I read 『クリエイティブ人事～個人を伸ばす、チームを活かす～』(Creative HR: Growing Individuals, Leveraging Teams) by Tetsuto Soyama, so I’ll share the insights gained from the book.

Background: Want to Learn About HR

I read this book to gain insights from CyberAgent’s HR manager.

Below are quotes and notes from memorable sections.

Prologue: What Does HR Exist For? (Kanai × Soyama)

Professor Kanai mentioned earlier that servant leadership is appropriate for HR. I agree with that opinion, but ultimately I also think "I want to eliminate HR's existence." I don't want employees to think they grew because of HR or HR systems. Rather, I want them to think their talents blossomed as a result of their own proactive actions.

→ Want to eliminate HR’s existence.

Chapter 1: When "HR Department" is Born in a Venture

I also realized what HR operations are like. In other words, you shouldn't create detailed systems. Of course, you need a solid foundation, but it's better to make the systems themselves as light as possible and make them easy for the field to operate.

→ Keep systems light, easy for the field to operate.

Chapter 2: Communication Engine—Finding Solutions in Contradictions

Apathy Image Training

Since then, "eliminating apathy" has become a keyword when we plan HR systems. Based on the idea that all HR systems are meaningless unless they become popular, when planning new systems, we carefully consider employee reactions in advance and imagine whether employees will become apathetic.

→ Apathy image training

Chapter 3: Mechanisms for Individual and Organizational Growth

The Key to Development is Decision-Making Experience

Next, let's move to "development." What we emphasize in human resource development is having employees accumulate "decision-making experience," and for that purpose, we execute exceptional personnel moves and assign big jobs.

→ Providing opportunities to accumulate decision-making experience.

"To develop leaders, you have to make them lead, and to develop business people, you have to make them do business"

Developing Managers Who Produce Results

We define the role of managers as "producing organizational results." Developing subordinates, bringing teams together, and creating environments where members can work comfortably are all means, and through these, managers must produce organizational results.

→ The manager’s role is to produce organizational results.

What to Do with Mismatched Employees

When there are freeloading or free-riding employees, other members lose motivation and organizational vitality decreases, so we reached the decision to implement countermeasures. Based on this thinking, we introduced the "Mismatch System." This evaluates all employees on two scales—"results" and "values"—during semi-annual assessments, and those who receive "mismatch recognition" twice in a row at the executive meeting are asked to either accept a transfer or choose to resign.

→ Mismatch system to prevent organizational decline

Chapter 4: Evolving HR

How to Prevent Bureaucratization and Vertical Silos

"HR quickly becomes 'HR professionals'"—that is, they tend to become bureaucratic. This might be one of the pitfalls HR easily falls into. People involved in HR tend to adopt a top-down perspective without realizing it. For example, when sending emails to employees about something, they sometimes write high-handed messages.

→ The pitfall that HR tends to become bureaucratic.

【Results-Oriented Habits】

The "overview sheet" mentioned in ⑩ is a document I submit to the executive meeting, summarizing HR-related information on one A4 sheet. Half the space contains HR department responsibilities like recruitment, development, organizational activation, and right person in right place, topics by business division, decisions from executive retreats, and if internal events like Jigyo-tsuku or Ashita meetings have been held, reflections on them are written in. The other half is a calendar and data section. The data section comprehensively covers numbers like consolidated and standalone employee counts, personnel by business division, number of managers, number of subsidiary presidents, employee age analysis, and average salary. This overview sheet is updated weekly.

→ Reference the content of overview sheets.

Chapter 5: The Journey of HR Creators (Kanai × Soyama)

"Negativity spreads, so if negative people appear, eliminate them thoroughly"

→ Thoroughly eliminate negativity.

That’s all from the Gemba about wanting to learn about HR.