Sharing Failure to Find Success: Q&A with Katsuyoshi Sugita

Katsuyoshi Sugita
Chief people officer and chief ethics & compliance officer
Astellas Pharma

Katsuyoshi Sugita, the chief people officer and chief ethics & compliance officer at Astellas Pharma, spoke with Pharmaceutical Executive about some of the methods he’s used to bring DE&I to the workplace. This includes failure sharing sessions and a policy he calls the “imperfect English” policy.

Pharmaceutical Executive: How do ‘failure sharing sessions’ work?
Katsuyoshi Sugita: Astellas is committed to fostering an environment where employees are empowered to take intelligent risks to be “outcome-driven” and “innovation-focused.” To cultivate this mindset, CEO Naoki Okamura led an internal “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session focused on intelligent risk taking, where he opened up about past career failures, sharing the lessons he learned and strategies he employed to overcome setbacks for future success. This transparent dialogue reassured employees that failure is a natural part of one’s career journey, which can lead to valuable insights and opportunities.

Given the success of Naoki’s initial “failure sharing session,” we decided to host a follow-up live stream event, where additional members of Astellas’ c-suite opened up about past failures to connect with colleagues on a deeper level. The feedback was incredibly positive; Astellas employees shared how they gained strong energy to challenge something new and heard important stories to think about their own careers. We are already seeing the positive, short-term impacts and behavior shifts from these sessions.

PE: What inspired these sessions?
Sugita: Astellas’ “failure sharing sessions” stem from our Corporate Strategic Plan 2021, which outlines our commitment to “intelligent risk taking.” We recognize that intelligent risk taking is essential for company growth, and Astellas encourages employees to learn from setbacks and apply those lessons to future endeavors.

People often ask me how to create a company culture that embraces “intelligent risk taking.” First, executives need to lead by example. Our “failure sharing sessions” were so successful because Naoki and the rest of our c-suite modeled a transparent culture before expecting this behavior from employees. It is encouraging when a company verbalizes the importance of transparency, but it speaks volumes when its most senior leaders exhibit this behavior. I also believe that psychological safety needs to be at the forefront of all business decision making. When asking our employees to embrace “intelligent risk taking,” we need to ensure they feel safe and empowered to pursue “riskier” stretch projects or new opportunities that may lead to failure.

PE: How important is embracing diversity to the workplace?
Sugita: At Astellas, a Tokyo-based global pharmaceutical company with over 14,000 employees worldwide, we understand the importance of diversity and collaboration within a global organizational culture. Four out of 10 c-suite executives are not from Japan, and more than 83% of our sales are global, which uniquely positions us to “practice what we preach” when discussing workplace diversity.

Our commitments to globalizing business practices and celebrating diversity are engrained in our external-facing CSP2021. We have introduced a system to align our “Shared Objectives” across divisions, which promotes collaboration and improves company-wide performance. We constantly review and identify scoping pain points, to strengthen our cross-division collaborations. We are also committed to diversifying our suppliers, by partnering with businesses led by women, minority groups, veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities.

I firmly believe that cross-division collaboration and leveraging diverse capabilities across teams are key to excelling as One Astellas. Our successes are driven by our employees, who embody our core values and bring unique passions, talents, and ideas to their work. This ultimately leads to improved patient outcomes and is why we have ingrained these values in our company culture and external corporate strategy. In traditional, Japanese work cultures, individuals are not given as much autonomy to forge their own paths; at Astellas, however, we are aiming to change this by adopting a globalized, diversified mindset.

PE: Can you explain how the “broken English” or “imperfect English” policy works?
Sugita: At Astellas, a global company where multiple languages are spoken, we must be extra mindful and intentional about how we approach language, interpersonal communication, and cultural differences. With my passion for helping people in the workplace, and my desire to improve my own English language skills, I view language as one of the most underrated DE&I tools. Language can be used to either include or exclude people; at Astellas, we strive for inclusion.

Astellas’ “imperfect English” policy stems from my own lived experience as a non-native English speaker. As a young professional, I could not speak English. I was incredibly motivated to learn the language and took every available opportunity to practice English in the workplace. I have been fortunate in my career because my colleagues have always welcomed my “imperfect English” with patience, grace, and encouragement, which has helped me gain more confidence.

For those looking to adopt a similar, “broken English” policy in the workplace, here are a few tips to ensure your workplace prioritizes inclusion. First, leaders must iterate that their employees’ ideas and opinions are more important than grammatical accuracy. Second, native English speakers must be mindful of their speaking pace, as they are more likely to talk faster. Third, be curious instead of dismissive about cultural differences. It is easy to assume that 'our way is the right way,' but there is incredible opportunity for growth, discovery, and connection if we approach differences with curiosity and kindness. By modeling these behaviors in the workplace, we hope to bolster Astellas’ inclusive culture and prioritize effective communications over linguistic perfection.