Taisei, the Japanese construction firm founded in 1917, recently asked itself: what should we build now? Was it a new bridge or a skyscraper? No. The answer was both simpler and more ambitious: invest in people.
Por qué Taisei puso a las personas primero
The Human Resources organization decided to use ChatGPT Enterprise not as a one-off productivity tool, but as the centerpiece of talent development. The idea was clear: not just to save time, but to extend human potential. The result? 90% active weekly use and more than 5.5 hours of work saved per employee each week.
Taisei didn’t come to force technology on people. They came to change how people learn and work with it. Yasuo Tanaka, head of the Human Resources Training Center, put it like this: 'Technology will eventually be available to everyone. Our real advantage comes from the people who know how to use it and the culture that supports them.'
Cómo lo implementaron: el modelo Middle Out
The rollout was led by Human Resources with an approach they called 'Middle Out'. What does that mean? It combines direction from leadership with the energy and needs of field staff. Kenta Nukazawa, a promoter of the model, explains that neither top-down orders nor isolated grassroots enthusiasm are enough: you need someone in the middle to translate and connect.
