http://www.action-japan.com/index.php en v_bolam@action-japan.com Copyright 2007 2007-03-13T07:23:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/coaching/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/coaching/#When:07:23:00Z Cocahing asdasdasdasd 2007-03-13T07:23:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/other_services/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/other_services/#When:10:08:01Z Action Japan and its affiliate partner network, offers a wide variety of organizational support services. For more information about these services and others, please contact the address below: Anti-depression support Analysis, investigation, coaching and counseling services Compliance Confidential investigations into workplace issues (sexual harassment, power harassment, etc.) HR Process Consulting and Design Consulting/training on effective performance management systems HR Function Outsourcing Payroll, administration Training and development strategies 2007-01-10T10:08:01+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/general_development/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/general_development/#When:10:08:00Z Action Japan’s services are customized to the needs of every client. Please contact us for more information about the services below. Corporate Behaviours Corporate values buy-in workshop Effective Teamwork Building performance teams Personal Development Personal profiling (personal styles) Effective communication skills Presentation skills Coaching Creative thinking workshops Work and Well-being Stress management Counseling Diversity Diversity 101 workshop Managing cross-cultures workshop Effective intercultural communication Developing female managers/leaders Development of the Potential of Women (in Japanese organizations) – a series of open seminars aimed at developing the skills and business networks of women in Japan Other Localization of global training and development content to local market Facilitation services 2007-01-10T10:08:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/learning_development/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/learning_development/#When:10:07:01Z Leading companies realize it is the quality of their human capital which determines their level of future success. Yet, the number of companies which take a strategic approach to training remains surprisingly small. Often training is considered something ‘nice to have’ if there is enough budget at the end of the year. Why invest in training? The pace of change in business is forever increasing. Employees need to continually develop technological, systems, and personal skills in order to maintain optimal effectiveness in rapidly changing markets. The decreasing size of the workforce calls for the maximization of the potential of each individual employee. And, the increased complexity and diversity of the workplace calls for employees to develop effective interpersonal skills in order for the organization to function smoothly. Training is one way a company enables its employees to learn. Learning leads to increased knowledge. A knowledgeable workforce creates more efficient processes, enables effective problem solving, and unleashes creativity. How Does Learning Occur? When people master a new skill, they will invariably go through 4 stages Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence Effective training is not a one-day event. In order to be effective, the learning (conscious competence) gained from training needs to be transferred to the workplace and gradually, through practice, turned into knowledge (unconscious competence). Action Japan’s View of Training Action Japan takes a holistic view of training. We highly recommend our programs are customized to reinforce learning from other organizational development initiatives. We also recommend that the effectiveness of the training intervention is monitored periodically, not just at the end of the training. This allows the organization to gauge the level of knowledge transfer from the training room to the workplace. Obstacles hindering the effective use of the knowledge gained can be identified and either removed, or further training can be developed to ensure long-term effectiveness.  2007-01-10T10:07:01+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/leadership_management_development/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/leadership_management_development/#When:10:07:00Z Action Japan’s services are customized to the needs of every client. Please contact us for more information about the services below. () Leadership Development Leadership/management impact analysis and coaching Leadership and management skills training Customized 6-month management development program (0.5 day/month, tailored to an organizations development needs. Ideal for newly promoted managers) Senior leadership team building Personal profiling (personal styles) Managing Performance Effectively Managing diversity Executive Coaching Effective coaching for non-Japanese new executives in Japan [PDF] Work and Well-being Stress management Counseling Other Services Facilitation services Localization of global training and development content to local market 2007-01-10T10:07:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/workshops/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/workshops/#When:10:06:00Z A performance culture begins with an appropriate and clear vision, mission and strategy. The next step is to roll these out effectively throughout the organization ensuring that all processes and procedures support them. A major barrier to defining the vision, mission and/or strategy is the time investment and focus needed from executives in order for them to contribute meaningfully to the process. Action Japan’s highly skilled facilitators support clients in building and facilitating effective workshops to create the mission, vision and strategy that ensure focus and a highly efficient use of time. If required, we also advise on change management, and process changes required for certain strategic roll-outs to be implemented successfully. Vision definition workshop What are values? Values are our subjective reactions to the world around us. They guide and mold our opinions and behavior. In other words, our values are like an internal compass which tell us which path we should follow in order to achieve our goal/mission/strategy/vision.  Values have three important characteristics. 1) Values themselves cannot be proved correct or incorrect, valid or invalid, right or wrong. Our values tell what we believe to be right or wrong, regardless of any evidence or lack thereof. 2) Values are developed early in life and are very resistant to change. 