Imagina Hosts EQ Workshop in Tokyo to Cultivate Human Skills Essential for the AI Era

Imagina Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based consulting firm specializing in branding and organizational development, held its "EQ (Human Skill) Improvement x Self-Understanding Workshop" on May 26, 2026, for undergraduate and graduate students. The program focused on developing critical thinking and self-awareness—skills increasingly vital as generative AI reshapes the labor market.

According to research by the IBM Institute for Business Value, the demand for Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is expected to rise by 18% by 2026, while Critical Thinking needs will increase by 15%. As AI excels at solving defined problems, human value shifts toward defining the problems themselves and collaborating across diverse teams. However, Japanese higher education faces challenges; OECD data shows Japanese students study less than half as much as their US counterparts, often viewing university graduation as a terminal point rather than a professional beginning. This lack of autonomous mindset contributes to low employee engagement, which currently stands at just 6% in Japan.

To address this, Imagina adapted its high-level corporate training for students. The May 26 workshop included: - **Mindset Construction**: Shifting from passive learning to proactive contribution. - **Assumptive Ability**: Understanding how one’s actions affect others' emotions and business outcomes. - **Strategic Questioning**: Training in critical thinking to identify core issues rather than just seeking immediate answers. - **Grit and Ownership**: Overcoming "blame-shifting" attitudes and developing the resilience to improve situations independently.

Participants were trained in specific note-taking techniques, focusing on key insights, immediate actions, and hypothesis-driven questions. Feedback from students indicated a significant shift in perspective, moving from seeing questions as a way to resolve confusion to viewing them as tools for driving future improvements. Imagina plans to offer this workshop free of charge to universities nationwide as part of its CSR initiatives to cultivate the next generation of "self-driven" talent.