Key Terms

• Telecube: An independent office space in the form of a phone booth, mainly located in city centers.
• Telework Plan: A discount package offered by entertainment venues such as KTVs for remote workers.
• Referral Hiring: A method of recruiting new employees through employee referrals.
• Naa Naa: Describes a state of being careless and vague in doing things.
• QCD: An abbreviation for Quality, Cost, and Delivery, used to measure the comprehensive performance of a project or product.

Abstract

This issue of Business Addiction explores the problem of "friends becoming work partners." Hosts Tokuda Toshi and Nomura Takafumi shared their experiences and observations, pointing out that while working with friends may reduce communication costs and improve efficiency in the initial stage, in the long run, the "vague" relationship may affect work quality and team management. Especially when the organization expands and requires more rigorous "governance," over - reliance on acquaintance relationships should be avoided. In addition, it also discussed how to balance work and friendship and how to avoid affecting personal relationships due to work mistakes.

Insights

This content reveals the importance of interpersonal relationship management in the development process of enterprises. Especially in the startup stage, the acquaintance network is often an important resource. However, as the enterprise grows, professional management and objectivity become crucial. How to balance acquaintance relationships and enterprise development is a question that every business operator needs to seriously consider.

Views

01 "Working with friends is effective in the initial stage"

In the early stage of a company, working with friends can reduce communication costs, improve efficiency, and make it easier to reach a consensus.

02 "Governance becomes important as the organization expands"

As the organization grows, a more comprehensive governance system needs to be established to avoid the influence of acquaintance relationships on the objectivity and fairness of decision - making.

03 "Balancing work and friendship is the key"

Business operators need to seriously consider how to balance work and friendship to avoid affecting personal relationships due to work mistakes.

In - depth Analysis

Friends or Colleagues? The Dilemma of Interpersonal Relationships Faced by Business Operators

In the latest episode of Business Addiction, the two hosts delved into a topic that many business operators can relate to: the problem of "friends becoming work partners." At different stages of enterprise development, how to handle work relationships with friends and acquaintances has become a challenge that business operators must face.

Initial Stage: Advantages of Trust and Efficiency

For startups, connections are often the most valuable resource. Tokuda Toshi admitted that in the early days of starting a business, he preferred to invite friends or acquaintances to join the team because of the mutual trust and low communication costs, which could quickly advance projects. Nomura Takafumi also said that small - scale enterprises with limited resources could more easily obtain support and help through the acquaintance network.

"There is definitely a situation where through building relationships or working together, the relationship becomes stronger and it's easier to work."

However, this initial advantage may also sow the seeds of trouble.

Growth Stage: Obstacles of Governance and Fairness

As the enterprise expands, the existing acquaintance relationships may become a stumbling block to its development. The program mentioned that the "vague" relationships between friends may lead to lower work standards, lax performance appraisals, and even loopholes in financial management.

"Friends are friends, and it's easy to become vague, rather than signing clear contracts and holding such meetings."

In addition, over - reliance on acquaintance relationships may also cause dissatisfaction among internal employees, who may think that promotions and rewards are unfair, thus affecting team cohesion.

"There is also the talk of 'the boss always relies on friends'. Then, from the perspective of the people around, it doesn't leave a good impression. And from a governance perspective, there are questions like whether the outsourcing is really appropriate, and whether it's being outsourced to friends at a high price."

Maturity Stage: Professionalism and Objectivity

When the enterprise reaches the mature stage, establishing a comprehensive governance system is crucial. This means introducing a professional management team and establishing an objective performance appraisal system to avoid the interference of personal feelings in decision - making.

"If too much private affairs are brought into work, it will eventually lead to laxity and improper behavior, so a certain degree of tension is necessary."

The program also mentioned that some enterprises even restrict the purchasing department from establishing overly close personal relationships with suppliers to avoid conflicts of interest.

Friendship and Work: How to Balance?

So, does it mean that business operators should completely avoid working with friends? The answer is no. The key lies in finding a balance between friendship and work.

• Clarify Roles: Before cooperation, clearly define the roles and responsibilities of both parties in the work to avoid conflicts caused by unclear roles.
• Objective Evaluation: Objectively evaluate the work performance of friends and do not lower the standards due to personal relationships.
• Separate Public and Private: Maintain a professional attitude in the workplace and avoid bringing personal emotions into work.
• Communication: Communicate in a timely manner to solve problems and avoid the accumulation of contradictions.

The Loneliness of Business Operators: Who Can They Talk to Honestly?

At the end of the program, the two hosts also talked about the loneliness faced by business operators. As their careers develop, there are fewer and fewer friends with whom they can talk honestly. Therefore, business operators need to cherish those friendships that have nothing to do with interests and maintain an appropriate distance to sustain them in the long run.

"As business operators, the number of people they can talk to honestly is getting smaller and smaller."

Forward - thinking: Diversity and Inclusion

In today's society, "diversity" and "inclusion" are receiving more and more attention. In the process of enterprise development, not only should interpersonal relationship management be focused on, but also diversity should be actively embraced and an inclusive corporate culture should be created to attract more outstanding talents and achieve sustainable development.

In conclusion, this episode of Business Addiction has triggered our in - depth thinking about enterprise interpersonal relationship management. How to find a balance between trust and efficiency, fairness and objectivity is a topic that every business operator needs to continuously explore.