Talent and Organization Development

Based on the Human Resources Management Policy of the Mitsui Chemicals Group, the Group is, from a long-term perspective, developing human resources who are able to work on the world stage. Human resources are regarded as the key to creating corporate value, in line with the Group's basic approach to encouraging its employees to develop self-initiative, autonomy, and collaboration. We are communicating daily with colleagues and markets around the world to develop talent capable of creating the values that will be required by society in the future.

Management Personnel Development (global Group-wide action)

Executive Coaching

This coaching program based on strategic dialogue is targeted at people who make management decisions, and is designed to create positive change in management activities over a span of roughly 10 months (12 hours of coaching per person). Before starting the program, specific tools are used to make the impact that the participant is unconsciously having on the organization more visible, how managers and members feel about their current conditions and the ideals that they aspire to. The theme for the program is decided based on the organizational issues and leadership issues that have been identified. A professional coach accompanies the participants in executing a hands-on strategy. In addition, six months after the end of the coaching program, we provide opportunities to visualize the changes and apply the learnings for future management.

Global Leadership Program

To train future management candidates who are expected to be active in the Group on a global scale, the program is aimed at the acquisition of management literacy and development of a global network. We invite next-generation management candidates from our group companies around the world to participate in the Group's proprietary 10-month training program, where participants can learn strategic thinking skills, global leadership skills, and action learning, in collaboration with Mannheim Business School and Hitotsubashi University Business School, which are among the top business schools in Germany and Japan, respectively.
This training model is designed to adapt to any circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides training contents aligned with the long-term business plan of VISION 2030, as well as remote programs along with face-to-face programs. Module #1 started in February 2021 and the final training session is scheduled for November 2022.

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Name of Training Program Number of Attendees FY2021 Cumulative Total
Executive Coaching
(For General Managers and higher positions of Mitsui Chemicals Group)
6
(Males: 6, Females: 0)
60
(From FY2011)
Global Leadership Program
(For future management candidates of Mitsui Chemicals Group)
19
(Males: 16, Females: 3)
80
(From FY2012)

Programs in Line with Stages in Development Based on a Leadership Pipeline Concept (Japan)

To support Group-wide/business strategies, we are organizing training programs that focus on leadership development. The training program is based on the skills and job function awareness required in the exercise of leadership at various organizational levels. Minimizing knowledge-cramming-style training, we expect our employees themselves to repeat cycles of experience and introspection, while acting proactively to meet their higher-level job requirements, and will support them in changing their behavior in ways that will produce results.

Training system (Japan)

Training system (Japan)

Leadership Development Program

Allowing talented human resources to demonstrate their abilities—despite time constraints caused by life-changing events, such as childcare and family care, and regardless of differences in nationality, ethnicity, and religion—requires improvements in line managers’ management capabilities. Mitsui Chemicals focuses on developing leadership skills to lead the organization toward an even better direction by incorporating coaching methods into training programs for each level of line manager training and by encouraging core leaders in each division to take specific and innovative action in their daily business activities. The normalization of online training programs has enabled the participation of employees with time constraints due to parenting, nursing, and other life events, regardless of where their business sites are located, thereby realizing a training system that accommodates diversity.

Number of Leadership Development Program Participants (Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. registered employees)

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Name of Training Program Number of Attendees in FY2021 Cumulative Total
Leadership Development Program
(For Directors and Managers)
34
(Males: 33, Females: 1)
300
(From FY2013)
Leadership Development Program
(For Supervisors)
76
(Males: 72, Females: 4)
426
(From FY2016)

Key Achievements of Stratified Training (Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. registered employees in FY2021)

New Employee Training (Online and on site program)
  • DescriptionThe program was live-streamed online to eight business sites across Japan so participants could attend completely online from their offices or home.
    After the new employees created credos to facilitate team building, which was difficult to do online, we conducted the introductory training for about a month. New employees participated in the discovery training based on the principles from the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" that is focused on developing professionals with roots (mind) and leaves (skills), and learned about each division along with its strategy for VISION 2030, which was launched in fiscal 2021, the human resources system, and basic business skills, i.e. logical thinking and presentation skills. As output of the acquired skills, the new employees, who could be the leaders of their workplaces in 2030, made proposals to the company titled "Our Proposals for VISION 2030" and communicated directly with the leaders of the main divisions.
  • No. of Trainees78 (Males: 59, Females: 19)
  • Total Training Hours12,012hrs
Basic Business Skills Training Programs (Online)
  • ContentsTrainees aim to develop the qualities required to become a manager. In addition to on-the-job training, we promoted the reskilling of individual employees not only by providing training for employees appointed by the company, but also by increasing the number of opportunities for voluntary training to embody "self-initiative, autonomy, and collaboration", the concept of the new work style we introduced in April 2021. Self-leadership "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Thinking Method 1, Thinking Method 2, Project Management, Interpersonal Skills, and Accounting and Management Skills "Apple & Orange" (all provided online)
  • No. of Trainees243 (Males: 186, Females: 57)
  • Total Training Hours2,826hrs
Training for Newly-promoted Management Staff (Online)
  • ContentsMessage from the Management, Understanding each role, Strength finder (Leadership development utilizing strength)
  • No. of Trainees121 (Males: 110, Females: 11)
  • Total Training Hours932hrs
New Line Manager Training Program (Online)
  • Contents① Awareness of one's roles, labor management, mental health management, compliance, and diversity (understanding diversity such as LGBTQ, harassment, women's empowerment, etc.), ② Subordinate development skills, ③ Evaluator training
  • No. of Trainees① 116 (Males: 109, Females: 7), ② 111 (Males: 105, Females: 6), ③ 242 (Including non-new line manager. Males: 231, Females: 11)
  • Total Training Hours1,955 hrs. in total of ①-③
Global Business Skill Training (Online)
  • Contents① Personal globalization, and acquiring presentation and communication skills
  • No. of Trainees27 (Males: 21, Females: 6)
  • Total Training Hours522hrs

