Business Consultants

What Business Consultants does

Business Consultants, Inc. (BCon, 株式会社ビジネスコンサルタント) is a Tokyo-headquartered organizational development and human resource development consulting firm founded in 1964. The company serves Japanese enterprises and, increasingly, organizations across Asia through customized consulting engagements, instructor dispatch, public seminars, diagnostic surveys, sustainability advisory, digital learning, and program licensing. BCon employs 100+ full-time consultants (with no contract instructors) across 21 domestic offices and has supported 3,300+ organizations annually, including 55,000+ new employees across 1,900+ companies between 2015 and 2024 through its flagship new employee training program. Reference pricing is anchored at approximately 550,000 JPY per instructor-day, plus 50,000 JPY per participant for public new-employee seminars and 240,000 JPY per licensee for SBRP licensing; diagnostic surveys serve ~1,300 organizations annually.

BCon's intellectual property centers on a portfolio of proprietary frameworks derived from behavioral science, positive psychology, and organizational development research: the DCXLS Model for customer experience visualization, the SXP (Service Transformation) program, the ATC Model for resilience training, the SBRP (Strengths-Based Resilience Program), the HEP (Human Element Program) for psychological safety, and a Positive Leadership Program co-developed with Prof. Kim Cameron of the University of Michigan. The firm is the certified Japanese partner of the VIA Institute on Character for the VIA Character Strengths Assessment. Strategic alliances with The Natural Step (since 2010) and the Future-Fit Foundation (2021, first Japanese Future-Fit Pioneer) anchor its sustainability and ESG advisory practice.

The business operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries covering distinct functional and geographic segments: BCon Learning Service (public sector, municipalities, healthcare, education, since 2014), LDcube (digital learning and program licensing, established April 2023 with absorption-type split effective July 2024), and regional entities in China (since 2005), Vietnam (2017), Thailand (2018), Singapore (2019), Indonesia (2019), and Taiwan (2025). Distribution combines direct enterprise sales, public seminars, e-learning, and licensed internal deployment. In January 2026, BCon launched "Reflect," an AI-powered reflection and coaching tool for new employees, marking its first native AI product.

Name

Business Consultants

Legal name

BUSINESS CONSULTANTS, INC.

Website

https://bcon.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Business Consultants (BCon) is a Tokyo-headquartered organizational development and human resource training consultancy founded in 1964, serving 3,300+ Japanese and Asian enterprise clients annually through consulting, instructor-led training, diagnostic surveys, sustainability advisory, and digital learning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organizational Development & Human Resource Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning, Training & Corporate Education Consulting (BPAHAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD), Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA), Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG), Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB)

Keywords

• Organizational development consulting
• Human resource development
• Corporate training services
• Leadership development programs
• Employee engagement surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Customized consulting engagements for organizational development and human resource development, with project-based fees determined through consultation. The company conducts client interviews and proposes tailored solutions.
2. Training/Instructor Dispatch Services: Dispatch of full-time consultants as instructors for corporate training programs. Priced at approximately 550,000 JPY per day as a reference rate, plus travel expenses from Tokyo.
3. Public Seminars (公開講座): Open enrollment training programs where participants from multiple organizations attend. New employee introductory training is priced at 50,000 JPY per person (excluding tax), and follow-up training at 30,000 JPY per person.
4. Diagnostic Services: Survey and diagnostic services for organizational effectiveness and employee engagement. All diagnostic models combined serve approximately 1,300 organizations annually. Pricing varies by model, respondent count, and analysis method.
5. Training Program Licensing: Licensing of proprietary training programs (e.g., SBRP) for internal deployment by client organizations. The SBRP License course is priced at 240,000 JPY per participant for a 5-day online program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Business Consultants (BCon) delivers consulting, training, and diagnostic services for human resource development and organizational transformation to Japanese enterprises and government/healthcare/education organizations. Offerings span customized organizational development consulting, instructor-led corporate training dispatch, public open-enrollment seminars, e-learning platform content (via subsidiary LDcube), program licensing for internal trainer deployment, and AI-powered coaching tools. All services are grounded in proprietary behavioral-science and positive-psychology frameworks (DCXLS, SXP, SBRP, VIA).

Product overview

Business Consultants (BCon) offers a portfolio of human resource development and organizational development services organized around two core pillars: (1) Human Resource Development services covering new employee training, leadership programs (Positive Leadership Program), resilience programs (SBRP), VIA character strength assessments, career development, and OJT trainer development; and (2) Organizational Development services including diagnostic surveys, compliance monitoring, and change management. Supporting offerings include digital learning/e-learning, training internalization support, and specialized programs such as the SXP service transformation advisory and the DCXLS customer experience framework for servitization consulting. BCon also publishes content through its Good Business Good People platform and offers the AI-powered Reflect coaching tool for reflection support. All programs leverage proprietary methodologies rooted in positive psychology, behavioral science, and organizational development research, with delivery through instructor-led, open enrollment, and license-based formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biz-Ex: New practice-based learning service addressing both work style reform and human resource development
• Good Business Good People (GBGP)

