The Challenges facing JSR Group

Nejigaki:

Next, I'd like to take the focus of our discussion to the human resources management-related challenges facing JSR Group. First, there is the matter of improving productivity as a goal of work-style reform. However, there are questions about how far this can be achieved within the research of a materials manufacturer. Excesses of white-collar workers can be handled by shifting workers around, but can this be done in painstaking materials research? And then there is the rather difficult problem of how white-collar workers can improve their own productivity.

The challenges of human resources management

Sasaki:

Like you, I have tried various approaches in my company, but the old ways return whenever a workplace manager moves on to a new position. The reason is the next person doesn't use the new approach. Members don't either. They want to do things leisurely and slowly. I think attempting to improve productivity and execute work-style reform in such an environment is impossible. When changing an organization, the first concern is the kind of message workplace managers send. Concrete tools and know-how are also necessary. I got together with everyone in our workplaces to think about what should be done and then compiled the results into a manual. Good wisdom is produced when everyone thinks together. What is important after that is to stick to it.

Kawahashi:

Even among research positions, there is a need to think about this on a workplace-by-workplace basis, as life sciences and petrochemicals are completely different. In any case, we must implement change by also introducing technologies so that we can allocate time to the development of new products.

Doi:

Japanese companies have a culture in which people who work long hours are appreciated. That this is not good may not be sufficiently recognized within JSR Group. It happens because work tends to accumulate where people who are good at working are. Inevitably those people work long hours and become appreciated. So, rather than appreciating how many hours someone works, I think we should evaluate how much output he or she produces in the same amount of time.

Sasaki:

Organizations contain various people. This makes diversity management that deals with those people necessary. I think it's the responsibility of the organization's head to also assign work to people who are not good at it.

Fujii:

Our HR development department proposed rules for meetings and e-mail as a starting point for work-style reform. I think they are effective even in just eliminating time wasted in waiting around for a previous meeting to end or reading unnecessary e-mails. This is because they not only shorten those times but also help build everyday awareness. As a manufacturer, another point that should be stressed above all else is safety measures. No matter how much the world changes, safety measures must always be taken seriously.

Nejigaki:

Three years ago, we had an accident in one of our plants. We launched a Workplace Accident Eradication Project to eliminate industrial accidents, and we identified the cause and developed countermeasures. In essence, what we found was that our corporate culture was part of the problem. One of the conclusions we reached was that, rather than doing this or that as a company, we "want workplace managers to think of their workplaces as their home, and to protect their employees by thinking of them as their family members."

Thinking about one's own mission

Sasaki:

I think that we should emphasize culture over system, and workplace manager over culture. Even if we come up with great system, it will be meaningless if no one uses it. I think the whole will not change unless the workplace manager sends a message and changes each individual.

Nejigaki:

So what you're saying is that thorough discussion is required in the workplace.

Sasaki:

There is no discussion because everyone is busy. They don't discuss it even though they are aware of the problem. I think things would improve if thorough discussions took place. I come into contact with various companies. But what I find is that even if companies have systems in place, the systems are not used, and people who work long hours continue to be appreciated. So awareness of work-style reform is still lacking. Top managers must change this through forceful encouragement. There is a phrase that says, "Good habits achieve more than talent." I think it's important to make it a habit to discuss things as a group, to shorten meeting times, and to take notes on important matters and reread them. Reform requires constant effort.

Nejigaki:

What should individual employees aim to do?

Sasaki:

I think they should aim to be autonomous people. They should consider their own mission, not that of their company or workplace. This means they must think about how they will work independently and "how they will live." They should set their own goals and mission after considering what they want to do as a section chief, as a department head, or as a top manager. They must prioritize what they want to do and discard those things that are unimportant.

Nakamura:

I think there is only one way. Instead of waiting for someone else to start reforms, each employee must find a work style through which he or she contributes to the company and society enjoyably. However, according to the results of a survey, awareness of career autonomy stands as high as 70% in other countries but only 40% in Japan. What this means is that employees are swept along by their surroundings and remain stuck in the conventional way of thinking. For example, even if they are told it's OK to take on a side job, a fair number of men say they can't think of any jobs they want to do. But even if they don't take on a job, I think others would be very appreciative if those men simply lent a hand in child-rearing or nursing care, for example. So I think it's important to stop for a moment, think for yourself, and then try taking action.

