Why invest in people
Why invest in people now
We do not claim effects on recruiting, retention or younger staff — no public figures support such causal claims. What established theory does tell us:
Spending that raises people’s knowledge and skills can be treated as investment, like spending on equipment.
Becker 1964
Opportunities for growth and achievement motivate; deficits in the working environment breed dissatisfaction — both need attention.
Herzberg 1968
Employees form a perception of how much the organization values their contribution and cares about their well-being.
Eisenberger et al. 1986
When autonomy, competence and relatedness are met, people are motivated from within.
Ryan & Deci 2000
Teams with psychological safety find it easier to learn.
Edmondson 1999
Investing in development and the workplace shows, inside and outside the company, what it values — by analogy with signaling.
Spence 1973 (as an analogy)
Share of establishments reporting problems with human resource development, and why
79.9% of establishments in Japan report some problem with human resource development. Among those establishments, the problems cited (multiple answers) are a shortage of people who can train others (59.5%), people leaving after being trained (54.7%) and no time for development (47.4%) (FY2024 survey, establishment survey)
Building the lineup
Building the development lineup (a proposal)
One way to assemble the lineup — our proposal, not a description of past results. We rearrange it after a needs assessment, to fit headcount, goals and budget.
- Executives & managers: choosing structure with theory
- By role: certified training + role-specific coaching
- All employees (incl. non-IT): fundamentals of using tools / Systems Thinking
Figure: three layers — foundation (everyone) → by role → executives (proposal)
| Who | Training (clear theory) | Coaching (support grounded in reality) |
|---|---|---|
| All employees (including non-IT teams) | Customized training: fundamentals of mastering tools, putting assumptions into words | — (training alone is a fine start) |
| New leaders and managers | Customized training: organization design and the design of team work | Coaching for Executives and Managers |
| Team facilitators (Scrum Masters etc.) | CSM, A-CSM (Scrum Alliance® certified) | Coaching for Scrum Masters |
| Product leads and planners | CSPO (Scrum Alliance® certified) | Coaching for Product Owners |
| Developers | CSD (Scrum Alliance® certified), Certified LeSS | Coaching for Developers and Development Teams |
| Executives | Systems Thinking (public course) | Coaching for Executives and Managers |
All employees (including non-IT teams)
- Training (clear theory)
- Customized training: fundamentals of mastering tools, putting assumptions into words
- Coaching (support grounded in reality)
- — (training alone is a fine start)
New leaders and managers
- Training (clear theory)
- Customized training: organization design and the design of team work
- Coaching (support grounded in reality)
- Coaching for Executives and Managers
Team facilitators (Scrum Masters etc.)
- Training (clear theory)
- CSM, A-CSM (Scrum Alliance® certified)
- Coaching (support grounded in reality)
- Coaching for Scrum Masters
Product leads and planners
- Training (clear theory)
- CSPO (Scrum Alliance® certified)
- Coaching (support grounded in reality)
- Coaching for Product Owners
Developers
- Training (clear theory)
- CSD (Scrum Alliance® certified), Certified LeSS
- Coaching (support grounded in reality)
- Coaching for Developers and Development Teams
Executives
- Training (clear theory)
- Systems Thinking (public course)
- Coaching (support grounded in reality)
- Coaching for Executives and Managers
One or a few people → public courses (training.tech-kai.com); a team or department → in-house training; stuck in practice → coaching.
Human capital disclosure
How this relates to human capital disclosure
Listed companies in particular are increasingly expected to explain their policies on people development and the working environment, along with initiatives and indicators. Please check the relevant authorities for details.
Our training and coaching can be designed so that they are easy to describe as the "initiatives" in policy → initiatives → indicators (who, what, how often). We do not promise numeric targets or outcomes.
- Policy
- Initiatives
- Indicators
Public frameworks for human capital disclosure in Japan
Companies filing Annual Securities Reports in Japan must describe their human resource development policy and internal environment improvement policy in the sustainability section (Cabinet Office Ordinance amendment, promulgated and effective 31 January 2023; applies from fiscal years ending on or after 31 March 2023). Related: the Cabinet Secretariat's Guidelines for Human Capital Visualization (30 August 2022).
After the workshop
A place to gather after the workshop
We can introduce FAM333, which is part of our group.
We can also help arrange a social gathering after training or workshops, through the group (details on request).
See FAM333 for businessPublic subsidies
Some clients have used public training subsidies for our courses.
Eligibility and application procedures should be confirmed with your regional Labour Bureau or a licensed labor and social security attorney. We do not guarantee that a subsidy will be granted.
Key points for your internal brief
Use as a draft for an internal proposal (our suggestion; take figures only from the public-statistics slots).
- Premise
- Spending on people can be treated as investment (Becker 1964). Both development and environment need attention (Herzberg 1968).
- Problem
- Development consists of one-off certified courses, not a lineup across everyone, roles and executives.
- Approach
- Build a three-layer lineup from existing services (certified, customized, coaching, public courses). Social gatherings can be arranged through the group.
- Target state
- Employees have concrete evidence that they are valued; the company can describe the "initiatives" in its human capital story.
- Evidence
- The reference list at the end of this page (author, year) and the public statistics shown on this page (MHLW; Financial Services Agency). We do not promise outcome figures.
Theory behind this page
- Becker 1964
- Herzberg 1968
- Eisenberger et al. 1986
- Ryan & Deci 2000
- Edmondson 1999
- Spence 1973 (as an analogy)
Full list: Theoretical background and sources
We Promote Improvement
The first consultation is free. We listen to your challenges and goals, then propose what fits best.
Get Your Certification
One or a few people? Start with a public course — certified training and Systems Thinking are open for booking.