From left to right, Nana Nagai (Money Forward Executive Officer, Money Forward Vietnam CEO), Vivek Gokhale (Money Forward India CEO), Keiko Kanai (Money Forward Executive Officer, VP of Culture)
ーー As the organization expands globally, what do you prioritize the most when it comes to promoting our corporate culture?
Keiko: In Japan, many people join Money Forward because they like our corporate culture, which is now a hiring advantage of ours and makes us stronger as an organization. I want all of our members to feel that same sense of connection to our corporate culture, regardless of which office they work in.
That’s why it is essential for us to consider how we can connect with our members outside of Japan in a way that resonates with their country’s culture as well, rather than simply imposing our ideas on them.
We want to create a corporate culture that everyone will appreciate and be proud of.
Nana: I agree. As our organization expands globally, the way in which corporate culture and related words are perceived may differ from the Japanese interpretation.
I believe that within our MVVC, there is a common core shared throughout the organization, as well as elements that can be localized, and I would like to clearly communicate the core elements first. I think the “How” aspect, including communication methods and expressions can share some common themes, while also being curated to incorporate elements of the local culture.
At any rate, the “How” aspect will not be correct if the core does not resonate. I have asked the Culture Team to be especially aware of this point.
Vivek: Yes, that's right. Corporate culture is especially important in recruiting. When it comes to hiring engineers, many companies tend to focus on technical skills—like whether a candidate has experience with their tech stack. But at Money Forward, I get the sense that many candidates are drawn to us because of our Corporate culture.
Also, the words we use to express our Values and Culture are in English. From an English speaker's point of view, the meaning of those English words is the first thing that comes to mind, so I think it is necessary for Money Forward to explain what they mean by them.
For example, there are many ways to interpret "User Focus" in English, but what exactly does Money Forward mean by this? Another example is the word “Respect.” In India, for instance, showing respect can sometimes mean staying silent or avoiding saying anything that contradicts the other person, depending on the cultural context. However, this is not what we mean by “Respect” at Money Forward. We need to convey that for us, "Respect" means expressing our own opinions in order for the Company and the team to achieve results.
Nana: Agree, that’s also a part of clearly communicating the core elements of our MVVC.
It’s also important to avoid relying on implicit assumptions and instead use real examples to get on the same page about what our MVVC looks like in practice. Implicit assumptions are often shaped by the environment and culture the individual grew up in, so if we rely on them, there’s a risk that our message will be interpreted in a completely different way than we intended.
Keiko: Japanese is a high-context language to begin with, and when you try to express something like our MVVC in Japanese, it tends to end up being pretty abstract. We believe that in the future, communicating our MVVC in a way that ensures everyone shares the same interpretation will become increasingly important.
Vivek: Because so much of this is best understood through direct experience, I believe initiatives like having Japanese members visit local offices and lead Culture Sessions—something we’ve already begun—can be a valuable way to support that understanding.
ーー How is corporate culture nurtured in Vietnam as the first overseas branch of Money Forward?
Nana: First, I believe it is important for the CEO to commit to promoting the corporate culture. Promoting the corporate culture is one of the most important mid- to long-term strategies, but the results are not immediately visible. In the busy day-to-day work environment, this sometimes becomes a low priority. So, it is important for the CEO to show the greatest commitment to promoting our MVVC, as well as to create an environment where the Culture Team is not isolated and can move forward with specific measures.
The second key is involving members in the MVVC input and output cycle.
We always share information about our MVVC when interviewing new candidates, as well as in post-employment onboarding sessions and management camps. At our Monthly All-hands, we also have Division Managers and above take turns giving management speeches, creating regular opportunities for them to talk about our corporate culture in their own words.
The third point is making sure that the candidate can relate to our corporate culture during the hiring interview process.
Through dialogue, we try to get a sense of what the candidate has valued in their previous career experience. That way we can get an idea of whether or not they will fit in with our corporate culture. I find that the more high-tier the candidates are, the more often the dialogue in the interview is connected to their reasons for joining the Company.
Through management camps and the selection process of “Culture Heroes” (an award to honor those who embody the Company's Culture), we are working with those in management positions who are responsible for the final interviews to ensure that we are all on the same page in terms of how we perceive corporate culture.
Keiko: I feel that Money Forward Vietnam has been able to create the situation we have today because they have continued to work on promoting corporate culture throughout the years. It’s significant that the first team members committed to embedding corporate culture, with Nana taking it further, including building the Culture Team and continuing to emphasize the importance of our MVVC.
ーー How do you view corporate culture in relation to Money Forward India’s future growth?
Vivek: Since Money Forward India was established only recently, we need to encourage our members to deepen their understanding of our MVVC so that they can embody it at a high level. Today's dialogue made me realize that the leadership team should take the first step, particularly through management speeches and communications. I would also like to ask existing members to tell their new colleagues about our MVVC to ensure further growth.
