"Work Style Reform 2.0 for Female Managers: A Prescription for 'Growth' and 'Development'"

2020/02/14

I don't get angry very often. If anything, I think I'm quite patient. However, strangely enough, when I say that I "research female managers," I am often viewed with the preconception that I am an "angry, scary person." When treated that way, I am at a loss, thinking, "Management scholars are supposed to be cool-headed."

Certainly, looking at how women have been treated in corporate organizations until now, even someone as patient as I am often feels anger. This is because the fact remains that common-sense efforts, such as utilizing abilities and providing challenges, have been subject to statistical discrimination simply because they are women, with the assumption that "they'll probably quit halfway through anyway."

Traditionally, Japan's social center has been an "old boys' club" formed by similar men, and its defenses were solid. Recently, however, we see catchphrases every day that sound suspicious when written down, such as "Promoting the Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens" or "A Society Where All Women Can Shine." The reason is that amidst a rapidly declining population, corporate and social systems will cease to function unless women are made part of the workforce.

From a corporate perspective, the last decade or so has been a struggle to focus on women—who were previously treated as second-class citizens within organizations—and somehow get them onto the same track as men. They tried bringing in the methods of the "old boys' club," but women didn't respond well. To begin with, the "trump card" of promotion doesn't work very well on women. Men don't know how to handle them. And the more desperate the companies (the men) become, the more disillusioned women become with promotions. This is because, in many cases, there is no real benefit to being promoted.

I wrote this book to bridge the gap between the intentions of companies and women. Based on research involving many people at the forefront of business, including companies and the Hosei University Business School where I teach, I have presented everything from situational analysis to implications. Books of this type are often based on the author's strong anger or emotions. However, I have intentionally written this book in a cool-headed manner. This may be thanks to the attitude of valuing jitsugaku (science) with a "warm heart and a cool head" that was drummed into me at Keio Business School (KBS), where I received my training as a scholar.

"Work Style Reform 2.0 for Female Managers: A Prescription for 'Growth' and 'Development'"

Asako Takada

Productivity Publishing

244 pages, 1,800 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations, titles, etc., are as of the time of publication.