This article is available in English.日本語版はこちら
1. Introduction | Ever Thought, “This Person Is Clearly Not Right for This Job”?
After moving between startups, mid-sized companies, and finally a large corporation with over 1,000 employees, I experienced major culture shock.
One of the biggest surprises? How little “適材適所 (tekizai tekisho, the right person in the right place)” mattered in Japanese corporate structures. People with no relevant skills were assigned to critical roles, productivity plummeted, and teamwork was non-existent.
Here are some real cases I witnessed:
- Someone with zero IT knowledge was promoted to Head of Marketing for a digital product division.
- A person who had never managed a website was suddenly put in charge of web operations.
- A former call center employee with no tech background was transferred to lead a web renewal project.
For those with actual experience in these fields, it was baffling. “Why was this person chosen?” became an unspoken but obvious sentiment, slowing down projects and frustrating teams. So, why does this happen?
2. Leadership Doesn’t Understand the Value of Proper Talent Placement
In many organizations, filling a position takes priority over placing the right person in it. Instead of strategic personnel decisions, Japanese corporations often resort to knee-jerk reassignments.
For example, when a web operations leader with no background in digital strategy was appointed, the result was:
- No understanding of basic web operations, leading to confusion over technical terms.
- Inability to make key decisions, leaving the team in limbo.
- Employees spending more time compensating for the leader’s lack of expertise than doing their own jobs.
When management prioritizes “ease of control” over actual competence, the whole organization suffers.
3. Leaders Lack the Ability to Assess Talent
If those in charge cannot evaluate skills effectively, then proper placements are impossible. In Japan, career progression is often based on tenure and internal politics rather than merit.
One example I saw firsthand: A long-time employee, favored by the CEO, was promoted to Head of IT Marketing. The problem? He had zero experience in IT—his entire career had been in sales. The result?
- His subordinates had to teach him basic digital marketing concepts.
- Strategic decisions stalled, causing delays in projects.
- The company lost its competitive edge because leadership lacked technical direction.
When key roles are filled with unqualified people, the organization falls into a vicious cycle: Executives receive filtered, comfortable reports, real issues go unresolved, employee morale drops, and performance declines.
4. The Generalist Culture in Japan: “You Should Try Everything”
Many Japanese companies believe that a broad skill set is more valuable than deep expertise. Employees are frequently rotated across unrelated roles, preventing them from specializing.
Example: A talented web designer was asked, “Why not try sales?” The outcome:
- He lost valuable time developing his core design skills.
- Motivation dropped, leading to decreased productivity.
- The company failed to cultivate true specialists.
This approach favors generalists over experts, making it harder for companies to build competitive advantage.
5. Ignoring Talent Placement as a Management Strategy
From a leadership perspective, assigning people randomly is simply easier.
“Just put someone there and if there’s no major problem, it’s fine.”
One glaring example: A former call center employee was reassigned to a web renewal project. The result?
- Months wasted as they struggled to grasp the fundamentals of web development.
- Critical decisions stalled, delaying the entire project.
- The company blamed vendors for slow progress, instead of recognizing its own poor placement strategy.
Without proper talent utilization, companies end up outsourcing accountability rather than improving internally.
6. Internal Politics Dictates Promotions and Assignments
Corporate placements are often about power balance, not competence:
- Positions are used as bargaining chips between internal factions.
- Promotions follow tenure-based schedules, not actual ability.
- Incompetent managers accumulate, making decision-making sluggish.
As a result, the best employees leave, and what remains are those who prioritize job security over innovation. This creates an environment where change is feared, and progress stalls.
7. The Future of Organizations That Ignore Talent Placement
- Unqualified managers multiply, exhausting frontline employees.
- Talented people leave, while those resistant to change remain.
- Organizations become rigid, losing competitive edge.
- Many survive only through government subsidies or parent company bailouts, turning into corporate zombies.
8. What Should You Do?
- Don’t force yourself to fit into a role that doesn’t suit you.
- Look for opportunities (side jobs, freelance work) where your strengths are valued.
- Use your time in a mismatched role to learn how to evaluate talent placement (a valuable skill for freelancing).
- Stay aware of corporate inertia—don’t get complacent.
9. Conclusion
- Organizations that fail at talent placement blame external factors instead of fixing internal issues.
- Understanding how to assess and utilize talent effectively is a critical skill for your career.
- Companies that ignore employee strengths create a workforce that stops thinking for itself.
Rather than wasting energy adapting to an ill-fitting role, finding an environment where your skills thrive is a far smarter, long-term move.
