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DAVE ULRICH

PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS,

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

WAYNE F. CASCIO

PROFESSORIAL CHAIR IN

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP,

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

THE HON MICHAEL KIRBY AC CMG

FORMER AUSTRALIAN HIGH

COURT JUDGE

2012’S MUST ATTEND GLOBAL EVENT

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26 - 27 SEPTEMBER 2012

DAN PINK

AUTHOR OF A WHOLE

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C O N T E N T S

P U B L I S H E R � S M E S S A G E

Reliving !e Kizuna絆 Spirit: 4A Challenge for Japan HR Professionals? Jun Kabigting

J H R S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S

FAQs 6The Japan HR Society

JHRS Panel Discussion on Leaders and Leadership 7The HR Agenda

F E AT U R E S TO RY

HPO 101: 8 Understanding What Makes an HPO and How to Become OneYoshiharu Matsui

Scope Check 12 Your Organization’s Approach to High PerformanceChad Stewart

Japanese-Style Improvement as High-Performance Innovation: 14 Integrating Kaizen and Management by ObjectivesKumiko Shimotsubo

W O R K F O C E M A N A G E M E N T

Reading the Signs of Impending Employee Resignation 16Shabeer Ahmad

H R S T R AT E G Y

!e One !ing You Should Do Now: 18How to Exercise HR Leadership in Uncertain TimesPeter Capelli

T H O U G H T L E A D E R S

Get Ready for the Employee Engagement Revolution 20The HR Agenda

HPOs Need Wellness at Work 21The HR Agenda

In Pursuit of Happiness: !e Value of Ful#llment in HPOs 22The HR Agenda

A S K H R

What Makes an Organization an HPO? 24

H R TO O L B OX

Steps to Building a High-Performance Culture 26SuccessFactors

H R L E G A L C L I N I C

Dismissal Due to Performance Issues 27Atty. Jiro Oyama

H R B E S T P R A C T I C E

Experiential Learning: Isn’t the Training Room Good Enough? 28An Interview with Yutaka SugimotoThe HR Agenda

E D I TO R I A L

High-Performance Organizations: Pro#t, People, Planet 30Annette Karseras

To provide up-to-date and relevant

sources of HR information and

resources a!ecting and in#uencing the

HR profession in Japan, and to become

a bridge between Japanese and non-

Japanese HR management systems so

that we can facilitate the exchange of

information and HR best practices,

standards, and HR body of knowledge.

The HR Agenda MissionThe HR Agenda

APR-JUN 2012

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SubscriptionsPlease send subscription requests to hragenda@jhrs.org with your name, mailing address, and preferred mode of payment, or subscribe online at: http://www.jhrs.org/hr_agenda/subscribe. We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfers (bank fees to be included in the remittance).

DomesticSingle issue (print): JPY 1,575 (tax & postage included)Annual subscription–4 issues (digital only): JPY 3,150 (tax included)Annual subscription–4 issues (print & digital): JPY 5,250 (tax & postage included)

InternationalWanted: International Distribution Agents. Email us at hragenda@jhrs.org.

Call for Contributors and Writers$e HR Agenda magazine welcomes contributions. Please contact us for a copy of our editorial guidelines and standards hragenda@jhrs.org. If you would like to republish or syndicate our content either online or in print, please email hragenda@jhrs.org for requirements and permissions.

$e HR Agenda and JHRS logos are registered trademarks and properties of "e Japan HR Society (JHRS).

©2012 "e Japan HR Society (JHRS). All rights reserved.

Image Sourcehttp://naruhodo.weebly.com/1/post/2011/12/kanji-of-the-year-2011.html, Planet Earth by Silverv, Organization Chart by Moodyddd, Healing Hands by Novembergale, Directions by Rejects, Hand by Opolja, Gold Wall by lvn3da, Hammering Man by Boon Prints

Disclaimer"e positions and opinions expressed by contributors in this magazine are their own and do not necessarily re#ect the position or views of "e Japan HR Society (JHRS), its general membership, its Secretariat, advertisers, friends, or supporters. We are not liable, in whole or in part, for the accuracy or truthfulness of any data, statistics, or information found in any of the published articles or advertisements herein. Further, any advice, opinions, or views found herein should be considered for informational purposes only and are not meant to substitute for competent legal and/or $nancial advice from quali$ed legal and $nancial professionals.

