[Survey release] More than 70% of general affairs are focusing on information gathering. Approximately half of the respondents practice “wandering around general affairs” when gathering information from the field.
*Monthly General Affairs Co., Ltd.*
Press release: September 9, 2024
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More than 70% of general affairs focus on information gathering. Approximately half of the respondents practice “wandering around general affairs” when gathering information from the field. *～The purpose of information gathering is to “improve the working environment” and “early detect problems.” The issue is “lack of resources”~*
Monthly General Affairs Co., Ltd. (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Kenichi Toyoda), which publishes Japan’s only general affairs specialist magazine “Monthly General Affairs,” conducted a “Survey on Information Collection in General Affairs” targeting general affairs personnel nationwide. ” and received responses from 103 people.
[Summary of survey results]
* ・More than 70% of general affairs staff will focus on gathering information. More than 30% of general affairs officers place particular emphasis on “gathering information from management”* * ・The most common method of gathering information from the field is through interviews with employees. Approximately half practice “hanging around general affairs”*
* ・The most common method of information gathering from management is “viewing meeting minutes”*
* ・Reasons for the need for information gathering skills in general affairs include “improving the working environment” and “early detection of problems” *
* ・The key to collecting information in hybrid work is “setting opportunities for regular information sharing” *
[Survey results details]
■More than 70% of general affairs staff are focusing on gathering information. More than 30% of general affairs officers place particular emphasis on “gathering information from management” When asked how much effort the general affairs department puts into gathering information, more than 70% answered that they put effort into gathering information. Additionally, we found that there were many general affairs staff who were particularly focused on gathering information from management rather than gathering information from the field or outside the company (n=103).
■The most common method of gathering information from the field is through interviews with employees. Approximately half practice “hanging around general affairs”
When asked about methods of gathering information from the field, the most common response (61.2%) was “hearing with employees,” followed by “visiting various floors within the company (general affairs)” at 47.6%, and “going to internal meetings.” “participation” followed at 39.8% (n=103).
-Information collected from the field/partial excerpt-
– Problems related to the office
– Workplace relationships
– Hopes for well-being
– Dissatisfaction or requests to the company
■The most common method of information gathering from management is “viewing meeting minutes”
Regarding how information is collected from management, the most common answer was “viewing meeting minutes” at 55.3%, followed by “participating in management meetings” at 36.9%, and “conducting meetings” at 35.9%. continued (n=103).
It became clear that more information was collected through documents than through direct communication with management.
-Information collected from management/excerpts-
– Progress of medium-term management plan
– Role of general affairs from SDGs related goals
– Sustainability information
■The Internet is the main means of gathering the latest information from outside the company.
When asked how they collect the latest information from outside the company, 78.6% answered that they use “Internet searches.” This was followed by “news sites/email newsletters” at 61.2%, and “media such as newspapers, magazines, TV, etc.” at 60.2%, indicating that many respondents use multiple media (n=103). .
Internet search: 78.6%
News site/email newsletter: 61.2%
Media such as newspapers, magazines, television: 60.2%
External seminar: 58.3%
Exhibition/Presentation: 44.7%
External business partners such as suppliers and vendors: 26.2% Horizontal connections between general affairs (cross-industry exchange meetings, etc.): 16.5%
SNS (X, Facebook, etc.): 13.6%
Information gathering tools: 10.7%
External events: 9.7%
YouTube: 8.7%
Others: 1.0%
Not collecting the latest information from outside the company: 2.9%
-Information collected from outside the company/excerpts-
– Law revisions and trend information
– About health management and work style reform
– Recruitment activities and safety and health initiatives – New system implementation example
■Reasons why information gathering skills are necessary for general affairs include “improving the working environment” and “early detection of problems”
When asked why the general affairs department needs the ability to gather information, 73.8% said “to improve the working environment” and 71.8% said “to discover problems within the company early”. (n=103).
■The biggest challenge in gathering information for general affairs is “lack of resources”
When asked about challenges related to information gathering, the most common answer was “lack of resources for information gathering” at 47.6%, followed by “lack of internal cooperation system” at 46.6%, and “lack of information analysis skills” at 42.7%. (n=103).
