The present study examined the hypothesis that perspective-taking mediates problem-focused and avoidant coping and promotes work engagement. A structural analysis of covariance was conducted on 368 employees of a Japanese pharmaceutical company. The bootstrap test was used to examine indirect effects. The results showed that higher perspective-taking, which is the tendency to imagine the position and feelings of others, promotes work engagement through a process in which problem-solving coping strategies such as proactive problem-solving, consultation for solutions, and perspective-shifting are enhanced, while avoidance coping such as putting off problems is reduced. The hypothesis was supported. New findings that higher perspective taking makes workers' stress coping strategies more effective and promotes work engagement.

This article focuses on cynicism in organization. Cynicism is a negative attitude toward one's employing organization and is closely linked to important organizational phenomena such as organizational change, burnout, and silence. However, traditional research has limited its discussion to the micro (individual) level and its negative aspects. In addition, there are potential problems with neglecting some elements such as prosocial functions and emotional/behavioral dimensions of cynicism. The purpose of this study is to conduct an integrative literature review on cynicism in organizations in order to organize and critique past studies and to identify future research issues. As a specific issue of future research, this article discusses the possibility of emergent formation of organizational cynicism at the macro (group/organizational) level through contagion among individuals. This study contributes to expanding the theoretical scope of cynicism in organizations.

This paper summarizes the current debate surrounding Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and explores future directions for SME policy. Critics argue that the small scale of Japanese SMEs limits their ability to achieve economies of scale, resulting in low productivity. Additionally, policies based on the Small and Medium Enterprise Basic Act may discourage growth by reducing incentives for expansion.
The paper examines these issues through an analysis of SME numbers and productivity, case studies, and policy evaluations. The central research question—“Are Japanese SMEs a drag on the Japanese economy?”—is addressed with the conclusion that some SMEs hinder economic growth, while others do not.
However, the study highlights a persistent issue: a portion of SMEs deliberately choose to remain small in order to benefit from tax incentives. The paper emphasizes the importance of policies that foster a business environment encouraging SMEs to grow into larger enterprises.

Competition is typically conceptualized as a market mechanism shaping firms’ competitiveness and innovation. However, our understanding of competition remains incomplete, particularly regarding a situation where firms opt for cooperation instead of rivalry. This study explores why some firms collaborate with competitors within the same industry and to identify the factors driving this behavior. Aiming to fill gaps in existing management literature, especially in competitive strategy, this paper adopts the theoretical framework of psychological safety. This concept emphasizes protecting members from negative situations to promote enhanced performance. The research context is the Japanese Regional Rice-Wine (Sake) industry, characterized by regional cooperative networks among breweries. Utilizing qualitative research methods, the findings elucidate the underlying mechanisms prompting firms to collaborate with competitors in a competitive market environment.

This study focuses on the challenges of R&D management in Japanese companies, specifically examining why it is difficult to discontinue research topics. The efficiency of R&D in Japanese firms has declined, and the conventional Stage-Gate method faces issues. Case studies of Fujifilm and Kewpie reveal that while Kewpie has introduced the Boost-Gate method to support research topics, many topics continue without thorough business feasibility evaluations, highlighting problems in the initial selection process within R&D. Findings indicate that discontinuing research topics within R&D is difficult due to middle management's reluctance to take on additional burdens, top executives' directives, and researchers' concerns about performance evaluation. Moreover, information asymmetry between R&D and business divisions results in inefficient topics persisting until business intervention. This phenomenon can be explained by prospect theory, which suggests that individuals in uncertain environments tend to avoid risks. In conclusion, Japanese firms need to enhance the internal evaluation of research topics, which could lead to improved productivity in R&D.

