COO's Perspective : Code for Everyone 2020-2024

This case was created at NUCB Business School, where Akiko Suginohara graduated. It was designed solely for discussions on diversity and inclusion and has been partially edited for broader public release. Facts, proper nouns, and figures and alike set forth in this case may have been disguised or anonymized for the sake of discussion, and neither the information nor the management skills of the company in question are in any way impugned. The content of the case is not intended to represent the opinions of the company in question. Copyright © 2024 by Akiko Suginohara

Transcript

1. COO's Perspective : Code for Everyone 2020-2024 This case was created at NUCB Business School, where Akiko Suginohara graduated. It was designed solely for discussions on diversity and inclusion and has been partially edited for broader public release. Facts, proper nouns, and figures and alike set forth in this case may have been disguised or anonymized for the sake of discussion, and neither the information nor the management skills of the company in question are in any way impugned. The content of the case is not intended to represent the opinions of the company in question. Copyright © 2024 by Akiko Suginohara
2. “I started Code for Everyone as if I was going for a short walk to a nearby convenience store. But before I knew it, now it feels as if I am climbing Mount Fuji[1].” Yuta Tonegawa, CEO of Code for Everyone, found himself reflecting on the journey as the organization approached its 10th anniversary. Though he is not the type of person who dwell on the past too often, if he could turn back the hands of time, there was one decision he was not sure had been the right one. It concerned Sayaka Tanaka, a former employee who had gone through a tumultuous founding period of Code for Everyone side by side with him. Tanaka left Code for Everyone in 2019 and launched Waffle[2], a corporation engaging in specified non-profit activities, with the goal of closing the gender gap[3] in IT. While Tanaka was working at Code for Everyone, Tonegawa was consulted several times about the possibility of a project related to closing the gender gap. Each time, however, Tonegawa could not be sure whether closing the gender gap was an issue that Code for Everyone could address, let alone having any impact upon anything. On the other hand, Tanaka founded Waffle, aiming to run a business independently under a new COO's Perspective : Code for Everyone 2020-2024 brand. The following year in 2020, Waffle achieved remarkable growth, including being selected as one of Forbes Japan's “30 Under 30 Changing the World.” Witnessing Waffle's rapid growth, Tonegawa still cannot help but think. Why could not he have said, “Let's work together within Code for Everyone”? If Tanaka had continued her endeavor within Code for Everyone, she could have turned the organization into something that would have had an even greater impact. Code for Everyone is a non-profit corporation established in July 2015. With the vision of “Fostering a society where anyone can create,” the organization promotes technology education and awareness activities throughout Japan. In its school education business, the company provides schoolteachers with training and “Proguru”, programming materials for classes at elementary, junior high, and high schools, both of which being offered free of charge. Outside of schools, the company operates three “Creative Hub,” places for children to freely express themselves through technology. In addition to its business activities, Code for Everyone is involved in a wide range of initiatives, including [1] The highest mountain in Japan, with an elevation of 3,776m [2] A non-profit organization that was incorporated in November 2019. It aims to close the gender gap in IT, providing female students at junior high schools, high schools, and universities with IT education. The organization is also working diligently on policy proposals. [3] It refers to various types of gap caused by difference of gender. [4] Code for Everyone; “Annual Report 2023 and Activity Guideline 2024” [5] According to “Basic School Survey 2023: Survey of elementary and secondary educational institutions, specialized training colleges and various other educational facilities; Survey of correspondence education (high schools), and School Survey Document (elementary schools)” published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of users at the fifth grade is 1.02 million, while the one in the sixth graders is 1.04 million during the fiscal year of 2023. [6] Code for Everyone, official website, https://code.or.jp/ (Accessed on June 26, 2024) Code for Everyone empirical research in collaboration with academic institutions and policy proposals for the revision of the Courses of Study in the 2030s (Figure 1). The number of children and teachers using the services provided by Code for Everyone exceeds 1.3 million per year[4]. In particular, 640,000 students use “Proguru” for elementary school students each year, accounting for approximately one in three fifth- and sixth-graders who learn programming[5]. Figure 1: Activities of Code for Everyone Source: Official website of Code for Everyone[6]
3. Start-up Period of RAKSUL [7] It refers to a NPO corporation that is not certified or receives no special exemption status under the aforementioned act. [8] It refers to a NPO corporation that is certified or receives special exemption status under the aforementioned act. [9] It refers to an internet-related company that is publicly traded at the Prime Market of Tokyo Stock Exchange. “Better Systems, Better World” as being their vision, the company is bringing the internet into traditional industries that have yet to undergo digital transformation, aiming to transform the industrial structures. “RAKSUL”, of which Tonegawa was a development team member, is a matching service between the users of printing services and the idling time of printing companies. Tonegawa was born in Chiba Prefecture in 1985. His father worked for a major corporation and his mother was a housewife. His first contact with technology was when he was in junior high school. Using the computer in his living room, he used dots to draw his favorite trains and published them on a web page he had created himself. He liked to experiment with new things. During his high school years, he once persuaded his teacher to film a class and create a video program, and once took an overnight long-distance bus just to participate in an urban development competition in Osaka. Later, he entered the School of Economics at Keio University. He joined the camera club, because he liked taking photographs. In his third year at the university, he took charge of a project as editor-in-chief of the yearbook committee, taking personal photos and landscapes of 4,000 graduates and selling them for about 15,000 yen per book, earning approximately 30 million yen in revenue. He was also blessed with friends with an entrepreneurial spirit surrounding him. In the camera club, he met Anri Samata (current Representative Partner of ANRI K.K.), and studied with Hiromitsu Kaede (current Representative Director of Supporterz, Inc.) under the same professor's seminar. He also participated in a summer school organized by Stanford University, where he lived together with students from Japan, Taiwan, and China during Keio University's summer recess. It was during this time that he was exposed to the activities of non-profit organizations. This was a time when he had never dreamed of starting his own NPO. Chapter 1: The Start-up Period The Beginning of Entrepreneurship He joined a major real estate developer after graduating from university and was assigned to the budget department. As his days became busier and busier, he gradually became demotivated. Reminiscing back on the Stanford University students he had interacted with during college who seemed to be leading the life they truly loved, he had a sense of scarcity and wondered if this was the right path for him to take. In his third year after graduation, he met Yasukane Matsumoto (current Chairman of the Board of Directors of RAKSUL INC.[9]) through an introduction from Samata, his college friend. He began his frantic days working in the budget department during the day and helping to found RAKSUL at night. Tonegawa bought books and started learning programming, as there was no one to create systems. While another person who would later become RAKSUL's CTO supported him, he practically taught himself to write code for RAKSUL. He left the major real estate developer and joined RAKSUL as a co-founder and the first full-time employee in 2011. He wrote programs day in and day out together with students and part-time workers. While RAKSUL raised funds and was accelerating its business at that time, the turnover rate was quite high. As the organization expanded, Tonegawa felt that the distance between engineers and non-engineers was growing, and he held in-house workshops using “Hour of Code”, an educational material published by a foreign company that allowed employees to enjoy programming in one hour. He then hosted a similar workshop for the employees' children, and felt a great response. This series of events led to the establishment of Code for Everyone (Figure 2) in July 2015. Several NPO corporations in Japan were created in 1998 with the enactment of the Act on Promotion of Specified Nonprofit Activities as legal entities to develop and sustain citizen activities to solve social issues. The fact that citizen activities have a legal personality has increased their credibility and allowed them to conduct businesses and alike as a legal entity. NPOs are legal entities that do not aim to distribute profits to their members, funders and alike. Unbeknownst to the public, however, NPOs are allowed to earn profits from their non-profit activities as long as they meet certain criteria set forth in the said act. As of April 2023, there were 49,582 certified corporations[7] and 1,291 approved or specially approved corporations engaging in specified non- profit activities[8] in Japan. The median annual revenue of approved corporations engaging in specified non-profit activities and specially approved corporations engaging in specified non-profit activities is 26.67 million yen, according to the “2023 Survey of Approved Corporations Engaging in Specified Non- profit Activities” published by the Cabinet Office. On the other hand, 20% of them have annual revenues of 100 million yen or more, with the largest having revenues of 21.3 billion yen. Code for Everyone's annual revenue is approximately 200 million yen, and it has much in common with the management of for-profit organizations in the sense that it employs paid employees and engages in business activities to maximize its social impact. The reason behind the management of Code for Everyone has been conducted in the same way as for-profit organizations was Tonegawa's experience in crossing the border from the for-profit side of the fence to the non-profit’s side. Corporations Engaging in Specified Non- profit Activities (NPO Corporation)
