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With Love and Passion -- Words
and Achievements of Toshio Hashimoto, Father of Development Consulting in
Japan
Pub.: International Development Journal
(November, 2001)
A
valuable book that compiled the late Toshio
Hashimoto's achievements and his "hopes and spirit" as a
development consultant, who is the father of Tsuyoshi Hashimoto, CED of RECS
International, and also was the president of Nippon Koei. Traces back
the thought and the life of this "pioneer" consultant, who
advocated the importance of 'social development' already twenty some years
ago. This is a timely, welcome book that reexamines the
"beginning" of the development consultants, who are currently
under fire for having lost their romanticism in development and their sense
of mission, and for having turned into regular company employees.
(Kokusai Kyoryoku Gaido 2003, International Development Journal,
9.71, Oct. 2001)
From the preface . . . . |
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Toshio Hashimoto is a pioneer
of the development consulting business in Japan, and the second president of
Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., the largest firm in the business, and also my father.
To find time and a place to sort out the things he left and put them into
a is one of the many goals that I set out when I started my own
consulting firm. Having established RECS International Inc. in 1995
and passed its startup period, now I feel up to compiling this book at last.
Most of what I put into this
book came from writings that were printed in Koei, the in-house
newsletter of Nippon Koei, so they only covered ten some years of Toshio
Hashimoto's later life. Though his life up to then could be traced in
those writings, only about one-third of Toshio Hashimoto's entire life, as
it were, is represented in this book. Hence, the present book is
intended to show his "way of thinking and achievements as a development
consultant", rather than to depict his whole life. I called the
part "father of development consulting" symbolically because ideas
to be practiced in international contribution through development consulting
as well as Japan's development assistance in the future are premonitorily indicated in his contemplation and achievements, a quarter of a century
ahead of time.
My personal motive aside, the
reason for publishing a thing like this now is clear to me. After a quarter of
a century since the demise of Toshio Hashimoto, it looks as if the purpose
and spirit of the consulting business back then were almost gone. During the period, the Japanese
Government's ODA has rapidly expanded and been the world largest for nine consecutive
years. The mechanism for ODA implementation
has been tested and adjusted for what it's worth, but it appears that the autonomy of
development consultants has waned in the process as well. It is an undeniable
trend that development consultants have become more like regular
company employees as the ODA work has become routinized.
Japan considers development
assistance as a main pillar of its international contribution, and has made
a pledge internationally regarding the areas for and the quantity of its assistance. Needless to
say, the extent of international
contribution depends on the quality of assistance. If this is the
case, all those concerned in both the government and the private sector
should work on assistance frantically to improve its quality.
The quality of assistance depends primarily on the people who participate in
it. Among them, the role that the development consultants should play
is very important.
How can we improve the quality
of development assistance? Especially, how can we have the development
consultants play a more important role? It is desirable that the
quality of assistance and the role of the development assistant gain
society-wide recognition. As its precondition, the development
consultants must strive to improve their own skill and ability. Granted
that it is certainly true, however, what is more important and
immediately effective is for those who take part in development assistance,
including the development consultants, to have a better basic attitude, that
I believe.
Certainly, the term for
consulting has shifted from engineering-oriented construction consulting to
development consulting with software dimensions, and the views on
development assistance have diversified. I can't help but wonder if
and how much that has helped us broaden our vision and deepen our thinking
in terms of implementing development assistance. More importantly, how
much do we put our heart to our development assistance?
Let me quote from the text:
They say the
consultants trade on their skill. In order for us to reach the world
top level, we will probably have to wait until the next generation even if
young people work very hard. However, in addition to the diligence of
Japanese people, if we work very conscientiously with sincerity and goodwill, we
would not have to wait until the next generation to reach the top of the
world in that respect. (Chapter 3.5)
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The "skill" here
refers to that of engineering (hardware technical skill). In terms of
hardware technology, it is probably safe to say that Japan is the world
first- rate in almost every field. It has been over a quarter of a
century since the above account was written, and "the next
generation" has already arrived. Be that as it may, the question
is whether or not we have applied the hardware well to produce results
in development assistance. What makes use of hardware technology to
the full is so-called software technology that is centered around planning
and management.
Generally speaking, software
technology is something that is intended to enhance the effects of hardware
technology on human. Naturally, it must accompany the mindful
attention of human. If it were "necessary for Japan to wait for
the next generation" to reach the world top also in software
technology, it would be a hopeless prospect indeed. I am not only
referring to those people who are specialized in software technology.
Although it is said to be a global trend that development assistance is
becoming more software-oriented, how much are we putting our heart as
Japanese to such "novel development concepts" that ere
"introduced" by Western aid organizations as governance,
empowerment, gender, etc?
I believe that new development
concepts, albeit they are borrowed ideas, can be helpful in understanding
the purpose and essence of development assistance. However, what is
more important is what you would do with the understanding of it. Most
important, I
believe, is the basic attitude of doing what you can earnestly in order for Japan's international
contribution to increase, improving the
quality of development assistance thereby facilitating its effectiveness.
The development consultant
must work earnestly and conscientiously with a sense of solidarity
with the developing countries as well as devotion to them
and consideration for their peoples. The work should not be taken so
seriously as to feel the rising-sun flag on your back. However, while
coming to the project site in a developing country with the public fund of
ODA, it is out of the question to keep an attitude as if you were carrying
on with the daily work at your main office in Japan.
In order to increase Japan's
international contribution and promote its national interests, the
development consultants themselves must have a deep understanding of the
role they must play. Also, they must keep trying to make it so that
the same understanding will be shared by the public widely through
fulfilling the role unequivocally. I believe that texts contained in
this book can offer a lead to deepening as well as propagating such an
understanding.
RECS International Inc.
Tsuyoshi Hashimoto, CED
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