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Explorers Radio on TEXT |
#01. When We Connected and Openly Talked
—Something Started Moving!
#01. When We Connected and Openly Talked
—Something Started Moving!
Guest
Yuta Nakazawa, UACJ
Radio Personality
Tomohito Kurosaki, UACJ
"UACJ Explorers" is a community where people from across the UACJ Group come together to learn, grow, and take on new challenges. Whether you're ready to take that first step, launch an in-house venture, or simply connect with others, this is a space where colleagues gather with all kinds of goals in mind. Now, we’re excited to bring you a special edition of "Explorers Radio," a lunchtime program UACJ Explorers streams internally, as part of the GRUTTO SUSTAINA series. Today’s theme: Learning and Change.
Nice to Meet You—We’re UACJ Explorers!
~🎵 Opening Music
Kurosaki
Hello everyone, and welcome to “Explorers Radio”! This program brings you stories and updates from UACJ Explorers, a community where colleagues connect and grow together.
We usually stream this show internally during the lunch break every Tuesday, but today’s episode is a special edition, recorded right here in a professional radio studio. It’s actually my first time ever speaking into a professional mic with real studio headphones on—so this is quite the experience! (laughs)
We usually stream this show internally during the lunch break every Tuesday, but today’s episode is a special edition, recorded right here in a professional radio studio. It’s actually my first time ever speaking into a professional mic with real studio headphones on—so this is quite the experience! (laughs)
Nakazawa
(laughs)
Kurosaki
Our theme today is “Learning and Change.” I’ll be joined by our guest, Mr. Yuta Nakazawa from the Nagoya Works.
Nakazawa
Thank you for having me.
Kurosaki
First, a quick self-introduction. I’m Tomohito Kurosaki, your host today. I work in the Marketing & Technology Division at UACJ. I’ve been promoting bottom-up employee-driven initiatives, and one of those is managing UACJ Explorers.
What is “UACJ Explorers”?
Launched in 2023, UACJ Explorers is an internal community where employees from across the UACJ Group come together to learn and take action. The community plans and runs a variety of programs, with nearly 100 members currently participating. Activities range from study sessions and networking events to participation in external seminars and workshops, all organized across departments around a wide array of topics.
Nakazawa
My name is Yuta Nakazawa. I’m based at the Nagoya Works, where I split my time between the Process Control Section and the DX Promotion Office.
Kurosaki
Split your time?
Nakazawa
I originally joined UACJ as a frontline operator, and later transferred to the Planning Section. Thanks to my experience at a previous job, I also started taking on digital transformation (DX)-related work. These days, I serve as an advisor on DX not just at the Nagoya Works, but across the entire UACJ group.
Kurosaki
You're also a member of UACJ Explorers. I heard that when you first joined, you were hoping to take on new challenges and make something happen through the community, right?
Nakazawa
That’s right. I wanted to grow as a person, get out of my comfort zone, talk to people, and change myself. If I can change, those around me and the organization will change too—and eventually, even the company itself can change.
Kurosaki
That’s such an incredibly positive mindset!
Not a Lecture, But a Conversation
Kurosaki
What I’d like to highlight today is an event we held on April 7 called the “DX Q&A Session.”
Nakazawa
I participated as one of the speakers.
Kurosaki
UACJ Explorers has organized all kinds of activities so far. As expected, the events that seem useful for people’s day-to-day work tend to get great responses. That’s why I thought it would be meaningful to plan something around digital transformation (DX)—a shared challenge across the company—together with an expert like you.
Nakazawa
Thanks again for inviting me.
Kurosaki
The whole concept of UACJ Explorers is to connect employees and encourage them to take on new challenges together. So instead of a lecture-style session where a speaker just talks, we went with a Q&A format—something more conversational and interactive among employees.
Nakazawa
Right, because “studying” can easily turn into a one-way experience.
Kurosaki
Exactly. That’s why we invited employees from other departments to speak as well, and had them share their real challenges in an open Q&A format. How did you feel about the event afterward?
Nakazawa
Although it was held online, I was honestly really happy to see so many people participate.
Two employees shared their DX-related work challenges in an open consultation with Nakazawa. Participants were able to learn from the real-life examples, pick up useful ideas that could apply to their own work, and discover potential tools, knowledge, and people to talk to in order to move forward with digital transformation.
Kurosaki
The turnout was higher than most of our past events, so from an organizer’s perspective, it definitely felt worthwhile. By the way—did you get any follow-up consultations afterward?
Nakazawa
I received three inquiries in total.
Kurosaki
Wow, that’s great!
Nakazawa
Two of them are already moving forward, and the other is waiting to be discussed.
Kurosaki
Sounds like the DX efforts are really gaining traction.
Nakazawa
There’s one process currently under review within a department that used to take about an hour by hand, and we’re expecting to bring it down to just five minutes. If it works, the impact could be significant.
Kurosaki
That’s exciting! You might be getting even more inquiries soon.
When You’re Feeling Stuck—Start with Taking Stock
Kurosaki
I’d like to shift gears a bit and talk about learning in general for working adults.
Nakazawa
Sounds good.
Kurosaki
We often hear people say that once they start working, they stop learning—or they don’t have time to read anymore. Lately, more and more students and people looking to change jobs are starting to feel uncertain about their careers because of routine work, and are setting their sights on the consulting industry or startups instead. What do you think about this kind of concern and anxiety that many working people face today?
Nakazawa
I’ve had a similar experience myself. I actually moved to UACJ from a small IT company, and after working hard to build a career as a systems engineer and landing the job I had aimed for… I suddenly lost all motivation.
Kurosaki
Really? That’s surprising. I always thought you were someone who stayed highly motivated.
Nakazawa
Actually, that hasn’t always been the case.
