Business person is PTA!

Business person is PTA!

April 23, 22:30

A management expert said.

"Business people who work on the front lines should participate in PTA."

However, at this time of year, there are a lot of negative words on the internet regarding the decision of officers.

Today, we are presenting "PTA" from a management perspective.

Your view may change a little.

(Reporter, Network News Department, Risa Komiya / Hokuto Takasugi / Soraya Sugimoto)

Market research

First of all, let me introduce the voice of the Internet a little before getting into the main subject.

This time when the new semester starts is an important season for PTA, such as deciding officers.

The net is full of various posts by parents.

"I can't sleep when I think about

the PTA officer decision

... I really don't want to do it ..."

"

I'm

going to cry because there is a fearful PTA officer decision."

You may hear the voice of your heart, "I wonder if someone will serve as an officer," but this seems to be a little different.

"If you think that there are many candidates, it seems that

this year

there is obviously less activity due to the influence of corona, so it seems

that it is the aim." "

Diversity

Will begin the main subject.

According to corporate management experts, the operation of PTA, which is often shunned, is packed with management know-how that is useful for business.

That's what Associate Professor Shinichiro Kawakami, who specializes in venture strategy at the Information Management Innovation College, says.

Mr. Kawakami, who served as PTA chairman for five years at a public elementary and junior high school, pays attention to the similarities with the management of the organization required of companies.

Nowadays, companies are required to think of "diversity" so that employees with various backgrounds and circumstances can exert their abilities.

Not only age, gender, and personality, but also PTA members have different circumstances such as double-income families and full-time housewives, and every year, continuous performance is required even if the officers change.

Mr. Kawakami says that it is necessary for leaders to clearly indicate the goals of PTA events and initiatives, and to carefully convey the necessity and path of activities, which is a common idea with projects in the company.

Shinichiro Kawakami

"In PTA activities, it is tested whether communication rules can be established among participants. It is important to incorporate diversity well as the proportion of women is often high and family circumstances are becoming more complicated. is"

When Mr. Kawakami became chairman, few people wanted to be an officer.

All communications were made in paper, and meetings were gathered during the daytime on weekdays.

While it is difficult for parents with work to participate, some female executives of full-time housewives feel that they have been forced to do activities, and it is said that their motivation was not high.

Therefore, we introduced SNS and cloud services, and asked parents who are familiar with IT technology to create a website to share meeting announcements and minutes.

We reduced the burden by increasing the activities that can be done without gathering.

Every year, we have created a manual for the work so that we can respond even if the officers change, and we also hold IT seminars for people who are not good at Kikai.

As a result, it became popular among parents that "PTA seems to be very easy", and those who wished to participate for children became "waiting for two years".

Shinichiro Kawakami

"In an era where members are increasingly required to have an organization that responds flexibly while setting goals and forming consensus. It is the business person who brings together diverse human resources that can be learned from PTA activities. There will be many. "

Vision & Mission

Now let's see what PTA is for in the first place.

The vision (the future we aim for) is to "promote the healthy growth of children."

To that end, our mission is for parents and teachers to work together to support a variety of school initiatives.

Specific examples of activities include helping with athletic meet and bazaar, watching over school attendance, and purchasing items necessary for school by collecting bell marks.

However, when and what kind of activity to do can be decided for each PTA.

One thing to keep in mind is that PTA is a voluntary organization and "you don't have to do it."

As the experts pointed out, the important thing is to explain and discuss at the board of directors so that the organization and activities do not become a mere ghost, and to draw out the positiveness of each member.

merit and demerit

Still, I think some people find the activities of PTA a burden.

Therefore, I tried to sort out the advantages and disadvantages of joining (participating in) PTA.

First is the merit.

You can meet a variety of people other than personal friendships and work that

can expand your network and build an information network

.

Not only stories about children, but also useful information for life and business may come in from unexpected places.

By

approaching the school as

an

organization

that is easy to solve

problems, it is easier to share problem awareness than to consult with the teacher individually, and as a result, it is easier to improve the living environment of the child.

Next is the disadvantage.

