[Interview with Katsuya Moriya, Managing Executive Officer & Director of Human Resources Strategy Research Institute at Shin-Keiei Service Co., Ltd.] A Professional Group Resolving HR, Education, and Management Issues Faced by SMEs

Shin Keiei Service Co., Ltd. has been selected in the Top 100 of the “Great Place to Work” certification for eight consecutive years. Based in Kyoto and specializing in HR system and organizational development consulting for mid-tier and small-to-medium enterprises, the company supports organizational transformation as a management partner under its mission of “contributing to the growth and happiness of companies and people.”

We interviewed Katsuya Moritani, Managing Executive Officer and Director of the HR Strategy Research Institute. We asked about the company’s business content, strengths, and the kind of person it is looking for as it guides SME HR and management challenges toward resolution.

Providing Robust Support for the Management Improvement of Mid-Tier and SME Companies

— Could you tell us about Shin Keiei Service’s business?

Under two visions — “the top brand in organizational transformation support for mid-tier and small-to-medium enterprises” and “a unique consulting firm unlike any other” — we provide services spanning strategic HR, HR systems, talent development, organizational development, and management improvement. We have particular strength in consulting for mid-tier and SME companies, and a track record of supporting more than 2,000 clients ranging from TSE Prime–listed companies to startups.

— Could you tell us about the specific content of the support you provide?

For organizational HR consulting, for example, smaller companies and startups often come to us with the request “we want to build an HR system for the first time.” Mid-tier and SME clients that already have HR systems in place come to us with needs like “we want to revisit our performance evaluation system and compensation structure to better develop our people and organization” — and engagements are launched by proposing a project aimed at resolving those challenges. We also handle management consulting on themes such as medium-term business plan development and business succession, and in organizational development consulting we provide services such as management training.

— Could you tell us about how projects are structured?

The default is for a single consultant to handle each client relationship. A distinguishing feature is that sales and consulting are not divided into separate functions — in most cases, a single consultant takes responsibility for the full process from problem identification through challenge framing to challenge resolution. Taking the lead and handling things personally means significant responsibility, but also the autonomy to advance the work as you see fit.

Project duration is typically six months to a year and a half, advanced through two to three meetings per month. A single consultant typically handles five to ten client companies simultaneously. Because most clients are mid-tier or SME companies, projects are often advanced in direct collaboration with the president or executive leadership. Since we are listening directly to the concerns of top management and supporting corporate transformation, our proposals have a direct and significant influence on executive decision-making.

— Shin Keiei Service is based in Kyoto — do most clients come from the Kansai region?

About a third of our clients are from the Kansai/Kinki region, a third are from the greater Tokyo area centered on Tokyo and Kanagawa, and the remaining third are from other regions — we actually have clients as far away as Hokkaido and Okinawa.

— With clients nationwide, does that mean a lot of business travel?

Especially in the early stages of a project, we make every effort to travel to the client in person. Reading the other person’s expressions while having a dialogue, and building a relationship of trust, is essential.

That said, it depends on client preferences and what the consultant proposes. Sometimes support is centered on online interactions; other times it is primarily face-to-face.

A Hiring Philosophy That Values “People” Over Credentials

— So hiring is open nationally rather than limited to the Kansai region?

Our largest hiring bases are Kansai and Tokyo. Working out of our Kyoto base is required for the first several years after joining, but after accumulating sufficient experience, it becomes possible to be based outside of Kyoto.

We operate under a discretionary work arrangement, so schedules can be made flexible if managed accordingly, and remote work is also possible — which means flexibility in how people work is high, I believe.

— Could you tell us about the hiring criteria?

We hire placing emphasis on “people” regardless of industry background.

For candidates in their twenties or early thirties, we actively hire people without prior consulting industry experience. Our staff includes people from a variety of backgrounds — the HR industry, the financial industry, HR and corporate planning roles at operating companies, and former sole proprietors — and many of those who joined without consulting experience are thriving as consultants.

— What qualities are needed to thrive at Shin Keiei Service?

In terms of mindset, it is a sense of mission. As a consultant whose job is to solve business challenges, someone who holds a strong sense of mission — “I want to support and be genuinely useful to client companies in their growth” — and who can keep growing with ambition and drive, is well suited to us.

In terms of skills, the obvious ones: communication ability and analytical thinking. To deliver value beyond expectations, what is required includes the ability to understand the intent behind what clients say, the ability to explain proposals and plans clearly to clients and stakeholders, and the ability to read ahead of the client and see the bigger picture. High-level communication ability and logical thinking are taken as a matter of course.

