Ph. Dialogue「博士人材セミナー」は、Ph. Discover連携企業からゲストを迎え「博士課程修了者が企業でどのように活躍しているのか」「企業は博士人材に何を求めているのか」について話していただき、後半はゲストと学生が対話を通して交流する企画です。第9回目は釘宮敏洋さん（株式会社神戸製鋼所）をお迎えしました。

Received doctoral degree and MBA after joining Kobe Steel, Ltd.
Today, I would like to talk about the career design that everyone is worried about right now.

First of all, I would like to introduce myself. My career does not follow a single path, and it has changed depending on the situation of the company at that time. At first, I was researching silicon semiconductor deposition processes, and since I joined Kobe Steel, I have continued researching semiconductors. After 2010, I moved from the field to management, and in the same year I received a doctorate degree in engineering from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology. After that, I wanted to study a little more, so I got an MBA in business administration from Kwansei Gakuin University. Our company currently has more than 100 people with doctoral degrees, and 70% of them, like me, have obtained doctoral degrees after joining the company, and the company encourages them to do so.

"Happenstance Approach Theory" to take advantage of opportunities in change
Dr. J.D. Krumbolts in his famous book, "Good luck is no accident! have you read? A business book written by psychologist Dr. Krumbolts about the turning points of 45 people. There are two main methods for career planning: the “career anchor theory” advocated by Dr. Shine and the “happenstance approach theory” by Dr. Krumbolts. The former is career planning based on self-analysis. Shohei Otani, who is currently playing an active role in the major leagues after self-analyzing that his strength is “dual wielding,” is representative of this career anchor theory.

On the other hand, the latter, Dr. Krumbolts's "Happenstance Approach Theory," is the idea of making the chances in the midst of change your own. Like my career, which I introduced earlier, the majority of people in society go on to careers that they never imagined before joining the company for various reasons, such as social conditions and changes in the company. I'm here. That's why I don't just leave myself to "coincidence", I do my best at the moment and make it my own food. Sometimes even doctoral degree holders need to be flexible in changing their fields of specialization.

For a company, a degree is proof of its high level of expertise. Expectations are high, especially overseas companies will always look at the name "Dr." on their business card and talk to that person. Think of it like a “ticket” that allows you to discuss technology.

お父さん社員も育児休暇、休職・再雇用も応援
当社の場合、結婚や出産、介護などのライフイベント支援のために就業継続支援や活躍支援制度を設けています。育児に対する姿勢は、男性も女性もフィフティ・フィフティです。子どもが生まれた男性社員も女性と等しく育児休暇を取得していますし、家族の転勤や介護などの理由で退職する人たちにもキャリア継続休職制度や再雇用エントリー制度を通じて復帰しやすい環境を整えています。こうした長年の実績が認められ、厚労省からは「子育てサポート企業」に認定され、経産省・東証からも女性人材の活用に積極的な企業として「なでしこ銘柄」、従業員の健康管理に取り組む「健康経営銘柄」に選定されています。

a management positionPath of professional craftsmen to follow
Management scholar Igor Ansov points out that it is important to conduct analysis that bridges the gap between the "ideal state" and the "current state" in corporate activities. The chart below applies this gap analysis to our career steps. During the first five years after joining the company, the newcomers solve the problems given to them, and when they become mid-career, they set their own problems. And if you become a manager, you will start thinking from the "ideal figure". Doctoral human resources are positioned just around the border from newcomers to mid-career. As a company, we naturally believe that we can do the tasks given to us, and if possible, we also expect the ability to set further tasks.

Although it is difficult to simply compare people who have completed their master's degree in their third year with the company and people who have completed their doctoral degree in their first year as new graduates, they have a high level of expertise and have experience in discussing task setting with professors in their laboratories. I have the impression that the latter will be the winner.

もう一度、上のキャリア形成の図を見ますと、マネジメント人材の横にもう一つ「専門職人材」としてキャリアを形成していく道筋も存在します。このポジションの役割は、ライン長たちが設定した目標に対して専門的な知見からその妥当性を考え、「こうした方がいい」と助言することです。ライン長と同等の給与待遇であることを考えると、専門性を突き詰めたい博士人材にはこのような選択肢もあることを知ってほしいです。

Doctoral human resources are also active with "DNA that allows challenges"!