In some

cases, it can be a burden to be busy with

time-consuming

work and housework.

Relationship stress As

it can happen in work, it is also possible to have stress due to incompatibility between members or disagreement about the content and policy of activities.

Sustainability-

Let's get back to management.

I told you that PTA activities require a perspective of diversity that anyone can participate in.

In some cases, this perspective has provided organizations with sustainability that allows them to continue to work in the face of coronavirus.

According to the results of a questionnaire on the PTA activities of Corona Surge, which was released by the Tokyo Elementary School PTA Council in July last year, 122 schools, which is 58% of the 207 member schools, answered that they "held" or "will hold" the PTA general meeting. did.

As a result of asking multiple answers about the holding method, "written" was the most common, at 78.7%.

Next, 30.3% of the respondents answered the "questionnaire form" and 3.3% answered the "online meeting", which gathers opinions on the web. It can be said that they tried to respond by avoiding gathering in the unprecedented situation of corona.

At PTA, where Mr. Kawakami was the chairman, there was no impact on communication and discussions thanks to the promotion of IT.

career enhancement

In some cases, management at PTA has resulted in one's career advancement.

Rei Kumagai, who is the PTA chairman at an elementary school in Fujimi City, Saitama Prefecture, has been active as a city council member since this spring.

With "PTA suitable for the present era", the selection of officers is not based on class units but from the entire grade, creating an environment that makes it easy to run for office, identifying unnecessary jobs and scrapping them. It seems that the reform was promoted in cooperation with.

I made a new connection with the local people and decided to jump into the world of politics to support the growth of children, not just the school district.

Rei Kumagai

"PTA and members of the Diet hear a lot of opinions that are different from their own ideas, but they have in common that they can take the whole thing in a positive direction by facing each other with a flexible attitude. PTA's know-how is also used in current activities. I think I'm alive "

System update

To change the PTA, you must first stop believing.

That's what Professor Kenji Okada of Senshu University, who specializes in political science, has been the PTA chairman of a public elementary school for three years until March.

According to Professor Okada, PTA started after the war by incorporating a committee system as part of democracy education, but it gradually became a rigid operation that followed the previous year, and misunderstandings are spreading.

Professor Kenji Okada

"Many women suffered from the image that" each person is obliged to play a role "even though they are volunteers with no reward, and men avoided it because of their work. There was a prejudice that people in their spare time were doing it. It's okay to get out of the PTA and decide how to do it yourself. "

Professor Okada introduced a front runner who embarked on organizational reform from an early stage in an attempt to dispel the negative image of PTA.

At Minemachi Elementary School in Ota-ku, Tokyo, the PTA committee system was completely abolished from 2014, and the system was changed to a complete volunteer system, and the name of the "Board of Directors" was changed to "Volunteer Center" to participate when possible.

According to the representative, the members do not have to concentrate on one position, and the reputation has spread that they can easily work when they are free, and the number of participants has increased more than before.

Professor Kenji Okada

"The problem with PTA is that there is no environment for parents who want to do something for their children. In fact, just changing the board meeting time to Saturday morning is daddy. We have five more executives. We have to update the old system. I want to tell you that you don't have to work hard and let's relax. "

conclusion

Professor Okada gave us 10 messages that we want everyone involved in PTA activities to cherish.

PTA "10 things to remember"

1. It is a voluntary organization created voluntarily.

There should be no coercion.

2. We will not discriminate against children in families who have not joined.

Because it is not a company.

3. If people don't get together, just do what they can.

4, not "labor".

It is a volunteer "activity" without compensation.

5. Volunteer activities are inherently unequal.

But it is "happy inequality."

6, activities will not be ruined.

There is only one evaluation, "Thank you."

7, activity is an extension of life.

You don't have to sacrifice your home.

8. Don't try too hard.

Set a precedent and increase "labor".

9. We support the school, but no guidance is given.

Schools and parents are equal.

10. There is only one duty.

Keep thinking, "What is the PTA for?"

Has your image of PTA changed, everyone?

Why don't you look at PTA with a new mind (consciousness)?

That was the presentation.