3) Values develop out of our direct experiences with people whom we respect. Values are not accepted because we are told to believe them. We believe in values because we value the behaviour of others who demonstrate those values. Why is having an organization’s values understood and believed by all important to an organization? Each employee has a personal value set which has been built over the course of their lifetime. When employees work in an environment which reflects their personal values, they are more engaged and motivated, and experience less stress. How can an organization’s values represent those held by each individual employee? The key is to leave the interpretation of the corporate values open-ended enough, so as to be applicable to all the employees and all circumstances. The employees should be able to interpret the values so they are relevant to their own situation in the organization. For example, the value of ‘respect’ to a management group may be considering female managers for promotion, at the same time its meaning to a telephone receptionist may be to always answer the phone courteously. Action Japan’s Value Programmes Action Japan’s value definition, value buy-in, and behavioural identification programs are unique in the level of commitment they gain from all levels of employees in an organization. The highly interactive workshops engage the participants, and the resulting compilation of suggested behaviors passes ownership for living the values down onto the employees themselves. Other related areas of expertise: Mission definition workshop Strategy definition workshops 2007-01-10T10:06:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/developing_change_agents/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/developing_change_agents/#When:10:06:00Z An effective way of promoting change is creating ‘change agents’ within the organization. Change agents are people within the organization who champion the changes throughout the organization. Usually they are people who have ‘personal power’ (people respected within the organizational even though they may not hold positions of authority). Action Japan uses its expertise in corporate culture change to coach and shadow change agents and cross-functional change teams to ensure optimal results. Change Management: Introduction to change management (workshops) Managing change: (process-focused workshops) Change management consulting 2007-01-10T10:06:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/change_management/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/change_management/#When:10:06:00Z What is Change Management? Quite simply it is the effective management of change or transformation within an organization. Why is it important? Success in today’s corporate world is often dependent on flexibility. Organizations need to respond rapidly to external market trends. This often means a change of systems or structure within the organization. However, in order to make these work, the employees must accept them and be willing to work with them. Yet, statistics show the vast majority of new implementations fail because there was little emotional acceptance within the organization. Action Japan and affiliate partners offer a variety of custom-made programs aimed at reducing resistance and supporting the smooth implementation of change and transformation initiatives. Introduction to change management (workshops) Managing change: (process-focused workshops) Change management consulting Developing Change Agents An effective way of promoting change is creating ‘change agents’ within the organization. Change agents are people within the organization who champion the changes throughout the organization. Usually they are people who have ‘personal power’ (people respected within the organizational even though they may not hold positions of authority). Action Japan uses its expertise in corporate culture change to coach and shadow change agents and cross-functional change teams to ensure optimal results. 2007-01-10T10:06:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/building_performance_cultures/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/building_performance_cultures/#When:10:05:00Z What is an organizational ‘performance culture’? Simply, it is a culture which creates superior business results in an organization. What is culture? Some definitions are… Culture is ‘How things are done around here’. It is what is typical of the organization, the habits, the prevailing attitudes, and the grown-up pattern of accepted and expected behaviour. (Drennan, 1992) ..a culture is not something an organization has; a culture is something the organization is. (Pacanowsky & O’Donnell-Trujillo, 1983) In talking about culture we are really talking about a process of reality construction that allows people to see and understand particular events, actions, objects, utterances, or situations in distinctive ways. These patterns of understanding also provide a basis for making one’s own behaviour sensible and meaningful. (Morgan, 1986) What impacts corporate culture the most? Leadership Performance Systems Individual Personalities External Influences Other important influences Management systems in general Collective memory In order to build performance cultures, Action Japan offers a wide range of services designed to meet the requirements of any size of organization. 2007-01-10T10:05:00+09:00 http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/consulting/ http://backup.action-japan.com/index.php/services_eng/consulting/#When:10:05:00Z Action Japan uses a variety of highly respected, licensed and custom-made analysis tools to accurately analyze the culture required for superior business results. In most cases it is important also to measure an organization’s current culture and conduct a gap analysis in order to identify and prioritize enhancement strategies. The results of the analysis are presented in a format which is practical, easy-to-understand, and most importantly, aimed at providing effective next steps. Solid experience and leading analysis tools are the basis of Action Japan’s consulting expertise. Our affiliate consultants bring decades of expert knowledge to organizations, supporting organizational transformations of any size, shape and form (see The Team). Action Japan Employee Performance Inventory Sales Aptitude Inventory Personal Stress Level Indicator Developing the Potential of Women Inventory (identifying organizational obstacles to the success of female potential in your organization) Human Synergistics: Culture and leadership assessment tools Organizational Culture Inventory (Current and Ideal) Organizational Effectiveness Inventory Management Effectiveness Profile Leadership Impact Lifestyles Inventory 1 & 2 (www.human-synergistics.com.au) (www.hsjapan.co.jp) Hagberg Consulting: Culture and leadership assessment tools (http://www.leader-values.com) Communication Style and Behaviour Tools & Providers: Insights Discovery System (www.insights.com) Myers Briggs: (www.myersbriggs.org) DiSC 2007-01-10T10:05:00+09:00