As the global expansion of its business accelerates, B-EN-G has created a place where employees can independently improve their English skills and cultivate international business communication abilities. It's called the "Globalization Club." The initiative aims to lower the psychological barrier to speaking English while exposing employees to foreign cultures and the English language.
"We want to create opportunities for students to use English and to broaden their horizons to the world through exposure to different cultures."
In the world of global business, there are many situations where a desire to communicate with others and a never-give-up attitude are more important than fluent English. The Globalization Club was started as a place to cultivate these practical skills. Arata Nakamura of the Solutions Business Division, who is involved in running the club, explains what prompted him to start this initiative:
"B-EN-G's main clients, manufacturing companies, are strengthening their overseas expansion and aiming to further increase the proportion of their overseas sales in order to respond to market changes and achieve further growth. As our clients' business activities become increasingly globalized, in order to support their business strategies and solve cross-border issues, B-EN-G members themselves need to look overseas and improve their English skills as a common language. At the same time, many employees still have limited opportunities to use English in their daily work. In order to improve English skills, we thought it was important to first remove any 'resistance to using English.' It is not necessary for English to be perfect, but the first thing is to have an attitude of wanting to communicate. We wanted to create a space for this."
To put this idea into practice, the Globalization Club has seven ground rules: "You don't have to speak perfect English," "This is not a business meeting," "Participation should be free and flexible," and "Let's praise each other." These rules create an environment where participants can feel comfortable taking on the challenge of English.
The first real event was held
普段はオンラインで実施されている同クラブですが、今回は初めてリアルでの開催が実現しました。英語でのコミュニケーションをサポートするのは、B-EN-Gのビジネスパートナーであり、グローバルネットワークの一員でもある Axel Henning Saleckさんです。Axelさんは海外拠点との連携において重要な役割を担っており、B-EN-Gのグローバル展開を支えるキーパーソンの一人です。（※）
日本で働いていた経験もあり、実は少し日本語を理解できるAxelさんですが、クラブ中は英語のみで話すというルールを徹底し、発表者の説明を辛抱強く聞いてくださいます。この姿勢が、参加者に「英語で伝える」ことへの真剣な取り組みを促しています。
参加者は、入社1～2年目の若手からベテランまで、約20名。英語スキルのレベルは様々でしたが、全員が「伝えること」に集中し、活発なコミュニケーションが展開されました。幅広いレベルの社員が集まったことで、互いに刺激し合い、学び合う雰囲気が生まれていました。レベルの違いを気にすることなく、それぞれが自分のペースで英語に向き合う姿が印象的でした。
（※B-EN-G、製造業×SAP領域におけるグローバルIT支援強化に向けて欧州拠点のITコンサルティング企業2社とパートナーシップを構築）
Learning through practice
当日、参加者は原則英語で発言するルールのもと、複数のアクティビティに取り組みました。会場には最初こそ緊張した空気が漂っていましたが、アクティビティが進むにつれて、笑顔や笑い声が増えていきました。
英語でのグループワークでは、世界の国名を英語で書き出すゲームを実施しました。普段何気なく使っているカタカナ表記の国名を、正確な英語表記で書き出す作業は、思いのほか難しく、参加者からは「意外と知らない国名が多かった」という声も上がりました。チームで協力しながら答えを出していく過程で、自然と英語でのコミュニケーションが生まれ、「これってどう書くんだっけ？」「こっちの方が正しいんじゃない？」といった英語でのやり取りが飛び交いました。
また、参加者一人ひとりが英語でプレゼンテーションを行う時間も設けられました。簡単な挨拶から趣味や仕事の内容まで、各自が工夫しながら英語で表現しました。ただ一方的に話すだけでなく、プレゼンの内容を踏まえてAxelさんへ質問を投げかけるなど、相手との会話を想定した実践的なやり取りも行われました。
参加者からは「What kind of projects have you worked on (今まで、どんなプロジェクトで働いていましたか) ?」「What are the best places to visit in Europe (ヨーロッパでお勧めの旅行先は) ?」「Do you have any hobbies (趣味はありますか) ?」といった様々な質問が飛び交いました。
それに対し、Axelさんも丁寧に答えながら、参加者の英語表現をフォローする場面も見られました。
この双方向のコミュニケーションが、より実践的な英語力の向上につながっています。
文法や発音の間違いを恐れず、身振り手振りも交えながら伝えようとする参加者の姿勢に、Axelさんからも「みなさんの英語はよく理解できた。自信を持って練習を継続すればどんどん向上するので、頑張って欲しい」というメッセージが送られました。
Participant comments
Here are some comments from employees who participated in the club:
"I was nervous about presenting and talking to Axel face-to-face, but it was fun."
"I no longer feel bad about English. I realized that even if my grammar isn't perfect, it's important to make an effort to communicate."
"I was impressed by how many participants spoke English fluently. It inspired me to work hard too."
"I hardly ever have a chance to use English in my everyday work, so I'm very grateful to have an opportunity like this. I'd like to participate again next time."
These comments suggest that the psychological resistance to using English is being reduced and a more positive attitude toward communication is being fostered.
Towards future global expansion
B-EN-G has overseas subsidiaries in China, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and the United States, and is promoting global expansion centered on Asia. Furthermore, through a strategic partnership with a European consulting firm announced in May 2025, the company is accelerating business development in the European region.
In order to achieve "adaptive globalization" to maintain and develop business globally in the future, it will be essential to have personnel who understand the characteristics and culture of each region and can communicate smoothly with local partners. In order to achieve B-EN-G's global strategies, such as establishing a unique business model based on emerging Asian markets, expanding overseas bases, and entering new countries, it is important that each employee has a "willingness to communicate."
Nakamura talks about his future prospects:
"Through this in-person event, I was reminded of the importance of face-to-face communication. Online options are convenient, but the sense of unity and depth of learning that comes from meeting face-to-face in the same space is exceptional. I would like to continue to use the relationships of trust we built through this in-person event to create a fun learning environment and encourage more employees to participate. I would also be happy if the experience gained through this club can be put to use in actual overseas projects and global work."
The "Globalization Club," which was conceived by an employee, will continue to be held in the future to develop the human resources that will support B-EN-G's global expansion. Perfect English proficiency is not the starting point for communication across borders; the desire to communicate is. Small steps toward English will eventually lead to collaboration with partners around the world and open up new business possibilities. B-EN-G will achieve further growth on the global stage, with each employee taking on new challenges.