Finally, what is absolutely indispensable is integrity. Engaging with challenges head-on and with sincerity — including, at times, being willing to tell a company president clearly “I think that’s wrong” — is the kind of integrity that is also needed. This kind of stance is ultimately what builds the trust of clients.

— What does the career path look like?

The “Consultant Rank” structure includes Associate, Consultant, Senior Consultant, Manager, Senior Manager, Senior Consulting Officer, and Principal Consulting Officer, all based on performance. For those who take on internal management responsibilities, the path from Manager level upward leads through Division Head and Institute Director to Executive Officer.

For those who join without prior experience, the first step is working alongside a senior employee as an assistant. Depending on the pace of development and experience gained, some take on their own engagements solo within about a year.

Those who join without experience start at the Associate rank, but making Manager within seven to eight years is achievable.

Because It Is Inefficient, Valuable Consulting Becomes Possible

— You joined Shin Keiei Service at age 33 and are now Managing Executive Officer. Could you tell us about your career background?

I developed an interest in retail through a part-time job at a supermarket during university, and that influence led me to take a job in retail after graduating. After about three years I changed jobs, gaining sales experience at a staffing company and a professional qualification provider, before moving to a consulting firm supporting sales and marketing — which was my entry into the consulting industry. I subsequently joined Shin Keiei Service, where I am now approaching my seventeenth year.

— What prompted the transition from sales to consulting?

Actually, from my early twenties I had a vague aspiration to “someday help companies improve their management as a consultant,” and I was studying toward the Certified Management Consultant (SME Shindanshi) qualification. I stumbled once, but in my early thirties — after a series of job changes — I renewed my determination to “support the management improvement of SMEs” and decided again to become a consultant. Having passed the first round of the SME Shindanshi exam, I was taken on by my previous employer. It was through that renewed effort that the door opened.

— What led you to choose Shin Keiei Service as your next employer?

The main reason was a sense of comfort with the company’s consulting stance toward clients. When I was job hunting I interviewed with multiple consulting firms, and I felt that the sincerity with which this company engages with clients was in a different league compared with others. I was strongly drawn to that stance, and came to want to engage with clients in the way that Shin Keiei Service does.

The consulting industry today is moving toward prioritizing efficiency and standardization — but we are the opposite. Because we conduct consulting tailored to the situation and challenges of each individual company, we deliberately emphasize and execute things that would generally be considered inefficient. It is precisely by engaging seriously with each company that we believe we can deliver genuinely valuable consulting.

Not Top-Down Prescriptions — an Approach That Nurtures Employee Growth

— Could you tell us about Shin Keiei Service’s strengths?

The significant degree of individual consultant autonomy is a defining characteristic. Our consulting style is not bound by specific packages or methodologies — it involves examining and proposing challenge-resolution plans tailored individually to each client’s actual situation and needs. For people who want to work with personal autonomy, it is, I believe, an excellent environment.

In one sense, each consultant operates somewhat like an independent practitioner — but if you ask for help, colleagues and seniors give it freely. There are many colleagues who proactively share advice and information, and there are also well-established forums for knowledge sharing through regular study sessions.

Another distinguishing feature is that compensation is comparable to other consulting firms, which means many people continue to work here rather than going independent.

— Could you tell us about the vision for the future?

We deliberately position ourselves as a company that “does not hold a specific strategy.” We do expand services to respond to client needs in keeping with the times, but we do not set aggressive profit growth targets and impose quotas on employees, nor do we force top-down directives to push specific services.

Rather than placing business performance and management efficiency as the primary objectives, we want to be a company that creates an environment where each consultant can pursue what they want to achieve, and solves a wide range of client challenges by building on each person’s strengths. We want to keep moving forward as a group that engages earnestly with the challenge in front of us, rather than some future strategy.

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【Post-Interview Note】

Shin Keiei Service Co., Ltd. — Company Information

Representative Director & President	Shunichi Yamaguchi
Founded	January 1978
Address	Kyoto EH Building 6F, 830 Honkakujimaecho, Kawaramachi Gojo Nishi-iru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8102
Employees	80 (group total)
Capital	¥96,000,000
Business Activities	・Comprehensive management services ・Management strategy and plan formulation ・Management control system construction ・HR compensation system construction support ・Training and education ・Speaking engagements, publications, and other activities

Shin Keiei Service Co., Ltd. — Job Listings