In the AI Era, 98.3% of 1,060 SMEs Evaluate "Creating Management Plans Through Dialogue"

Anshin Keiei wo Support suru Kai (Location: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter referred to as "the Association") <https://www.ansin.jp/> is an organization composed of accountants nationwide (experts such as tax accountants and certified public accountants). We promote the adoption of "Future Accounting," a system for creating and managing the achievement of management plans, to help each business owner realize their future vision.

We have compiled and analyzed the results of a post-participation survey from 1,060 companies that participated in the Mid-Term Management Plan Formulation Seminar "Shogun no Hi."

"Shogun no Hi" is a seminar where business owners spend a full day formulating their company's mid-term management plan (management goals for five years later). It is characterized by the support of accounting firm representatives, who are experts in numbers, enabling plan formulation based on concrete figures.

Background of the Survey

In recent years, with the evolution of AI and business tools, there is a growing recognition that traditional accounting firm tasks such as bookkeeping, closing, and tax return preparation, known as tax accounting, are highly likely to be replaced by AI in the future. However, we believe that precisely in such an era, "dialogue between people," which cannot be replaced by AI, holds the essential value that accounting firms should provide going forward.

The Mid-Term Management Plan Formulation Seminar "Shogun no Hi" is an initiative where business owners spend a full day formulating their five-year management goals through dialogue with accounting firm representatives, who are experts in numbers. Our association hypothesized that this "time-consuming dialogue" is the key for accounting firms to demonstrate true value in the AI era.

Therefore, based on the survey data from 1,060 "Shogun no Hi" participants, we will verify this hypothesis and analyze its effects.

Survey Summary

- 98.3% of companies responded that it is "Useful/Very Useful" for future management. - 56% of companies responded that they wish to continue requesting management support from their accounting firms. - The key points of evaluation were "Ability to create a numerical plan" at 64.2% and "Ability to analyze their own company" at 60.2%. - It is inferred that the higher the satisfaction with "Shogun no Hi," the higher the need for MAS audits.

Survey Overview

- Target Audience: Companies participating in the "Kyodo Shogun no Hi" (Joint Shogun Day) held by Anshin Keiei wo Support suru Kai. - Survey Period: January 2019 - December 2025. - Implementation Method: Paper-based questionnaire survey. - Data Compiled: Paper questionnaires collected within the above period. - Response Data: 1,060 companies (Industries: Service, Manufacturing, Construction, Retail, etc.).

Questionnaire Compilation Results

▼ Effectiveness for Future Management

When asked about the usefulness of "Shogun no Hi" for future management, 64.9% responded "Very Useful," and 33.4% responded "Useful."

▼ Interest in MAS Audits

MAS audit is an abbreviation for Management Advisory Service (management support business). It involves accounting firms providing monthly management meeting support to their clients' business owners, aiming to build a management structure capable of achieving goals.

While the goal of "Shogun no Hi" is the formulation of a mid-term management plan, the plan is meaningless if not executed. It is important to go beyond a "plan on paper" and repeat the cycle of Practice (Do) and Verification (See) through monthly dialogue.

When asked about interest in MAS audit support, over 70% responded positively, with 56% saying "I definitely want to incorporate it" and 21.8% saying "I would like to hear a detailed explanation."

Furthermore, an analysis combining the aforementioned usefulness for future management (i.e., satisfaction) with interest in MAS audits showed that 66.1% responded "Very Useful / Definitely want to incorporate it," and 47.4% responded "Useful / Definitely want to incorporate it." These results suggest that higher satisfaction with "Shogun no Hi" leads to a greater need for MAS audits.

▼ Representative Voices

Comments from participating companies included, "I realized how much clearer things become when I think about management not alone, but together with someone," and "I found room for improvement in areas I was worried about, and discovered things I hadn't noticed myself, which motivated me."

Conclusion

Based on these survey results, it is evident that in today's world where efficiency and time performance are pursued, the "inefficient time" spent facing one's own company for a full day is precisely what leads to deep understanding for business owners. In an era where AI can automatically generate management plans in an instant, the process of business owners thinking deeply and engaging in repeated "dialogue" with trusted partners, accounting firms, becomes the essential value.

If accounting firms can allocate the time saved through AI utilization to such dialogues with business owners, they can move beyond being mere calculation workers and become indispensable management partners, earning unique and irreplaceable compensation (value).