AI chatbot developer rinna has scaled rapidly since spinning out from Microsoft in August 2020 , recruiting more than 60 people from 10 countries in its first three months . Here , the Japan-based start-up ’ s Chief Operating Officer , Momo Klyen , discusses diversity , differences and direct sourcing .
Rinna started in August 2020 when we spun off from Microsoft , where our team was almost entirely in research and development . We were all either developers or product managers – me included – so we started our recruitment drive by building our corporate team , with roles in HR , finance and legal .
As a start-up , we decided to go down the direct sourcing route so we could be in control . The pandemic meant all recruiting was done remotely , which was both a blessing and a struggle . The struggle came from having to convince candidates to move from secure jobs in larger organisations to a start-up , particularly during a pandemic . At the same time , many of these candidates were frustrated at not having greater flexibility in their current jobs and were getting tired of daily office life .
Expanding talent pools
We decided to take advantage of that , offering full flexibility and remote working . For example , we don ’ t have core hours and we trust our people to work flexibly . We also focused on safety during the pandemic by advising our people to work from home . If they want to work in the office , they ask me or our CEO , Chen ‘ Cliff ’ Zhen , first . That sort of flexibility is rare in Japan and allowed us to recruit working mothers and older workers , who are often overlooked .
We also focused on hiring global talent . Our CEO is a big believer in Conway ’ s Law , which suggests that organisations design systems and products that mirror their own communication structure . As our products are designed for everyone , we can ’ t create the right products if we ’ re not diverse too . A team of 50 Japanese people wouldn ’ t understand what is relevant to other cultures .
We want everyone to be able to speak up , regardless of role , age or standpoint – and we try to make everybody comfortable enough to do so
Cultural learning
We ’ ve learned that as we ’ ve onboarded people from different countries , including Germany , Bangladesh and Philippines . What was normal for us , wasn ’ t so for them . For example , Japanese people tend to be quite reserved and quiet during inductions , whereas hires from abroad ask many more questions . We ’ ve been learning about the world beyond Japan , and that ’ s a great thing .
Those different perspectives – and our senior leadership team embracing those perspectives – has a ripple effect through the company . Japanese employees who had never worked with people from other countries before encountered new perspectives and understood different ways of working . Of course , like any organisation , we have had disagreements and conflict . However , the key is creating an environment where people feel able to express opinions .
This has been important in building on our values of trust , equality and diversity . We want everyone to be able to speak up , regardless of role , age or standpoint . We try to make everybody comfortable enough to do so . That isn ’ t easy in Japan , which is almost a mono-culture . So , we have to make an extra effort to build a diverse company , to appreciate the differences people bring and to respect other team members and experiences . That ’ s the culture we want to nurture .