CENTER FOR INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP (CIL）
Research Project Grant Progress Report AY2020

Kazem Vafadari
April 2021

研究代表者
Research
Representative

所属・職位
Affiliation/Position

研究課題名
Research Title

Training and Research for Inclusivity and Resilience

研究メンバー
Research Group
Members

Professor, APS

氏名
Name

Vafadari,
Kazem

氏名
Name

所属
Affiliation

職位
Position

PARDO, Phillip

Professor

CHEN, Loretta

APS
Visiting Prof APU

BENNETT Leigh

ITLA, Australia

CEOROUAULT Frank

Practical Learning, ParisCEO

COOPER Malcolm

APU

Emeritus
Professor

Professor

2020 年度 研究経過（研究経過・到達点を明確にご記入ください。800～1,000 字）AY2020 Research Progress (Please state clearly the research progress, results, approx. 400 words.)
The importance of social connectedness, optimism, and community learning as features of community resilience
have recently been highlighted. But social capital – resilience - depends to a large extent on these features being
established over a long period of time. This has implications for those trying to increase the resilience of communities
as it highlights that resilience needs to be considered as part of long term community development plans, rather thanpart of quick fixes or short-term preparations for natural disasters. This means that there is a need to refine ourpedagogy. It is imperative that Universities and other organizations redefine the pedagogy of learning systems,
processes and contents across formal and non-formal education sectors that support the creation of sustainable
societies. We proposed to research and implement through pilot testing the most appropriate and effective ways todo this by developing the following:
1.
An International Leadership Development Program
We proposed to design and eventually test a program that would impart specific skills (research, inclusive
development and management, presentation, discussion, negotiation, etc.) and international sensibilities (such as
trying to understand the other person, to think for yourself, to be able to think and communicate properly in thebusiness and community context, to be flexible, and so on) that can help the internationalization of companies andsociety.
2.
Personal and Business resilience and inclusivity videos
We proposed to oversee the development and translation for the local Japanese market of an 8 Module Personal
Resilience Self Coaching Program. This will be 8 short videos with slides (8-10 minutes) each with 2-3 follow up
tools to put into place, reflection, personal growth tasks, etc. These modules are designed to enable future and current
business leaders to tap into their diverse personalities, abilities, and qualities, and accept these diverse values as amember of the community. This will enable them to convert diversity and inclusivity into organizational power and,in turn, help solve the issues facing businesses and society. We have coordinated with local communities in Oita
prefecture in order to incorporate local resources in the above product and ensure the accessibility and feasibility ofsuch active learning for student at APU.
We undertook the first task in 2020, and that involved:
Webinars, Focus Group Workshops (online) and face to face
The CoVID pandemic has probably irreversibly changed the way our communities do business and provide services,
and it has heavily affected how we travel. Change will be the new normal. Our focus group sought the experienceof several members of the local and international community to provide further understanding of business andcommunity resilience, how mutual confidence, and co-dependency (inclusivity) can be enhanced, how to handle the
distributed workplace and the community by increasing emotional intelligence, and how to give businesses and thecommunity the power to develop pro-active vision and the ability to think on their feet. The discussions were heavily
oriented to the needs of the tourism and healthcare industries in small communities. The contacts discussed
resilience, leadership, and inclusiveness issues in the community now and in the future which we will turn into aninternational program in 2021, the second year of the grant. Members were:
Mr Shintaro Takaji, Aoyama Medical Welfare Association
Dr Hirofumi Zaizen, Tsurumi Hospital, Beppu
Dr Masayoshi Suzuki, Koseiren Tsurume Hospital, Beppu
Professor A. Gnanapala, Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka
Professor M. S. M Aslam, Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka
Mr Leigh Bennett, ITLA and DR Tourism, Brisbane, Australia
Dr David Ermen, Destination Capacity Ltd, New Zealand
Dr Marcus Curcija, Insight into Impact, Brisbane, Australia
Ms Kyoko Inazumi, Bebeppu Co, and B-biz Link, Beppu
Mr Masahiro Ide, B-biz Link, Beppu
Mr Dan Nogami, Cessna Co. Ltd, Beppu
Mr Junya Hanada, In Bloom Beppu, Beppu
Mr Yano form Beppu. Oita
Mr. Nakano From Kunisaki, Oita
Mr. Mimura From kunimi, Oita
Yufu city office
Mr. Ono from Yufu city
Mr. Yamada from Liss NPO , Yufu city Oita
Mr. Hashimoto from Ikue , Yufu city , Oita
Mr. Kawai form Sakura trave, Oita city
Mr. Oonaka form Local future Planning Association , Kunisaki, oitaWe used these opportunities to undertake community-based research on resilience and inclusivity as noted below.
Our contacts have given practical guidance that is:•

