This study aimed to examine workplace factors that may lead to greater utilization of industrial accident cases as a subject of learning. This study focused on the awareness of similarities among experiences as the beginning of indirect learning process about workplace failures such as industrial accidents. The following three workplace factors were dealt with: superiors’ behavior to develop young workers, utilization of information on failures, and open discussions. A questionnaire survey was conducted involving 144 young workers under the age of 30 years who were responsible for plant maintenance. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was executed with awareness of similarities among experiences as a criterion variable and three workplace factors and their interaction as explanatory variables. Results suggested that open discussions enhanced awareness of similarities among industrial accidents. Following interaction analysis of superiors’ behaviors, a mutual moderating effect was observed between support for reflection and confirmation of growth. Results also suggest that awareness of similarities was enhanced by superiors’ clarification of the reasons for practical tasks along with their confirmation of growth. In addition, it was predicted that superiors’ support for reflection would play a role in enhancing the awareness of similarities when information on failures was less utilized in workplace. The implications for development of young workers are discussed.

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Recently, the relationship between traffic accidents and hazards, as well as hazard perception has been focused. However, it has been difficult to apply the methodologies of these studies to train drivers. Therefore, this research investigated if hazard perception could be assessed by evaluating drivers’ knowledge of possible hazards. Male train drivers working in a Japanese railway company participated in the study. Questionnaires were distributed to participants (N = 449) between January 2006 and March 2006 and 377 questionnaires were collected (response rate 84.0%). Incomplete questionnaires were eliminated and responses of 230 participants (Mean age, 37.41 years, sd =7.81) were analyzed. A positive relationship between hazard perception and degree of knowledge about hazards was hypothesized. At this time, the items to analysis were 11 items in the questionnaire. Two items were to ask hazard perception and nine items were to ask knowledge of hazards. Results indicated only a small correlation between hazard perception and knowledge of hazards in Item number 1 of the questionnaire, possible because of prerequisite conditions in hazard confirmation. Results also indicated a strong correlation between hazard perception and knowledge of hazards in Item number 2 of the questionnaire that inquired about appropriate confirmation behaviors, such as gazing at objects using central vision. These results do not suggest necessarily the possibility of using questionnaires to investigate the relationship between knowledge and hazard perception. However, neither the expected effects of group, nor of train depots where drivers worked were significant, possible because individual differences in learning different conditions could have masked any group effects.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the expertise process of project manager for Information technology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 project managers who were at the professional level. The data collected from each participant were analyzed according to the modified grounded theory approach. A hypothetical model was constructed. As a result, 5 category groups, 20 categories, 10 sub-categories, and 67 concepts were created based on the data. The major findings were as follows: in the growth from the first entry-level assignment to the professional level, there are certain improvement processes with reference to performance and personal skills. These two skill processes are intertwined based on the unique motivational project environment. In the process of development, the project manager is subject to positive effects from learning and stimulation from the surrounding people, such as seniors or co-workers, and customers.

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This study examines the effects of supervisors’ positive feedback (PF) and negative feedback (NF) frequencies on their subordinates, focusing on the mediating effects of trust in the supervisors. A survey study was conducted with 475 employees from 4 companies responding as subordinates. Results from analyses based on structural equation modeling showed that (1) PF frequencies were positively related to the subordinates’ evaluation of their supervisors’ three components of trustworthiness: ability, integrity, and benevolence, whereas NF frequencies were only related to trustworthiness in ability; (2) subordinates’ evaluations for the three components of trustworthiness were all related to trust in their supervisors and, in turn, trust was related to the affective component of organizational commitment and job satisfaction regarding their own growth. These results elucidate the findings of previous studies, explaining why and how the effect of PF on subordinates is stronger than that of NF, and that even NF, which may threaten the self-image of subordinates, has positive effects.

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The purpose of this study was to develop a scale measuring multi-faceted work motivations in Japanese organizations. It also sought to verify the scale’s validity and reliability. In study 1, items of the scale were developed based on Barrick, Stewart, and Piotrowski’s (2002) work on a prior scale, and included additional content on motivational aspects of learning. These items were further elaborated and examined in preliminary investigation to determine whether each reflected three core dimensions: directivity, persistence, and strength. In study 2, web surveys comprising the items were administered to 600 Japanese employees whose responses were later analyzed. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to ascertain the scale’s validity and reliability, which revealed 4 factors: accomplishment, competition, cooperation, and learning-oriented motivation. In study 4, a longitudinal survey was administered to 300 Japanese employees to determine test –retest reliability and relationship between work motivation and job performance. The results generally supported the reliability and validity of the multi-faceted work motivations.

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Recently, many researches on organization have focused on team’s learning activity. However, its effect on organizational outcomes and motivational factors have not been made out sufficiently. Revealing such mechanism is urgent for successful team management. This paper therefore verifies effectiveness of team learning activity by different raters of team learning and team performance. We also verify the motivational factors of team learning model by extending the social identity theory to the organizational context, using framework of the teamwork factor model. As a result of the factor analysis, the multilevel correlation analysis and the structured equation model analysis on the data collected by a questionnaire to business persons (thirty teams, twenty seven leaders and ninety seven members): (1) Team’s exploratory learning correlated with its innovativeness; (2) “Affected commitment to the team” affected exploitative learning and “interest in other teams” affected exploratory learning at the individual level; (3) Only exploitative learning was affected significantly by “team self-esteem” and “interest in other teams” at the collective level.

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