On the Term "Professional Manager"...

In my research on corporate management strategy, I have many opportunities to write and speak using management terminology. Among these terms, there are some where the matching of the wording and the meaning is exquisite, and I hope many people will use them. On the other hand, there are terms that feel somewhat off—terms I would prefer not to use myself and would rather others not use either. Among the latter, one that I have seen frequently lately is "professional manager" (pro-keieisha). Generally, this term refers to a type of manager who is evaluated for their management skills and moves from company to company as an executive, rather than the homegrown type who joins a company and rises through the ranks to reach the top of the organization. In the sense that they suddenly arrive at a company as a top executive, they can also be called "parachute-style" managers.

Traditionally, the vast majority of Japanese corporate managers are homegrown types who have accumulated promotions within the organization, making "professional managers" a minority. However, we are increasingly hearing about the activities of such managers, including Eiko Harada, who moved from McDonald's Japan to Benesse; Takeshi Niinami, who moved from Lawson to Suntory; and Akira Matsumoto, who demonstrated his skills in the turnaround of Calbee. This is a noteworthy change occurring in Japanese corporate society. Therefore, I have no objection whatsoever to applying some kind of term to distinguish these managers from conventional ones.

But is "professional" manager really appropriate? To avoid any misunderstanding, let me say that the individuals referred to as "professional managers," including the three mentioned above, are undoubtedly pros in corporate management with excellent management skills. Therefore, my sense of discomfort does not stem from calling them professionals. Rather, I feel a strong sense of discomfort in using the expression "professional"—which should inherently apply to all managers—as a term to point only to them. Since the antonym of "pro" in Japanese is "ama" (amateur), and the antonym of "professional" in English is "unprofessional," following this usage implies that the term for the counter-concept, the conventional manager, is "amateur manager" (unprofessional manager). I am likely not the only one who feels this is a rather rude expression. I strongly hope that a more appropriate term will be born and become widespread.