Case Study: Ricoh achieves a co-creative, agile digital workplace with Microsoft Teams

Ricoh Uses Microsoft Teams as the Communication Platform to Change Its Business Model and Foster Co-creation

Ricoh Company, Ltd., a large Japanese manufacturer undergoing a shift from product to service-based offerings, needed to overhaul its communication platform to spur co-creation and more agile work styles. Facing slow, email- and Lotus Notes–based information sharing that hindered creativity, Ricoh selected Office 365 and adopted Microsoft Teams (alongside Exchange Online and FastTrack for Office 365) to enable real‑time collaboration across its global organization.

Ricoh rolled out Office 365 in three phases (Knowledge, Use, Maximizing Potential) with support from Microsoft CSMs, FastTrack, and consulting services, promoting Teams through events, ambassadors, and internal campaigns. The Microsoft Teams deployment drove rapid adoption—about 40,000 accounts in Japan by February 2018, ~20,000 Teams sites launched, a 75% usage rate by September 2018 and ~40% of sites updated daily—enabling simultaneous editing, faster decision‑making, virtual meetings, and a measurable shift to more agile, collaborative work.

Ricoh