Part 2: Ikigai and Mono no aware – More meaning and serenity in innovation management
- Dr. Babette Sonntag
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
Imagine standing beneath a blossoming cherry tree on a sunny morning. The blossoms glow a delicate pink against the blue sky. You know that in just a few days they will fall like snow. Perfect beauty is fleeting and cannot be held onto. It is precisely this transience that makes the moment so special and motivates the Japanese every year to savor this beautiful sight and celebrate together beneath the blossoming trees.
I find the core of this concept reflected in two Japanese principles that I experience as a tangible enrichment in my work as an innonaut in innovation management: Ikigai and Mono no aware.
I once asked an innovation manager what motivated his company to carry out innovation projects. After a brief hesitation, he replied: "Because we have to. The projects are running, the workshops are taking place somehow, the KPIs are usually met, but the deeper meaning is often hard to discern."
That sounds like pure survival mode, and I've experienced that myself in projects where the "why " was eventually buried under the " how ": budgets, stakeholder expectations, power struggles, processes, daily business,...
In the first part of this series, I introduced you to my new and unique Japanese Innovation Map : 12 principles that show why Japanese teams have the potential to maintain purpose under difficult circumstances, not because they have better tools, but because they think differently: Part 1 The Japanese Innovation Map - 12 Principles That Will Change Your Thinking
This is exactly where we continue with the first two principles from the Orientation cluster . And I promise you: if you internalize these two, you can succeed in experiencing composure in innovation management.
According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026, the global employee engagement rate in 2025 was only 20 percent, the lowest since the pandemic. This is costing the global economy an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity. Deloitte's Global Human Capital Trends 2026 speaks of ongoing tensions between business efficiency and human potential, especially in leadership and innovation roles, where burnout and a sense of purpose are on the rise. We optimize, scale, and integrate AI, yet we are being driven. The current figures make this alarmingly clear.
This is precisely where Ikigai and Mono no aware come in. They are not esoteric, Far Eastern games, but precise, philosophical tools that deepen Western methods and make innovation management more sustainable, resilient, and humane.
Ikigai – What makes it worthwhile to be here
The word Ikigai is composed of iki – life – and gai – value or meaning. Freely translated: life motivation. That which makes life worth living. As a philosophical concept, it dates back to the Heian period** and was scientifically explored in 1966 by the psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya (read more: Mieko Kamiya – the mother of the Ikigai model — Find your future within ).
Incidentally, the model with the four overlapping circles ("What you love", "What you can do", "What the world needs", "What you get paid for"), which is often shown in connection with Ikigai, does not originate from the traditional Japanese Ikigai teaching, but is a Western adaptation (Marc Winn - The Ikigai Guy: About Me | Marc Winn )
The important thing to understand is that in Japan itself, Ikigai is not a career tool. It generally refers to what makes life worth living. This can include small, everyday things, and it is not necessarily linked to work, profession, or income (more information, for example, here: Ikigai Meaning: What It Actually Is (And Isn't) . People don't seek their Ikigai, their purpose, in a single action, like a workshop, but they discover it through doing over years or sometimes decades.
(**Heian period (c. 794–1185): period of Japan with its political center in Kyoto, characterized by courtly aristocracy and cultural flourishing (classical literature, art and aesthetics such as "Genji Monogatari").
When was the last time you felt that you were doing something solely out of intrinsic motivation?
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Ikigai in Innovation Management
I experience this regularly in organizations: Although there are innovation teams with a professional toolkit of methods, inspiration and passion are often lacking. When I then ask what really motivates the people in this team – not strategically, but personally – there is a long pause.
A team that doesn't understand its purpose innovates towards nowhere. It produces ideas that don't truly inspire.
On the innovation map, I've connected Ikigai with the Golden Circle and the 5 Whys. What both Western approaches share with Ikigai is the same fundamental question: Why ? Usually, something real emerges after the third "why."
In business practice, Toyota has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach for decades. The Kaizen spirit is not just about continuous improvement, but a deep conviction that every employee, through small, meaningful contributions, becomes part of a larger whole. Even in the current transformation to electromobility and AI, this purpose-driven orientation remains – "Inventing Our Path Forward, Together." SoftBank expresses a similar sentiment with its vision of "Happiness for everyone."
