Motoki Mizuno

Reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Cambridge depersonalization scale as a screening instrument for depersonalization disorder.

Aims:  The Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS) is an instrument that has obtained reliability and validity in some countries for use in detecting depersonalization disorder under clinical conditions, but not yet in Japan under non‐psychiatric conditions. The purposes of this study were to develop a Japanese version of the CDS (J‐CDS) and to examine its reliability and validity as an instrument for screening depersonalization disorder under non‐clinical conditions.

Team Building Program for Enhancement of Collective Efficacy: The Case of a University Baseball Team in Japan

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the experience of TB among a university baseball team’s members from the viewpoint of collective efficacy. For this purpose, we carried out a TB program with one university baseball team (102 males, 6 female) in 2011. This TB program had a theoretical background of transactional analysis. The average age of the 108 participants was 19.99 years (±1.417). We used the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports (Short et al. in Meas Phys Educ Exerc Sci 93:181–202, 2005 [1]), to examine the effects of TB. Responses to this questionnaire collected from the participants before and immediately after the TB intervention. A paired t-test showed that each factor of collective efficacy was higher than before the TB experience (p < 0.05). The practical implication of these findings suggested that implementation of TB is effective from the viewpoint of collective efficacy.

Elements of Workforce Diversity in Japanese Nursing Workplace

Movement of diversity management (DM) is gradually spreading in Japanese hospitals. However little has been discussed about the effectiveness of DM in organizational ergonomics domains. Hence, this case report aimed to extract the elements of workforce diversities in Japanese nursing workplace. We conducted a semi-structured interview to four nurses with enough career to response the interview. Three were administrative nurses (male = 1, female = 2) and one was non-administrative nurse (male = 1). As the results, twelve elements of diversities with narrative evidences were extracted; (1) Seniority, (2) Career, (3) Age, (4) Gender, (5) Nationality, (6) Role orientation, (7) Employment pattern, (8) License, (9) Personality, (10) Disability, (11) Family, (12) Benefit package. According to their interviews, their workplace has been received the diversities of seniority, career, age, gender, employment pattern, disability, family and benefit package. On the other hand, they regarded the acceptance of license, personality, nationality and role orientation diversities as future issue. These diversity elements may be key points for the practical DM in Japanese nursing organization.

A Study of the Current Status of Diversity Faultlines in Japanese Work Organizations

Managing people from different backgrounds has brought great benefits to work organizations. However, previous research has shown that diversity may have negative effects on performance because of diversity “faultlines”, hypothetical dividing lines that may split a group into subgroups. We conducted an empirical study on faultlines for the first time in Japan to investigate the present status of faultlines and to assess the degree to which workers perceive that (certain) attributes (e.g. nationality, ethnicity, age, personality, attitude) may have an impact on the emergence of faultlines in Japanese work organizations. It has been shown that task-related attributes such as specialty and ability/knowledge are great factors affecting faultlines, and that every participant perceives faultlines based on such attributes as specialty, personality, and attitude.

A Study on Communication Activity and Social Skills of Nursing Organization

In this study, a quantitative rating of the communication using the device (behavior sensor) which enabled the measurement of communication and social skills in the hospital, was implemented. The subjects of this study were two hospitals. The measurement of communication used the behavior sensor which electronic badges were capable of measuring social signals, it was measured for two weeks. The result of the communication activity between staffs was 58.0 min per day. In comparison with the communication time, male nurses were more than one and a half times larger than females (p < 0.001). Particularly, male nurses tended to regard cooperation as more nurses regardless of job status or sex. According to the result of social skills, more experienced nurses had high skill. In the GP analysis of the communication time, the skill of emotion processing of an upper rank group was higher than a lower rank group (p < 0.1). These observations led to the speculation that a male nurse made more communication in the workplace, and cooperated with more nurses. In addition, the nurse who had high communication skills tended to have high expression skill of one’s feelings.

Consequences of organizational commitment in abolished company sports team - A case study in Japan-

The purpose of this study was to show that how the abolishment of company sports team influenced the organizational commitment in employees. In this study, Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment (Meyer and Allen, 1997) was tested with 16 employees (10 males, 6 females) of T Company in NAGANO prefecture. The average age of the participants was 44, 50 years (SD=±0.85). And from 16 employees, 3 male employees were measured on organizational commitment with interview test. According to the analysis, the relation between organizational commitment in employees and the abolishment of company sports team was not positive significant correlation. Furthermore, results of interview test did not show the relation between organizational commitment in employees and the abolishment of company sports team. However, results of interview test showed the relation with organizational commitment of players in T Company sports team. Consequently, the goal to possess a sports team in T Company was not to boost organizational commitment in employees. In addition, it is necessary to reconsider the correlation among employees engaged in T Company in the future.