4. Tonegawa was inspired by Code.org[11], a non-profit organization behind the “Hour of Code[12]”, which Tonegawa used in one of his internal voluntary workshops when he was working at RAKSUL. From a non-profit perspective, he saw a divide in access: children from educationally minded, urban families had better access to cutting-edge programming education, while others lacked these opportunities. Tonegawa was also concerned about the concentration of programming classes in large cities. Furthermore, he believed that in the future, more people would aspire to focus on addressing social issues and living purpose-driven lives, rather than solely pursuing capitalistic growth. These reflections led him to choose an NPO as the form for his organization. Tonegawa continued its activities to spread the “Hour of Code” in Japan as an extension of its previous activities, rather than trying to bring about a major societal impact when Code for Everyone was founded. The workshops that had been held regularly expanded to host over 100 families at a time, and the scale of the program gradually grew, as highly motivated teachers started using the materials in their classes at schools. He decided to go to the U.S. to visit the representative of Code.org and obtain their consensus to establish Hour of Code Japan. It was at this time that he first learned the word advocacy[13]. Then he decided that Code for Everyone would focus on the following four activities: Training, educational materials, marketing, and policy advocacy. Coincidentally, school education in Japan was also undergoing changes in response to social changes such as informatization and globalization. With the spread of smartphones, individual access to the internet was rapidly expanding, and internet usage rates by age group were 74.8% for 6 to 12-year-olds and 98.2% for 13 to 19-year-olds[14]. The report published by Nomura Research Institute in 2015 indicated that “the introduction of AI will eliminate 49% of the jobs in the Japanese workforce within the next 10 to 20 years” [15] and made headlines. On the other hand, Japan's labor productivity was below the average of OECD member countries[16] and it remained stagnant. [10] It refers to the world largest coding community for children who wish to learn educational programming languages, provided by Scratch Foundation at free of charge. [11] It refers to a non-profit organization that aims to provide all students with opportunities to learn computer science. The users include 92 million school children and 2.7 million teachers. [12] It refers to online educational material provider that anyone can learn programming anywhere in just one hour. [13] To make recommendations to politicians, national and local governments, and other decision-makers for the purpose of bringing about changes in society. [14] Quoted from the “White Paper on Information and Communications, 2008 Edition” published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. [15] Nomura Research Institute, “49% of Japan's workforce can be replaced by artificial intelligence, robots and alike”, https://www.nri.com/-/media/Corporate/jp/Files/PDF/news/newsrelease/cc/2015/151202_1.pdf, (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [16] According to “Trends in Japanese Labor Productivity, 2015 Edition” published by the Japan Productivity Center, Japan's labor productivity ranks at 12th place out of 34 OECD countries, which is below the average for member countries. Reasons for Choosing a Nonprofit Corporation The Founding of Code for Everyone and the Momentum for Programming Education The reason why Tonegawa chose to establish a non- profit corporation was to make an impact in programming education. This decision to incorporate a legal entity came before the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (hereinafter referred to as the “MEXT”) mandated programming in elementary schools, at a time when services provided by private companies dominated the field. Free programming tools like Scratch[10], free-based robotics and programming courses were already abundantly available. Among those, a company like Life is Tech, Inc. which offered boot camp-style programs for junior high and high school students stood out. Tonegawa questioned whether there was a different approach to programming education, instead of competing with established players like Life is Tech. Figure 2: Parent-child event held in 2014 Source: Courtesy of Code for Everyone
5. [17] It refers to the foundation of school education, which sets the framework for what should be taught in each subject area. [18] It refers to the “ability to think logically about what combinations of movements are necessary to realize a series of activities one intends, how to combine codes corresponding to each movement, and how to improve combinations of codes to get closer to the intended activities.” [19] It refers to voluntary activities in which employees contribute to society by offering their knowledge and skills free of charge at non-profit organizations and alike. There are also efforts to collaborate with NPOs on a pro bono basis for the purpose of providing training opportunities for employees. Launch of the School Education Business In response to the trend toward mandatory programming education, Code for Everyone hosted workshops with the goal of reaching 10,000 participants to build momentum for mandatory programming education. While Tonegawa traveled across Japan with interns and people helping him on a pro bono[19] basis, Tonegawa began gathering colleagues to support elementary school programming education when he was awarded a large grant from a major foreign company in 2017. He paid close attention to the recruitment of people to make the greatest impact on a small group of people. One by one, he hand-picked and courted a well-known elementary school principal who was planning to retire, an elementary schoolteacher with more than 30 years of teaching experience, and an engineer he had long trusted, to join Code for Everyone in the early stages of the company's establishment. The former teachers took on the role of lecturers at training sessions held by local governments, and taught the significance of programming education and practical examples of classes to current teachers across the country. In addition, they developed “Proguru,” an online teaching material for classes so that all teachers who received training could facilitate the classes (Figure 3). Tonegawa believed that in addition to learning programming thinking from textbooks, it was also necessary to spare some time for hands-on learning online. The development of “Proguru” reflected the thoughts of the former teachers. A former member of the teaching staff said, “It is difficult to change the situation surrounding teachers when I was within the school system. It might be possible to change it from the outside. Let's bet the rest of our lives on Code for Everyone.” These teachers left their stable jobs and jumped into Code for Everyone. They were willing to not give up on the teacher's leadership. Code for Everyone managed to provide its services free of charge with grants from companies and foundations. Individual teachers, under normal circumstances, do not have the authority to make decisions, and purchase decisions are made at the Figure 3: Business Activities (Left: Programming training for teachers; Right: “Proguru” teaching materials for elementary school classes) Source: Courtesy of Code for Everyone In preparation for the revision of the Courses of Study[17] for Elementary Schools that were scheduled to take effect in 2020, the MEXT officials were about to debate whether or not to make programming education compulsory. A programming class using “Hour of Code” was held at an elementary school in January 2016, observed by a MEXT representative. One month later, Tonegawa had the opportunity to present at the MEXT. He gave a full explanation of the necessity of learning programming properly from the elementary education stage, and was subsequently selected as a member of the “Expert Committee on Programming Education and the Development of Logical Thinking, Creativity, and Problem-Solving Skills at the Elementary School Level”, which is one of the bodies that would be meeting to revise the Courses of Study. The next revision of the Courses of Study emphasized the realization of school education that nurtures the children's ability to become creators of a better society and to lead happier lives in the coming age. No new subject was established even after programming education became mandatory. The said revision merely made a reference to the acquisition of programming thinking[18] in existing subjects such as math and science. As a result, the subject was largely left to the discretion of each elementary school, and local governments and teachers in the frontline of education were at a loss as to how to implement the subject. Many teachers had no prior experience in programming or any formal training from the MEXT, and were still put in a position to teach programming in their classrooms.