Evidence-based, drawing on the latest international and national experience•

Business-focused, demonstrating the connection between inclusive leadership and both business outcomes(e.g. innovation, performance) and individual outcomes (e.g. feelings of belonging and uniqueness)•

Comprehensive, clearly describing and connecting the three inter-related concepts of diversity, inclusion, andinclusive leadership, and describing not just the characteristics of an inclusive community but importantly
also the knowledge, skills, and behaviors it needs to build inclusion. Points to note:

1.

The CoVID-19 Pandemic hampered our workshops scheduled with Local stakeholders. We discussed with
Students, Professors, Alumni during variouspresentations of the models proposed. These took place in France,
Australia ,and Japan via Zoom Meetings.

2.

The numberof interviews scheduled were reduced (CoVID-19 Pandemic) but because of that we could holda more in-depth assessment. We conducted surveys to assess the need for Inclusiveness in various cultures andnationsas well as the effectiveness of training with emphasis on Leadership and Resilience.

3.

ThisLeadership Research study was formulated in cooperation with Dr. Rouault and Mr. Leigh Bennett.
Unfortunately, the Leadership Program developed could only be tested partially due to restrictions imposed by
CoVID-19 Pandemic on our Alumni and Professors.

4.

Various members attended or were accepted to conferences in 2020. Following are the brief highlights:•

Dr Vafadari, Dr Cooper, Mr. Bennett and attended Asia Pacific Conference 2020 in the CILSpecial Session.

•

Mr. Bennett was invited to share some of the insightful findings in an Australian podcast titled:•‘Insight Into Impact’ (https://tinyurl.com/bennettspotify2020).
Dr. Rouault held webinars in France via Zoom highlighting the importance of Diversity, Equity,Inclusion
and Resilience between January and March 2020.

5.

