CINOism Vol. 64, Human Resource Development and Future Prospects through Co-Creation Workshops by Seven Bank and OKI — Fostering Innovation Talent by Integrating Customer Perspectives and Technology to Create Future Social Value

Seven Bank operates a network of more than 28,500 ATMs, located not only at 7-Elevens across Japan, but also at shopping centers, airports, train stations, and expressway rest areas. Based on its “ATM+ (plus)” concept, Seven Bank continues to create innovative services that go beyond the conventional role of bank ATMs, including cashless payments, online shopping, integration with national and local government services, multilingual support, and universal design.

Seven Bank, which aims to create value from the customer’s perspective, and OKI, which works to address social issues through co-creation utilizing design thinking, have been conducting Co-Creation Workshops as part of their Innovation Management System (IMS) support services, taking on the challenge of creating new value and developing talent for innovation.

In this issue, we welcome Yoichi Mizumura, Executive Officer at Seven Bank, who oversees ATM solutions and operations, as our guest. Together with OKI’s Senior Associate Director Yuhiko Fujiwara (CINO & Head of Innovation Strategy Division), Atsushi Muramatsu (IMS Education Team, Innovation Strategy Division), who is responsible for the Co-Creation Workshops, and Atsushi Koizumi (Business Planning Office, Financial and Payments Solutions Business Promotion Division), who is responsible for promoting co-creation, we explore what the two companies have built through their Co-Creation Workshops, the results they have achieved, and their future prospects.

—— What led OKI and Seven Bank to start their co-creation journey?

Mizumura: Around 2015, we launched an innovation initiative called “Seven Labo,” aimed at creating new services and businesses that could help address social issues, starting with ATMs. As part of this initiative, we held an open innovation call for ideas in 2018, and received several interesting proposals from OKI. This led us to begin discussions on what convenience store ATMs should look like in the future.

Fujiwara: 2018 was also the year when OKI introduced the IMS and launched “Yume Pro,” an initiative aimed at fostering a corporate culture that encourages innovation. We saw that the design thinking approach we were promoting at the time had a lot in common with Seven Bank’s activities. We also were impressed by Seven Bank’s commitment to developing solutions with a strong focus on end users. So we submitted our proposals, with members of what was then our innovation promotion office (now the Financial and Payments Solutions Business Promotion Division) taking the lead.

Mizumura: I myself had been involved in ATM development for nearly 20 years since joining Seven Bank, so I had long had a high level of trust in OKI’s technological capabilities as an ATM manufacturer, particularly its advanced mechatronics expertise in areas such as banknote transport. Combining OKI’s technological capabilities with Seven Bank’s ideas and service-planning expertise helped us refine our approach and I began to see tremendous potential for creating new value together.

—— What are the Co-Creation Workshops that the two companies have been holding regularly since FY2020?

Fujiwara: After that, OKI launched workshops under the banner of “Full Participation Innovation,” aimed at bringing together younger employees from across organizational and departmental boundaries to generate ideas for new businesses and operational reforms based on design thinking. We expanded this initiative beyond OKI, giving rise to what we call Co-Creation Workshops.

Since FY2020, around 30 members from both companies have participated in the workshops with Seven Bank. While continuing with the initial goal of creating new value from ATMs, we have been exploring the potential for new services from a broader market perspective, targeting a wide range of fields — not only finance, but also areas such as beauty and healthcare.

Mizumura: At Seven Bank, we were also hoping to develop the activities of “Seven Labo” into a company-wide initiative centered on younger employees. In that sense, the Co-Creation Workshops with OKI have been a valuable opportunity to learn not only design thinking, but also the innovation process that OKI has put into practice.

FY2020, when we held the first workshop, was right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. To avoid closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings, the organizing team divided the participants between two venues and held the workshop in a hybrid format combining remote and in-person participation. I still remember how actively everyone engaged in the discussions, to the point that you would hardly have noticed the constraints we were working under.

Muramatsu: I am responsible for planning and coordinating the Co-Creation Workshops, as well as serving as a facilitator. In the workshops, members from the two companies form mixed teams, working together to identify issues through field research to developing solutions. Experienced OKI employees serve as facilitators, helping them to refine their ideas.

Finally, the teams present their refined ideas to the presidents of both companies. The feasibility and applicability of these ideas is examined, with the aim of turning them into new sources of value.

—— What changes have you seen as you have continued the Co-Creation Workshops?

