Junji Horinouchi

Undergraduate degree in Economics from Keio University and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from MIT Sloan School of Management. Various working experiences prior to joining Bain, including FUJIFILM, Boston Consulting Group, UNIQLO and MERCER.

In order to realize "Results-oriented" approach for our clients, we must be professional with high ambition, continuously striving to reinforce "Integrated thinking", “IQ & EQ” and “Teamwork”. “Integrated thinking” is the ability to identify critical elements of solutions to help accelerate client’s transformation by conducting a cross-sectional diagnosis on strategies, operations, organizational structure and all the stakeholders of a client company. IQ is an important factor to cultivate the integrated thinking, but Bain expects our consultants to be equipped with both “IQ and EQ”. Logical and smart advice alone is not enough for clients to take actions. There are times we need to provide feedbacks that the clients do not want to hear in order to solve their toughest challenges - EQ is essential to deeply understand their situation and perspective and build a trusting relationship. Some people who have bad experience with consulting services tend to hold negative perceptions of “they only provide theoretically correct recommendations". This common criticism is often associated with when consultants provide recommendations to clients as one-way communication without engaging under a trust-building environment. Bain sees providing solutions that are not realistic or actionable with no value creation as the most undesirable action. Challenging issues cannot progress towards solution without a trusting relationship with the clients, who will be the ones leading the realization of the solution.

"Teamwork" is the third capability we look for in our people. The individuals, with “Integrated thinking” and “IQ & EQ”, are expected to deliver maximized value to the client as a team. Close collaboration within the project team is essential. However, we expect to see a collaborative way of working across our global network, leveraging our internal/external partners to focus on driving the maximized value for our clients. What teamwork means for us is the power to produce amplified value greater than merely 1+1+1=3. "Integrated thinking", "IQ & EQ" and "Teamwork" are a set of requirements that we need to fulfill as successful consultants. We should all continuously strive to reinforce these capabilities to offer the right solutions to the toughest challenges and deliver results. Bain as a consulting firm is committed to developing these capabilities with defined standards and offering training programs to assist each individual expand their knowledge, skillsets and capabilities.