Kurosaki
So what did you do at the time?
Nakazawa
Even when I wanted to study, I didn’t really know what I was missing in the first place. So I just started asking people around me like crazy. (laughs) Through that process, I began to see what I was uniquely good at, what I lacked, and what I could only do with help from others.
Kurosaki
So that was your way of taking stock—doing a kind of self-inventory.
Nakazawa
Exactly. Once I got a clearer picture of that, I began studying in earnest. And little by little, people around me started to recognize my efforts. They began saying things like, “Why not ask Nakazawa about that?” That in turn made me want to learn even more.
Kurosaki
So having even one success story gave you the momentum to keep going.
Nakazawa
Before that, I’d just crash after work or spend my days off doing absolutely nothing. But after that shift, I started going to the library or watching YouTube videos to study. It really sparked a change in my motivation.
What Matters Most Is the Mindset That “80% Is Good Enough”
Kurosaki
Your earlier comments about learning really struck a chord with me. Watching you, Nakazawa, I get the sense that you're the kind of person who generates your own energy and drives things forward on your own.
Nakazawa
Thank you.
Kurosaki
But honestly, people like that probably make up less than 1% of the population. I think most people are actually better at joining up with someone who is self-motivated and moving forward together.
Nakazawa
That makes sense.
Kurosaki
Some people provide the fuel, others assist, others maintain the engine—everyone has different strengths. And I think that’s incredibly valuable too.
Nakazawa
I agree. Everyone has their own areas of strength, and the way we get going is different for each person.
Kurosaki
If self-starters and those who prefer to support can learn and grow together, the whole organization becomes stronger.
Nakazawa
It’s true—if you only stick to the tasks assigned to you, your perspective can become pretty rigid. You start thinking the data in front of you just appears automatically, or that automated processes are simply the norm. But in reality, there are often multiple people putting in significant time and effort behind the scenes.
Kurosaki
That’s something people tend to overlook.
Nakazawa
The problem is, when people try something new, they often think, “If I can’t get a perfect score, it’s not worth it.” But I believe that if you can adopt the mindset of ‘80% is good enough,’ work becomes a lot more enjoyable.
Kurosaki
That’s a great way to look at it. You don’t have to aim for perfection from the start.
Nakazawa
Even the work you do every day without thinking—when someone else looks at it, they might spot inefficiencies or issues. I think if you can take that feedback and learn from it, it really helps you grow as a person.
When You Make Connections, the Momentum Changes
Nakazawa
Back when I worked at a smaller company, I saw again and again how businesses that failed to change eventually got left behind. Even in large corporations, I believe individuals need to keep taking on new challenges and embracing change.
Kurosaki
So learning really is essential if we want to keep changing. But when it comes time to actually start something new, it’s not always that easy, is it?
Nakazawa
Maybe the first step is just to connect with people who have different perspectives.
Kurosaki
Right—once you connect, things start to move.
Nakazawa
That’s exactly what UACJ Explorers is about—breaking down barriers like department and age, and using those connections to foster exchange, learning, and new challenges. I think that idea reflects the culture of UACJ as a whole, and it's definitely one of our strengths.
Kurosaki
Absolutely. At UACJ, employee study groups are treated as part of work, and there’s a real push to support new business ideas from within. In recent years, I feel like that kind of change is really accelerating.
Nakazawa
It’s a great direction to be heading in.
Kurosaki
At UACJ Explorers, we’re creating opportunities for employees to take on new challenges, so if you ever see something on the internal bulletin board or elsewhere, I hope you’ll take advantage of it—it could be a great opportunity for you.
Nakazawa
Nice! You’re really putting a lot of energy into promoting UACJ Explorers internally—I think that’s fantastic. (laughs)
Kurosaki
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. (laughs) But seriously, if today’s talk sparked any interest, please feel free to reach out to us anytime.
Nakazawa
Definitely.
Kurosaki
Thank you so much for joining us today, Nakazawa-san.
Nakazawa
Thank you.
Kurosaki
And to all our listeners—see you next time on Explorers Radio!
Behind the Mic
Yuta Nakazawa, UACJ
Getting to experience a professional studio recording for the first time in my life left a lasting impression on me. I was able to enjoy the entire conversation thanks to everyone involved. Deep down, I used to feel envious whenever I read articles in the company newsletter about colleagues who were doing great work. I quietly hoped that, someday, I might be interviewed too—because that would mean I had contributed something meaningful to the company. So when this opportunity came along, I felt—perhaps it’s a bit of an exaggeration—that everything I’ve worked for up to now had led to this moment. One dream has now come true, and as I start to imagine new ones, I believe I can make them happen here at UACJ. I’m committed to continuing to take on new challenges.
Profile
Watching aluminum coils being stretched, heated, and cut, I came to realize that “being transformed into something of value” means constantly accepting change. Like aluminum, I hope to remain flexible and open to transformation in everything I do.
Tomohito Kurosaki, UACJ
Through this radio session, I truly felt that the culture within our company is beginning to shift. Of course, much of that is thanks to Nakazawa-san’s unique character and drive—but I also sense that more and more of our colleagues are developing a positive mindset and openness toward change, especially in areas like DX. At the same time, I realized that there are still many people within the company who are facing similar challenges or working on related initiatives, yet they remain scattered and disconnected. I believe there is still plenty of room for us to come together and share knowledge more effectively. If I can play even a small role in “connecting” these efforts—both inside and outside the company—I’d be glad to contribute to the spirit of Well WAVE.
Profile
In the Marketing Department, I focus on employee-driven initiatives as the foundation for a variety of projects. One of my own quiet ambitions is to help make UACJ a company that our grandchildren will one day thank us for.
* The information in this article was current at the time of the interview.