Fujiwara: One major change has been the age profile of the participants. When we first started, we felt that a certain level of experience and skills would be necessary to engage in meaningful, equal discussions with Seven Bank’s innovative young employees. That’s why we initially invited mainly mid-career employees who had experience with design thinking.

Since then, OKI has continued to provide employee training, and the number of younger employees who can put design thinking into practice has steadily grown. As a result, the average age of the participants has gradually decreased, and today, the workshops are primarily made up of young employees from both companies.

Muramatsu: At Seven Bank, young employees have been the main participants from the outset, and their proactive involvement in the discussions has been a great source of inspiration for our OKI members as well. I believe another major value of the Co-Creation Workshops is that we can learn from each other’s ways of thinking and approaches.

Mizumura: For our members, another major attraction is the opportunity to learn directly from OKI about ATMs and related technologies, which not only strengthens their technical knowledge, but also gives them an opportunity to look at things from a variety of different perspectives.

Through their participation in the Co-Creation Workshops, we have also seen an increase in employees who become interested in planning new services and businesses, with some even expressing an interest in pursuing careers in business planning. I feel that the workshops have also produced significant results in terms of talent development.

—— The recent workshops seem to have become more practical. Is that right?

Fujiwara: The initial objective when we started the Co-Creation Workshops was to learn and put design thinking into practice. For that reason, we placed greater emphasis on exploring social issues and developing concepts than on developing specific products. As we have held more workshops, the quality of the ideas has steadily improved. In recent years, there has been growing momentum to enter the Yume Pro Challenge, OKI’s in-house idea contest. This is the first time we have entered the challenge with a mixed team that includes an external partner, and I feel that the ideas generated through the Co-Creation Workshops are now ready to move on to the next stage.

Koizumi: As someone responsible for promoting co-creation, I have been involved in the Co-Creation Workshops since FY2025. The workshops have become highly practical, with an eye toward submitting proposals to the Yume Pro Challenge. They have given me new insights, and taking part has made me feel almost as if I’m 20 years younger.

Fujiwara: Moving from the Co-Creation Workshops toward actual product and business development projects means it is essential to create an environment in which participants feel comfortable taking on challenges. I believe it is important to manage and support projects from a long-term perspective while ensuring psychological safety so that people can take on challenges without fear of failure.

Mizumura: Our President, Matsuhashi, and OKI President Mori participate in every Co-Creation Workshop and have high expectations for the challenges taken on by the younger members. For the participants, the workshops are also a valuable opportunity to present their own ideas and perspectives directly to senior management.

Whenever I observe the Co-Creation Workshops, I see a natural division of roles emerging: our members think about how the services should work, while OKI’s members support them from a technological perspective. Whenever I see the two sides engaging in lively discussions while making the most of each other’s strengths, I am reminded of how well the two companies complement each other. I have high hopes that this co-creation will produce outstanding results in the near future.

—— Finally, could you share your outlook and future direction?

Koizumi: Going forward, we want to take our efforts beyond simply generating ideas and evolve them into practical processes with commercialization in mind.

Muramatsu: I’d like to make the Co-Creation Workshops more accessible and part of everyday work. I also hope to expand our co-creation with Seven Bank beyond younger employees by involving mid-career professionals and senior management, turning insights into organization-wide value creation.

Mizumura: We will continue pursuing value creation from two perspectives — the customer perspective of those who use our services and the market perspective of evolving social needs. While advances in AI and digital technologies are making society more convenient, many people also feel uneasy about these changes. That’s why we want to combine OKI’s technology, expertise, and foresight to create services that are empathetic, reassuring, and warm.

Fujiwara: We expect ATMs to evolve into autonomous service platforms equipped with sensors and cameras and powered by physical AI. However, recognizing people’s concerns and responding with empathy is something only humans can do. That’s why I’d like future Co-Creation Workshops to explore another important theme: how humans and AI can coexist and co-create.

The Co-Creation Workshops jointly conducted by OKI and Seven Bank have continued to build on the enthusiasm of younger employees while evolving into initiatives that engage entire organizations. At a time when digitalization is transforming society, we are confident that the combination of Seven Bank’s customer-centric perspective and OKI’s technological expertise will create a future that is both more reassuring and more human-centered. We invite you to follow the continued journey of both companies as they work toward the coexistence and co-creation of humans and AI.

Related Link
・IMS Support Service
　https://www.oki.com/global/ja/innovation/imsconsulting/ (in Japanese only)

As of September 11, 2026: Yuhiko Fujiwara, Senior Associate Director, CINO* & Head of Innovation Strategy Division