Ohmae is one of the world’s leading business and corporate strategists. Born in 1943, he earned a Doctorate in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and subsequently worked as a Senior Design Engineer for HitachiHe then joined McKinsey & Company, becoming a Senior Partner, developing and running the company’s Japan operations for a number of years. He gained knowledge and sensitivity to developments in a wide range of business sectors.
As Ohmae explains in the Introduction, in its genesis, The Next Global Stage has been shaped by two forces: “First, it bears witness to changing circumstances.” Cleverly, he introduces the “script” metaphor and suggests that a new one is needed. “The second defining force behind [his book] is that, over the last 20 years, I have witnessed the pioneers of the new global economy firsthand.” Indeed he has. Ohmae is by no means the first person to assert that there is a new global economy. Moreover, it made its appearance on the international “stage” years ago and that performance will continue for several more. Ohmae’s function is to help the global “audience” (i.e. his readers) realize that his book “is part of [an on-going] process of understanding the new rules that apply in this new world–and often, there aren’t rules to adequately explain what we now experience on a daily basis. [His book] is not an endpoint, nor is it a beginning, but an important step forward for companies and individuals, as well as regional and national leaders.” Although Ohmae is obviously excited about the new opportunities created by the new global economy, he clearly recognizes (and identifies for his reader) the new problems and barriers that must be overcome to achieve success in that economy. Ohmae has always seemed to be both a visionary and a pragmatist. His discussion of the Japanese phrase kosoryoku offers an excellent case in point. “This is what you need in developing strategy. Kosoryoku is something like ‘vision,’ but it is also the notion of ‘concept’ and ‘imagination’...It is the ability to come up with a vision that is necessary and, at the same time, implement it until it succeeds. It is a product of imagination based on realistic understanding of what the shape of the oncoming world is and, pragmatically, the areas of business that you can capture successfully because you have the means of realizing the vision.” Once his reader has absorbed and digested the contents of his book, Ohmae concludes, “Now it is your turn to climb onto the global stage and perform.”
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