6. Chapter 2: Turning Point (2019) Expansion of Business Domain The business reached a turning point in 2019 as revisions to the Courses of Study for junior and senior high schools were planned for 2021 and 2022 respectively (Figure 4). Its expansion of IT literary education was being considered. Tonegawa decided to expand the company’s offerings to these levels, providing teacher training and teaching materials similar to those for elementary schools. He recruited a former junior high school technology textbook writer and a high schoolteacher with experience as a prefectural chief instructor. For elementary schools, the need for teacher training was expected to decline after programming education began in 2020, so Tonegawa aimed to conduct research and make policy proposals for the 2030 Courses of Study revision. school or municipal level. “Proguru” was available on the internet, and teachers who received training could use the materials at their own discretion from the next day because there was no charge for the service. In the three years leading up to 2020 when programming education would become compulsory, more than 5,500 elementary schoolteachers received training in this manner, and teachers returning to their classrooms would give lessons using “Proguru.” The service expanded to a cumulative total number of users being more than 610,000 schoolchildren by FY 2019[20]. Outline of the Organization With the launch of the school education business, Tonegawa set a vision of “Fostering a society where anyone can create” Drawing from his experience at RAKSUL, he aimed to create a system with a holistic view. He believed school education, which all children are entitled to receive universally, would be crucial. Tonegawa saw technology as a field where future opportunities would vary greatly depending on whether one commanded technology or was commanded by it. His vision expressed the hope that children could use programming as a tool to solve social issues within their communities and ultimately across Japan. By 2019, the organization had grown to 10 employees, with half being professionals in their 40s or older, and the other half young employees in their 20s. Tonegawa believed that as long as there was a shared vision and entrepreneurial spirit that they wanted to commit to, developing human resources was unnecessary. The team members had expert-level knowledge in their respective fields and were bold enough to take on challenges outside their expertise. Tonegawa emphasized the importance of diversity in organizational development, focusing on making an [20] Quoted from “Annual Report 2019” published by Code for Everyone impact quickly. One of his core values was to “Diversity into Strength.” From his experience at RAKSUL, where a gap had developed between engineers and non- engineers as the company expanded, he wanted Code for Everyone to be a place where former teachers, engineers, enthusiastic young members in their 20s, and people from diverse backgrounds could respect each other and work together. Figure 4: Changes in the environment that surround informatics education in Japan Source: Courtesy of Code for Everyone
7. Words from Kamata and Hori and Hori had joined the company because of their admiration for Tanada despite that it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they witnessed the deterioration of the relationship between Tonegawa and Tanada. While they managed to hold their ground and work after Tanada's resignation, an event occurred that significantly lowered Kamata and Hori's self-esteem. An in-house trial session prior to the release of programming materials for high school classes was held to improve the service. The employees who participated in the event were working well, but over time, the Kamata and Hori were unable to keep up with the session. Kamata and Hori had no programming experience. Tonegawa mumbled, “Oh, it takes this long for some people.” He was thinking about how this material would actually be used in a high school classroom, and had no intent to offend the two. Hearing Tonegawa's comment, Kamata and Hori had to ask themselves, “Is it okay for me, who can't even write a code, to be working on Code for Everyone?” Many people often ask Tonegawa about difficulties in the past, but he honestly does not remember the hard times all that well. The truth is that it still pains him every time he thinks back to those days when young employees who had worked so hard with him through the start-up period left the company one after another, and female employees were made to feel as if they were not accepted by the company. He wondered if it would be relevant to simply say “It just did not work out well to organize the company.” “What exactly did I overlook?” Tonegawa decided to take another look at the situation surrounding the promotion of diversity. It was right around that period when Tanaka consulted Tonegawa, asking if “it is possible for Code for Everyone to conduct business regarding gender gap in IT.” Tanaka had been actively participating in efforts to close the gender gap in IT since her college days, including hosting a programming competition for women among other things. She joined Code for Everyone during its start-up period right after graduating from college, as she was already planning to start her own business in the future. She gained hands-on experience in leveraging schoolteachers to improve programming education with a bottom-up approach. Words from Tanaka It was only natural that she subsequently wondered if there would be anything she could initiate from the gender gap’s perspective, which she had been working on for years. Tonegawa still could not be convinced if Code for Everyone should really work on the gender gap issues. He could not be sure if he could build a suitable business model either. Eventually, Tanaka resigned to start a new business under a brand targeting female junior high and high school students. Words from Tanada Tonegawa started having difficulties conversing with Tanada, who joined the company two years ago as a college graduate, six months after Tanaka had left the company. Tanada was moving inexhaustibly with Tonegawa and Tanaka, and was achieving outstanding results in collaborating with partner companies and acquiring funds. Communication between Tanada and Tonegawa gradually became more difficult when she started trying to build a team as a leader, and recruit her team members as a result of the increasing number of corporate partnerships. One day, Tanada told Tonegawa, “I cannot imagine working while raising children at this company.” It was out of the blue. While Tonegawa wanted Tanada to continue working at Code for Everyone, he neither understood why she had told him such a thing, nor did he know what to do to improve the situation. Eventually, the relationship deteriorated to the point where he could not have a dialogue with her without other team members present, and Tanada also resigned after all. Additionally, he inaugurated “Computer Clubhouse Kaga” in 2019, a space for children to freely express themselves through technology as a new initiative, after meeting the education-driven mayor of Kaga City in Ishikawa Prefecture. The Wall of Ten During the chaotic start-up phase, as the business launched alongside the revised Courses of Study, no major issues arose due to the small size of the team, which Tonegawa could easily manage. However, as the company grew beyond 10 employees, communication and organizational structure became problematic. What had once been a collaborative, direct communication environment under the flat organization that he had thought of as a zoo in the positive sense of the word, became one where employees sought Tonegawa’s approval for every decision, making it difficult to hierarchize the organization. Moreover, young employees struggled, while no one within Code for Everyone had private sector management experience. Kamata and Hori were the female employees hired as members of the Corporate Partnership Team. Kamata
8. Challenges in the Technology Sector Turning to the technology sector for examples of the gender gap, it is visible that the percentage of women among technicians and engineers in companies is low, and that a deep-rooted gender gap still exists. Japan ranks last among the 36 OECD member countries in terms of the percentage of women who enter STEM fields, according to the “Policy Package on Education and Human Resource Development for the Realization of Society 5.0”, released by the Cabinet Office in 2022. Differences in attitudes by gender toward willingness to continuously learn programming and the prospect of career choice were observed at all school stages, elementary, junior high, and high school, according to the “Fact-Finding Survey on Programming Education and High School ‘Informatics I’ Subject, FY2022 Edition”, released by Code for Everyone. This suggests that female students may be unconsciously narrowing their own options due to the biased perceptions they receive from society and their families in various situations from their childhood due to the existence of stereotypes[25] such as “girls should be like girls.” A hidden curriculum[26] also existed in schools, with 22.8% of teachers believing that boys are more capable in science and math subjects[27]. The lack of diversity at decision-making levels and in occupations manifests its effects in unexpected ways. For example, in car design, the dummy dolls used in car crash safety tests were based on the average male physique. This resulted in an overwhelmingly higher [21] It refers to the ratio of attributes such as gender, race, job title, and visible disabilities. [22] It refers to relationships that recognize and inspire each other, while ensuring diversity. [23] World Economic Forum, “Gender Gap Index 2024,” https://jp.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2024/ (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [24] Analysis of 30,000 executives from 300 companies in 56 countries, surveyed between 2012 and 2019, including Japan. [25] Preconceptions, assumptions, and prejudices that permeate many people. [26] It refers to “all the things that students themselves learn in the course of their school life, whether intended by the educator or not.” [27] Quoted from “Report on the ‘Survey on the Careers and Lives of Schoolteachers’”, published by the National Women's Education Center, an Incorporated Administrative Agency Diversity promotion in Japan lags behind other countries, especially in gender equality. In the “Gender Gap Index 2024” published by the World Economic Forum, Japan ranked 118th out of 156 countries, improving from 125th in 2023, but still the lowest among OECD countries[23]. Japan ranks 113th in politics and 120th in the economy, and among the many evaluation criteria, the low ratio of women in decision-making positions is still conspicuous. While women's participation in the workforce is comparable to other countries, only 12.9% of managerial roles in Japan are held by women, compared to over 30% in many other nations, according to the “White Paper on Gender Equality 2023” by the Gender Equality Bureau. Despite the government's goal to raise this figure to 30% by 2020, the target has been delayed to 2030 due to insufficient progress. Research shows a positive correlation between diversity in decision-making and improved performance indicators like ROI, EBIT margin, and stock price performance. For instance, the “Gender 3000[24]”, published by the Credit Suisse Research Agency in 2019, found that diversity in management correlates with better medium- and long-term stock price performance. Similarly, the stock price index average over the past 10 years for a group of 17 selected companies has exceeded the TOPIX average since around 2017, according to the “Nadeshiko Issues Report 2022”, published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2023. The findings Gender Equality in Japan Lagging Behind Chapter 3:Where We Are Today in Diversity[21] and Inclusion [22] suggest that the companies have shown high resilience even after being affected by COVID-19. risk of serious injuries to women in car crashes. Another example is observed in the utilization of AI technology. Its data set contains the large number of white males, leading to a situation where some groups are not being identified. Another example closer to everyday life is that there have been scattered cases of companies misrepresenting the content of the information they disseminate on their official SNS accounts, resulting in online backlash. In a highly homogeneous organization, it is difficult to recognize the gap between the needs of society and internal perceptions, since it is difficult to look at things from the standpoint of various stakeholders, which can lead to errors in decision-making and governance risks. Tonegawa, on the other hand, was interested in creating new businesses. Japan lagged behind in terms of diversity and inclusion, and the problems occurring in the technology sector where Code for Everyone operates seemed more like a new issue to be solved than a risk. Tanaka's plea, as a former employee, also seemed like something that he could now view as the seed of a new business venture. When and how did Tonegawa's values evolve?
