Study tour to Japan | Berenschot events

You might be thinking: ‘Why Japan? Isn’t that where they simply work very hard and give little thought to the individual? Isn’t everything focused on production and results? Yes, that is one aspect of Japan. But Japan is a country of extremes. High levels of automation and digitisation go hand-in-hand with deep-rooted traditions and a focus on meaning and happiness. There’s a culture of working hard and long hours, individualism and loneliness. But Japan also has the world’s highest levels of over-65s in work, and for many years it’s had one of the highest life expectancies in the world. It’s a fascinating and unique country from which we can draw inspiration on many counts. A source of inspiration for a much-needed update of our vision on the future of work.

Japan leads the world in technological innovation. We will visit companies who know all about artificial intelligence, and gather information about the impact and added value of this technology. It is very interesting how Japan connects technology and people. The Japanese see computers and robots as entities with a soul and therefore treat them with great respect. Their relationship with technology is clearly different to how we see things in the Netherlands.

Japan is famous as a country with a healthy lifestyle and a much better life expectancy than most other countries. This is not always reflected in how they work - some Japanese people
literally work themselves to death. It can be seen though in their approach to prevention at work (every year a thorough medical check) and in (health)care innovations. In addition, the Japanese themselves generally believe that exercise, nature, health and diet play an important part in their wellbeing.

The Japanese have adaptability in their DNA: they’re at the forefront of change, they don’t sit around waiting for it. It doesn’t scare them. In fact they embrace it. Changes to the Future of Work? The Japanese started on those a long time ago.

Inspiration and insights derived from both academic research and everyday practice:

1) Insight into and an understanding of the technological, economic and social developments taking place in Japan, with a particularfocus on the Future of Work:

• How do the Japanese approach the advent of new technology? How do they use technology, how do they anticipate it, how do they create buy-in?
• How do the Japanese approach ageing? What do they do to ensure healthy ageing and workforce participation of older workers?
• How do the Japanese deal with change? How do the Japanese organise the changing working environment and how do they prepare employees for it?

2) What impact have disruptive events (such as the Covid-19 pandemic) and innovations had on organisations in Japan? What lessons have they learned for the future?

3) The Future of Work in sharp focus
-     turned into an action plan for your own organisation.          

4) An exceptional and strong network of ambitious Dutch HR executives