Magazine InformationThe HR Agenda magazine is Japan’s first and only bilingual human resources (HR)-focused magazine, published quarterly by The Japan HR Society (JHRS) and produced by the HR Learning & Publishing Division of HR Central K.K. ("e JHRS Secretariat).

Publisher "e Japan HR Society (JHRS)

Managing Editor Jun Kabigting managing_editor@jhrs.org

Editor in Chief Annette Karseras editor-in-chief@jhrs.org

Contributing Editors Kumiko Shimotsubo, Bruce McLin Stephenie Overman, Masanobu Sawada

Associate Editors Hilda Rosca Nartea, Hiroshi Okamoto Victoria Oyama, Clive Tanaya-Bloomer Design and Production Boon Prints

Ad Sales, Marketing, HR Central K.K.and Distribution Translators Makito Noda, Syra Morii

Editorial Assistant Marc Cillo

O%ce c/o HR Central K.K. ("e JHRS Secretariat) Shinagawa Intercity FRONT Bldg. 3F, Desk@ MB28 2-14-14, Kounan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075 JAPAN

Telephone/Fax +81 (0)50-5806-9821 +81 (0)44 767-8021

Email For ad sales/marketing: advertising@jhrs.org For comments, suggestions, or other inquiries: hragenda@jhrs.org

Websites www.jhrs.org | www.jhrs.org/hr_agenda

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P U B L I S H E R � S M E S S A G EAPR-JUN 2012

Last month, Japan commemorated the !rst-year anniversary of the 3/11 earthquake that changed this country (and the world)

forever. As “survivors” of this tragedy and as HR professionals, we de!nitely have stories to tell about how this event changed for

the better (or for the worse) some of the fundamentals of traditional Japanese working life such as long working hours, job security,

compensation, and work-life balance issues.

If there’s one positive e!ect of this tragedy, it is the rekindling

of the Kizuna絆 spirit or feeling of bonds among people and

the realization that life is indeed short, precious and even sacred.

Out of this tragedy we have been witness to the re-emergence of

the Japanese brand of camaraderie and volunteerism in helping,

directly and indirectly, the people who have been a!ected by the

earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima nuclear incident triple

disaster.

#is made me realize that the desire to be part of a community

is an innate characteristic of the Japanese people. It’s just waiting

to be tapped and put to good use. #e challenge is: Can Japanese

HR professionals build a community to strengthen the profession

and better respond to the needs of their organizations to be

competitive, to have a global mindset, and to be world-class? As

a Japan HR professional, can you revive the Kizuna絆 spirit

in your own way?

If your answer is yes, then we invite

you to join the JHRS community and

become part of the process in

advancing the HR agenda

in Japan. If you are already a JHRS member, get involved. Don’t

just be a bystander. Otherwise, you’ll be le$ behind.

JHRS has been serving the HR community in Japan for

some time now (we’ll be celebrating our %$h anniversary in June

2012!) and throughout this time we have experienced (and are

still experiencing) growth pains. We’ve begun to develop and

structure a number of initiatives designed to move the practice

of the HR profession in Japan forward, one of which is #e HR

Agenda magazine you are reading now. We take a lot of pride in

publishing Japan’s %rst and only bilingual HR-focused publication.

#e good news is that we are getting noticed by our foreign

counterparts. In fact, the start of 2012 has been a busy one for

the JHRS community not only because we held the fourth annual

JHRS Shin-Nen Kai新年会 in January (see JHRS Community

article on “Leaders and Leadership” related to this

annual new year event) but we have been

presented with di!erent opportunities to

partner and collaborate with other

international HR organizations

such as the Society for

Jun Kabigting, MBA/MSIE, CHR

Reliving The Kizuna絆 Spirit A Challenge for Japan HR Professionals?