9. Suginohara joined as COO in 2020, and Tonegawa entrusted her with rebuilding the fundraising[28] department, transitioning the company from its founding phase, where he made all decisions, to a more scalable organization. Tonegawa observed how Suginohara built trust with the team and Then, when I was in a position to hire employees who were raising children was being buried. They were not being given important jobs because of their shortened working hours for childcare. The women themselves were also putting a lid on their potential, saying, 'I can't do it'. I saw in them the image of my mother. Yes, I did receive awards for women's advancement, but when the company went public in 2020, I looked back and was shocked to see that not a single woman had been nominated as a candidate for board member, or general manager of a business unit, let alone executive officer. The pursuit of work styles and job satisfaction is not necessarily connected to diversity in the decision-making levels. Intentional or not, I have proven that to be true. I finally realized that there must be something wrong with the structure in which opportunities are not distributed fairly. And when I actually worked to promote diversity, I realized that it is not easy to change the high level of homogeneity that has been solidly built up after the fact. Based on these experiences, I have made it my personal life mission to contribute to the diversification of the decision-making structure in venture companies. If I were to be given the opportunity to work for Code for Everyone, I would like to challenge myself to see if there is anything I can do to embed a diversity perspective in the organization while it is still small.” Division of Responsibilities between CEO and COO [28] It collectively refers to the act of raising funds for a non-profit organization for its activities. It is equivalent to sourcing capital for a profit-seeking company. Hiring a COO Tonegawa felt limited by the company's inability to successfully reorganize as it transitioned from the start-up to the expansion phase, and decided to hire a COO. He vaguely thought that a woman should be the COO to make the company a place where female employees could play an active role. After more than six months of recruiting, he met Akiko Suginohara. After graduating from university, Suginohara joined a venture company and launched a business for schools as a sales representative. Later, as a director of its subsidiary, she had experience in setting up an administrative division and preparing the company for listing on the stock exchange. She worked tirelessly to promote diversity, including winning several awards related to female advancement during the six years, with the goal of creating an organization where all employees can work with a sense of fulfillment and ease of work. When asked during the interview if there was a job that she would like to do at Code for Everyone, Suginohara shared her thoughts as if a dam inside of her had burst. “One of the reasons I wanted to create an organization where all employees can work in a way that is both rewarding and comfortable is because of my mother. After graduating from college, my mother worked for a major trading company, and when she became pregnant and gave birth, she left the company and became a full-time housewife. When I was in junior high school, she re-entered the workforce as a contract employee for a small to medium-sized company, but in my eyes, my mother had sacrificed her own career. Chapter 4: Rebuilding the Organization collaboratively defined their mission. She organized work around this mission and even terminated several sizable projects that didn’t align with it, which reassured Tonegawa that the team could operate independently. While the delegation of one department to Suginohara went smoothly, Tonegawa did not know how to proceed with the delegation of authority from that point on. Tonegawa continued to facilitate most of the meetings. Four months passed without Tonegawa being able to imagine how he and Suginohara should share the responsibility. At that time, he asked Kozo Fukushima, his old colleague and RAKSUL's COO at that time, to share some information with him, as he thought it would be a good learning opportunity for Suginohara, who was taking on the COO role for the first time. Upon learning of the situation, Fukushima pointed out that Tonegawa was struggling with delegation and bluntly told him in front of Suginohara, “You hired the COO, so leave it to her. Tonegawa-san, you are not good at operating, are you? You are much worse at managing than you think you are, so let it go as soon as possible.” Soon after, Suginohara provided an overall organizational diagram, outlining timelines and the meetings Tonegawa should focus on. Her suggestion that he dedicate his time to future planning resonated with him, and he decisively handed over most of his responsibilities to her. From then on, Tonegawa and Suginohara tackled difficult issues by looking at the company holistically, dividing responsibilities, and trusting each other fully. Although they had different approaches—Tonegawa being entrepreneurial and Suginohara more execution-focused— and there were many occasions when the two did not take a step back from each other,
10. When Suginohara joined Code for Everyone in 2020, online communication was being explored as the company switched to telecommuting in the wake of the new coronavirus infection. Suginohara noticed that younger employees and female employees did not feel comfortable communicating with each other, and she seemed to be focusing on improving the relationships among working members. For example, a “check-in” system was introduced at all meetings in the daily work. In the check-in system, all participants in a meeting are required to say a few words at the beginning of the meeting about how they are feeling and what they think about the topic under discussion. This has allowed all members, regardless of position, age, or work history, to get into the habit of opening their mouths, and has increased the amount of talking done by members other than Tonegawa. Furthermore, the names of meetings were converted to be something with more casual expressions one after another. The “company-wide meeting” was changed to “all-school assembly,” “1-on-1” to “chat time,” and “meeting” to “online standing talk.” The younger employees commented that “we were nervous around Tonegawa and senior members, no matter how comfortable the corporate culture was to talk, and felt pressured to report properly to their superiors. But now, we feel more willing to talk about things that are not going well or about my personal life.” Additionally, time was set aside to deepen the quality of relationships. At the company-wide face-to-face meetings held twice a year, each meeting lasted about two hours, and each member had time to share his or Chapter 5: Organizational Change Cultivating Relationships and Tonegawa learned that once the roles were assigned, it was important to leave everything to the other. The number of employees exceeded 50 by 2023, but there was no noticeable turnover or organizational collapse. And it is not just that the organization has improved, but that the perspective of diversity has become embedded throughout the organization. More and more people outside the company told him, “Code for Everyone's impression has changed a lot.” This prompted Tonegawa to reflect on how the organization had evolved. her reasons for joining Code for Everyone, strengths and weaknesses, and what he or she wanted to do in life. Through these small efforts and the accumulation of time for mutual understanding, Tonegawa has come to know the non-working faces of the members. Tonegawa was told by Suginohara that “the weak decision-making capability of the organization is an issue” as he was improving meetings and communication, as well as institutional aspects such as various regulations and approval procedures. At first, this did not seem to make sense to Tonegawa, but it was true that up to that point, Tonegawa had been making decisions on the purchase of even a single book. Having taken a venture company public, Suginohara had experienced how to maximize results with limited resources, and had experienced the bureaucratization that occurs when an organization expands. Therefore, Suginohara seemed to believe that “the person closest to the customer makes decisions in day-to-day business activities” and “build a team with greater collective leadership than a single leader,” and she encouraged employees to make their own decisions. For example, to a former member of the senior generation of teachers who said, “I will do whatever you tell me to do”, she challenged them by saying, “What would you like to do?” and then, to the younger employee who said, “What do you want me to do? Please decide”, she challenged them by saying ”Suppose you were to decide, what would you do?” Suginohara always emphasized that “What we should be mindful of is not a job title, but simply a division of roles,” and she promoted the delegation of authority Breaking Free from the Culture of Gauging Superior's Preference