Training by Theme

Digital transformation training (E-Learning)

As a basic strategy for promoting digital transformation under VISION 2030, Mitsui Chemicals aims to improve the digital literacy of the Group and shift to a data-driven organizational culture by improving the literacy of all employees and training employees to acquire specialized skills. In fiscal 2021, we launched a group-wide E-learning program to quickly improve our employees' digital literacy. In addition, we will enhance our training and education programs to develop data scientists and AI-related technologies and establish a system for promoting these initiatives mainly through internal efforts.

Regional Training

Global Manager Seminar

This program provides knowledge of Mitsui Chemicals business strategy, cultural understanding, and leadership skills, in order to develop local leaders from different Group companies. Manager candidates from major sites around the world work together through discussions. In fiscal 2021, since we struggled to get opportunities for face-to-face meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we adopted a hybrid training style that combined online and face-to-face sessions, while providing training programs on how to remotely manage teams and strengthen D&I and compliance for each region. In addition, in the U.S., we provided training programs for eligible members and senior leadership members to develop their executive presence, strengthen their strategic thinking, and learn to deal with conflicts and build effective teams so that they can achieve the goals they set.

Mitsui Chemicals Competency Development Program

This is a program for future generation leaders to help them understand their roles as leaders and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Selected candidates from young employees from the Asia-Pacific and other regions work through this 5-day program, including business simulations.

Training style in the age of the New Normal

The Mitsui Chemicals Group respects a variety of work styles, including telework and staggered work hours. In view of these changes, a study has been conducted on moving training to online programs.

Our Stance on Online Training

  • We divide our training programs into four types: self-contained programs, mutual engagement, teaching, and learning. Depending on the desired training outcome, the programs will be taken online, via a mix of online and face-to-face training, via face-to-face training, or postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • When it is decided to move a training program online, we redesign it taking advantage of the characteristics of appropriate tools: knowledge input will be achieved through prior individual study; those that require mutual engagement through dialogue will be offered via online sessions; and e-learning will be used for iterative learning after the completion of the training.

Global Employee Engagement Survey

We believe that enhancing the engagement of individual employees is necessary to achieve our long-term management plan, and have launched the Global Employee Engagement Survey for all employees of the Mitsui Chemicals Group. The first survey, which was conducted in 2018, revealed our unique strengths, as well as some issues. In response, we have implemented countermeasures as post-survey actions. For example, with regard to learning and self-development, we have been piloting LinkedIn Learning, an online learning platform, for approximately 1,000 employees in the Group and globally since 2020. In addition, we have been utilizing the survey results by business sector, business division, and company to identify the unique challenges of each organization. Based on such findings, approximately 96% of the organizations have developed and implemented post-survey actions.

Examples of post-survey actions

Rebuilding human resources development and training

Updating the compensation system

Internal case evaluator training

Discussion on diagonal career

Good job card

Internal internship

Following these activities, we conducted the Employee Engagement Survey for the second time in 2021 (response rate: 88%). Although the Group has experienced significant changes in the environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic since the last survey, the Group's engagement score improved by 3% compared to the previous survey, indicating that the post-survey actions have had some effect. Some organizations that were particularly enthusiastic in executing post-survey actions saw their scores increase by over 20%.
As with the previous survey, we will continue to develop and execute post-survey actions across the company and at the organizational level to further improve the scores. By setting this item as a non-financial KPI for VISION 2030, we will endeavor to build a highly competitive organization through enhanced monitoring.

Employee Engagement Survey (Results from FY2018 and FY2021)

Engagement Score trends and target

Engagement Score trends and target

Engagement Factor Score (Areas of strength and Challenge areas)

  Challenge areas Areas of strength
FY2021 Total compensation and recognition
25%
Compliance with laws and company rules
61%
Career opportunities
22%
Safety
51%
HR utilization and assignment
19%
Delegation of authority/Autonomy
42%
FY2018 Learning and self-development
22%
Safety
47%
Career opportunities
18%
Brand as an employer
39%
HR utilization and assignment
15%
Delegation of authority/Autonomy
38%
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