For you as an innovation manager Ikigai means:
Make what brings joy a routine.
Making a contribution to others (listening, helping)
Cultivate connections with like-minded people
Living continuity.
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This is how you develop a radar for whether projects are only "feasible" but no longer meaningful.
Studies on “ Ikigai-Driven Design ” (2024/2025) show that teams with a clear purpose anchor iterate more creatively and remain more resilient in the long term, especially in the AI era.
Mono no aware – the beauty of the ephemeral as a turbocharger for innovation
Mono no aware, the "pathos of things" or "being moved by things," was coined in the 18th century by Motoori Norinaga and is deeply rooted in Heian literature such as "The Tale of Genji." It describes a gentle, appreciative sorrow in the face of the transience of all being. The cherry blossom is so beautiful precisely because it fades: not a dramatic "everything is transient," but a profound awareness.
In the context of innovation, this attitude has a liberating effect. Instead of Western perfectionism or the "fail fast, fail often" hype, Mono no aware teaches a nuanced acceptance of impermanence. Prototypes may be deliberately built to be provisional or even discardable. Change is experienced as a natural flow, and products can be conceived as repairable and cyclical—a principle that is becoming increasingly relevant in the circular economy. Throughout its history, Sony has repeatedly demonstrated how to embrace transience as an opportunity: technology serves humanity and is allowed to evolve.
Mono no aware transforms innovation from a fight against the ephemeral into an appreciative, more serene work with the fleeting.
Mono no aware in innovation management
Innovation thrives on change and the discarding of approaches, ideas, MMPs, etc. Prototypes are discarded, business models must adapt. Western approaches often view transience as a problem that must be overcome quickly ("fail fast"). Mono no aware reverses this: It teaches us not only to accept impermanence but to consciously value it. The beauty lies precisely in the provisional.
This is particularly effective in iterations, change processes, and circular economy innovations.
For you as an innovation manager Can that...
...Calmness towards imperfections instead of perfectionism
...empathy with fleeting user needs and
...bring resilience in volatile times.
You make bolder decisions because you know: nothing has to last forever. This makes your innovation management not only more efficient, but also calmer.
Which aspect do you feel most strongly in your everyday life right now?
Ikigai and Mono no aware even stronger: Combining with Western innovation methods
Both principles are powerful on their own. Ikigai provides clear direction and deep intrinsic motivation. Mono no aware offers serenity and the ability not only to accept change but to consciously perceive it as valuable and natural. In combination with certain Western methods, Ikigai and Mono no aware unfold a special synergy. What might this look like?
Ikigai + Golden Circle and 5 Whys
Simon Sinek's Golden Circle , popularized by his 2009 TED Talk "How great leaders inspire action," reverses the conventional logic of communication and leadership. Instead of first explaining what you do and how you do it, it deliberately begins with the "why "—the deeper meaning and purpose that emotionally moves and inspires people rather than simply convincing them rationally. Its strength lies in its ability to create genuine loyalty and motivation. It is primarily used in strategy development, team alignment, and the formulation of visions and brand positioning. ▷ Golden Circle » Definition, explanation & examples + practice questions
The 5 Whys These methods, developed by Sakichi Toyoda at Toyota in the 1930s, are a central component of Kaizen and Lean management. The approach is remarkably simple: when faced with a problem, one asks "Why?" five times in succession to work from the symptoms to the root cause. Its strength lies in its remarkable efficiency combined with its profound impact. This makes it ideal for rapid problem analysis in complex innovation processes.
These two methods are particularly well suited to Ikigai for these essential reasons:
The Golden Circle prioritizes the "why," followed by the "how" and "what." Ikigai gives the "why" a long-term, intrinsic perspective.
The 5 Whys are expanded through Ikigai to become the “5 Whys of Purpose”: You not only ask about the technical cause, but also why a solution is relevant to the collective Ikigai of the team and the deeper meaning of the project.
This combination shifts the focus from extrinsic motivation (goals, KPIs) to intrinsic fulfillment – a crucial advantage in times of high fluctuation and AI-driven change.
It creates a holistic anchoring of meaning that goes beyond mere efficiency.
