"We are PlayStation": Former head of Sony's gaming division admitted to ignoring the management
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai, in an interview with Nikkei X Trend, shared memories from his time as the head of PlayStation. He revealed that he had the courage to act independently and ignore the directives of top management.
Kazuo Hirai, photo by Kosuke Imamura
According to Hirai, he would disregard even the orders from Howard Stringer, who led the entire Sony Corporation at the time.
"Whenever Howard and other executives advised me to do something, I would act on my own accord. I would say, 'It doesn't matter what was said at headquarters. We are PlayStation,'" claims Hirai.
However, Hirai’s views on this free management style changed after he replaced Stringer as CEO of the corporation in 2012. At that time, Sony was experiencing losses, and employees doubted Hirai’s ability to turn things around.
To set things right, Hirai began encouraging the various divisions of Sony to work together, rather than each focusing on its own tasks. He aimed to unite them around a common goal—creating products that could evoke strong emotions in consumers. This concept was called KANDO by Hirai.