Webinars

Webinar 1 Resilience and Recovery of Tourism Communities
Recent webinars have paid limited attention to CoronaVirus problems of small/remote communities depending on
tourism. Simply put, without tourism these destinations cannot feed themselves.
This webinar identifies problems of such neglected host communities and suggests how their micro tourism operators
can regain the lost business and actually start doing better after the CoronaVirus situation is resolved.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-1/
Webinar 2 Actions of Small Destinations to Restore Tourism, Lessons from Beppu, Japan
Tourism-dependent communities and small businesses around the world have been severely affected by the COVID-19
pandemic due to the fast and almost absolute decline in travel, and many are now gradually exploring paths towards
recovery. In several cases, recovery strategies have focused on embracing domestic tourism, and on creating practices
and conditions that minimise the potential of infection among visitors and tourism workers. Beppu city, in Japan, is a
popular hot springs destination in which the community has been deeply involved in tourism planning to ensurecompetitiveness and sustainable local benefits. Two speakers representing local tourism business and government will
explain problems and prospects from a community’s point of view. International webinar participants, also benefitingfrom the panel discussion and questions from the audience, will find applications of Beppu’s strategies in their respective
communities/countries.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-2/
Webinar 3 Small business recovery amid covid-19, Lessons from the Caribbean
Covid-19 is an utterly black swan event. It attacked by surprise the tourism industry at its heart: accessibility and social
interaction. By restricting both, the global tourism industry came screeching to a standstill. The after-effects weredeleterious. Nowhere were these effects more damaging than in small islands. Most of them depend on tourism, and theireconomies has taken a significant hit from curtailed tourism. Curtailing it has been lethal to many small businesses.
Small businesses are the hallmark of the small island tourism ecosystem in the Caribbean. They are the source of jobs,
incomes, and opportunities for thousands of people. They are the tourism soul of the islands. While they have weathered
many storms, their resourcefulness has never been severely challenged by the current pandemic. How small businesses
cope with the pandemic and how they navigate these uncharted waters have become the road to survival for many suchislands.
This webinar sheds light on the efforts and recovery strategies of small businesses in the Caribbean during this pandemic.
Its focus is to discuss and distill elements from a small business practice that suggest survival and recovery in this brave
new world.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-3/
Webinar 4 Prospects for hosting global service learning programs
Small under-resourced communities are often involved in the provision of accommodation services and culturalexperiences to groups of students from international institutions. These host communities become invaluable fieldpartners that help institutions nurture the global citizenship of their students through volunteer work on local
improvement projects, homestays with families, and involvement in communal cultural activities. In many cases, hostingthese groups may represent a dominant portion of a small community’s business. Therefore, there is a dire need tostimulate dialogue between small tourism communities and their institutional clients to manage mutual expectations andmitigate disruptions caused by the COVID19 pandemic. In this webinar, two Latin American tourism microentrepreneurs
will explain how their communities benefit from hosting global service learning groups, they will relate the impact of
COVID19 on their tourism livelihoods, and will discuss their hopes and concerns about programs scheduled for 2021.
Three American global service learning professionals will react to those presentations, sharing their insights into the bestpractices in their field during this pandemic.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-4/
Webinar 5 COVID-19 pandemic and recovery strategies of tourism SMEs: Perspectives on IranThe worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has triggered an unprecedented crisis in the global tourism economy due to thesevere travel restrictions as well as substantial slump in demand among travellers. Many tourism SMEs have been heavily
impacted by this pandemic and are now facing significant declines in revenue. This is especially significant as SMEs are
particularly at much higher risk from prolonged COVID-19 lockdown measures, and account for around 75% of all jobs
in directly affected sectors. Like many other destinations, Iran has also experienced severe economic impacts from farreaching consequences of COVID-19 pandemic.
The impacts of this outbreak are particularly significant in Iran as many of affected small businesses and self-employedpeople are those whose livelihood depend upon tourism as a vehicle to spur their development and economic inclusion.
Thus, responses are needed at local, national and global level to limit the direct effects of COVID-19 and to help theaffected societies and communities return to growth and stability. This webinar sheds light on the recovery strategies of
SMEs in Iran and discusses the policy responses and resilience mechanisms required to combat this crisis for SMEs.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-5/
Webinar 6 Women in Small Communities Tourism
Covid-19 has exacerbated the multiple challenges faced by women in small tourism firms (STF). It is recognised thatthe tourism sector provides women with employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, both vital for their economic
and social independence. For women entrepreneurs, their STFs also act as platforms for the promotion of local
development and social transformation, and enables them to create ‘new’ self-identities.
In this webinar, two African women tourism micro entrepreneurs explain their journeys and how this has transformed
them and others. They discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses and the strategies they have adopted toovercome its challenges in resource-scarce environments. Two tourism industry experts from academia and industry
respond to those presentations, sharing their insights into lessons being learnt and best practices during this pandemic
and beyond.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-6/
Webinar 7 Development of Resilience and Leadership in Small Communities