11. [29] Code for Everyone, “D&I Promotion Report”, https://speakerdeck.com/codeforeveryone/d-and-itui-jin-repoto-tekunorozifen-ye-noziendagiyatuputosonoqu-rizu-minituite (Accessed on July 04, 2024) uncomfortable from this point of view”, “That is your point of view”, and “This color’s shade is not cute”, began to emerge. Many of these comments were completely unnoticed until then, and such opinions per se were new. These feelings of discomfort were not negative material that slowed down business activities, but were accepted as positive material, which members saying, “Thank you for being honest and letting me know.” Suginohara’s influence on Tonegawa centered around her approach to nurturing people. She not only helped develop her team members' skills and mindsets but also spent time discussing their lives, careers, and future possibilities - an approach particularly relevant in a venture organization with an uncertain career path. Through observing Suginohara’s interactions with team members, Tonegawa witnessed how people could transform when approached thoughtfully. Previously, Tonegawa had no concept of “nurturing” employees. He believed that opportunities and challenges nurture people, and that hiring individuals Believing in People's Growth while enhancing the decision-making capability of the front line. In this way, the relationship between Tonegawa, who wanted each employee to be autonomous, and the front line, who wanted to be beholden to Tonegawa, was transformed from one in which Tonegawa and Suginohara and the rest of the management team supported the front line in their decision-making to one in which the front line made decisions on their own. Common Language and Expression of Discomfort Tonegawa actively participated in study groups held by Suginohara. He was honestly willing to learn again, since the process of organizing was new to him. The study sessions were mainly aimed at younger employees, covering skill aspects such as how to read contracts and venture management, as well as coaching and diversity and inclusion to improve the quality of dialogue. Spending time with younger employees led to the younger employees presenting a sense of discomfort. For example, Tonegawa had a habit of contorting his face when he heard something he did not agree with, which made the younger employees nervous. The younger employees were able to express their discomfort to Tonegawa using the language they learned at the workshop, and Tonegawa began to take care to improve his own habits. As the relationship among the members was cultivated and a common language was nurtured, a sense of discomfort regarding diversity gradually began to appear on the table. Comments that had never appeared at the table before, such as “I felt Some of Suginohara’s approaches were initially puzzling. She often hired women with limited availability due to childcare responsibilities and with remarkable skill sets in a particular field and providing them with suitable quality of challenges and environment was sufficient for their professional success. Yet he realized that this approach had contributed to turnover, particularly among younger, less experienced employees. While human resource development was not his area of expertise, Tonegawa began to focus on both his team’s and potential recruits’ past experiences and what they valued in life. This series of organizational transformations made him accept new ways of thinking or doing business on many occasions, but it was not without challenges for Tonegawa. At a company-wide offsite meeting in July 2021, he openly shared his thoughts in front of all employees, saying, “The organization is positively changing now that Suginohara has joined. On the other hand, it also means that things could move forward effectively if I let go of some responsibilities. Honestly, there were times I questioned or even lost my raison d’etre.” A Change in the View of Female Employees Table 1: Percentage of Women in the Workforce Source: Quoted from Code for Everyone, “D&I Promotion Report”[29]
12. [30] It refers to a body that makes decisions and alike for execution of certain operations. It is equivalent of the board of directors in private companies. [31] A board member in the context of a legal entity of NPO refers to a director or an auditor. [32] Code for Everyone, “Proguru Lab”, https://labs.proguru.jp/ (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [33] Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, “Result of the Basic School Survey 2023” The organization’s transformation positively impacted its business activities as well. Code for Everyone actively promoted diversity during product development and service launch phases. The development of “Caesar’s Cryptography Course,” designed to teach elementary students about telecommunications is a good example. While Tonegawa created the concept, the planning has stalled since. To reignite the project, Tonegawa organized an ideation session, gathering a team with an equal mix of men and women, of the age group ranging from the 20s to the 50s. He hosted a brainstorming session to talk about “What kind of fun did you have when you Business Activities and Diversity Promotion member. Promoting diversity in leadership is not straightforward; Suginohara admitted to Tonegawa, “In my previous work, I tried to work in a linear fashion to increase the ratio of women in leadership positions to 30%. It did not work out very well. I may have pushed it too quickly.” women with potential but limited experience. Tonegawa, known for his rigorous hiring standards, wondered if these choices would advance the organization. However, he soon observed that the women working with Suginohara were thriving, visibly improving in their leadership roles, and expressing a desire to remain at Code for Everyone long-term. Younger female employees, who initially doubted they could continue their careers after starting a family, began to see the possibility of doing so within the company. Additionally, the number of referrals from female employees increased with each hiring round. Reflecting on past years, Tonegawa noted that in 2019, male employees ranged from their 20s to 60s, while only young, single women were on staff. Today, the workforce includes women balancing work with raising children, single mothers, women who became parents young, and women open about choosing not to have children - all openly sharing their experiences and struggles. Tonegawa recognized a significant shift in the company’s perception of female employees. Seeing these female employees, the team, whose members are predominantly male, began to look for candidates with gender balance in mind when offering new positions. As a result, the percentage of women in the workforce increased from 21% in 2019 to 57% in 2024, and the percentage of women in leadership positions also increased from 25% in 2019 to 66% in 2024 (Table 1) respectively. In response to these changes, Tonegawa initiated a restructuring of the board of directors[30]. Since the company’s founding, the board of directors had consisted entirely of male board members[31], including Tonegawa. After a six-month search, he succeeded in appointing a woman with expertise in school and social education as an external board Figure 5: “Secret Letter Course” and “Drawing Course” Source: Courtesy of Code for Everyone “Proguru Lab” page [32] Figure 6 A class using the “Drawing Course” Source: Courtesy of Code for Everyone (Demonstration study with Elementary School attached to Miyagi University of Education) were little.” Inspired by a female employee’s childhood story about exchanging secret letters during class, he developed the idea of a “Secret Letter Course.” It was an emotional moment for all who joined the session to feel that “This product could resonate with girls, who take up a half in classrooms” (Figure 5). The subsequent “Drawing Course,” which teaches digital image representation, was also inspired by a female employee’s experience playing with beads (Figure 6). In the service launch phase, Code for Everyone introduced a program specifically designed for female elementary schoolteachers. Although women comprise 62.6%[33] of elementary schoolteachers, approximately 80% of teachers participating in the company’s training over the last three years were men. Code for Everyone launched a program specifically designed for female schoolteachers to close the gender gap on the teaching side. Similarly, at Computer Clubhouse Kaga, the percentage of girls among those children who use the facility was less than 10%. A similar effort to close the gender gap among employees
13. action on the gender gap in the fundraising environment through his venture capital firm; Suginohara, COO, had started a voluntary organization with diversifying decision-making. She also trained and promoted women and young employees at Code for Everyone. The actions and behaviors of those close to Tonegawa were relentlessly witnessed on a daily basis. Tonegawa gradually started to feel a sense of mission to make Code for Everyone an enlightening presence in society as he experienced various things both inside and outside of the company. Tonegawa was selected to be a member of an expert panel organized by MEXT in 2024. When Tonegawa asked his counterpart at the MEXT, “How about the gender perspective among the committee members?” the person replied, “I thought you would say that, Tonegawa-san. I tackled the issue with a sense of urgency. There is no problem.” Tonegawa looked back over the past four years and unintentionally raised their clenched fists together with his team members in victory. Revision of Values [34] Code for Everyone’s value refers to the action policy that all members wish to hold dear to achieve its vision. In the midst of these changes, Tonegawa began to mention the importance of diversity in public. At national expert meetings and gatherings of business executives, he began to point out that diversity was an issue, and at events where there were no women speakers at all, he began to recommend suitable female speakers, both inside and outside of the company. Rather than acting out of a sense of mission, this was something that came naturally to Tonegawa. That was how Tonegawa had been exposed to a great deal of information on diversity promotion. Tanaka, a former employee, had founded Waffle with the aim