Hiroko NAKAJIMA

The Reason Why You Chose GSM

I was involved in start-up support and corporate planning at a governmental bank, and I had spent my fulfilling days. But I felt the importance of learning theory systematically and putting it to practical use. Specifically,
　1. The services introduced at the head office after careful consideration leads to a decrease in the satisfaction of employees and customers depending on the circumstances of the branch office or the region.
　2. Even in the same team, results differ depending on conditions such as management methods.
As a result of these experiences, I felt that I lacked knowledge about organizational decision-making, management methods and human resource allocation to produce good results. At the same time, I also felt that I wanted to consider measures to revitalize local communities except the way of financing.
When I searched for graduate schools within the commuting area, I found out that there was a GSM with a philosophy of "a bridge between research and practice", and that there were Professor Tomoki Sekiguchi, a researcher on human resources management, and a variety of practical professors, I could freely choose lectures from programs such as services, tourism, and leadership, so I took the exam without hesitation.

What You Learned at GSM

I realized how hard it was to work in groups with members of completely different nationalities, ages, and backgrounds, sharing roles equally, making decisions, and creating materials that would satisfy everyone. Online, while it became easier to gather, it became more difficult to read the real meaning from subtle changes in facial expressions and the nuances of speech, and I felt that I was constantly confronted with the management issues of small teams. This was a valuable experience that I couldn't have in a ex-workplace where there was a common language.
Also, I thought I was more active and sociable than others, but at GSM I met many more energetic and attractive people than me. I realized again the importance of pushing myself to do what I wanted without setting limits on myself.

The Reason Why You Chose Your Career Plan

I felt that it would be difficult to achieve a high level of compatibility between full-time GSM curriculum, commuting and child-rearing, so I retired from the company when I entered GSM.
In my second year as a student, I witnessed a major social change caused by the covid-19. Future uncertainty has made it difficult for organizations to make decisions, and management methods and working styles have become diversified. As I learned from GSM, day by day I wanted to conduct research that can be used as evidence when local communities and companies make decisions. For this reason, I had planned to enroll in a doctoral course at the Graduate School of Economics, where I would be able to continue teaching Prof. Sekiguchi. However, due to an unexpected childbirth, I decided to postpone the examination until the next fiscal year or later.

What Impressed You About GSM

I belonged to Prof. Sekiguchi's lab. and had many discussions with multinational members about human resource management, organizational behavior, and the psychology of startup. It was really sad that I couldn't meet the members directly because it was all online due to the Covid-19, but it was such a wonderful experience that it blew me away.
Prof. Sekiguchi was a person who I really respected as a researcher and a Professor, and he introduced us the latest research contents and methods. Thanks to him, I have come to feel that I want to further deepen research that leads to practical work under him.
For the completion study, I selected a business plan contest for high school students from all over Japan, which I participated in starting up in my ex-company. I analyzed the data I received from the company and discussed the team structure to create a good business plan, the characteristics of the school, and how to provide entrepreneurial education. While my morning sickness was severe, I cleansed a large amount of data, and deal with unfamiliar statistical software, I felt that I was one step closer to "a bridge between research and practice". I was delighted to receive the first prize at the final GSM debriefing session.

Extracurricular Activities You Have Done

One is a joint research project by the Kyoto City Tourism Association, Plaid Co., Ltd. and GSM. Plaid Co. KARTE, uses CX platform (Japanese, English, Chinese) to visualize the behavior of visitors to the Kyoto City Tourist Association's web page. Based on the results of fieldwork, we considered measures to decentralize tourism. As a member of the Japanese page, I reported on the possibility that providing information to tourists in “Tabimae” , which is before traveling, could lead to behavior changes. It was a valuable experience unique to GSM, which has a tourism MBA program, that I was able to learn tourism marketing techniques using data from Kyoto City, a popular tourist destination. I would like to see how Kyoto city tourism will change after the coronavirus disaster.
In addition, when I was in my first year of life, I began WS activities with members working for local financial institutions and administrative organizations, in order to develop measures to revitalize the local community beyond the scope of loans. Before starting the program, I received strict and warm advice from wonderful professors, Prof. Yoshinori Hara, Adjunct Prof. Sachiko Kuno, and Associate Prof. Akiko Murai. In addition, my friends who I met at GSM cooperated with me. This is why I feel that it is my mission to produce results at this WS in the near future.

Message for Prospective Students

If you are wondering, ask yourself why you want to study on GSM now. When I was persuaded by the company not to retire, I found that I was needed more than I had expected and felt a little pitiful, but I was more hopeful that GSM would open new possibilities for me. I learned at GSM that when the future is uncertain, it is important for leaders to have a strong will and choose and decide the way to go. You can manage things that you think are impossible depending on your ingenuity. There are warm faculty and teachers who will support you if you ask them to help. Thanks to all of them, I was able to finish my GSM course after a hard pregnancy period.
Finally, I would like to share with you the words of Adjunct Prof. Sachiko Kuno at the webinar "Kyoto University's Prospects for the Future" on September 15, 2020 that impressed me.
"This is your life, so pursuing any career should be fine as long as you have the sense of control of its direction."

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