Because the CoVID19 pandemic has dramatically reduced the volume of travel worldwide, small communities thatformerly had income from tourism have no choice but to function—do business and provide services— differently. This
webinar shares new community-based accomplishments in nurturing tourism business conduct, resilience, confidence
and codependency, emotional intelligence, and community empowerment to proactively succeed during the current hardtimes and in the years ahead.
Our panel of experts will focus on tourism and healthcare businesses in small communities. The panelists will discuss
the evidence-based guidance that they provide to diverse small communities, each with its own mix of microentrepreneurs and businesses. The discussion will result in practical operational and management recommendations.
Their responses to questions from webinar participants will further shed light on the effective implementation ofcommunity-based strategies for recovery.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-7/
Webinar 8 Special edition in Portuguese: O paper das redes microempresariais
Os microempreendedores turísticos, pela natureza do seu pequeno tamanho e escassos recursos, sentem dificuldades paraque os seus interesses sejam considerados pelos líderes das suas comunidades e por possíveis parceiros comerciais nosetor. Apesar do facto que as experiências e serviços que prestam aos turistas fazem destinos mais genuínos ecompetitivos, a elevada competitividade do mercado põe-lhes dificuldades em penetrar o mercado. Por estas razões,microempreendedores beneficiam muito de redes microempresariais que representam os seus membros em processos depolítica e planeamento dos destinos, e que coordenam esforços de marketing associativo. O objetivo deste webinar é darvisibilidade ao papel crítico das redes microempresariais em ajudar os seus membros a lidar com e pivotar em resposta
às novas demandas da pandemia COVID-19. Este webinário vai começar com breves apresentações de dois
microempresários, relatando as formas como as redes microempresariais melhoraram sua resiliência. Essas
apresentações então servir de estímulo para pesquisar as percepções de um grupo de líderes na indústria, governo eacademia.
Microentrepreneurs, by the nature of their small size and scarce resources, tend to struggle to get their interests heard bycommunity and industry leaders and to get noticed by the market. As a result they tend to benefit greatly from businessnetworks that pursue associative marketing and collective bargaining. The purpose of this webinar is to bring visibility
to the critical role of microentrepreneurial networks in helping their members cope with and pivot in response to thechanging demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar will begin with brief presentations by two
microentrepreneurs relating the ways in which business networks have improved their resilience. These presentations
will then serve as stimuli to poll the insights of a select group of industry, government and academia leaders.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-8/
Webinar 9 Climate Friendly Travel: Case for small communities and entrepreneurs
Recently UN Secretary General Guterres noted the importance of tourism in a post COVID-19 socioeconomic
recovery. Calling for “Climate Friendly Travel” as a response to the existential Climate Crisis. SUNx Malta is
working, to deliver “Climate Friendly Travel” with the support of the government of Malta, and WTTC – low carbon:
SDG linked: Paris 1.5. We created two Climate Friendly Travel tools to support transformation – a Registry of 2050
Ambitions and a Climate Champions Diploma, to train tomorrows leaders. We will discuss how small and medium
stakeholders can benefit from these programs.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-9/
Webinar 10 COMMUNITY-LEVEL POVERTY ALLEVIATION THROUGH TOURISM (IN CHINESELANGUAGE)

通过旅游业的社区脱贫（中文系列）This webinar, conducted in Chinese language only, will be moderated by Jing XU, former Director of the Regional
Programme for Asia and the Pacific of UNWTO. Among his areas of expertise is tourism rural and community
development in Asia Pacific Region. Academics and practitioner will present and discuss successful stories ofcommunity-level poverty alleviation through tourism, and will highlight areas related to empowerment and sustainability
in the field of tourism.

此次网络会议仅使用中文，将由联合国世界旅游组织前亚洲太平洋地区主任徐京先生主持。他的专长领域包括亚太地区的乡村旅游和社区发展。学者和实践者将介绍和讨论通过旅游业在社区一级减贫的成功故事，并
将讨论与旅游领域的赋权和可持续有关的课题https://scotwebinars.com/volume-10/
Webinar 11 Small community tourism development in Sri Lanka
Tourism in Sri Lanka has grown strongly over the past several years. The country received 1.9 million tourists in 2019.
The established tourism sector is based around sun and sand, wildlife and ancient culture and growth has placed stresson national parks and more well-developed attractions. Further, opportunities to meet local people and learn their culture
are limited. The Government of Sri Lanka is developing its tourism sector to encourage new forms of tourism and toensure the benefits of visitor expenditure are received in less developed areas and by smaller communities. This webinar
will discuss a number of projects targeting development of tourism in small communities in Sri Lanka.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-11/
Webinar 12 Branding Small Communities Using International Certifications
The title of this presentation is “Branding small communities using international certifications”. Japanese small
communities are struggling with declining and aging population. In rural areas, the average age of farmers are over 65
years old and many of them do not have successors. Thus, uncultivated farmland and vacant houses are increasing that
result in destruction of the landscape. In metropolitan areas, the declining and aging population also occurs. Therefore,
revitalization of small communities is an important issue in Japan. Branding communities is one of the ways to revitalize
communities and many communities in Japan try to improve their brand images using international certifications. In thispresentation, we look at Japanese communities that try to improve their brand images using UNESCO’s World Heritage
and FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems.
This event has an English/Japanese interpretation.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-12/

