About Us

Knowledge and Expertise to Meet the Needs of Mitsui & Co. Group

Mitsui & Co. HRD Institute is a team of human resource development professionals dedicated to meeting the needs of Mitsui & Co. Group. We reflect the specific issues face by Mitsui & Co. as a sogo shosha (global investment and trading company) in the design and administration of our practical training programs, and thereby we have developed our own unique knowledge and expertise.

Each year we run approximately 600 training sessions in 170 categories, which are attended by a total of around 20,000 people. Our diverse programs range from specialist areas linked to Mitsui & Co.’s activities as a trading company, such as business management, business investment, and trade administration, to management strategies, leadership, and digital transformation (DX).

By incorporating frontline input in the continuous enhancements we make to our training programs, we consistently provide solutions optimized to address the management priorities and needs of Mitsui & Co. Group. Our programs are tailored to address current frontline needs in an evolving environment. For example, we respond to the growing importance of autonomous career development by planning career design training programs. We also offer team-building programs designed to facilitate mutual understanding amid the growing trend toward remote working.

Program Development Focusing Both on Theory and Practice

We prioritize the convergence of theory and practice in our training programs. Many people associate the word “theory” with difficult and overly formal content. However, theory consists mostly of universal knowledge created through years of research and verification. Theory is essential for designing training programs that ensure high reproducibility and effectiveness in today’s rapidly changing environment.

For example, we use experiential learning theory to link frontline experience to individuals’ growth. Introspection and verbalization are both needed to turn diverse work experience gained in Mitsui & Co. Group into deeper learning. Experiential learning theory helps program participants to review and verbalize their own experience and systematically organize what they have learned so that they can apply it to their future work.

We also use instructional design theory (ID) to create training programs based on optimal learning processes. By using ID theory, we facilitate practical growth by linking training objectives with actual work performance.

Even the most sophisticated training program will be meaningless unless it is linked to practical work. To encourage behavioral change after the completion of training programs, we provide multiple follow-up sessions to ensure that participants remember what they have learned and put it into practice in their frontline activities.

By pursuing a combination of effectiveness backed by theory and methods that link to practice, our training programs help diverse individuals to achieve growth. We work with a wide range of partners and engage in industry-academia collaboration in order to develop theory-based training programs. We also participate in internal and external seminars to continue our own learning and to keep enhancing our own expertise.

Our Mission as Human Resource Development Professionals

No amount of change and uncertainty in the business environment will ever diminish the importance of people as management resources. In fact, the role of human resource development in supporting organizational growth is becoming increasingly important precisely because of the rapid pace of change in today’s world.

The challenges that relate to human resources are also becoming more diverse. For that reason, while human resource development remains our main focus, we have also started to offer advisory services targeting the solution of issues in a wide range of personnel-related fields, such as the improvement of engagement, organization development, the formulation of personnel systems, appraisals, and labor management.

To continue to provide value by supporting personal growth in these changing times, we ourselves must continue to work toward our own growth as professionals by taking up new challenges. Our key words for these efforts are “Connect-Grow-Bloom.”
When we connect more with ourselves, our colleagues, and the organization as a whole, we grow as individuals by accumulating experiences and strengthening ties with others. In this way, both individual employees and the organization will bloom. Our goal as a team of human resource development professionals is to continue providing value in a changing world by repeating this cycle of “Connect- Grow-Bloom.”

We pursue sustained growth as a team of human resource development professionals by supporting the sustainable development of the entire Mitsui & Co. Group from the human perspective through the design and administration of original training programs that integrate theory and practice, and by taking up the challenge of creating solutions for a wide range of issues in fields relating to human resources. This is our human resource development philosophy at Mitsui & Co. HRD Institute.