Overcoming Challenges in the In-House Rollout of the 10X Innovation Culture Program [Part 2]

Hello, this is HOKA from the Organizational Human Resources Team in the Human Resources Group.
This blog is a continuation of Overcoming Challenges in the In-House Rollout of the 10X Innovation Culture Program [Part 1]
 August: Lessons learned from Speaking at Google Cloud Next Tokyo '24Google Cloud Next Tokyo '24, held by Google Cloud Japan, LLC on August 1–2, 2024, is a flagship event bringing together business leaders, innovators, and engineers for a major cloud conference. The event featured a variety of programs, including keynote speeches, live sessions, and hands-on sessions, all centered around key business topics like generative AI and security.
For more details, click here -> https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/next-tokyo-24
From our company, Kisshi, General Manager of the Development Support Division, and Awache, Manager of the Database Reliability Engineering Group, took the stage at the 10X Innovation Culture Program's experience workshop. The workshop was a great opportunity to highlight real-world examples of the 10X Innovation Culture Program in action.
Leading up to the actual event, we had numerous meetings, rehearsed at the Google office, and had lunch together, giving us plenty of time to interact with people from Google.
And then the real thing began.
The extraordinary atmosphere of the spacious venue at Pacifico Yokohama naturally created a feeling of "let’s learn something new today" kind of mindset.
First, a representative from Google introduced us to 10X.  The speaker shared, in down-to-earth and relatable words, the background, reasons, and results behind Google’s promotion of the 10X Innovation Culture Program both inside and outside the company. Hearing this, the KINTO Technologies (KTC) members in the audience couldn’t help but think, "10X is exactly what we need too!" and the energy in the room instantly lifted.
After that, Kisshi and Awache took the stage.
Kisshi and Awache talked about the following three topics:
The background to the cultural transformation initiative and why we decided to implement the 10X Innovation Culture Program
Key takeaways and important points learned from actually implementing the program
Future plans and next steps
In particular, they shared the following key takeaways from their experience implementing the 10X Innovation Culture Program:
It's important to discard the notion that "only Google can do it" and just give it a try without overthinking it.
It is important to develop internal facilitators to achieve in-house independence from the bottom up.
Culture is not something that is created in one leap, but rather something that is noticed and experienced many times before becoming ingrained.
Many questions came up during the Q&A session. One of them was, “10X sounds amazing, but isn’t it difficult to actually implement?” While significant results from the 10X Innovation Culture Program have yet to emerge, we hope these efforts can provide at least a little inspiration.
Having attended the Google Cloud Next Tokyo '24, I felt an overwhelming difference from the 10X Innovation Culture Program created and held internally in July. What stood out were:
A dedicated venue, separate from the office, puts participants in the right mindset to truly listen.
Hearing "10X" directly from Google employees carries real weight and resonates deeply.
The event felt discussion-heavy, but perhaps a stronger focus on input and learning would be even more impactful.
With that foundation, participants may naturally start thinking, "I want to bring 10X thinking into my daily work."
Having these as hypotheses, plans are in place to put them to the test at the 10X Innovation Culture Program this fall.
 September: Participating in the 10X Facilitator TrainingFirst, we decided to start by training facilitators who can guide smooth understanding and discussion of 10X concepts. Our hypotheses were:
"10X" when shared by Google employees, resonates strongly.
What seemed like a discussion-focused setting turned out to need more input.
The reason? Those running the 10x program didn’t have enough clarity or input themselves on what it really is, making it tough to convey to others. After reaching out to Google for advice, they kindly agreed to set up facilitation trainings.
Selecting members for the facilitation training was a challenge. But since the 10X Innovation Culture Program is, at its core, a leadership program, managers were chosen to participate.
 Facilitator Training DayAt the beginning of the training, Kota-san from Google, who is the main person in charge of this session, said, "It's going to be extremely intense." The goal is to hear something once, remember it, and be able to say it yourself. It’s designed to let you experience two phrases that Google lives by:
Steal with pride
Feedback is a gift!
"You’re about to spend more time thinking about 10X than Google employees do", was what we were told.
"What on earth is about to begin?" The training kicked off in that atmosphere.
[First half of the training] Input Time

Just as Kota-san mentioned, the first part of the session was all about learning. A Googler gave a presentation on the six key elements of 10X, and KTC employees had some solid "input time" to really understand each one.
Take the first element, DEI, for example.
At Google, 50% of employees have taken the training Unconscious Bias @ Work, which helps raise awareness of unconscious bias.
On top of that, they run weekly Googlegeist to track how well they’re doing in areas like inclusiveness and equity.
We got to hear not just about these concrete initiatives, but also the impact they’ve had. Similarly, for each of the six 10X elements, the presenter shared real examples from Google, along with their own personal thoughts and stories from working there.
[Second half of the training] Output Time

After hearing the presentation from Google, the KTC members split into groups of six. Each person took one of the six elements, memorized it, and gave a presentation that included their own personal story or experience. The listeners weren’t just passive after each presentation, everyone gave feedback on what worked well and what could be improved. We also received feedback from the Google team. The whole process might’ve felt a bit intense, just like Kota-san warned, but it was the perfect chance to "steal with pride" from Google’s approach and truly embrace the idea that "feedback is a gift."
And the feedback wasn’t just technical. Ideas started flowing, too: "We should be sharing the vision more across the whole company," "What’s the current status of our goal-setting process?", "I want to be able to give more concrete examples: let’s increase opportunities to talk directly with executives!" and so on. More and more ideas bubbled up. By learning about 10X, we got to witness that “aha!” moment when people started comparing it to where KTC stands today.
In fact, after the training, a lot of KTC members shared feedback such as: "I always thought 10X was great, but it felt like something distant, like it was a distant thing. But by memorizing it, tying it to my own experiences and presenting it to others in such a short time, it suddenly became something I truly owned." And getting immediate feedback from the Google team on the spot was such a valuable opportunity.
 October: Preparing for the Third 10X Innovation Culture ProgramI wrote this blog in October, after completing the facilitator training and while gearing up for the third round of the 10X Innovation Culture Program. The third 10X iteration will be divided into two days. It's a brand-new approach for us. Additionally, 47% of participants this time are joining for the first time. Will they be even more eager and engaged than the group in July? Will all the effort we put into the September’s facilitator training pay off? I’ll share how it all turns out in a follow-up post on the TechBlog.
To be continued in the 10X Innovation Culture Program: The Struggles and Challenges of Building It In-House [Part 2], coming January 2025.