Human-centred values at the heart of the future workplace

"We started without adequate capital or machinery in a less-than-impressive building," writes Kazuo Inamori in the Kyocera Philosophy Handbook ("About the Kyocera Philosophy" in "Kyocera Philosophy Pocketbook", Third English edition (2017), p.1.) for workers at Kyocera, the company he founded as Kyoto Ceramic in 1959. "So, I decided to manage this company using human minds as a basis."

Dr Inamori's Kyocera Philosophy "places the principle of 'doing what is right as a human being' and human bonds at the foundation of its management," explains Hironori Ando, the president of Kyocera Document Solutions, which joined Kyocera following an acquisition in 2000 and now accounts for around 20% of group sales. "Respecting human relationships through the human touch is at the base of our business," he says.

More than 20 million printed copies of books authored and co-authored by Dr Inamori on his management philosophy have been distributed worldwide. Today, with more than 78,000 employees around the globe, Kyocera's global operations include a diverse range of businesses, operating in sectors from advanced materials to components, devices, equipment, networks and services.

Although many organisations report improved productivity when they transition to working from home (WFH), research has also linked remote work to increased isolation and stress, with one source of strain being the pressure to be "always on". In dealing with these issues, Kyocera's human-centred philosophy has proved an asset.

When working from the office was the default, Kyocera placed an emphasis on including the whole team in regular communication. "One of Kyocera's customs is to always get together in each team at the start of work in the morning and share the tasks and issues of the day," says Mr Ando. Now, with remote and hybrid work the norm, Kyocera has simply moved these valued traditions online. "Even when working from home, we continue this custom of the team meeting through a web conference. In this way, we keep up the corporate culture that helps us work together."

The future workplace: Accelerating towards greater flexibility 

The focus on the human touch has helped Kyocera Document Solutions ride an accelerating trend towards remote work that continues to define the future workplace. "Companies have been trying to create more flexible working styles for years," says Mr Ando. According to CEDA's 2024 analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data, 36% of Australians were working from home regularly in 2024, while McCrindle research shows 45% of Australian workers now work in a hybrid arrangement.

As a provider of printers and MFPs (multifunctional printers), as well as enterprise content management (ECM) and content services platform (CSP) solutions, Kyocera has been helping organisations increase the level of flexibility they offer employees. Now, with WFH or hybrid work the norm in many countries, there is increased focus on how to maintain and improve work styles and productivity. "The shift to WFH has given many people the chance to realise they can work remotely as long as the working environment is properly managed," says Mr Ando. "It has given us the opportunity to reconsider the future of the workplace."

Understanding what that future workplace will look like is an urgent requirement for Kyocera Document Solutions. Operating in more than 140 countries, the company has had to adapt to new ways of conducting customer meetings and managing overseas branches. To explore new ways to enable interactions with staff and customers, Kyocera Document Solutions created a reconfigurable studio and event space at its headquarters in Japan. Knowledge Place Osaka can be used for live-streaming demonstrations, partner meetings, product and service launches, or sharing customers' success stories. "Virtual communication will continue to be important," says Mr Ando. "With the keyword 'flexibility', we plan to use this as a site to connect with customers and partners globally, sharing information and knowledge."

To support distributed workforces, Kyocera's ICT Services and Managed IT Services provide organisations with Microsoft Cloud solutions, VoIP telephony, video conferencing and digital collaboration platforms to keep teams connected regardless of location.

Turning information into knowledge

"Putting knowledge to work" is a central tenet of Kyocera Document Solutions. In practice, this means transitioning from selling equipment to providing solutions. For example, the firm's products, including its scanning-capable MFPs, have contributed to the digitisation of information and workflows that has made working from home possible. "As the amount of document information has increased dramatically," says Mr Ando, "we have aimed to transform ourselves into a partner that helps customers 'put knowledge to work'." That has entailed a greater focus on ECM and CSP, which enables the management of data and documents across an entire organisation, and the automation of document-based workflows.

To fully appreciate the value of managing an enterprise's content, it is useful to distinguish between information and knowledge. "Information is scattered in a variety of formats, including text, images, video and audio," says Mr Ando. "We can transform information into 'knowledge' and put it to work by understanding what the information signifies and using it for taking action or making decisions." Drawing on its own range of hardware and software, as well as third-party technologies, Kyocera Document Solutions works with clients to implement tailored solutions that make that information actionable. "We make it easier to access information, process it through workflows and learn from it, with the aim of contributing to the growth of their businesses," says Mr Ando.

The focus on solutions has prepared Kyocera to help customers adapt to new ways of working when collaboration has proven difficult for many. "ECM and CSP can support collaboration among employees working in different locations," says Mr Ando, "so we have focused on these solutions to help achieve hybrid and smarter workplaces."

While grappling with the shift to remote work, Kyocera has found MFPs and printers for home and satellite offices to be valuable tools, along with cloud-based printing and scanning solutions. "As a solution partner that understands customer pains and works closely with them to support their business," says Mr Ando, "we aim to support each member of the organisation regardless of where they work, to change information into knowledge and put that knowledge to work wherever they are."

KYOCERA Document Solutions provides document management solutions with long-life print technology that delivers greater efficiency, resulting in world-class productivity, reliability and uptime.