■The key to collecting information in hybrid work is “setting opportunities for regular information sharing”
When asked about the key points in gathering information within the company during hybrid work (a combination of remote and office work), 54.0% said “setting opportunities to share information regularly,” followed by 47.6% saying “introducing internal communication tools.” Here are the results (n=63/people working in hybrid work).
-Sources of information that are particularly important when gathering internal information during hybrid work-
Interview with key personnel in the department: 57.1%
Utilization of chat tools: 33.3%
Regular survey: 20.6%
Feedback collection using digital tools: 19.0%
Others: 1.6%
Nothing is important: 20.6%
■The most common initiative to improve information gathering ability is “attending external seminars/training.”
When asked about the efforts that the general affairs department is taking to improve its information-gathering ability, 57.3% of respondents answered “participating in external seminars and training.” Additionally, 37.9% said “Strengthening collaboration with other departments” and 30.1% said “Introducing digital tools,” indicating that learning from outside and internal collaboration are important (n=103).
■Overview
The results of this survey revealed that the general affairs department plays an important role in information gathering. In particular, by focusing on gathering information from the field and management, it can be seen that they are contributing to the overall management of the company. In addition, the importance of collecting information aimed at improving the working environment and increasing employee satisfaction is highly recognized, and the general affairs department is becoming increasingly important for the sustainable growth of companies and the creation of a healthy working environment. It is shown that the position is occupied.
On the other hand, the lack of resources and inadequate cooperation systems in information gathering remain issues, and efforts are required to resolve these issues. Although proactive measures are being taken, such as attending external seminars and introducing digital tools, further support and reinforcement is needed.
By increasing the ability of the general affairs department to gather information, it will be possible to respond more quickly and accurately in decision-making and problem-solving throughout the company. Going forward, it will continue to be required to play a role as a strong foundation that supports companies’ competitiveness.
■Monthly General Affairs Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President Kenichi Toyoda Profile
*Monthly General Affairs Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President* *Director, Institute for Strategic Affairs and Coordination* Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Political Science and Economics. Experienced accounting, sales, and general affairs at Recruit Co., Ltd., and general affairs section manager at Uoriki Co., Ltd. Former editor-in-chief of Monthly General Affairs, Japan’s only specialized magazine for general affairs departments. Currently, he holds lectures and writes as the director of the Institute for Strategic Management, representative director of FOSC, director of the Work DX Promotion Organization, executive director of the IT Advisory Association, and fellow of the Japan Omnichannel Association. , provides consulting. His publications include “Strategic General Affairs to Strengthen Management” (Japan Management Association Management Center).
*We are also available for interviews on topics such as “work styles,” “remote work/telework,” and “general affairs related matters.”
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[Survey overview]
Survey name: Survey on information collection in general affairs Research institution: In-house research
Survey target: “Monthly General Affairs” readers, “Monthly General Affairs Online” email newsletter subscribers, etc.
Survey method: Web survey
Survey period: July 10, 2024 to July 17, 2024
Number of valid answers: 103
■Requests when citing survey results
*If you wish to reprint or use the contents of this survey, please indicate the source.
Examples: “According to a survey by Monthly General Affairs,” “Based on research by Monthly General Affairs,” etc.
■About “Monthly General Affairs”
Japan’s only general affairs magazine, first published 61 years ago. With the catchphrase “A fire in the hearts of all general affairs personnel,” we provide articles that are readable and useful to a wide range of business people, with a focus on those working in the general affairs department. We receive regular subscriptions from companies of a wide range of sizes, including listed companies, major operating companies, and mid-sized and small businesses. (First issue: June 1963 / Number of copies printed: 12,000 copies / List price: 1,100 yen)
■Monthly General Affairs Co., Ltd. Company Profile
Company name: Monthly General Affairs Co., Ltd.
Representative: Representative Director Kenichi Toyoda
Address: KANDA SQUARE 11F, 2-2-1 Kanda Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0054 Established: August 2018
Business details:
・Publishing Japan’s only magazine specializing in general affairs and human resources, “Monthly General Affairs”
・Operation of “Monthly General Affairs Online” to solve “problems” in back office operations
・Sponsoring “General Affairs Seminar” and “General Affairs Salon” ・Work style reform related consulting, etc.
URL: https://www.g-soumu.com/