A longtidunal study on the effects of team building for univesity baseball team in Japan: From the view point of team-vitalization

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect in the experience of TB among university baseball team from the view point of team-vitalization. We carry out one university baseball team (102 males, 6 female). The average age of the participants was 19.99 years (SD = 1.41). Then, using Check List of Team- Vitalization that was developed by consulting firm in Japan, we examined the degrees of team-vitalization. The answers of this investigation were collected from the participants at fifth times (before intervention of TB, immediately after TB, after three months of TB, before intervention of follow-up training of TB, and immediately after follow-up training of TB). This study for eight months provided the following three conclusions; 1) University baseball team was vitalized through the experience of TB. 2) Team-vitalization was higher than before TB experience, but this effect of the TB did not seem to be permanent. 3) To keep intervention of TB was very important.

The Effect of Support from Superiors and Colleagues Between Occupational Stress and Mental Health Among Japanese Sport Facilities Workers

This study examined the occupational stress experienced by office worker and exercise instructor working in the Japanese fitness club and the association of these occupational stressors on mental health and the influence of support of superiors and colleagues on worker’s mental health. The survey was conducted on 488 workers in the capital area sports facilities in Japan, among which 426 valid respondents (219 office staff and 207 instructor staff) were grouped and data were analyzed. The survey included (1) Occupational stress measured by the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, (2) Mental health measured by General Health Questionnaire. To examine associations between job stress and mental health, t-tests and linear regression analyses models were conducted. As a result, the two groups showed different occupational stress factors. For office staff group, the quantitative demand, qualitative demand, and meaning of job had a stronger relationship with mental health. For instructor staff group, the qualitative demand, interpersonal relationships, and job aptitude had a stronger relationship with mental health. Superior support showed a buffering effect on interpersonal relationships and mental health for office worker group, and colleagues support showed a buffering effect on job insecurity, quantitative demand, and work circumstances for instructor staff group.

Retention Management of Nurses: A Case of University Hospital in Japan

Retention management is a human resource strategy designed to improve job satisfaction and to reduce voluntary employee turnover by PDCA cycle of benefit programs and work-life balance. This study aimed to ascertain job satisfaction and intention to continue working among nurses, and to determine how their job satisfaction relate to the intention to continue working as nurses. As research methods, a paper-based survey was conducted at a university hospital located in the metropolitan area. The survey consisted of a face sheet and questions to assess the degree of respondents’ job satisfaction and intention to continue working as nurse. It was distributed to 692 registered nurses employed on a permanent basis at a university hospital. As results, valid responses were obtained from 661 nurses (620 females and 41 males) with a mean age of 29.9 years (SD = 8.0) (valid response rate: 95.5%). A high rate of job satisfaction was identified with items such as communication with colleagues, a sense of pride in being a nurse, enjoyment from contact with patients, instructions from superiors, the frequency of nightshifts, working with superiors and colleagues who can be respected, one’s salary and the workplace climate. However, a low rate of job satisfaction was identified with factors such as trust from doctors, their own vital role, appropriate number of nursing staff, the clinical ladder, work outside of nursing duties, break rooms and hospital facilities, break times, and the amount of overtime. Looking at the degree of the intention to continue working, the highest rate was seen in those with more than 5 years’ experience, and the lowest rate was those with 1 year or more to less than 3 years’ experience. As a consideration, the result of the analyses indicated that such satisfactory factors as a sense of pride in being a nurse and recognition as a nurse contributed to increase the pleasure of nursing practice and the intention of working. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider “recognition” as a key factor that influence retention management of nurses.

Current Status of Exercise Habits and Job Satisfaction of Nurses in Japan

Nurses’ duties have become more diversified and increasingly complex with Japan’s ultra-aging population and advancements in medical technology. Additionally, the long working hours, the enormous workload, the chronic shortage of human resources, and night shifts place a huge physical burden on nursing staff. These factors have contributed to a job turnover rate of around 11% for nurses in Japan. The rate has been around the same for the last decade. In a bid to retain highly skilled and talented employees for the long-term and to enable them to demonstrate and build on their skills, there is a need to improve job satisfaction. This study aimed to ascertain the exercise habits of nursing staff and determine how their exercise habits relate to their overall job satisfaction.