The second online exchange meeting of 2025 featured: “Organisational Reform Beginning with Recruitment — Overcoming the Assumption that ‘Women Struggle in Field Roles’” (Mr Akihito Kiuchi, Kiuchi Kokeisetsu Co., Ltd.) ”Career Development Support for Female High School Students Based on Science/Humanities Choice — Research on Cultivating Intrinsic Motivation and Sense of Conviction Applying Management by Belief (MBB) Theory” (presented by Ms Hiromi Kimura, Executive Officer and Head of Administration, Yamamotoyama Co., Ltd., based on her research at Tama University’s MBA programme). This was followed by group discussions.
Participants commented:
・Mr Kiuchi’s presentation was particularly memorable for highlighting the benefits of actively incorporating opinions after initiating female recruitment, which boosted employee motivation. We would be delighted to hear further updates on how the company evolves as these new hires mature into senior roles.
・Ms Kimura’s presentation contained a wealth of information. While we only heard an overview due to time constraints, we would have appreciated deeper insights into the trends and analyses derived from the interviews.
・Interacting with a diverse range of individuals broadens one’s horizons and offers many insights.
・This was my first time participating, and I found it an immensely rewarding experience, gaining new perspectives and learning. I strongly felt the necessity of initiatives aiming for parity (50:50) by eliminating gender disparities across detailed areas such as faculty/department, job type, and company size. I intend to apply this to my future activities. Thank you very much.
We plan to continue holding these exchange meetings approximately twice a year. We are also seeking individuals who can provide topics for discussion, so please feel free to get in touch.
Regarding Ms Kimura’s Research (Completed the Graduate School of Management and Information Studies (MBA Programme) at Tama University, where Dr Jitsuro Terashima serves as President, on 6 September 2025. Awarded the Outstanding Thesis Prize)
This research views female high school students’ choice between arts and sciences as the “starting point for career autonomy” and comprehensively examines both structural challenges and psychological factors. Due to gender bias and information disparities, female students currently face difficulties in choosing their paths with intrinsic motivation and a sense of conviction. Therefore, this study explored the potential for decision-making support through the educational application of Management by Belief (MBB) theory, focusing on verbalising ‘thoughts’ and visualising inner processes. Through qualitative surveys of educators, specialists, and working women, it was revealed that cultivating four foundational competencies—self-understanding, clarification of values, ability to consider options, and decision-making capacity—is indispensable for girls’ autonomous career formation.