Webinar 13 Resilience of ecotourism communities in the South PacificSome small communities in the South Pacific have embraced ecotourism to develop livelihoods that leverage the fragile
environmental resources that surround them, and the charismatic culture that defines them. The competitive andvertically integrated nature of international tourism has made it very difficult for small ecotourism communities to be
successful; and the current pandemic has brought tremendous strain on local health and livelihoods as well as barriers
for direct engagement with tourists. Consequently, the purpose of this webinar is to bring light into how the pandemic isaffecting small ecotourism communities in the South pacific, and to explore possible strategies for their recovery.
This webinar will begin with brief presentations from two communities to help participants better grasp the impacts ofthe pandemic in their lives and their ecotourism livelihoods. Government and industry leaders, and academics will react
to the community presentations to suggest engaged research ideas and policy and business strategies that can assist such
communities in a path towards recovery.
https://scotwebinars.com/volume-13/
Webinar 14 El turismo rural en Iberoamérica ante la pandemia del COVID-19
El turismo rural ha sido una de las modalidades de turismo más beneficiadas en Europa durante el pasado verano, pero
también en muchos lugares de Iberoamérica. Los espacios rurales, en su diversidad, se han convertido en lugares refugio,de escape y recuperación de las energías vitales después de duros confinamientos en viviendas de los aglomerados
urbanos, y en contacto próximo con la naturaleza. Es importante saber cuáles han sido y están siendo los efectos de esta
nueva demanda de turismo rural desde perspectivas iberoamericanas, tanto sobre las comunidades locales receptoras
como sobre los visitantes, y cuáles son los desafíos para el futuro.
Durante el seminario online pretendemos dialogar con algunos académicos especialistas en turismo rural en
Iberoamérica, y traer algunas experiencias empresariales que nos aporten la experiencia del promotor del turismo rural,sabiendo que hay una gran diversidad de turismo(s) rural, pero que presentan igualmente problemáticas equivalentes,
que son importantes para este debate. El seminario tendrá una duración de 90 minutos.

https://scotwebinars.com/volume-14/
6.

We began translation of the Personal and Business resilience and inclusivity videos. This will be completed
in 2021.
Ultimately these will be 8 short videos with slides (8-10 minutes) each with 2-3 follow up tools to put into
place, reflection, personal growth tasks, etc. These modules are designed to enable future and current businessleaders to tap into their diverse personalities, abilities, and qualities, and accept these diverse values as amember of the community. This will enable them to convert diversity and inclusivity into organizational
power and, in turn, help solve the issues facing businesses and society.

7.

Report to CIL: We submit this Progress Report for AY2020

2020 年度中の研究発表（予定を含めてご記入ください）
Publication of Research in AY2020 (journal articles, conferences, etc.) (Please include future plans as well)

発表方法
Publication
Methods

著書・論文名等
Title of Books or Articles
著書・論文
等Books or
Articles

出版社／掲載誌・巻号等
Name of Publisher /Name and Volume of
JournalProfessional Engagement

日
Date of
Publication

English Translation Complete | Late 2021
Publishing in process

Confusedly Clear? Or Clearly Confused?

Forbes (https://tinyurl.com/confusionforbes)

学会等
Presentation atan Academic
Conference

刊行年月

タイト
ルTitle

学会名
Name of an
Academic
Conference

Inclusive Leadership Program for the
Healthcare and Tourism Industry in Oita
Prefecture

Asia Pacific Conference 2020

Workshop Materials

ITLA, CIL and Practical
Learning

March 2021
発表年月
Date ofPresentation
November 2020