HR professional, can you revive the Kizuna絆 spirit

own way?

our answer is yes, then we invite

n the JHRS community and

art of the process in

the HR agenda

article on “Leaders and Leadership

annual new year event) but

presented with di!erent

partner and collabor

international HR

such as th

Original article (untranslated version)

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Jun Kabigting is managing director of HR

Central K.K. and an adjunct professor with

Temple University Japan Campus. He has more

than 20 years of experience across the entire HR

value chain, most of them Japan-focused. He

passionately believes in advancing the HR agenda

in Japan through continuing HR education,

knowledge sharing, and use of HR best practices.

Human Resource Management (SHRM), HR Certi%cation

Institute (HRCI), and Australian HR Institute (AHRI). We also

have approached the UK’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and

Development (CIPD) and the Asia-Paci%c Federation of Human

Resource Management (APFHRM) for possible alliances.

I am glad to let you know that we are progressing well with our

discussions with these organizations and hope to be able to make

o*cial announcements of these partnerships and collaborations

soon.

However, we cannot do this alone. To make this work, we

need you, yes, you, to be actively involved in our community and

tap into our collective Kizuna絆 spirit. Speci%cally:

and projects.

professionals with HR problems they are facing.

HR career and the HR profession in Japan as a whole.

magazine subscriptions, advertisements, and even donations,

if you are willing and able.

No matter what or how, you can help. Get in touch with us

about how you can do this. Send me an email at jun@jhrs.org and

we can go from there. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you

soon. Simply put, there is no better time to act than now.

In response to questions about JHRS, its operations, and

programs/initiatives we’re receiving from HR professionals like

you and the general public as a whole, we’re including in this issue

the %rst part of a series of Frequently Asked Questions or FAQs

(please see the JHRS Community News section) that we hope will

give you a better understanding of what JHRS is all about. You can

also %nd these FAQs on our website http://www.jhrs.org/about/

FAQs. Should you have any questions, comments, or suggestions

of your own, please send us an email at inquiry@jhrs.org.

* * *

Who We AreWe are a community of Japan-focused HR professionals worldwide and corporate leaders doing business in Japan.

What We DoWe provide our members a venue to:

1. Share useful HR and management tips and best practices;

2. Participate in virtual and live networking or learning events; and,

3. Strengthen our HR body of knowledge, skills, and competencies to global standards.

Our MissionTo help advance the practice of the HR profession in Japan.

Bene!tsGet to know them at http://www.jhrs.org/about/join/bene!ts

Board Of Advisers

Shinya YamamotoPartner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Japan Co. Ltd. Professor, Graduate School of Business Science,

University of Tsukuba

Haruyasu EnomotoHR Director, Corning Japan K.K.

Norihide MunakataIndependent HR Consultant

Community O#cers

Jun KabigtingChief Community O#cer

Dana M. Gallagher MPH, PAHR Education and Certi!cation System

Advocate Leader

Kumiko ShimotsuboWomen in HR Advocate Leader

Chad StewartGreen HR Advocate Leader

HR Central K.K.$e JHRS Secretariat

Yokohama Partner Law O#cesLegal Counsel

Major Programs$e JHRS Academy

$e JHRS eAcademy X eCornell

$e HR Agenda Magazine

JHRS Job Board

AskHR by Andrew & Yoshi

HR Legal Clinic

Join Us!http://www.jhrs.org/about/join/application_form

Membership Levels1. Free/Basic Membership

2. Associate Membership

3. Professional Membership

4. Honorary Membership

5. Corporate Membership

e Japan HR Societyc/o HR Central K.K. ($e JHRS Secretariat)

Shinagawa InterCity FRONT Bldg. 3F Desk@ MB282-14-14 Kounan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075 JAPANWeb: http://www.jhrs.org Email: inquiry@jhrs.org

Mitsuhide Shiraki, Ph.D.Professor, Faculty of Political Science and Economics,

Waseda UniversityPresident, Institute for Transnational Human

Resource Management