I have been unexpectedly re-elected as the President of the Japan Society for Human Resource Management (JSHRM). I am pleased that my activities during my previous term were evaluated to a certain extent, and I feel a renewed sense of responsibility.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the secretariat and the members of the previous board who supported the execution of the previous board, despite their busy schedules. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the new secretariat and board for sharing the responsibility of managing the society with me. I would like to sincerely ask for the continued support of members and non-members who have taken an interest in and participated in the activities of our society.
In my presidential address two years ago, I highlighted four issues to address as president. These challenges remain crucial, and I will reintroduce their content.
Firstly, we keep attracting new members to maintain and strengthen the interdisciplinary nature of our society. By the efforts of the organizing committee, we have been able to attract members with diverse academic backgrounds. We will continue our efforts to maintain or increase the total number of members.
Secondly, we are supporting the activities of young researchers. Over the past two years, we have been editing a book that complies data and ideas related to personnel and human resources management, with many of our young members participating in writing. Although slightly behind schedule, the publication is imminent at the time of writing this address. And now, as a further attempt to support the networking and research activities of young members, we started editing a book that compiles case studies on personnel and human resources management. Through these efforts, we will continue to support the growth of young researchers and their presence both within and outside our society.
Thirdly, we are strengthening communication between the board and members. We have partially achieved this goal by supporting young researchers, as mentioned earlier. The executive board of the society has communicated its aims, and young researchers have communicated a lot of information and ideas about their research interests and careers. However, there is still room for improvement in disseminating information to the entire society and receiving feedback. Through this, we can learn about the various realities within society and apply them to our management.
Fourthly, we will further foster a unique culture for our society. Over the past two years, we have seen a variety of presentations and lively discussions at the annual conference and regional meetings. At the annual conference, face-to-face meetings have resumed since the 53rd annual conference (in Kindai University). Research is becoming increasingly international, but that is precisely why Japanese academic societies should play a role in incubating research in Japan. We will strive to further enrich society as a place for knowledge creation and the exchange of researchers, rather than simply returning to the old ways.
During the past two years, I have keenly aware of the necessity and scope for various improvements in the operation of our society and the rules that support it. I will make every effort to ensure that members can see these improvements. So, please feel free to send us your opinions and criticisms.
It is a great honor to be elected President of the Japan Society of Human Resource Management (JSHRM). Although this election was unexpected, I will contribute to the development of this prestigious society during my two-year term.
Prior to my election as President, I had been the program chair of the annual conference of JSHRM for two years. The reason for this irregularity was the outbreak of COVID-19. To fully implement the various events planned by the Program Committee for the milestone 50th annual conference in an online format, I oversaw the planning and operation of the program over two years. On behalf of the Program Committee, I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who participated in these conferences as presenters, moderators, commentators, and audience.
The theme of the 50th and 51st annual conferences was "Future Prospects for Personnel and Human Resource Management Studies in Japan.” Through these conferences, we showed that we can comprehensively understand the research subjects by intersecting various academic backgrounds. We also emphasized the significance of deep insights into past research and events to foresee the present and future. The significance of such intellectual and personal exchanges has been a goal of the society since its establishment. Not only "despite" the online meeting, but also "because of" the online meeting, we were able to conduct meaningful exchanges.
As President, I will leverage the various insights gained from hosting the full lineup of annual conference including the symposium. I will address the following challenges during the next two years.
First, we aim to attract new members in order to maintain and strengthen the interdisciplinary nature of our society. In recent years, due to the turnover of members, the percentage of researchers with backgrounds in sociology, economics, and law has been declining. We will return to our tradition of emphasizing interdisciplinarity. Through various research meetings at the regional and national levels, we will collaborate with outstanding researchers in various research fields and promote new memberships for non-members.
Second, we will support the activities of young researchers. In general, in addition to academic societies, graduate schools and institutions to which young researchers belong provide opportunities for their growth. For young researchers, such as graduate students, the intensive interaction with academic advisors, seniors, peers, and colleagues has been a source of nourishment for their growth as researchers. However, in recent years, due to a decrease in the number of students entering graduate school and restrictions on employment opportunities related to personnel and human resource management studies, many young researchers do not have sufficient opportunities to interact with their peers on a daily basis. In light of this, our association supports networking among young researchers beyond the boundaries of the graduate schools and institutions to which they belong. We will also actively utilize the online meeting system, which has proven effective at recent annual conferences and regional meetings.
Third, we will strengthen communication between the board and the members. For the long-term development of the association, it is essential for more members to take an interest in the operation of the association, participate in it, and take the lead. To this end, the board will reassess the depth and characteristics of the society's human resources as a whole and communicate with each member. We will promote the dissemination of research results and contributions to the management of the society by a larger number of members than in the past. By doing so, we will encourage interactions among members and active participation by each member in the activities of the society.
Fourth, we aim to cultivate the unique of our society. In recent years, with the internationalization of research activities, many researchers, including graduate students and young researchers, have shown a strong inclination towards overseas activities. While many researchers motivated to report their research results at international conferences and journals, what can a society based in Japan offer? Ensuring that international and domestic activities are not mutually exclusive, and that being active in the unique setting of our society can lead to the members’ ability to communicate internationally. We aim to create an academic society that can generate these facts and benefits.
There are many challenges that personnel and human resource management are facing today, and the response to the outbreak of COVID-19 is just one of many. However, not many organizations or individuals are proactively and creatively addressing these. The examples of meaningful problem solving and the mechanisms behind them are not yet well known. There should be many things that the academic community can and should do to help more organizations and individuals better define and address current and future challenges. JSHRM has to commit to helping each of members lead the way in resolving related to personnel and human resource management issues. I will fulfill my duties as president with this responsibility, and I sincerely ask for the support of all members.
