WABI-SABI and SocialText

I'm recalling the "Web2.0 for Enterprise" session that I had with Ross Mayfield of SocialText last week at NILS in Hokkaido, and several days of being with him in Japan.

His idea of linking Wiki with Wabi-Sabi was really interesting to me. Obviously, Wabi-Sabi embraces broad concepts and it's a bit difficult even for us Japanese to explicitly define its meaning. Ross gives a good definition of it in his blog but I think it lacks something. What we find in the Wabi-Sabi concept is not the mere beauty, but the mixture of regret, despair and fragility. We find the real beauty in such mixtured feelings.... Wiki?  Yes, it's beautiful.

Actually, Wabi-Sabi concept must be one of the sources of being humble for us Japanese, since that phrase always reminds us of the fact that we're basically unable to find the eternity and the truth of the universe in the true sense. As Ross mentioned, all things are impermanent, imperfect and incomplete......

By the way, it is not only the Wabi-Sabi concept which allows Wiki tools to fit into Japanese organizations. Overall, Japanese organizations tend to be "bottom-up" in decision makings, yes, we're "empowered" by nature. ("Kaizen" shall never be achieved by the mere "top-down" approach.) I think Wiki needs such empowered organizations to be used effectively, and it really is the case for typical Japanese organizations.

Ross says he is now setting up a proxy in Asia, and SocialText seems serious about going Asia. I'm really looking forward that they'll find good partners and achieve great success in the Japanese market soon.