Sasaki:

I believe one's way of working is really one's way of living. There are many important things in life. Work is important. But family is also important. Hobbies and friends are similarly important. If you are caught up with just your work, you will forget those other important aspects. Life goes on for more decades after you leave your company. But it's already too late if you only first notice the important things besides work the moment you quit. When people think "Even though it's OK to take a side job, there's nothing I want to do" or "I could go home early, but there's nothing to do there," I wonder if they think that way because they are not valuing things outside of work.

Do whatever it takes to step outside of the established way.

Nakamura:

Recruit Works Institute has a slogan that says, "creating a next generation society where ‘everyone can work actively.'" With more attention paid to "work-style reform" than ever before, our work has increased a great deal. That's good news for us, but as we got busier and busier, some of us were saying "perhaps it's we who are not working actively" (laugh). So we made an organizational decision. We decided that, as a general rule, we would not work overtime from April. We also decided to prohibit e-mails during non-working hours and reduce workloads if work cannot be completed without overtime and off-work e-mails. Suddenly, my days have become very enjoyable, as I have time to spend with my children and friends and to see movies and read books. I realized that I was working too hard before. So I've come to think that it's very important to stop and take a look at your situation.

Fujii:

JSR Group states that it wants people who are "professionals possessing global-level competitiveness in their respective fields." It wants personnel at the highest level—the "global" level—not the domestic level or company level. Becoming such a person requires encountering global-level human resources and enhancing one's education outside the company. I believe we can spark innovation by absorbing diverse values and knowledge in this way and then bringing it back to the company. So I want to consider work-style reform that is oriented toward generating such a cycle.

Nakamura:

I get the sense that many researchers and engineers are good at cooking and child-rearing because they are already blessed with intellectual curiosity and an inquisitive mind. I also think some people stay on the front lines of business activity because they seek career success rather than advancement. It might be a good idea to create role models from people in such occupational categories. If doing so proves difficult, what factors are inhibiting it? Is it an absence of contact with other cultures or lack of involvement in the community?

Kawahashi:

I think we have a problem in that our employees have little contact with the outside. While security- and compliance-related restrictions play a role here, I think employees' desire to remain where they feel "safe" may also be a factor. When people do not step out of their psychological shells, they do not receive information and are not a part of actions that bring change. People must break out of their shells and expand their perspective.

Fujii:

A knowledgeable person once told me that "JSR Group is extremely well motivated to tackle matters at hand and achieve its goals." He said we are a task-oriented company. We are good at tackling tasks with all of our energy. But there is no play in this. Whenever we have extra time, rather than thinking "Let's go to an academic conference," we end up thinking "Let's make as many samples as we can."

Kawahashi:

If employees cannot instigate change on their own, it may be necessary to try changing them from above, perhaps even forcibly. I also think we need a culture that allows us to go back to the drawing board and come up with something new when an approach fails.

Doi:

That's because the system is in place. Now it's time to change the culture.

Measures to change corporate culture are important.

Sasaki:

Isn't it the case that, when changing the culture, everything depends on whether or not top managers communicate a plan and those responsible at each worksite level move to execute it?

Nakamura:

Another approach that might be effective when changing the culture is to appoint types of human resources that differ from those used before. Another possibility is to utilize young people who want to study AI and women, or to invite people from outside the company.

Fujii:

It has often been the case that even if we bring in different types of people, after a while they too become stained by conventional values. Measures to prevent that are needed.

Nakamura:

We must assume that unpredictable changes will continue incessantly. However, we can live with peace of mind if we ourselves become the "eye of the storm." For people to become autonomous human resources capable of doing this, work-style reform should expand networks in a manner that broadens horizons.

Sasaki:

What I want to say is this: "Value yourself." If you genuinely consider yourself to be valuable, then the best work style for you should become clear to you. In all cases, I think you should consider your actions in terms of what will make you happy.

Nejigaki:

We incorporated work-style reform into our new mid-term business plan after repeated internal conversation on the topic. However, our discussion today was extremely helpful, as we considered points that do not arise in internal discussion and new perspectives. I look forward to putting the fruits to use in future measures. Thank you very much for your time today.

To Discussion (3) "Participants' Profiles"