Ma theory and the creative management of innovation

Edited by Mitsuru Kodama MA THEORY AND THE CREATIVE MANAGEMEN T OF INNOVATI ON Ma Theory and the Creative Management of Innovation Mitsuru Kodama Editor Ma Theory and the Creative Management of Innovation Editor Mitsuru Kodama Tokyo, Japan ISBN 978-1-137-59354-2    ISBN 978-1-137-59194-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-59194-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017951398 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 This work is subject to copyright All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Cover illustration: © Martin Poole / Getty Images Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc The registered company address is: New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004, U.S.A Preface and Acknowledgement Japan is a country that has a culture of Ma, and the Japanese have a unique type of Ma culture that can be found in the exquisite sensitivities, imagery, colors and meanings expressed through traditional Japanese culture and arts In no small measure this unique and refined Ma has also influenced the sensibilities and behavior of the Japanese people and enabled them to bring forth the distinct aspects of their culture and art In the structure of the Japanese language, the mindset of the Japanese, the organizational principles behind Japanese families and corporations, the organizational climate, the layout of cities and the use of land in Japan, the interposition and existence of characteristic Ma has created organic, dynamic perceptions of time and space “Ma” is often defined as a gap or opening, and it is from such gaps and openings that new phenomena and events emerge into the flow of dynamically changing space-time Ma also becomes the foundation that engenders the power of harmony that creates new things and ideas by harmonizing dissimilar things and ideas and allowing them to coexist From the past up until the present Japan has created its own unique culture by absorbing many aspects of international culture and allowing these to coexist and flourish alongside its own culture through the creation of highly refined Ma Against this backdrop of Japanese culture, the authors assert that Ma is a dynamic phenomenon of space-time that allows for a balance in discrepancies in people’s particular thinking and actions as they synthesize the diverse contradictions that arise in the course of their daily practical v vi   PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT activities and social activities Accordingly, in this book the authors define Ma as follows: Ma is the holistic relationship that enables connection of continuous and discontinuous events and matters in distinct types of space-time (structured spacetime vs unstructured space-time) As explained in the book, if we accept in a general manner the viewpoint that Ma is born of the crystallization (tying together) of emptiness and countless possible contents and that Ma functions to allow dissimilar matters and ideas to coexist, we can assume that Ma has the characteristic of bringing together and combining diverse paradoxes (including countless possible contents) The authors view Ma as a holistic relationship capable of connecting the continuity and discontinuity of disparate matters and events Thus, research focusing on the concept of Ma is an important theme relevant not only to business and management but also to architecture and the arts, and even cultural studies and linguistics However, such research into Ma in relation to people and organizations engaging in and developing economic and social activities on a daily basis, and people in the field of business and management, is almost nonexistent We may then ask why leading companies, organizations and individuals unceasingly produce high quality innovations? The thinking and actions of leading practitioners (innovators and creators) originate in Ma thinking, the core theoretical concept presented in this book In this book, in the context of business and management, and the arts and architecture in particular, we describe Ma as the fountainhead for the capability that allows the coexistence of dissimilars, an important factor in achieving creativity and innovation; and we describe how the formation of Ma is a critical factor in the integration, convergence or creation of dissimilar knowledge in people, organizations, companies or industries, as analyzed and observed in our in-depth case studies across different areas of specialization, including business and management, and architecture and the arts, which are deeply connected to a wide range of human activities Therefore, we hope that the content of this book as a core theoretical framework on Ma thinking will be further developed to encompass new academic research areas based on Ma thinking across a wide range of different specializations   PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT     vii This book could not have been brought to fruition without the exhaustive and robust interaction of the authors with many practitioners (innovators or creators) The authors would like to extend their gratitude to these practitioners; their number is too great for us to name each one here We would also like to express our gratitude for the support of Nihon University’s College of Commerce and for the Nihon University Multidisciplinary Research Grant (2015–2016), which we received to undertake research for this book The editor also wishes to express his deep appreciation to Mr Jacob Dreyer, Commissioning Editor, and Ms Rachel Krause, Senior Commissioning Editor, of Palgrave Macmillan, who provided tremendous support in the publishing of this book Mitsuru Kodama Contents 1 “Ma” and Innovation Management1 Mitsuru Kodama 2 The Five Types of Ma Thinking and Five Architect Capabilities: Theoretical Concepts23 Mitsuru Kodama 3 Ma Thinking and Innovation in Global High Tech Companies: The Lessons of Business Model Innovation in Apple and Cisco Systems43 Mitsuru Kodama, Takehiko Yasuda, and Katsuhiko Hirasawa 4 Managing Serendipity Through Ma Thinking: Lessons of the Invention and Commercialization of Blue LED (Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics)81 Mitsuru Kodama and Takehiko Yasuda 5 Industrial Innovation with Ma Thinking: Lessons from Singapore’s Economic Development103 Takehiko Yasuda ix   6 Use and Reproduction of Ma in Financial Cooperative Organizations in Japan: With a Focus on Ma in Japan and Financial Cooperatives125 Tsutomu Hasegawa   7 Green Innovation Based on Ma Thinking: The  Lessons of the Japanese Smart City Vision147 Nobuyuki Tokoro   8 The Ma of Maeterlinck and Ma of Japanese Maeterlinckians179 Mariko Anazawa   9 Ma in Traditional Japanese Theater: The Ma of  Space and Ma of Time195 Shozo Motosugi 10 Ma Thinking in Architectural Space, Mentality and  Action: The Impact of Ma Thinking on Lifestyle Design215 Tomoyoshi Urabe 11 Comparative Case Studies and New Implications Mitsuru Kodama 229 12 Conclusions and Issues for Future Research265 Mitsuru Kodama Index 289 List of Figures Fig 2.1 Fig 2.2 Fig 2.3 Fig 4.1 Fig 11.1 Fig 11.2 Fig 11.3 Fig 12.1 Innovation through Ma thinking and architect capabilities 27 Relationship of Ma, Ba, communities, formal organizations, companies and environments 38 Ma thinking-based innovation research across dissimilar academic fields 40 Ma thinking and the blue LED innovation 94 Traffic and compatibility between hybrid networks 242 Ma on the boundaries between formal and informal organizations247 “Complex adaptive leadership” through Ma thinking 258 Small-world networks and networked collaborative organizations275 xi .. .Ma Theory and the Creative Management of Innovation Mitsuru Kodama Editor Ma Theory and the Creative Management of Innovation Editor Mitsuru Kodama Tokyo, Japan ISBN 978-1-137-59354-2    ISBN... of the Japanese Smart City Vision147 Nobuyuki Tokoro   8 The Ma of Maeterlinck and Ma of Japanese Maeterlinckians179 Mariko Anazawa   9 Ma in Traditional Japanese Theater: The Ma of Space and Ma. .. like these, the Ma of space-time and the Ma of context more profoundly express the intention of the artist through the empty space itself At the same time, observers of the picture can also see and