＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
It’s been over 10 years since the need for a “Business Continuity Plan (BCP)” has been emphasized, but are companies actually doing enough to formulate and implement BCP measures? The spread of COVID-19 pneumonia made the necessity of BCP keenly felt.
At the company where I worked 6-7 years ago, I proposed “strengthening and implementing a multi-role system” as a BCP measure that employees could implement, but it ultimately fell through the cracks.
I would like to consider this issue in this article.
1. “BCP (Business Continuity Plan)”
(1) Definition of “BCP”
“BCP” is an abbreviation for “Business Continuity Planning.” It refers to a plan for companies, government agencies, and other organizations to minimize damage and ensure the continuity and recovery of business operations in the event of an emergency, such as a terrorist attack, natural disaster, system failure, or scandal.
A similar term is “contingency plan.” This is also a plan that summarizes response measures in the event of an emergency, but it places emphasis on “initial response plans for emergencies rather than business continuity.”
(2) Reasons for the increased need for “BCP”
① Increasing External Risks
Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, Japan has experienced frequent major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Furthermore, there are growing concerns about highly virulent new strains of influenza and domestic terrorist attacks. Furthermore, when scandals such as food poisoning or recalls occur, there is an increased risk of information spreading rapidly through social media.
② Weakening Business Structure
Supply chain optimization through “supply chain management” and “just-in-time production,” as well as outsourcing, the outsourcing of non-core business operations, are becoming more prevalent.
The term “supply chain” literally translates to “the chain of supply,” but it essentially refers to “the entire process from the initial stage of product creation to its delivery to the consumer.” The process is “material procurement – manufacturing – sales – delivery – consumer.”
“Supply chain management” is a management method for improving business performance by building an integrated logistics system across multiple companies, rather than limiting the logistics system to a single company.
The recent novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, has revealed a problem: the vast majority of products and parts used and consumed by Japanese companies and consumers are made in China.
The “just-in-time production system” is a system in which only the necessary items are supplied at the necessary time and in the necessary quantities for each step in the production process, thereby drastically reducing inventory (or expenses).
While this is an extremely effective system in normal times, it has a weakness: if one link in the supply chain is interrupted, all related companies cease operations. The current novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak has exposed the problems of a supply chain that is overly dependent on China. In the case of outsourcing, it will also be necessary to find alternatives.
③ Increasing External Pressure to Implement BCPs
As of 2013, 70% of large companies had already developed or were in the process of developing a BCP. It is expected that pressure to develop BCPs for affiliated companies, subsidiaries, and sub-subsidiaries will increase in the future.
2. “Multiple-Role System”
It is the job of management to develop comprehensive BCP measures for the entire company and ensure their implementation at all times. However, I believe it is also important for employees to not only specialize in their respective fields and acquire knowledge and skills, but also to aim to be “multiple-role systems” capable of substituting for others in emergencies through horizontal collaboration. Ultimately, it is also important for employees to strive to be “all-round players” within the team.
A “multiple-role system” is a system in which each employee not only performs their own assigned tasks, but also masters several tasks primarily handled by others and can take over in emergencies. In this case, the team leader must be an “all-round player” capable of carrying out all tasks.
To achieve this, employees must regularly collaborate with each other, teach each other’s tasks, and make efforts to increase the number of tasks they can handle as “sub-roles.”
When I proposed the “immediate establishment of a system where one person takes on multiple roles,” the current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had not yet emerged, but the spread of influenza predicted a situation in which many employees would take extended leave. I felt that it was necessary to minimize personal tasks and share work knowledge. However, my proposal was not actually taken up. I felt that the management’s “crisis management awareness” was low.
At the time, I was no longer a full-time employee but a “contract employee,” but I thought that the instructions for using the newly introduced computer system for our work were difficult for others to understand, so I came up with my own solution and created an “easy-to-understand operation manual” in Excel, including pictures of the computer screen, and shared the information with the entire team.
My wife told me, “You’re a contract employee, so you don’t need to work so hard, do you?” But I felt it was my duty to “create a manual as a measure to prepare for emergencies,” so I completed the manual. I’m proud that I was able to help everyone in some way.
My father, who was a JNR employee, told me that in emergencies, conductors could substitute for drivers. At the time, conductors were apparently qualified drivers, but I wonder what the situation is like at JR today?
A conductor with a driver’s license can be described as an all-round player, able to handle everything from managing train operations to ensuring safety in emergencies and acting as a substitute driver in the event something happens to the driver.