of bridging the gender gap in the technology field, and Tonegawa had become an external board member. Samata, a friend from college, was taking positive Changes in Tonegawa In the process of organizational reform, while moving back and forth between the organization and the business, Tonegawa received a suggestion from Suginohara that the values[34], a set of shared values, might not be permeating the organization. The values were created by Tonegawa during the founding period with the future of Code for Everyone in mind. However, rather than forcing them to permeate the organization, he decided to leave them to Suginohara, believing that it would be necessary to update the values as the organization grew. and college student mentors on the management side of the facility was made, including hosting Girls’ Day. As a result, the percentage of girls among attendees exceeded 30% by April 2023. Through these diversity-focused initiatives in business activities, employees recognized that, without deliberate planning, business activities might unintentionally skew toward male audiences. By adopting more inclusive strategies, Code for Everyone successfully reached previously overlooked segments and delivered them values. Discussions around gender expanded to include different perspectives, such as children, teachers, and rural versus urban viewpoints. When debates reached an impasse, team members began interviewing stakeholders directly. Tonegawa realized that by embedding diversity in the early stages of product development, the company could offer enriched services and unique value, differentiating Code for Everyone from the other companies. Figure 7: Revision of corporate value proposition Source: Courtesy of Code for Everyone Suginohara promoted a project to revise the values over a period of 18 months starting in 2022, and brainstorming sessions were held three times with the participation of all employees. The project began with discussions on “What is the joy of working?” and “What do we want to value?” The perspectives were dentified, followed by a series of small-group discussions that spun out new values: “Let's put children first,” “Let's listen to unheard voices,” “Let's give it a try,” and “Let's develop a system for good” (Figure 7). In particular, “Let's listen to unheard voices,” which refers to the importance of diversity, is an updated version of the previous value “Diversity into Strength,” but Suginohara was struggling as the expression was not finalized until the end. After discussions that included “Isn't this an expression from the majority's point of view?”, “How about ‘Let's notice the things we don't notice’?”, “No, we wouldn't be able to be aware of what we are not aware of, would we? Because we don't even realize that we are not aware of certain things”, the following summary of the thoughts behind “Let's listen to unheard voices” was created:
14. Revision of Vision diversity promotion efforts that we are committed to being inclusive regardless of differences in regional and family economic environments, school attendance, gender, native language, and so on. The “can create” section, which has remained unchanged since the company's founding, does not intend for children to be familiar with technology as consumers, but envisions them expressing themselves, solving problems around them, and creating value digitally, including through programming. The “Fostering a society” section was designed to create a system in which opportunities reach children in disadvantaged areas and those who are often overlooked. As a result of the revision of the vision and values, employees began to ask themselves the question, “Are we reaching ‘everyone’?” In the process of resolving this question, conversations such as “What does it mean to children?”, or ”Let's ask them directly, as they are the actual stakeholders” began to take place. Tonegawa hopes to grow Code for Everyone into an entity with even greater impact by creating a framework through business activities and policy proposals. However, he feels that it will take a long time before the impact of promoting diversity yields results in the company and society. He feels as such especially because he has been giving everything he's got to work on this diversity issue. He sometimes wonders how focusing on diversity promotion among the many management issues will lead to corporate growth. “As a premise, we are aware that we are highly homogeneous from either side. We understand that homogeneity narrows our vision and may cause us to overlook things. That is why we are willing to look at information and perspectives outside our “norm,” to create opportunities to hear the voices of others, and to be aware of what we are not aware of. To be aware sometimes means to face our pain. We may receive opposing opinions and feelings of discomfort. We want to respect, enjoy, and absorb these different opinions and perspectives. In the process, we will discover what we can do and what we can influence, and then we will 'Let's give it a try'.” Tonegawa compared this to the value he created himself, “Diversity into Strength,” and realized that the company has evolved from a perspective that emphasizes the backgrounds of the people who work with us to one that actively incorporates diverse perspectives from both inside and outside the company to solve social issues through our business. Discussions on the values proceeded based on the concept of creating an expression that employees could use when they were unsure of their daily decisions. As they were being created one by one, Tonegawa mused, “If it's a management poem, it won't be used after all.” In conjunction with the value revision, Tonegawa updated the vision to “Fostering a society where anyone can create.” As the business domain and In conjunction with the value revision, Tonegawa updated the vision to “Fostering a society where anyone can create.” As the business domain and beneficiaries expanded, he felt that the organization had surpassed its previous vision. The word “anyone” incorporates the realization gained through our Chapter 6: Diversity Promotion and Strategy Looking back at the overall changes in the organization from 2019 to 2023, the gender gap challenges related to informatics education occurred exactly as they did in Code for Everyone (Figure 8). Had the lack of diversity in the company gone unnoticed and the same decision-making and organizational behavior had continued, the company would still be delivering services developed by a male- dominated team led by Tonegawa to schools where many of the teachers of informatics education are male. He found it frightening to think that he was on the side of reinforcing the structure that creates a gender gap in the technology field, despite the company's vision of “Fostering a society where anyone can create". Tonegawa is currently working with the management team to discuss mid-term strategies. He hopes to demonstrate the impact that Code for Everyone will create, both qualitatively and quantitatively, over the next 10 years. Diversity promotion has been added to the strategy, in the same line as the school education and third place for children businesses. While the management team, including Tonegawa, was convinced that addressing diversity was an essential driver for improving society through business, there was a shared belief that “if we don't put diversity promotion in the same league as our business activities, we will naturally overlook it. There is a risk that we will be back to where we started in no time.” After such discussions, the team decided to position it in the same line as business activities. How to Position It in the Strategy
15. [35] Code for Everyone, “D&I Promotion Report”, https://speakerdeck.com/codeforeveryone/d-and-itui-jin-repoto-tekunorozifen-ye-noziendagiyatuputosonoqu-rizu-minituite (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [36] It refers to the Japanese tool, written in the way that is easier for the listeners or readers to understand. [37] It refers to socio-emotional skills (non-cognitive skills) linked to success in life, according to the results of an OECD study Seeds of New Business Figure 8: Business Activities and Organizational Challenges Source: Edited by the author from Code for Everyone “D&I Promotion Report” [35] The importance of diversity is also cited as an essential element in the creation of innovation, and the seeds of new businesses at Code for Everyone were often born from the diverse values of its employees. Indeed, the company could not accept the seed of a project to close the gender gap in the technology field, which later became Waffle, but Sueoka, a male employee living in Ishikawa Prefecture who has been leading the third place for children project since 2019, has strong foundational experiences with the disparity in educational opportunities in underpopulated areas, and he was able to bring a regional and local perspective to Code for Everyone. New initiatives have also been launched. Hori, a female employee, who wants to eliminate the disparity in career options for children living in rural areas, started to validate a career education service in collaboration with corporations. Hadano, another female employee who is interested in supporting Changes in the School Education Environment The environment surrounding school education has changed considerably in just four years since 2019. The COVID-19 Pandemic accelerated the deployment of one internet-connected terminal per student, and a generative AI service that everyone can use easily became available by the end of 2022. Tonegawa had a sense of foreboding and crisis that the ideal form of education would change drastically after touching the children whose first language is not Japanese, led