This study analyzes the impact of a founder’s legacy on strategic adaptations made by successor generations in response to environmental change. We describe in detail the case of Hirose Paper Mfg. Co., Ltd., which manufactures wet-laid nonwoven fabrics. The founder, Shinji Hirose, established a nonwoven technology-based strategy for his company that focused on investing in cutting-edge synthetic paper. He also established an identity for the company as being development-oriented, with a track record of beating the competition by producing a wide range of differentiated products using superior technology and emphasizing the importance of their functions. Both strategies were passed on to the successor as the founder’s legacy. Later, one of the company’s employees succeeded in spinning nanofibers and mass-producing nanofiber nonwoven fabrics on his own, leveraging the founder’s identity. In addition, the company’s current president used the changes in the business environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to create a new business for nonwoven nanofiber fabrics. We find the strategy of relying on a nonwoven technology, a legacy from the founder, enabled the successor generation to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. In addition, the founder’s identity drove technological innovation and fostered new businesses created by the successor generation.

This study explores the factors influencing changes in entrepreneurial intention among university students who participated in the short-term action learning program Startup Weekend (SW). Using survey data collected before, during, and after the program, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the effects of basic personal factors (self-efficacy, locus of control), university environment, entrepreneurial attitude, and flow experience. Results show that pre-program entrepreneurial attitude is the strongest predictor of initial intention, while basic traits and educational environment influence attitude indirectly. After program completion, initial intention remains the primary determinant of post-program intention, but flow experience during the program also exerts a significant, though smaller, effect. These findings highlight that while immersive experiences can enhance entrepreneurial intention, building a positive entrepreneurial attitude through supportive environments and personal growth is fundamental. The study demonstrates the value of SEM in revealing both direct and indirect effects in entrepreneurship education.

When an organization faces change, rebuilding its identity—redefining "who we are"—is a critical challenge. Existing research often describes re-identification as a single, linear process led by top management, with members passively accepting a new identity. Recently, however, re-identification is recognized as a dynamic, cyclical process influenced significantly by individual actions and psychological mechanisms, though these remain insufficiently understood. Using a longitudinal case study of taxi drivers, this research clarifies how organizational actions and individual behaviors interactively promote repetitive re-identification. Findings provide new theoretical insights and practical implications for effectively managing organizational change.

Accounting misconduct remains a pervasive challenge in corporate governance. This study investigates how family ownership and board-level family involvement influence both the occurrence and detection of accounting misconduct in listed Japanese firms. Drawing on agency theory and the socioemotional wealth (SEW) perspective, and using data from 2015 to 2022, I apply a partially observable Bivariate Probit model to disentangle the latent processes of misconduct and its detection. Results reveal that while family ownership is associated with a lower observed incidence of misconduct, it also reduces the probability of detection. When controlling for detection bias, the underlying propensity for misconduct in family-owned firms appears higher, suggesting that concentrated control may enable opportunistic behavior while simultaneously concealing it. Moreover, family representation on the board further suppresses the likelihood of detection without significantly altering the underlying misconduct risk. These findings highlight the dual role of family governance as both risk-enhancing and risk-concealing. From a SEW perspective, families may prioritize legacy and internal harmony over transparency, thereby shielding wrongdoing from external scrutiny. This study underscores the importance of separating misconduct occurrence from its observability and cautions against relying solely on detected cases when evaluating ethical outcomes in family firms.

This study investigates the role of subjective experience in addressing complex challenges creatively within organizational settings, focusing on how personal, informal information can contribute to such efforts. Drawing on the concept of Ritual Design, the research explores how rituals designed to integrate sensory and emotional aspects can foster creative thinking and facilitate the sharing and transformation of personal experiences into collective insights. Through the implementation of two distinct rituals—Informal KARUTA and Sensory Garden—this research highlights how subjective experience, when shared in a structured environment, can lead to the integration of diverse perspectives and the development of creative solutions to complex problems. The study also discusses the implications of using Ritual Design as a method for embedding subjective experiences into organizational culture, providing a sustainable framework for fostering creativity. The findings suggest that subjective experience not only supports individual creativity but also enhances collaborative problem-solving by aligning emotional and cognitive processes in a shared space.