Greetings for the New Year 2024
Celebrating 20 Years of Minori's Establishment
The dawn of the Year of the Dragon, 2024, is upon us. Happy New Year!
As Minori marks its 20th anniversary since its founding on January 4, 2004, we embark on the commencement of our 21st year. Reflecting on the journey, it is truly heartening to realize that the longevity of our consulting work has been made possible by the support of our clients and those around us.
Our founding principles were centered around the commitment to "Practice consulting to enhance Japanese companies. Aim for the support of designing and operating integrated systems that underpin business strategies, encompassing organization, work, and human resources, and strive for the creation of mechanisms that benefit both management and people, pursuing quality rather than scale expansion." The core concepts to implement this vision were the "Minori Concept," consisting of 1) an integrated human resource management system centered around job/roles and 2) a philosophy of total rewards, emphasizing both monetary and non-monetary rewards. While the concept of "job-based employment" is now commonly acknowledged, Minori has been steadfastly pursuing these principles since its inception. Over the past 20 years, our collaboration with partners worldwide has allowed us to accumulate experiences, skills, and insights that set us apart with a sense of pride.
Amidst various events over the past two decades, both Japan and the world have undergone significant transformations. Notably, the challenges of COVID in 2020, the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the explosive growth of ChatGPT and the Israel-Palestine issue in 2023 all wield substantial influence on the future of the world.
In the realm of Minori's consulting work, the dramatic shift in the working style of the Japanese post-COVID and the rapid penetration of ChatGPT have been particularly noteworthy. The swift adoption of remote work by Japanese companies was unimaginable before, but now it has become commonplace. The necessity of “job-based employment” began to be emphasized, triggered by the shift to remote work. While technological support such as Zoom facilitated a seemingly smooth transition, there continues to be ongoing experimentation and learning regarding the practicalities and evaluation of work in remote settings.
As advocates of HR systems based on job/roles, Minori aims to use this opportunity to actively support the transition to an integrated HR system. Similarly, the usage of ChatGPT is still evolving, but it is anticipated that it will significantly streamline work processes in various fields.
This transformative wave is not limited to Japan but is equally impacting the global landscape. Minori maintains regular information exchange with its overseas partners like Creelman Research, and sustains collaborative relationships on specific projects. Recognizing the need for responses that consider the world, not just Japan, we are confident that a global perspective is essential. Given these circumstances, it is clear that Minori still has much to contribute, and we remain committed to supporting the development of Japanese companies for the foreseeable future.
As part of this commitment, we plan to host the "Minori Seminar" in May this year. Despite the hiatus due to COVID, we believe that providing accurate and fundamental information on the design and operation of job-based HR systems is crucial at this moment. Starting from December of last year, we have been publishing information related to the "Minori Concept" in the column of "Nihon no Jinjibu" and we are planning to elaborate on this content directly during the seminar in May. We encourage those interested to refer to our column articles and consider participating in the seminar.
We extend our gratitude for the continued support of Minori's activities into the future.
New Year's Day 2024
Kenichiro Akiyama
Representative Director
Minori Management Research Institute