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What surprises me most is the immediate reactions of the senior managers. I wonder if that's brilliant sense or even better, part of an 'Apple culture' I'm not

What surprises me most is the immediate reactions of the senior managers. I wonder if that's brilliant sense or even better, part of an 'Apple culture' I'm not familiar with.

nettdata 16y ago
I think it's just being a human being that's in a position to help another human being. Good people are good people, regardless of who they work for.
- dholowiski 16y ago
  True, but it seems to have been unanimous and immediate at Apple. Good people are good people, but it seems like quite a few of them work for Apple. I wonder if this would happen in the US too, or if it has something to do with Japanese culture?
  - res0nat0r 16y ago
    I'm going more along the lines of this is HN, and there are tons of stories on Apple posted here every day. I'm sure there could be 3 pages worth of HN stories posted here from all of the other Japanese non-tech businesses doing the same thing if the audience here were also so obsessed with those corporations daily operations.
statictype 16y ago
I'm sure this has nothing to do with Apple's culture and everything to do with people acting like normal people and helping others in times of need.
- Stormbringer 16y ago
  How strange then that we don't hear similar stories about other companies in Japan...
  - statictype 16y ago
    Are you serious? We don't hear stories about other companies because humans going out of their way to help others in the wake of a natural disaster isn't something singularly unique that it requires a post to social news sites whenever it's done. The only reason we're hearing this story is because someone in love with Apple received an email about employees in an Apple store doing their civic duty and decided that this was "Apple's role" in the disaster. Honestly, I bet people at Apple who see this are slightly embarrassed that their huge company's role in this disaster is letting people charge their iOS devices in their shop and watch tv. (Not meant as a slight against Apple.) Imagine if someone wrote a blog post about how he saw an American guy bringing a bottle of water to a kid who lost her way during the earthquake and decided to title it "America's role in Japan"
    - Stormbringer 16y ago
      Nobody is denying that humans should help each other in times of crisis. But hey, enjoy your strawman karma. However, from the descriptions of not just this source but others, stories of walking 60km home, sleeping on the floor of a crowded bar, not having anything to eat etc, it should be clear that Apple is in fact going the extra distance. If this was any other company, you would be singing their praises from the highest rooftop. But because it is Apple, you and others for no good reason apparently see the need to try to bring them down, cast doubt on their good works etc. Are you serious? If so, for God's sake, what is wrong with you?
      - statictype 16y ago
        You don't have to be actively campaigning against Apple and praying fervently for their downfall to make the point that what their store employees in Japan are doing now is no different from what many other store employees in Japan are also probably doing.
      - retrogradeorbit 16y ago
        Shouldn't you have written 'for Job's sake'? That's the kind of sake the Japanese like to drink...
- bigiain 16y ago
  That's true, but I suspect there's at least a large part of "I can do 'the right thing' and know my boss (and his boss) will back me up for doing it." I've seen this personally on a small scale at the Genius Bar - Apple have _clearly_ explicitly given even quite junior staff the authority to "fix things", with a _big_ emphasis on "make the customer happy" outcomes. I have no doubt that there are checks and measures in place to ensure staff don't abuse that authority, but my gut feel is that the response would be "better training" first, rather than reprimanding. And I suspect _that_ is the important bit of "Apple culture" at work here. It's not remarkable that normal people want to help others out. It is remarkable, and admirable, when those people can quickly assume responsibility on behalf of their employer without thinking they need to get time consuming sign-off on their plans from high enough up the org chart that it's too late to help b the time it's approved. Big congrats to Apple Store Tokyo, their staff, management, and corporate overseers. I'm sure they're not the _only_ company to have responded this way, but they _did_ repond this way, and I'm impressed.
  - statictype 16y ago
    I guess I'm kind of implying the same thing but you said it better than I did.
  - Zak 16y ago
    Apple have _clearly_ explicitly given even quite junior staff the authority to "fix things", with a _big_ emphasis on "make the customer happy" outcomes. I've often wondered why this isn't more common. It clearly creates loyal customers and has obvious potential to lead to increased profits long-term. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been told an employee wasn't allowed to solve my problem in a simple, cost-effective and obvious way.

