Creating an 'Entryway to Organizational Transformation': Demonstration Seminar for 'Shogi Organizational Development™' Utilizing Traditional Japanese Culture

On Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Takatsuki City, Osaka, the general incorporated association 'Keato Tomoni' (Representative Director: Tsuneo Matsumoto) will host a demonstration seminar for 'Shogi Organizational Development™.'

This seminar aims to verify the potential of 'Shogi Organizational Development™' as an entryway to organizational transformation through pre- and post-seminar surveys and 'kanso-sen' (reflective discussion) sessions.

[Background]

In recent years, many companies and organizations have faced increasingly critical management issues related to human resources, such as talent retention, management training, psychological safety, prevention of turnover due to caregiving, and intergenerational communication. These organizational issues often reside not just in systems or structures, but within daily relationships, manifesting as phenomena where decision-making is concentrated on a few, difficulty in speaking up, or reluctance to seek advice. These states often become normalized, making them difficult to recognize as issues from within.

[Key Themes for Verification]

This demonstration will focus on the following:
- Identifying similarities between dialogues and decision-making on the board and those in daily workplace life.
- Determining if participants can objectively view their own organizations.
- Generating new insights into dialogue and decision-making.
- Assessing the potential to function as an entryway for organizational transformation.

[What is Shogi Organizational Development™?]

'Shogi Organizational Development™' is a program that uses the traditional Japanese game of Shogi to experientially reflect on organizational communication and decision-making. It incorporates 'Team Shogi,' where participants form teams of multiple people and play while consulting with one another.

To ensure participants can join regardless of their Shogi experience, the program starts with 'Animal Shogi' to learn the basics of win/loss and piece coordination, followed by '5x5 Shogi' to transition toward the feel of standard Shogi. This staged approach allows beginners to participate in team matches without being left behind.

Viewing the board as a market environment, players must refine their decisions in response to an opponent's moves and shifting situations. Success is not determined solely by individual knowledge or experience. It is crucial that the team does not leave the burden of decision-making on a single person, but instead exchanges opinions and ensures that their pieces work in coordination.

This program places importance not on the game's outcome, but on the process of dialogue and decision-making during the match, and the 'kanso-sen' (reflective session) afterward. It provides participants with an opportunity to notice similarities to their own workplaces and objectively re-evaluate how they interact with others.