OUR APPROACH
What is Osekkai Jinji? HR that speaks up before it is asked
IN SHORT
- Osekkai is a Japanese word for well-meant help that nobody asked for. Jinji means HR.
- Osekkai Jinji is how ASHR works: we raise a problem before it becomes one, and we go beyond the scope we were asked to cover.
- It only works with experience. That is why it is run by people who have led HR as CHROs and heads of HR.
What does "osekkai" mean?
Osekkai (お節介) describes help that was not requested. Often it means meddling. At its best, it means caring enough about someone to tell them something uncomfortable, or to do something for them they did not think to ask for.
Where did the name come from?
It came from a conversation among several heads of HR about how they approach their work. One after another, they described the same habit:
- "A client asks us to redesign their HR framework. But do they really need a new one right now?"
- "Isn't this actually a business or sales strategy problem?"
- "If so, let's work it out together. We're in."
Saying things people would rather not hear, and doing work beyond the boundaries of HR. Someone said: "That's good osekkai." The name stuck. "Strategic HR" sounds more polished, but osekkai describes what we actually do.
Why does speaking up early matter?
Most companies ask for help after the problem has arrived: after people have left, after the HR framework has stopped working, after hiring has stalled. By then, the damage is hard to reverse, and in Japan it is especially hard, because a Japanese organization cannot simply be reset.
Osekkai, in short, means saying it before being asked. Bringing up what is not yet a problem. Sometimes people do not welcome it. We say it anyway.
Why does it take experience?
You cannot get ahead of a problem you have never seen. That is why Osekkai Jinji brings together people who have served as CHROs and heads of HR in growing companies, through stages from early growth to IPO and post-merger integration. Our aim is to increase the number of people who can practice this kind of osekkai.
How does it work in practice?
It started with sounding-board sessions with companies: hearing their management and HR issues, digging into the real cause, and working out the moves together, beyond the scope of the original request. Every company and every growth stage is different, so these sessions sharpen our own judgment as much as they help the client. Today the same approach runs through ASHR's consulting, HR strategy and post-merger integration work.
Frequently asked questions
What does "osekkai" mean in English?
Roughly "meddling" or "unrequested help." It can be negative, but it can also mean caring enough to speak up. Osekkai Jinji uses it in that positive sense: HR that raises problems before it is asked.
Who is behind Osekkai Jinji?
ASHR Inc., a strategic HR firm in Tokyo founded by Yoichiro Mori, together with a network of former CHROs and heads of HR from Japanese growth companies. Osekkai Jinji® is a registered trademark of ASHR Inc. in Japan.
How is Osekkai Jinji different from typical HR consulting?
Typical consulting delivers what was requested. Osekkai Jinji first asks whether the request addresses the real problem, says so if it does not, and works on the actual cause, even when that lies outside HR.
Would some osekkai help?
Tell us where your organization is heading. We will tell you what we see coming.