What surprises me most is the immediate reactions of the senior managers. I wonder if that's brilliant sense or even better, part of an 'Apple culture' I'm not familiar with.

nettdata 16y ago

I think it's just being a human being that's in a position to help another human being. Good people are good people, regardless of who they work for.

dholowiski 16y ago
True, but it seems to have been unanimous and immediate at Apple. Good people are good people, but it seems like quite a few of them work for Apple. I wonder if this would happen in the US too, or if it has something to do with Japanese culture?
- res0nat0r 16y ago
  I'm going more along the lines of this is HN, and there are tons of stories on Apple posted here every day. I'm sure there could be 3 pages worth of HN stories posted here from all of the other Japanese non-tech businesses doing the same thing if the audience here were also so obsessed with those corporations daily operations.

statictype 16y ago

I'm sure this has nothing to do with Apple's culture and everything to do with people acting like normal people and helping others in times of need.

Stormbringer 16y ago
How strange then that we don't hear similar stories about other companies in Japan...
- statictype 16y ago
  Are you serious? We don't hear stories about other companies because humans going out of their way to help others in the wake of a natural disaster isn't something singularly unique that it requires a post to social news sites whenever it's done. The only reason we're hearing this story is because someone in love with Apple received an email about employees in an Apple store doing their civic duty and decided that this was "Apple's role" in the disaster. Honestly, I bet people at Apple who see this are slightly embarrassed that their huge company's role in this disaster is letting people charge their iOS devices in their shop and watch tv. (Not meant as a slight against Apple.) Imagine if someone wrote a blog post about how he saw an American guy bringing a bottle of water to a kid who lost her way during the earthquake and decided to title it "America's role in Japan"
  - Stormbringer 16y ago
    Nobody is denying that humans should help each other in times of crisis. But hey, enjoy your strawman karma. However, from the descriptions of not just this source but others, stories of walking 60km home, sleeping on the floor of a crowded bar, not having anything to eat etc, it should be clear that Apple is in fact going the extra distance. If this was any other company, you would be singing their praises from the highest rooftop. But because it is Apple, you and others for no good reason apparently see the need to try to bring them down, cast doubt on their good works etc. Are you serious? If so, for God's sake, what is wrong with you?
    - statictype 16y ago
      You don't have to be actively campaigning against Apple and praying fervently for their downfall to make the point that what their store employees in Japan are doing now is no different from what many other store employees in Japan are also probably doing.
    - retrogradeorbit 16y ago
      Shouldn't you have written 'for Job's sake'? That's the kind of sake the Japanese like to drink...
bigiain 16y ago
That's true, but I suspect there's at least a large part of "I can do 'the right thing' and know my boss (and his boss) will back me up for doing it." I've seen this personally on a small scale at the Genius Bar - Apple have _clearly_ explicitly given even quite junior staff the authority to "fix things", with a _big_ emphasis on "make the customer happy" outcomes. I have no doubt that there are checks and measures in place to ensure staff don't abuse that authority, but my gut feel is that the response would be "better training" first, rather than reprimanding. And I suspect _that_ is the important bit of "Apple culture" at work here. It's not remarkable that normal people want to help others out. It is remarkable, and admirable, when those people can quickly assume responsibility on behalf of their employer without thinking they need to get time consuming sign-off on their plans from high enough up the org chart that it's too late to help b the time it's approved. Big congrats to Apple Store Tokyo, their staff, management, and corporate overseers. I'm sure they're not the _only_ company to have responded this way, but they _did_ repond this way, and I'm impressed.
- statictype 16y ago
  I guess I'm kind of implying the same thing but you said it better than I did.
- Zak 16y ago
  Apple have _clearly_ explicitly given even quite junior staff the authority to "fix things", with a _big_ emphasis on "make the customer happy" outcomes. I've often wondered why this isn't more common. It clearly creates loyal customers and has obvious potential to lead to increased profits long-term. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been told an employee wasn't allowed to solve my problem in a simple, cost-effective and obvious way.