アカデミアと企業のキャリアの違いは何か。上記の図に示した「やりたいこと」「やれること」「やらなければならないこと」で考えると、一般に会社は「やらなければならないこと」だけが大きいイメージがあるかもしれませんが、実際にはこの3つのバランスはほぼ均一です。当社には皆さんの先輩である北海道大学出身の倉千晴さんが在籍しています。彼女も入社後に最先端の新規分野に挑戦していますが、非常に優秀で自身も「研究が面白いのでもっと続けてみたい」と語ってくれました。こちらのサイトに彼女のインタビューページがありますので、あわせてご覧ください。

*Interview with Mr. Kura: https://phdiscover.jp/phd/article/433

Kobe Steel was born in 1905, when the steel industry was attracting attention as a national policy, when a trading company called Suzuki & Co. entered into this field. As you can see from the history of our establishment for the development of the country at a time when Japan's manufacturing was still poor, we have a corporate culture of taking on new challenges, and this "challenge-tolerant DNA" continues to this day. supports the combined management of

以上をもちまして、「博士人材が企業でも活躍できるのだろうか？」というみなさんの不安に対して、「十分に活躍できます」とお答えしたいと思います。

コミュニケーションタイム

“Matching” is the key to recruiting Ph.D.
Q: Please tell us more about hiring doctoral talent.
Kugimiya: In the case of highly specialized doctoral personnel, it is decided by matching with the request from the accepting department, ``I want to hire this kind of person.'' If you really want it as an immediate force, recruitment activities may continue until it is decided. There was an example of this last year. The student who applied had been researching the dark matter of the universe for many years, but we could not find a place to accept him, and the possibility of a better match was slim. However, after listening to him many times, I realized that he also has a high level of expertise in the field of electromagnetics. Even if you don't get the match you've been looking for, don't give up like he did and appeal to others by saying, "I can do something like this!"

Q: I also hear that it will be difficult to get a job if you go on to a doctoral course. Is it true?
Kugimiya: There used to be times like that, but now Kobe Steel's recruiting is focused on human resources, regardless of whether they have a master's degree or a doctoral degree. We secure a certain number of recruits every year, and we will be happy to welcome you if you meet the matching requirements mentioned earlier.

Because we are a team, we can follow each other
Q: Will working in a company be different from working in a university lab? How independent can you be?
Kugimiya: In academia, you might think that “researchers are privately owned stores,” but in a company, the organization is the main body, and research activities are carried out through teamwork. As I mentioned earlier in the career plan, you will have more discretion depending on your career, such as newcomer, mid-career, etc. Because we work as a team, we can follow up on someone's life events. I think that's what makes a company good.

Q: How many people are in the team? How often do you have discussions?
Kugimiya: Team sizes vary. There are small groups and large households with more than 20 people, and there are also projects where teams are formed with members from other departments. The frequency of discussion is also up to the discretion of the researcher. The company also has a space where researchers can easily gather together.

専門特化したグループ企業でキャリア形成も
Q：育児に対する考え方が、男女ともにフィフティ・フィフティだと聞いて驚きました。
釘宮：もちろん基本は、ご当人同士の話し合いに委ねていますが、「どちらかに負担が偏らないように考えてみてください」とは伝えています。育児中の研究員にも定期的に現場の状況や「復帰したらこういうことをしてほしい」と期待していることを伝えて、復職に対するモチベーションが下がらないようにサポートしています。

Q：鉄鋼業が主軸の御社で、生物や環境が専門の自分が働ける場はあるでしょうか？
釘宮：「鉄鋼業」と聞くと重厚なイメージがあるでしょうが、当社グループが2021年に策定した中期経営計画の最重要課題に「カーボンニュートラルへの挑戦」があります。現在はどの企業でも環境やエネルギーに対する関心が高まっています。当社グループの場合、株式会社神鋼環境ソリューションがまさにその役割を担い、水処理や廃棄物処理、ユーグレナ関連や木質バイオマス発電など幅広い分野を扱っています。このように神戸製鋼グループには、ある領域に秀でたグループ企業が多数存在します。研究員の中には神戸製鋼所本体からグループ会社に異動してキャリアを形成していった人材もいれば、その逆の道筋をたどる人材もいます。

To reiterate, there is never just one path to career development, and the degree of matching varies for each person, just like him who was researching the universe. First of all, I think it is important for you to tell the hiring manager what you can do, what you want, and how flexible you are.

Launch: February 9, 2022
Organizer: Ph. Discover
Co-organizer: Hokkaido UniversityFaculty of Science/Hokkaido University Center for Mathematics and Data Science (Data-related Human Resource Development Program) / Hokkaido University Doctoral Program for Materials Science Leading Program