LOKOSOL App Visualizes 'What Subordinates Are Thinking' to Drive Growth

As talent shortages and human capital management become pressing issues, SMEs are increasingly recognizing employee development and evaluation systems as key strategic priorities.

LOKOSOL Inc. (Headquarters: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture; CEO: Jun Terakawa) has published interview case studies from three client companies on its website, showcasing its talent development app designed to solve common corporate challenges such as:

"I don’t know what my subordinates are thinking," "Young employees aren’t growing or showing initiative," and "One-on-one meetings and performance evaluations have become superficial."

Authentic voices from company representatives are available in articles and videos.

① What is the LOKOSOL App?

The LOKOSOL App is a talent development tool that bridges the gap between managers and employees by making subordinates’ thinking visible through "experiential learning." It improves the implementation of often-formalized one-on-one meetings and performance evaluations.

▶ Why is an app needed? — Root causes of the problem

In many companies, the core issue in talent development is that "employees’ thinking remains invisible." Employees’ ideas, efforts, and insights are buried in daily work and rarely surface, leading to outcomes such as "lack of initiative" or "sudden employee resignations."

The LOKOSOL App visualizes what subordinates are thinking and how they are improving, thereby closing the gap between managers and employees.

▶ Key Features and Benefits

- Habit formation through reflection

The app provides a structured "framework for experiential learning" (dedicated missions, reflective questions, etc.) to make it easy for users to reflect on and record daily work experiences. This enables continuous, easy implementation of the PDCA cycle for experiential learning, fostering metacognition (objective self-awareness).

- Developing foundational professional skills

The app offers 50 practical missions to cultivate essential workplace competencies such as communication and problem-solving skills, nurturing self-motivated, autonomous employees.

- A system to support growth across the entire workplace

Employees’ insights and changes can be shared within the workplace. Seeing colleagues’ efforts fosters mutual inspiration and a culture of continuous improvement. The app also includes a feature for employees to exchange feedback with each other.

The core concept is: "Through practicing experiential learning, thinking (individual ideas and improvements) naturally becomes visible," and "using the individual’s first-hand data (reflections) as the starting point."

▶ Performance Metrics

- One-year continued usage rate: 81%

② Implementation Case Study | App Adoption

Shinwa Kinzoku Co., Ltd. (Manufacturing industry, 87 employees)

Detailed article and video: https://www.lokosol.co.jp/case/msinwa

▶ Challenges

At Shinwa Kinzoku, a culture existed where employees found it difficult to speak freely, and managers struggled to understand their subordinates’ thoughts and situations. Managers faced difficulties when subordinates failed to articulate goals or reflections during one-on-one meetings, and evaluating employees based on their work process was burdensome.

Additionally, the company wanted to cultivate employees’ foundational professional skills—such as "thinking and acting independently"—as a basis for their work.

▶ Implementation Approach

The company linked the app’s missions (experiential learning tasks) to behavioral evaluation items in performance assessments, making the process toward results visible.

Specifically, for behavioral evaluation items that were difficult to assess in promotion review sheets, the company linked app missions (e.g., "able to report, communicate, and consult," "able to greet appropriately") and used the app’s reflection data as evidence for promotion decisions.

The reflection data is also used for feedback during daily on-the-job training (OJT) and quarterly one-on-one meetings, and the app serves as a conversation starter for daily communication.

▶ Results

As employees engage with the app’s missions (challenges) and accumulate reflections, they gradually align with the behavioral traits the company values.

After implementation, changes in employees’ daily attitudes and behaviors emerged—some became more diligent in reporting, communicating, and consulting; others shifted from passive to proactive; and some began greeting colleagues more actively.

By recording and sharing experiences and insights from daily work via the app, managers can now grasp employees’ previously invisible thoughts and efforts. The quality of one-on-one meetings and daily communication has improved, and performance evaluations—previously reliant on managers’ subjective judgment—now have concrete, data-driven foundations.

"Since the challenges are written by the employees themselves, there’s no mismatch in understanding. This makes it easier to give feedback." (President & CEO)

"We can now see what challenges employees are identifying and how they’re progressing. Making thinking visible has been extremely beneficial." (General Manager, Administration Department)

"We can now have specific discussions during evaluations, and employees can set clear goals like ‘Next time, I’ll do this.’" (Deputy General Manager, Administration Department)

Detailed article and video: https://www.lokosol.co.jp/case/msinwa

LOKOSOL App Screen

③ Enhanced Effectiveness with Training Integration

LOKOSOL offers not only the app but also training and coaching programs. The app visualizes employees’ thinking, while training enhances managers’ coaching and feedback skills. Even managers who feel uncomfortable with one-on-one meetings can improve the quality of dialogue. Training can also be used independently.

▶ Training Implementation Cases

Nexus Co., Ltd. (Pharmacy, nursing care, childcare; approx. 300 employees)

"Managers who once felt isolated now feel part of a group."

"Learned coaching-style listening techniques that draw out insights through questioning."

Detailed article and video: https://www.lokosol.co.jp/case/nexus-g

Matsumura Cardiovascular & Surgical Clinic (Healthcare, nursing care; 80 employees)

"Regained the ‘talkative workplace’ lost during the pandemic."

"Natural collaboration among staff has emerged."

Detailed article and video: https://www.lokosol.co.jp/case/matsumura

▶ Synergistic Effect of App × Training

Understand subordinates’ thinking and challenges via the app → Strengthen feedback and coaching skills through training → Improve the quality of one-on-one meetings and performance evaluations. LOKOSOL provides comprehensive human support to help your company achieve results aligned with your organizational goals.

Training Session

④ Related Links

Company Website: https://www.lokosol.co.jp/

YouTube Channel (Case interview videos): https://www.youtube.com/@lokosol5931

⑤ Company Overview

Company Name: LOKOSOL Inc.

Representative: CEO Jun Terakawa

Corporate Philosophy: "Creating organizations where people believe in their own potential."

Company Website: https://www.lokosol.co.jp/

⑥ Contact for Inquiries

LOKOSOL Inc.

Contact: Terakawa

TEL: 080-5627-8661

E-mail: [email protected]