Mono no aware + Empathy Map and ADKAR model
The Empathy Map Gamestorming was developed in the early 2000s by Dave Gray (XPLANE) as part of the Gamestorming toolkit (first outlined by Scott Matthews and formalized in the 2010 book *Gamestorming *, updated in 2017). It holistically visualizes what a user says, thinks, does, and feels, supplemented by goals, pain points, and gains. Its strength lies in the rapid, collaborative development of empathy within a team. It is primarily used in the empathy phase of design thinking processes, in user research, and in the development of user-centered products and services.
The ADKAR model was developed by Jeff Hiatt at Prosci in 1998/2003 based on research data from over 700 organizations. It describes five interdependent building blocks of individual change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. Its strength lies in its clear, diagnostic, and results-oriented structure. This makes it ideal for identifying resistance early and anchoring change sustainably. It is primarily used in change management projects, transformation initiatives, and innovation projects.
These two methods are particularly well suited to Mono no aware for these essential reasons:
The Empathy Map gains an additional “transience dimension” through Mono no aware: You not only ask what the user thinks and feels, but also which needs or emotions are fleeting and should therefore be addressed in a different way.
ADKAR 's awareness and desire step becomes emotionally deeper because Mono no aware interprets change not as a threat, but as a natural, beautiful impermanence.
This combination mitigates Western perfectionism and the "fail fast" mantra by cultivating an appreciative attitude towards the provisional. It leads to more resilient, sustainable solutions, especially in volatile markets and circular economy innovations.
These combinations help you, as an innovation manager, to clearly stand out from the crowd and become more effective: While many work with purely analytical tools, you create a deeper, more human empathy and a less fearful culture of change. A tangible competitive advantage in times of AI, ambiguity, uncertainty, and rapid change.
How-to: Practical application in five examples
You don't have to turn everything upside down. A few low-threshold experiments are enough:
At the start of an innovation project, you begin with a Golden Circle workshop and then have each team member define their individual Ikigai in relation to the project. The result is a shared "why" that is sustainable.
When analyzing innovation blocks, you expand the classic 5 Whys by adding two Ikigai questions: "Why is the solution to this problem important for our collective Ikigai?" and "How does it help us to feel again why we do what we do?"
During a user research phase, you expand the classic empathy map to include a field for "Transient / Ephemeral". This leads to prototypes that are intentionally designed to be iterative and adaptable.
During a change process in the innovation team, you use ADKAR and reflect together in the awareness step: "Which aspects of the old/previous are transient and why is that liberating?" This noticeably reduces resistance.
Ikigai team check before each sprint : Everyone briefly notes where the current project/work package aligns with their personal purpose. Then, you overlay this with the organizational "why." This creates clarity and prevents a loss of meaning.
Food for thought
In a world where AI is increasingly taking over routine and even creative tasks, the question "What remains as our human driving force?" becomes crucial. Which aspects of your current innovation work still truly fulfill the team, beyond KPIs and deadlines? And where is meaning at risk of fading as algorithms take over the "what" and "how"? A regular, collective Ikigai check could make all the difference between a replaceable team and one that operates with deep motivation and creativity, even in volatile times.
Ideas, prototypes, or concepts are allowed to consciously "fade away" in the world of innovation, without us clinging to them desperately or dramatically burying them. Which current approach or ongoing project in your innovation work could you actually let go of calmly because its time has come? The beauty often lies precisely in this conscious letting go: It creates space for new things and prevents teams from getting stuck on outdated concepts.
In summary: Combining Ikigai and Mono no aware with appropriate Western methods makes innovation management not only more efficient, but also significantly more holistic, sustainable, and human. And it makes all the difference for you and sets you apart from the crowd.
The next and third part of the series will focus on the "Processes" cluster with Nemawashi & Genba: "How do ideas become reality?" Stay tuned. It's worth it!
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Dr. Babette Sonntag is an innovation manager, keynote speaker, and The Innonaut. She helps managers in medium-sized businesses who want to initiate something new but are stuck, using Japanese spirit as a boost. 👉 dieinnonautin.de | LinkedIn
Please note: This text is translated into English by using Wix Translation - I apologize for any mistakes in this text I may have overlooked.
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