Nobuko Kobayashi co-leads the Japan consumer practice of global strategy consulting group EY-Parthenon.
As a young analyst at a global consulting firm at the turn of the 21st century, I worked on a benchmark study for a major telecom company, assessing network operations and maintenance. After surveying a dozen industry peers, we found a clear trend: companies were increasing productivity -- doing more with less. Our recommendation to the client was simple: keep up or fall behind.
