Assessing the Possibility of Making Employees Multiskilled in Interdepartmental Human Resources Sharing through Multi-agent Simulation

Morikazu Udagawa, Jun-Ichi Asaka, Kenta Abe, Kentaro Iwata, Junji Ochi, Minoru Matsui, Hideki Murakoshi, Hisashi Hayashi

Abstract: In light of the recent labor shortage in Japan, this study proposes a method to increase the number of skilled employees by sharing human resources within the company. Human resources sharing is generally aimed at distributing the burden across various departments in the short term. However, it can also be regarded as training in other departments. The novelty of this research is the development of multiskilled human resources that will be useful to the company in the future by sharing human resources not between companies but between company departments. Practical training is also discussed by suggesting that employees who are not busy in other departments can provide help. The possibility of long-term multiskilling through in-house personnel sharing is verified through multi-agent simulations using NetLogo, wherein employees, departments, and tasks are regarded as agents.