Actual Job Assignment and Globalization at Rakuten Revisited
So last week, I finally get my job assignment at Rakuten after two months of "training" that involved brainwashing us with Rakuten ideology. After weeks of anticipation and should I say, annoyance and anxiety, we the new guys were finally given our assigned places at a rather formal-looking ceremony on Tuesday morning. On the surface, everything appeared calm, but below the tranquility some jumped for joy while others quietly shed tears in their hearts.
All the poetic stuff aside, I have to say that most of the assignments are, really honestly, quite puzzling in many aspects. Yes, I did mention how the company have absolutely no idea where to place us, but the randomness of the end result goes much beyond just "let's put this guy there and see what happens." Not to mention the language ability and communication problems, the type of work and the field of studies for each individual just see little connection if any.
But all in all, it somehow feels that the whole "global perspective" and "language abilities" for which us the non-Japanese new graduates are hired have all the sudden became non-commodities not worth considerations. Similarly, our job experiences and majors in college are thrown aside completely. A sales professional goes to creative web design, a politics major goes to accounting, a study abroad grad student becomes just another tool in the Japanese call center...the list goes on and on...
So there goes my entire logic on how the company may end up placing us. I mean, if the "potential" of a young new employee simply means "you tried hard at what you do for the last 20-some years of your life," then what is the point for us to even study anything related to a profession that we desire? We can all just go for easy humanities majors and show them "we tried EVEN HARDER" by getting straight A's...
Oh yeah, forgot to mention that for some unknown reason, I ended up in the CEO Office, the direct subordinate of the Big Boss. But underneath an unsaid shower of awe, congrats, and most importantly, jealousy, it is a me that is completely scared of what it means to be not just a random tool downstairs, but a direct tool of the Boss being evaluated constantly for even the slightest carelessness.
Listen to this "mission statement" of the CEO Office: "our mission is to make the work environment of the CEO completely perfect so that there is no way he can make any mistakes in decision-making." This simple statement suggests two things: (1) The CEO is incapable of faulting as long as he has a "perfect work environment" and (2) if he indeed makes a mistake, it is completely the CEO Office's fault.
And as if that is not bad enough already, here is the answer I got for questioning whether the CEO Office has any advisory role for the Boss: "we should only advise him when he specifically asks us to do so." Wow, talk when you are told to talk, and shut up otherwise. Well, there goes my hopes of making direct suggestions and proposals to the Boss because I happen to be, eh, physically close to him in the office.
So, unfortunately, I always thought globalization meant a "flatter" company structure, where those with global experiences may able themselves to have an independent voice. Instead, the so-called "globalization" at least in Rakuten headquarters is just a creation of an English-speaking North Korea. Hmmm, wonder if it is just me who is trying to import "polite and humble phrases" of the Japanese language into English....
All the poetic stuff aside, I have to say that most of the assignments are, really honestly, quite puzzling in many aspects. Yes, I did mention how the company have absolutely no idea where to place us, but the randomness of the end result goes much beyond just "let's put this guy there and see what happens." Not to mention the language ability and communication problems, the type of work and the field of studies for each individual just see little connection if any.
But all in all, it somehow feels that the whole "global perspective" and "language abilities" for which us the non-Japanese new graduates are hired have all the sudden became non-commodities not worth considerations. Similarly, our job experiences and majors in college are thrown aside completely. A sales professional goes to creative web design, a politics major goes to accounting, a study abroad grad student becomes just another tool in the Japanese call center...the list goes on and on...
So there goes my entire logic on how the company may end up placing us. I mean, if the "potential" of a young new employee simply means "you tried hard at what you do for the last 20-some years of your life," then what is the point for us to even study anything related to a profession that we desire? We can all just go for easy humanities majors and show them "we tried EVEN HARDER" by getting straight A's...
Oh yeah, forgot to mention that for some unknown reason, I ended up in the CEO Office, the direct subordinate of the Big Boss. But underneath an unsaid shower of awe, congrats, and most importantly, jealousy, it is a me that is completely scared of what it means to be not just a random tool downstairs, but a direct tool of the Boss being evaluated constantly for even the slightest carelessness.
Listen to this "mission statement" of the CEO Office: "our mission is to make the work environment of the CEO completely perfect so that there is no way he can make any mistakes in decision-making." This simple statement suggests two things: (1) The CEO is incapable of faulting as long as he has a "perfect work environment" and (2) if he indeed makes a mistake, it is completely the CEO Office's fault.
And as if that is not bad enough already, here is the answer I got for questioning whether the CEO Office has any advisory role for the Boss: "we should only advise him when he specifically asks us to do so." Wow, talk when you are told to talk, and shut up otherwise. Well, there goes my hopes of making direct suggestions and proposals to the Boss because I happen to be, eh, physically close to him in the office.
So, unfortunately, I always thought globalization meant a "flatter" company structure, where those with global experiences may able themselves to have an independent voice. Instead, the so-called "globalization" at least in Rakuten headquarters is just a creation of an English-speaking North Korea. Hmmm, wonder if it is just me who is trying to import "polite and humble phrases" of the Japanese language into English....
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