The Management Style We Need Today Is the ’Goku Model.’
Read the original article (in Japanese):
Prologue | “Watch my back” no longer reaches them
Gen Z does not respond to the senior generation’s call to “watch my back and follow me.” They evaluate themselves through horizontal comparison — “How much have I grown compared to others my age?” — rather than vertical hierarchy. The manager’s greatness or past struggles are often dismissed as non-comparable conditions.
Thus, Showa-style guidance such as:
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“Do it the way I did.”
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“Back in my day—”
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“Push through with grit.”
is interpreted simply as meaningless demands.
A key insight highlighted in the referenced article is this:
“A manager should treat themselves as a functional system, not a charismatic figure.”
In other words, not personality or aura, but evaluation criteria, clear roles, and structured feedback are what function.
Another essential point:
“Not spirit, but specific and frequent explanation of what earns credit and what loses it.”
Gen Z does not move based on atmosphere. They require a linguistic map of evaluation.
If the map is not provided, they do not move — or more precisely, not moving is the rational choice.
Chapter 1 | Two Models of Development as Seen in Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is a globally recognized story. The contrast between how Piccolo and Goku raised Gohan illustrates the difference between Showa-style and modern development.
Piccolo began Gohan’s training by throwing him into the wilderness, exposing him to fear, hunger, isolation, and danger.
Strength comes from surviving hardship — strength as selection. This reflects traditional Japanese corporate development:
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Learn by being thrown into the field
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If you fall, stand back up (if you cannot, you’re finished)
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Don’t complain
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Only those who keep up deserve to advance
This produces some extremely strong individuals — if they survive.
But it is high-risk, high-return, and many break along the way.
It worked in eras when organizations could replace people; it does not work in Reiwa.
In contrast, Goku is not a “watch my back” type.
Before the Cell battle, Goku trained Gohan to normalize Super Saiyan state, lowering peak output into a sustainable baseline. Then, even when Goku could fight, he stepped back and entrusted the final victory to Gohan.
Not personal heroism, but winning as a team through role assignment and system design.
Chapter 2 | Piccolo-Style Development = Showa Management
Translated into workplace terms, the Piccolo model looks like this:
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Selection: Throw them in; only survivors are “talented.”
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Personalized: Dependent on the leader’s intuition and experience.
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Unspoken Rules: Evaluation is not explicit; reading atmosphere becomes required.
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High Failure Cost: Low psychological safety.
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Short-Term: Prioritizes immediate performance over foundational development.
This model works in battlefields, competitive sports, or early startups where selection is inherent.
But in most organizations, the negative effects are clear:
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Increased silent resignations and burnout
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Reduced diversity due to survival bias
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No reproducibility (depends on compatibility)
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Low transparency and acceptance in evaluation
In short: Piccolo-style creates a few superhumans, but does not create strong organizations.
Chapter 3 | Goku-Style Development = Modern Management
Goku-style development creates strength through system design.
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Raise the baseline so strength is sustainable, not explosive and temporary
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Structure load, progression, and recovery (training periodization)
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Make evaluation criteria explicit
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Assign roles sensibly and pass the baton intentionally
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Grant autonomy, but do not abandon support
Goku prioritized the team winning, not his own dominance.
Thus, the objective of Goku-style management is not a strong individual, but a strong team where individual talents can naturally flourish.
Chapter 4 | Why Gen Z Aligns with Goku-Style Management
Gen Z does not move under slogans or emotional unity.
They move when:
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Criteria are visible
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Purpose is explained
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The finish line is identifiable
Goku-style provides exactly that.
Piccolo-style appears instead as:
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Unknown reasoning
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Invisible evaluation
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Excessive failure penalties
Gen Z is not weak.
They are rational.
Therefore, designed development works — and selection-based development fails.
Chapter 5 | Practical Comparison
| Perspective | Piccolo-Style (Showa) | Goku-Style (Modern) |
|---|---|---|
| Development Model | Selection | Baseline Elevation |
| Evaluation | Atmosphere / Impression | Explicit Criteria |
| Failure Cost | High (collapse = end) | Low (absorbed as learning) |
| Reproducibility | Low (personal/compatibility-based) | High (system-based) |
| Result | Creates standout individuals | Creates strong organizations |
| Best Applied In | Battlefields / Sports / Startup phase | Workforce development / Sustainable growth |
Chapter 6 | We Are the “Bridge Generation”
The issue is not which method is correct.
The conditions have changed.
Showa organizations could replace collapsed workers.
Reiwa organizations cannot.
We — the current managers — were raised under Showa-style toughness, yet must train in Reiwa-style reproducibility.
This requires:
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Courage to not reproduce how we were raised
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Flexibility to update methods based on context
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The maturity to hand over the role when needed
Goku demonstrated this maturity in choosing to entrust Gohan.
Conclusion | Goku Updated His Method. Now It’s Our Turn.
Goku did not simply inherit his own upbringing.
He changed his approach to match the person and the era — and because of this, Gohan flourished.
Management is not the continuation of one’s own experience.
It is the continuous updating of how others are empowered.
Gen Z is simply responding accurately to the reality of their time.
Therefore, managers must shift to Goku-style reproducible development:
Not back
but design.
Goku changed.
Now, we change.
Read in Japanese ↓（For Japanese learners!）↓
現代に求められるのは『悟空型マネジメント』だ（2025.11.7）
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