the implementation of “Easy Japanese[36]”, a language- switching function to “Proguru”, the company’s existing service, in 2023. While these efforts are still in their infancy, they were able to be implemented with financial support from the validation stage because they generated sympathy from companies and foundations, rather than being undertaken on a voluntary basis. As far as the economy is concerned, Japan continues to have low labor productivity and a long-standing shortage of digital talents: Japan ranks 32nd out of 64 countries according to IMD's “Global Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2023”, a record low since the survey began in 2017. In the area of human resources, the country is a relative laggard in “availability of digital/technical skills (63rd)” and “international experience of senior management (64th).” The government has also made a decision to invest in reskilling to transform the skill sets of working adults, but Tonegawa believed that Japanese companies need to create an environment where they can collectively nurture their children to prevent a widening gap in opportunities available depending on the circumstances and environment in which they are placed. This is because early investment in the developmental process of children leads to the acquisition of higher skills later on and positive outcomes when they become adults[37]. In the management of companies, social responsibility generative AI service. The Courses of Study, which were to be revised in 2030, were scheduled to be discussed in earnest from around 2024. Tonegawa issued a company-wide order, “Let's Shift to Generative AI,” to create materials for discussion among educational administrations, academic institutions, and school sites on the ideal form of informatics education, and promoted class practices and development of teaching materials using generative AI in cooperation with elementary, junior high, and high schools. He was making policy proposals from the viewpoint of how to make the best use of generative AI as a tool, rather than taking a negative and cynical view thereof. Changes Surrounding Stakeholders
16. [38] Suntory Holdings has established the “Suntory ‘You are limitless’ Fund", a next-generation empowerment project to collaborate with NPOs and other organizations that work with teenagers in 2024. [39] Rohto Pharmaceutical will establish the “Rohto Children's Dream Fund” in 2024 to support organizations working to solve and improve social issues related to children. is now expected in addition to achieving sales and profit growth, and investors now judge medium-term growth potential based on non-financial information, including environmental and human capital. The Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives), the Impact Startup Association, and the Japan Association of New Public, will be working together and creating a movement to embody the concept of mutual aid capitalism in each sector in 2023. As a matter of fact, Keizai Doyukai member companies such as Suntory[38] and Rohto Pharmaceutical[39] established a foundation to collaborate with nonprofit organizations in 2024. Epilogue It has been almost 10 years since Code for Everyone was established. Tonegawa recalled the days when he organized events for non-engineers and children in RAKSUL. He never set up Code for Everyone with the intention of making a big impact. However, as he solved the challenges in front of him, his desire to eliminate the education gap in Japan's technology sector and to create a system to reach all children became solid, and he began to think of ways to change society, not only through business activities but also through policy proposals. The same is true for the promotion of diversity. The issues that need to be solved are right in front of us. We will change society through organizational development and business activities by listening to the voices of those who have not been included in the structure of society and corporations up to now. In a real sense, we can create a system that delivers opportunities to all children. Tonegawa's thoughts turned to the next 10 years.
17. [40] Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, “Result of the Basic School Survey 2023”, https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20230823-mxt_chousa01-000031377_001.pdf(Accessed on July 04, 2024) [41] Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office, “The White Paper on Gender Equality 2024”, https://www.gender.go.jp/about_danjo/whitepaper/r05/zentai/pdfban.html (Accessed on July 12, 2024) [42] Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office, “Promotion of Women on Corporate Boards in Japan and Other Countries” Reference 1: Number of schools, enrollments, and teachers at elementary and junior high schools, vocational schools, and other schools Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, “Result of the Basic School Survey 2023” [40] References Reference 3: Percentage of women in the workforce and managerial positions in Japan and other countries Source: Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office, “The White Paper on Gender Equality 2024” [41] Reference 4: Benefits of Corporate Efforts to Promote Women's Advancement (4) Source: Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office, “Promotion of Women on Corporate Boards in Japan and Other Countries”[42]
18. [44] Refer to Table 1 “Percentage of Women in the Workforce” [45] Code for Everyone, “Initiatives on Bridging the Gender Gap in the Technology Sector”, https://code.or.jp/policy-gender/ (Accessed on July 04, 2024) Code for Everyone has been working towards the development of informatics education with a focus on programming education in elementary, junior high, and high schools, as well as in local communities since its establishment in 2015, with the vision of “Fostering a society where anyone can create”. In order to realize our vision, the question that we ask ourselves is: “Are we really reaching out to everyone?” We are working to close various gaps based on this question, but we recognize that there is a particularly large gender gap in the technology sector, which is a key focus of Code for Everyone. Below are some of our key actions and ideas for closing the gender gap in the technology sector. 1. Actions related to informatics education We want to be a creator of the future of informatics education in Japan, working together with the frontline of schools, teachers, educational administrators, academics, companies, and local communities across the country. Internally, we are working to improve the gender balance in the ideation and marketing stages of product development. Outside the company, we take concrete actions to share the issues when gender gaps are identified in various policy-related surveys and meetings. Initiatives on Bridging the Gender Gap in the Technology Sector NPO Code for Everyone Yuta Tonegawa, CEO 2. Actions related to school education We promote the active participation of female teachers in informatics education, including programming, and ultimately aim to eliminate unconscious assumptions and gender gaps in school education, such as that “IT and science are the choice of men”. We believe that by creating an environment in which female teachers can confidently engage in programming education, we can create an opportunity for many children, regardless of gender, to develop an interest in technology. We also support the creation of a community where female teachers can connect with other female teachers who share their concerns and questions about teaching programming. 4. Speaker Policy We not only pay attention to the gender balance when we host the events, but we also ask the organizers to improve the gender balance of any opportunities to which we are invited, and if necessary, we will recommend other candidates. 5. Organizational Development One of the values we created in 2018 is “Diversity into Strength” and we have expanded our organization while taking into account the diversity of attributes and ages of our working members. The percentage of women in organizational decision- making is shown in the table below[44], and we are committed to continuing our efforts. In addition, recognizing the challenges in gender balance in each occupation, we updated our values on diversity to “Let's be aware” in 2023. This is because we want to go one step further from recognizing diversity in our organization to incorporate diverse perspectives that we have overlooked and deliver them to society through our business. We will focus on creating an organization that can go out of its way to realize whether it is taking action to reach “everyone” as stated in our vision. Code for Everyone will continue its efforts to close the gender gap and contribute to building a better future for children by improving diversity in the technology sector. We sincerely appreciate your interest in our activities and look forward to your support and cooperation. Last updated: March 26, 2024 Reference 5: Initiatives on Bridging the Gender Gap in the Technology Sector Source: Code for Everyone, official website[45] 3. Actions related to the Third Place for Children Project We operate the third place for children where teenagers can experience cutting-edge technology for free. While these facilities are open to all, we will implement initiatives to reach girls and gender minorities when deemed necessary due to the gender balance of the users. While this may temporarily limit the use of the facilities to children who are not eligible, we will work to create an environment where all children and students can experience and enjoy programming and technology, expand their potential, and provide equitable opportunities. We hope you will understand our cause.
