P.44 Message from the CHRO

Message from the CHRO Business Foundation

Cultivating Well-Being to Empower Creativity

Takanobu Goda

Managing Director & CHRO TBS HOLDINGS, INC. Reexamining the importance of people as CHRO My name is Takanobu Goda, and I assumed the office of CHRO at TBS Holdings in July. I joined the company in 1990 and spent many years in variety show production and programming. After becoming an executive officer of TBS Holdings in 2020 and participating in the formulation of VISION 2030, from 2022 I was at TBS Television, where my various responsibilities includ- ed programming, production, sports, information production, the Announcers’ Center, and the Promotion Center. The term “Human Capital Management” has come to be used frequently in recent years. It means viewing people as cap- ital and maximizing their value in order to enhance corporate value over the medium to long term. Outside Director Yosuke Yagi wrote in his book that “there is no management resource whose productivity can be improved as much as that of human beings.” This is a striking expression. The idea is that there are various capital policies available today, but that it is human resources that have the greatest potential for growth, and that by developing people and improving the workplace and environment, we can also raise corporate value. I think that under Japan’s traditional employment systems and values, few companies thought of the workplace and people in this way. To put it bluntly, the view was that it was enough for people to function as pieces on a board. There were no great expec- tations of them, only a minimum set of requirements. It has become clear in today’s era that such a mindset prevents both people and companies from growing. At TBS, creative power is the core engine. How much ability people can demonstrate, how motivated they become, and how many interesting ideas they generate form the source of our growth. I believe the very significance of creating the CHRO position and my assumption of it lies in the need to reexamine the importance of people. Healthy creativity resides in a healthy workplace So how do we raise productivity? As CHRO, I believe the answer is to maximize the creative power that is the core engine of the TBS Group. Not only in content creation, but more broadly across all work, including the back office, I want people to generate ideas, devise clever solutions, and proactively think and implement themselves. Drawing on my experience on the front lines of creative work, I have identified five conditions that I think a workplace should fulfill in order to be creative. The first is an atmosphere in which people can freely and unreservedly express their own ideas, a workplace where psychological safety is assured. Second, a workplace free of harassment is necessary to produce good work. The third is physical and mental health. This is extremely important as the foundation of creativity. The fourth is a culture that does not fear failure and does not make people fear failure. Creating an atmosphere in which people feel “it’s okay to fail” is vital. And the fifth is a workplace where people can find interest in everything. Cultivating a mind that finds things interesting, whether related to work or not, is key. These five points con- stitute what I consider to be the requirements of a “workplace that nurtures creativity,” and I believe creating such workplaces is an important responsibility of the CHRO. The five points can also be rephrased as a “well-being workplace.” I believe that healthy creativity can only reside in a healthy workplace. Without an enjoyable atmosphere, enjoyable content cannot be created, and without a free atmo- sphere, free journalism activities and new business ideas will not emerge. I view well-being and creativity as a set. TBS has been certified as a “White 500” company for three consecutive years. While this may seem unusual for a company centered on the broadcasting business, I believe it is something thoroughly appropriate and worthy of pride. A spirit of respect that recognizes and values of others The important premise underlying all of this is a spirit of rec- ognizing others and of respect. As the Group and its business activities expand rapidly, as CHRO I want to prevent fragmenta- tion and disconnection by emphasizing that we should at least take an interest in what is happening within our own corporate group, and respect one another. Recognizing that “I think this way, but this person thinks that way” is, I believe, one of the major themes for the Group. One of my favorite sayings is “The opposite of justice is not evil, but another form of justice.” Rather than viewing things in binary opposition, we need to recognize each other’s values and then have discussions, move things forward, and think through matters together. 44