What kind of talent is sought by society? Cross-border talent leads society.

What kind of people are needed in today's society? Especially for those who are about to embark on job hunting or career changes, I'm sure many of you have thought about this at least a little. And for business owners and those already working hard in companies, I believe human resources are a daily concern.

In an era of rapid change, what kind of talent is needed to adapt to the environment and continuously generate profits? What kind of people should we hire? Who should we welcome as colleagues? Of course, it varies depending on various roles and environments, but among them, there is definitely a type of person that we can say, 'This person is essential.'

That is 'boundary-crossing talent' (ekkyo jinza). When we say 'boundary-crossing,' it might evoke an image of crossing national borders, but this time it's completely different. Here, 'boundary-crossing talent' refers to individuals who possess both 'logical thinking' and 'design thinking.'

Boundary-crossing talent: Possessors of 'design thinking' and 'logical thinking'

For people who are more involved in the business aspects, such as business and management, accounts and directors, and sales positions, 'logical thinking' is probably somewhat familiar. Many of you have likely tried to acquire it by reading books or practicing.

Simply put, logical thinking is a way of thinking that involves identifying what the problem is and logically considering how to solve it. It involves logically structuring, verifying, and clearly outlining everything before execution.

So, what is design thinking? Simply put, it's 'just make it.' Think after you've made it. Build while running. It's an image of accepting all genres, users, ways of thinking, and technologies without limiting your thoughts, and trying to create the optimal form.

This is a systematization of the way of thinking that creative professionals, such as graphic designers and web designers, use on a daily basis. For professions like designers, design thinking is probably utilized as a 'matter of course' to some extent.

Logical thinking and design thinking are in opposing positions. Logical thinking involves forming hypotheses, verifying them, and logically solving problems, while design thinking involves overcoming the frameworks of all constraints and regulations while running, and achieving problem-solving through a somewhat loose process.

At first glance, these are differences in thinking that seem completely incompatible for collaborative work. However, there is no doubt that the coexistence of both types of thinking is a major condition for significant evolution in innovation and corporate problem-solving in modern society.

For example, many businesses recently accepted by users are created with design thinking. In an era where market and environmental changes are rapid, business models built over time often become obsolete in an instant.

Furthermore, businesses that merely add slight changes to existing services will not work; they must be presented in a way that users and consumers can clearly perceive the difference. The era when minor differentiation in existing services led to sales is no longer valid, even a few years ago. This means we must think about creating unknown experiences from completely new ideas, which inevitably diminishes the value of past experiences.

In other words, there's no choice but to try it.

By incorporating logical problem-solving thinking into such design thinking, in the right places, new ideas can be advanced more efficiently. Simply dividing tasks into 'think logically' or 'think creatively (design-wise)' makes it difficult to solve business problems in modern society. A combination of both is what is needed.

Design, business, engineering – these have traditionally been specialized fields, and it was thought that each department proceeding in its own way was optimal. However, in future society, what is truly needed are 'boundary-crossing talents' who can understand all these ways of thinking and apply them appropriately depending on the situation. The opportunity to seize the era lies within the crossover of all thoughts.