line**. What satisfies their desire for meaning in their work, motivates them and makes them **passionate** about what they do. This describes the dimensions of What the World Needs and What We Love To Do. The call to redefine a organisation's purpose is tied to a shift of attention from the shareholders to stakeholders–and therefore to the needs of the world. At the same time the call for more **people-centric** organisations inserts the dimension of What We Are Good At into the mix. Organisations designed for people create meaning, enable and support employees, remove unruly behaviour and create a sense of belonging. This is a great step forward, but what about the qualities that are needed for market success? The lack of a market-related value dimension and the tangle of values, personal traits and roles can often be a problem when addressing this dimension. Entrepreneurial drive and an ambition for market success are just two of the values captured in the dimension of What We Need For The Market. ## Organizational *Ikigai* Workshop - Lessons Learned ### First Workshop with Gimbalabs This workshop was designed to help the founders and contributors of this organization come together around a common cause and help find the *Ikigai* of Gimbalabs from their point of view by expressing their ideas clearly and freely. As I mentioned before, Organizations have to find new ways to deliver purpose, meaning and impact not only for themselves, but also the ecosystem in which they operate. They have to identify their specific *ikigai* and integrate and support, instead of exploiting. I was there as an observer who don't know anything about what Gimbalabs do, what are their operation system, passions, mission, vision but end of this workshop, I was able to understand what this organization does, what it wants to do in the future, in which areas it sees itself successful, in which areas it should improve itself, the methods to be followed to earn money, and most importantly, the viewpoints of the members. Organizational *Ikigai*, like personal *Ikigai*, is an area that needs to be re-read, understood and updated from time to time. Organizations change every moment, **like a cell renewing itself**, and each new member, if he or she intends to do so, adds something from his/her own ikigai to the organization, develops it, and at the same time finds areas for improvement that he had not noticed before. The best outcome of organizational ikigai would be for an individual to feel fulfilled and satisfied in their work, and to feel that their contributions to the organization are meaningful and valuable. This can lead to increased motivation, engagement, and overall job satisfaction for the individual. It can also benefit the organization by improving member's morale and productivity. ### Customized Structure Just as every organization is special, so should every organizational *Ikigai* and guiding questions should be special. With this mindset, we have prepared specific guiding questions for Gimbalabs. Please see Figure 3 below.  Figure 3 In this way, by directing the members to more meaningful answers, it would be possible for everyone involved in the organization to contribute and the result of this would be able to answer questions that may come to mind in the next 2 months. In order to answer the questions in Figure 3, for each topic answered by the members and founders: - What do we love - What we are good at - What the world needs - What can we be paid for 7 minutes were given to members in order to answer them. At the end of these 7 minutes, the answers given were categorized based on similar answers.3 minutes given for the categorization of the answers. **Mistakes were made: While the answers were categorized, question marks arose in the minds of the members as which question was deleted. For this reason, the questions were not deleted in the workshops to be held later.** After a 7-minute answering and 3-minute categorization session, a 2-minute voting session was held. ---------------------------------------- ##### Why Is Voting Important? Voting is an important way for individuals to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives and their communities. By casting a vote, people are able to express their opinions and preferences, and to hold their elected answers accountable for the decisions they make on their behalf. Voting is also a crucial aspect of any democratic system of government, as it allows the will of the people to be heard and reflected in the policies and decisions made by those in power. Additionally, voting helps to ensure that the organization remains accountable to its members, and that the rights and freedoms of all individuals are protected. ----------------------------- Voting started with 7 votes, but it was decided that 7 votes was not enough and there should be at least 11 or 13 votes. After the voting ended, the post-it size of the answer/answers with the most votes was organized with the largest pos-it size and the least voted answer/answers with the smallest pos-it size. Please refer to Figure 4.  Figure 4 **Mistakes were made: The deletion of the main headings of these categories after categorizing caused the members to think that their time wasted and maybe vote for the answers in the same category while voting, so the category names were not deleted in the next workshops to be held later.** After the same application for all 4 topics (answering questions for 7 minutes, categorization for 3 minutes, voting for 2 minutes, post-it sizing) each participant was given time to place these answers on the *Ikigai* Winn's diagram. Each participant placed these answers on the diagram according to their wishes and predictions. **Important Point: They were asked not to change the Post-it Sizes** During the insertion, each participant was asked to explain why they put the post-its at this point of the diagram and explain other members their perception of insertion. --------------------------- ##### Why open discussion is important in communities? Open discussion is important in communities because it allows for the exchange of ideas and perspectives. It encourages people to share their thoughts and opinions, and to listen to and consider the views of others. This can lead to a better understanding of different perspectives and can help to foster a sense of community and collaboration. Open discussion also allows for the airing of diverse opinions and the resolution of conflicts or disagreements in a peaceful and constructive manner. Additionally, open discussion can help to promote democracy and democratic values by allowing for the free flow of information and the expression of diverse viewpoints. -------------------------- ## Why is it important for a community to decide together what to do next? It is important for a community to decide together what to do next because it allows for collective decision-making and promotes a sense of unity and cooperation. When a community comes together to discuss and decide on a course of action, it allows for the input and ideas of all members to be considered. This can lead to more well-rounded and effective decisions that take into account the needs and perspectives of all members of the community. Additionally, involving the entire community in decision-making can help to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility for the decisions that are made, and can encourage individuals to take an active role in shaping the future of their community. # Overall Gains Organizational *Ikigai*, or the sense of purpose or meaning that a person derives from their work in an organization, is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, it can lead to increased job **satisfaction and motivation** for individual members. When people feel that their work is fulfilling and **meaningful**, they are more likely to be **engaged and dedicated** to their resposibilities. This can lead to improved performance and productivity, which can benefit the organization as a whole. Secondly, organizational *Ikigai* can help to foster a positive work culture and a *sense of community within the organization*. When members/contributers feel that their responsibility is valued and that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves, they are more likely to be loyal and committed to the organization. This can help to improve morale and can promote *collaboration and teamwork* among members/contributers.