Clinical Organizational Science (COS) and Human Capital Management: Organizing the Reasons for Stagnation in Japanese Organizational Culture Research

The reasons for the stagnation of human capital management, organizational culture, engagement, and 1-on-1 initiatives are organized from the perspective of Clinical Organizational Science (COS). The focus is on changes in interaction structures and organizational attractors, rather than just the introduction of policies.

DroR, a research-based consulting firm specializing in observing and designing 'invisible interaction structures' within organizations based on complex systems science and neuroscience (HQ: Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Makoto Yamanaka), has published a paper titled 'Clinical Organizational Science: An Integrative Framework for Structural Intervention in Complex Organizations' in the Organizational Psychology section of the international academic journal 'Frontiers in Psychology', with CEO Makoto Yamanaka as the lead author.

An English press release regarding this paper has been distributed via EurekAlert!, and the overall issues raised by COS have also been featured on the overseas science news site Phys.org. This release organizes human capital management and Japanese organizational culture research from the perspective of COS's interaction structures and organizational attractors.

This release is part of the Clinical Organizational Science (COS) commentary series distributed from May 7th to June 5th. This edition addresses Japanese organizational culture research, human capital management, and COS, organizing how COS connects with, expands upon, and presents verifiable questions for existing theories.

Defining Clinical Organizational Science (COS)

Clinical Organizational Science (COS) is a framework that integrates complex systems science, neuroscience, organizational psychology, and behavioral science to theorize interaction structures that actively reproduce the stable state of an organization and to intervene in those structures. COS treats organizational transformation not as 'individual behavior change,' but as 'organizational attractor transition,' proposing Field Gradient Theory, Loop Conversion Design, and Neural Base Design as its core techniques. It also proposes the concept of the 'emergence bridge' to connect individual habituation with organizational-level changes.

'Organizational Culture' as a Key Vocabulary in Japanese Companies

In Japanese companies, terms like organizational culture and climate have long been central vocabulary for organizational transformation. Openness, psychological safety, a challenging culture, field capabilities, teamwork, 'sontaku' (reading between the lines), 'kuuki' (atmosphere), and implicit understanding represent organizational realities that cannot be fully explained by systems or organizational charts alone.

COS does not deny the concept of organizational culture. Rather, it aims to make phenomena described as organizational culture observable through interaction structures, attractors, feedback loops, and organizational rhythms.

Difference Between Organizational Culture and Attractors

Organizational culture is a useful concept for describing the atmosphere or climate perceived by members. On the other hand, an attractor in COS is a concept that describes the dynamic resilience that an organization tends to return to even when acted upon from the outside.

For example, the expression 'our culture makes it hard to speak up' is important. However, in COS, we observe further: 'who speaks, who stays silent, how bad news is handled, and at what timing confirmations are returned,' capturing those repetitive patterns as organizational attractors.

Connection with Human Capital Management

In human capital management, many initiatives such as engagement, well-being, reskilling, 1-on-1s, psychological safety, organizational culture, and leadership development are implemented. However, even if initiatives are introduced, if the organization's interaction structures do not change, they tend to stagnate.

COS provides a guide to re-envisioning human capital management not as 'policy introduction,' but as 'changing the structure that reproduces the organization's stable state.' While engagement surveys and 1-on-1s are important, they must be connected to interaction structures that change organizational attractors.