19. [1] (*) Jean-Baptiste, A. (2021). Google-ryu Diversity and Inclusion. BNN (A Japanese translation of “Building For Everyone: Expand Your Market With Design Practices From Google’s Product Inclusion Team” by Annie Jean-Baptiste) [2] (*) Perez, C.C. Sonzai shinai onna tachi (Invisible women). Kawade Shobo Shinsha Publishers (A Japanese translation of “Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men” by Caroline Criado Perez) [3] (*) Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2018). Shakai Jodoteki Skill – Manabi ni mukau chikara (Social Emotional Skill – Power that Drives Learning). Akashi Shoten. [4] (*) Matsubara, A., Ohkoso M. (2022) Kyoryoku no technology (Cooperation Technology). Gakugei Shuppansha. [5] (*) Code.org, official website, https://code.org/ (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [6] Post, C., Lokshin, B. and Boone, C. (2021). Research: Adding Women to the C-Suite Changes How Companies Think. Harvard Business Review. (Accessed on July 12, 2024) [7] (*) Forbes Japan. 30 UNDER 30 JAPAN. https://forbesjapan.com/feat/30under30/2020/ (Accessed on August 08, 2024) [8] (*) Forbes Japan. A non-profit start-up led by a former RAKSUL executive to work on a new interdisciplinary approach to solve societal issues. https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/71603 (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [9] (*) Hour of Code. Official website. https://hourofcode.com/jp (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [10] Gompers, P. and Kovvali, S. (2018). The Other Diversity Dividend. Harvard Business Review. (Accessed on July 28, 2024) [11] (*) Waffle. Official website. https://waffle-waffle.org/ (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [12] (*) Credit Suisse. Gender 3000 Report. https://www.credit- suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/media/media-release/2019/10/2019-10-18-cs-gender- 3000-press-release-japan-ja.pdf (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [13] (*) Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Nadeshiko Issues Report 2022. https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/economy/jinzai/diversity/R4nadeshikoreport.pdf (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [14] (*) Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives). Collaborative Capitalism. https://www.doyukai.or.jp/newsrelease/2023/kyojo.htmls (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [15] (*) International Institute for Management Development (IMD). World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2023 – Japan ranks 32nd , a record low again. https://www.imd.org/news/world_digital_competitiveness_ranking_202311/ (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [16] (*) National Women’s Education Center. Research Report on Career and Lives of Schoolteachers. https://www.nwec.go.jp/about/publish/2018/ecdat60000002eli.html (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [17] (*) World Economic Forum. Gender Gap Index 2024. https://jp.weforum.org/publications/global- gender-gap-report-2024/ (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [18] (*) Suntory Holdings. Suntory “Your are Limitless” Fund. https://www.suntory.co.jp/company/csr/kimi_wa_michisu/program.html (Accessed on July 26, 2024) [19] (*) Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Statistics Topics No. 137: Number of Children in Our Country. https://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/topics/topi1371.html (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [20] (*) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. White Paper 2016 - Information and Telecommunications in Japan. https://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/h28.html (Accessed on July 13, 2024) [21] (*) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Basic Survey on Schools / Survey on Elementary and Junior High Schools, Vocational Schools, and Other Types of Schools 2023, Survey on Correspondence School Education (High Schools) and Survey Paper on Schools (Elementary Schools). https://www.e- stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?stat_infid=000040127829 (Accessed on July 14, 2024) [22] (*) Cabinet Office. Policy Package concerning Education and Human Resource Development to Achieve Society 5.0. https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/tyousakai/kyouikujinzai/saishu_print.pdf (Accessed on July 04, 2024) Bibliography: (*) refers to the information written in the Japanese language. [23] (*) Cabinet Office. Historical Changes in the Number of Certifications for A corporation engaging in specified non-profit activities. https://www.npo-homepage.go.jp/about/toukei-info/ninshou-seni (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [24] (*) (Cabinet Office. Fact-finding Survey on corporations engaging in specified non-profit activities. https://www.npo-homepage.go.jp/toukei/npojittai-chousa/2023npojittai-chousa (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [25] (*) Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office. Promotion of Women on Corporate Boards in Japan and Other Countries. www.gender.go.jp/kaigi/senmon/keikaku_kanshi/siryo/pdf/ka15-2.pdf (Accessed on July 12, 2024) [26] (*) Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office. White Paper on Gender Equality 2024. https://www.gender.go.jp/about_danjo/whitepaper/r05/zentai/pdfban.html (Accessed on July 12, 2024) [27] (*) Japan Productivity Center. Labor Productivity Statistics in Japan: 2015. https://www.jpc- net.jp/research/assets/pdf/R89attached2.pdf (Accessed on July 12, 2024) [28] (*) Nomura Research Institute. 49% of Japan's Workforce Can Be Replaced by Artificial Intelligence, Robots and alike. https://www.nri.com/-/media/Corporate/jp/Files/PDF/news/newsrelease/cc/2015/151202_1.pdf (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [29] (*) Agency for Cultural Affairs. Easy Japanese Language Guideline to Support Foreign Residents Living in Japan, and so forth. https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/kokugo_nihongo/kyoiku/92484001.html (Accessed on July 26, 2024) [30] (*) Code for Everyone. Official website. https://code.or.jp/ (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [31] (*) Code for Everyone. Annual Report 2019. https://code.or.jp/wp- content/uploads/2023/11/2019_activity_report.pdf (Accessed on July 14, 2024) [32] (*) Code for Everyone. Fact-Finding Survey on Programming Education and High School ‘Informatics I’ Subject, FY2022 Edition. https://speakerdeck.com/codeforeveryone/2022nian-du-hurokuraminkujiao-yu- gao-xiao-qing-bao-i-shi-tai-diao-cha-bao-gao-shu (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [33] (*) Code for Everyone. Annual Report 2023 and Activity Guideline 2024. https://speakerdeck.com/codeforeveryone/annual-report2023 (Accessed on July 14, 2024) [34] (*) Code for Everyone. D&I Promotion Report. https://speakerdeck.com/codeforeveryone/d-and-itui-jin- repoto-tekunorozifen-ye-noziendagiyatuputosonoqu-rizu-minituite (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [35] (*) Code for Everyone. Corporate Introduction. https://speakerdeck.com/codeforeveryone/code-for- everyone (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [36] (*) Code for Everyone. Initiatives on Bridging the Gender Gap in the Technology Sector. https://code.or.jp/policy-gender/ (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [37] (*) Code for Everyone. Proguru. https://proguru.jp/(Accessed on June 26, 2024) [38] (*) Code for Everyone. Proguru Lab. https://labs.proguru.jp/ (Accessed on June 26, 2024) [39] (*) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The Courses of Study for Elementary Schools. https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/new-cs/youryou/syo/ (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [40] (*) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The Guidelines for Teaching Methods of Human Rights Education [Summary Report #2]. https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/seitoshidou/jinken/06082102.htm (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [41] (*) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. Result of the Basic School Survey 2023. https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20230823-mxt_chousa01-000031377_001.pdf (Accessed on July 04, 2024) [42] (*) Rohto Pharmaceutical. Rohto Children's Dream Fund. https://www.rohto.co.jp/news/release/2024/0410_01/ (Accessed on July 26, 2024)