We want our members to become accustomed to thinking about how their daily work is tied to our corporate culture through providing regular opportunities for output.
At the same time, to attract superior talent who resonate with our corporate culture to Money Forward India, I want to work on enhancing our external recognition. Personally, Money Forward’s MVVC is the reason I joined this company, and it would make me happy to increase the number of members who are attracted to our Culture in the same way.
Keiko: Which parts of our MVVC were particularly attractive to you, Vivek?
Vivek: “Tech & Design" and "Fairness." I believe it is important to put engineering at the center for us to innovate and grow.
Money Forward has offices both in Japan and overseas, but I was also attracted by the fact that the Head Office in Tokyo is not the only one involved in core matters. When I was hired, I felt that there were ample opportunities to take on big challenges at other offices as well.
Keiko: Is it common for Indian candidates to choose a company based on its corporate culture?
Vivek: No. I don't think many people focus on corporate culture when they join a company. However, upon joining us, our Indian members seem to have noticed that our corporate culture is comfortable for them. We believe that the influence of our corporate culture is essential for our members to have a long and active career with us.
Many managers are highly motivated to understand our corporate culture, while engineers at the staff level tend to prioritize job descriptions, tech stack, and salary.
Keiko: I think awareness of the corporate culture is still not high at Money Forward India, what are the reasons and expectations of those who decide to join the company at this stage? (*As of the interview in October 2024)
Vivek: We often hear that the interview experience was positive. I believe that, even in job interviews, we’re able to provide an experience that truly reflects Money Forward’s Culture.
Many other companies go into fine details about their tech stack when they interview candidates, but at Money Forward, we ask questions about the candidate’s overall career experience and dig deeper into that, giving the candidate the opportunity to fully explain what he or she has accomplished. It seems that this way, they leave the interview with the impression that the interviewer was kind and that the experience was positive overall.
Keiko: What would you like to convey to members to increase their understanding of our MVVC and increase the number of people who embody it?
Vivek: As Nana said, we need to explain the keys to understanding and embodiment through management speeches and other means.
In addition, I want everyone to talk about what they did over the last week or month with which aspect of our corporate culture in mind. This means increasing opportunities for members to provide output by talking about our corporate culture and how it relates to their daily work.
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A Cultural Workshop at Our India Office: Bringing Together Team Members from Japan and Vietnam
ーー What would you like to tell Vivek, who will be responsible for promoting our MVVC in India going forward?
Keiko: I am very happy that our MVVC has become something positive for the Company and that people are coming together because they believe in it.
Money Forward India has a lot of work to do to expand its business, so I hope everyone at Money Forward can work together as a global team to promote our corporate culture.
Nana: I think that as the team grows, there will be many issues that need to be addressed. Our MVVC is our anchor as we tackle these challenges. Corporate culture is very important when considering what kind of organization you want Money Forward India to be.
Also, since we are engineering organizations at overseas development sites, our members in India and Vietnam work in an environment where they can't directly see the results of their efforts as products. That is why I believe our MVVC plays a key role in helping our members feel connected and fostering unity across different countries.
Vivek: Thank you for the advice. If this were another company, a sense of competition between Vietnam and India might arise. Instead, we want to think together and consult one another, aiming for "co-creation" rather than competition.
In addition, I think that it will inevitably be difficult to understand some aspects of the products deployed in the Japanese market, as well as the environment surrounding them. Since our MVVC is probably the best way to begin understanding what makes Money Forward unique, I would like to create a system that allows people to experience our MVVC from their very first day with us.
Since we are developing services for Japanese users, members in India and Vietnam inevitably have limited touch points with our users. But with our "User Focus" value, we may be able to create an environment where members can have a deeper understanding of Japanese users’ stories than other companies. I hope to create more opportunities like this in the future, as it will become one of our key strengths.
As our team grows, many things may happen as we move forward with organizational management, improving development quality, and hiring. I believe that our MVVC will be the anchor that prevents us from getting lost in this process. I would like to do this in close collaboration with you all, so let's co-create together.
ーー What are each of your goals for the future?
Vivek: Money Forward India is still a small team at the moment, but I would like to quickly spread the corporate culture to the existing members in order to achieve significant growth in the future. After that, I want to provide a great onboarding experience for new team members—one that inspires them to embody our MVVC and gives them a strong reason to stay and grow with us for the long term.
Nana: To achieve Group-wide growth, I would like to maximize synergy among our development organizations in the three countries. Using our corporate culture and the MVVC as the universal common language, I would like to promote team building and scheme development to create the best possible synergy.
Keiko: After our MVVC became widespread among our internal members, I have seen Money Forward fans increase in various places, including external users, potential recruits, and partner companies. This is thanks to everyone's actions. I feel it is wonderful that the number of people who like Money Forward is increasing, both within the Company and outside of it. I would like to expand our MVVC beyond Japan so that people in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Chennai will think that Money Forward is a wonderful company with wonderful people.
