Culture Stories: How Japan Airlines Rebuilt Performance through Trust, Purpose, and Service
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From Collapse to Comeback and it all Started with Culture
In 2010, Japan Airlines filed for bankruptcy — a national symbol brought to its knees.
Tens of thousands of jobs were at risk. Trust was broken. Morale was gone.
And yet, within just three years, the company didn’t just recover — it became a model for cultural transformation.
At the centre of this turnaround was an unlikely leader: Kazuo Inamori, a 77-year-old entrepreneur, engineer, and Buddhist philosopher. When the Japanese government asked him to step in as CEO, he accepted on one condition: he would take no salary.
He saw it as a service — not just to the company, but to its people and society.
Leading with Purpose, Not Profit
Inamori began by redefining Japan Airlines’ purpose around a single question:
“Who are we here to serve?”
This wasn’t a branding exercise. It was a moral reset.
He reframed the company’s mission as the “pursuit of the physical and mental well-being of all employees” — not shareholder value. He believed, “The mission of management is not to make money, but to make people happy — employees, customers, and society.”
That conviction shaped everything. Decisions, systems, habits — all were built around service to others.
Even today, Japan Airlines still references Inamori’s twin philosophies:
“In order to lead a wonderful life”
“How to become a wonderful JAL”
Both ground success in empathy, fairness, and shared humanity.
Designing a Culture of Accountability and Belonging
Inamori’s next move was to make accountability personal.
He introduced a model called “Amoeba Management” — small, autonomous teams that own their goals, budgets, and performance.
Each unit operates almost like a mini-business, free to decide how to achieve their objectives, as long as the outcome supports the wider mission.
It built ownership, agility, and deep understanding of how every decision impacts others — employees, customers, and the organisation.
Alongside autonomy came fairness and psychological safety.
Hierarchy was dismantled — literally. Uniform distinctions were reduced, job titles softened, and senior leaders spent time working on the front line. The message was clear: we’re all part of one JAL.
“pursuit of the physical and mental well-being of all employees” — not shareholder value. He believed, “The mission of management is not to make money, but to make people happy — employees, customers, and society.” — Kazuo Inamori
Habits That Keep Humanity Alive
Culture wasn’t left to chance or slogans — it was built into daily practice:
✈️ Philosophy sessions for all employees — weekly discussions on values and purpose, exploring what service means in everyday actions.
🫶 Frontline empathy rotations — leaders and office-based staff spent time in customer-facing roles to understand real experiences.
🪞 Hansei reflection meetings — structured spaces where leaders shared how they had failed others and what they’d learned, rather than blaming their teams.
🎯 Managers as coaches — leadership roles redefined to focus on emotional intelligence, purposeful conversations, and enabling growth, not supervision.
These habits created a visible shift: transparency replaced fear, reflection replaced blame, and progress became everyone’s job.
The Human Core of Transformation
Japan Airlines’ recovery wasn’t about operational efficiency — it was about moral clarity.
Inamori led through humility, not authority. He showed that when leaders remove fear and create meaning, performance follows naturally.
His philosophy offers a roadmap for any leader facing transformation today:
Start with purpose, not profit
Create small, empowered teams that own outcomes
Build rituals for reflection, learning, and empathy
Flatten status cues — let humility do the leading
Or as Inamori put it:
“We must make people happy first — the results will follow.”
Why It Matters Now
Many organisations today are trying to rebuild trust — after restructures, mergers, or waves of uncertainty. Japan Airlines reminds us that recovery starts not with strategy decks, but with human repair.
When people feel trusted, connected, and clear on purpose, they give their best — even in turbulence.
💡 Want to explore this story further?
You can download the Japan Airlines 1-pager with key takeaways and practical actions to try in your own organisation.
Sources:
Japan Airlines website
BBC article: Beer with Boss Kazuo Inamori helps Japan Airlines revival
Bringing Culture Stories to Life
This blog is part of our new Culture Stories series in Coffee & Culture, our weekly 30-minute sessions where leaders, HR pros, and managers explore real-world examples of culture in action. Together, we break down what’s working, what isn’t, and what we can apply in our own workplaces.
➡️ Download the invite and join the next Coffee & Culture session:
And if you want to go deeper, the Growth Culture Canvas we used to map Airbnb’s culture is the same tool participants use in the Growth Culture Skills Accelerator — a practical, cohort-based programme where you’ll build your own growth culture plan.
🚀 Our next Accelerator cohort starts in January 2026. Find out more and secure your space here.