Products and services

• Human Resource Development Services (人材育成) A core service category delivering training programs combining management theory and technology, organized by hierarchy (new employee, mid-career, management) and purpose, including HR system design and operational support for Japanese enterprises.
• Organizational Development Services (組織開発) Organizational transformation services using 60+ years of accumulated know-how, behavioral science technology, and proprietary frameworks (DCXLS, SXP) to support autonomous, competitive organizations and workplaces across Japanese enterprises and government/healthcare/education sectors.
• New Employee Training (新入社員研修) A structured new employee training program cultivating autonomy and enabling early productivity, covering 5 mindsets, 4 business manners, and 5 skills, with simulation-based and mutual-feedback learning; supported 1,900+ companies and 55,000+ participants from 2015–2024.
• Positive Leadership Program (ポジティブ・リーダーシップ・プログラム) A leadership development program grounded in positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship, co-developed with Dr. Kim Cameron (University of Michigan Ross School of Business), creating positive deviation in organizations through 4 mindsets and 3 skills for managers and future leaders.
• Resilience Strengthening Program / SBRP (レジリエンス強化プログラム) Proprietary resilience-building program (Strengths-Based Resilience Program) applying cognitive behavioral therapy techniques (ABC model) and VIA character strengths to help participants overcome adversity, improve stress management, and achieve goals.
• VIA Character Strengths Assessment (VIA診断) A scientifically validated diagnostic (VIA Values in Action) measuring 24 character strengths across 6 virtues, based on positive psychology, helping individuals and organizations identify and apply signature strengths; licensed through partnership with US-based VIA Institute on Character.
• OJT Trainer Development Program (OJTトレーナー育成プログラム) A program developing OJT trainers' skills across 3 roles and 5 key skills (teaching, listening, questioning, feedback, planning), incorporating role-playing and positive psychology approaches for supervisors mentoring new hires.
• Career Development Support (キャリア開発支援) A career development program for professionals in their 30s covering self-assessment, external environment analysis, values assessment, and career vision planning over a 2-day implementation.
• Digital Learning / e-Learning Service (デジタルラーニング) E-learning platform offering content for stimulating learning motivation and acquiring practical skills, with options to combine content by purpose or create original client content; delivered through BCon's own platform and via subsidiary LDcube's UMU platform.
• VIA Career Program (VIAキャリアプログラム) A career program using VIA assessment to help individuals identify unique character strengths and explore ways to engage more deeply with their current work, focusing on strengths-based career construction.
• Compliance Monitoring / Compliance Questionnaire (コンプライアンス・アンケート) A survey-based diagnostic service that measures and monitors compliance awareness and culture within organizations, providing data-driven insights for improvement; supports supplier questionnaire design and organization-wide compliance culture assessment.
• Training Internalization Support (研修内製化支援) Support services providing proprietary training programs, tools, and materials for internal trainers, including instructor development to build confidence in delivering proprietary programs (SBRP, VIA, Positive Leadership) within client organizations.
• SBRP License Program (SBRPライセンス取得講座) A 5-day online instructor certification program licensing the Strengths-Based Resilience Program (SBRP), co-hosted with LDcube, covering resilience concepts, positive psychology, and VIA assessment for internal training deployment; priced at 240,000 JPY per person (excluding tax).
• Reflect (AI Coaching) An AI-powered reflection and coaching tool where new employees input daily work content and receive AI-generated questions and feedback to deepen reflection, with content shareable with supervisors and mentors for talent development and retention support.
• SXP Service Transformation Program Advisory program helping companies shift from product-centric to service-centric (servitization) business models using the DCXLS customer experience model and the S-X-P framework (Situation, X as a Service, Value Proposition) for service-based business model transformation.
• DCXLS Model (Customer Experience Visualization) A proprietary customer experience visualization framework mapping experiences across 3 zones (Before, During, After use) to identify Essential Value and co-creation opportunities to inform service transformation strategy.
• Career Potential Assessment (キャリア・ポテンシャル) A trademarked talent assessment tool for career potential evaluation, used in BCon's human resource development training programs.
• LIFO Behavioral Style Assessment (LIFO®) A trademarked behavioral style assessment methodology used in BCon's human resource development training programs.
• HEP (Human Element Program) A program focused on psychological safety and healthy organizational culture development, offered with free trial seminars to prospective clients.
• Public Seminars / Open Courses (公開講座) Open enrollment multi-organization training programs held in Tokyo and Osaka on scheduled dates for new employee introductory training (50,000 JPY/person, 2-day) and follow-up training (30,000 JPY/person), with enrollment closing 2 weeks before course start.

Quantifiable outcome

• New employee 1-year retention improvement: companies reporting zero early departures after BCon training implementation, down from ~10% pre-training
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Future-Fit FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021UK-based nonprofit organization working toward a world where all life can flourish eternally on Earth. Developed the Future-Fit Business Benchmark, a science-based KPI tool identifying actions all businesses must take to achieve sustainability. BCon is the first Japanese Future-Fit Pioneer.
• The Natural Step (国際NGO ナチュラルステップ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010International NGO founded in 1989 with 10 country offices, focused on achieving sustainable future from environmental, social, and economic perspectives. Developed sustainability framework used by over 1,000 practitioners and hundreds of global organizations. BCon partners with TNS to deliver sustainability consulting services to Japanese enterprises, leveraging 30+ years of Nordic sustainability research.
• Global Compact Network Japan (GCNJ)minorOthersJapan's local network of the UN Global Compact, established 2003. BCon is a signatory member participating in the UNGC framework.
• VIA Institute on CharactercoreTechnology or IntegrationUS-based organization managing the VIA Character Strengths framework, the scientific foundation of the VIA character strengths assessment used in BCon's positive psychology programs. BCon is a certified VIA partner in Japan.
• ミシガン大学 ロス・スクール・オブ・ビジネス キム・キャメロン博士 (Prof. Kim Cameron, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped Positive Leadership framework based on positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship. BCon developed its Positive Leadership Program in collaboration with Prof. Cameron, combining academic rigor with practitioner implementation expertise.
• 原田俊彦氏 (Toshihiko Harada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent of Prof. Kim Cameron and practitioner of Positive Leadership within corporate settings. Co-developed BCon's Positive Leadership Program, bridging academic research and corporate implementation.
• カール=ヘンリック・ロベール博士 (Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder of The Natural Step and professor at Blekinge Institute of Technology. Winner of the 2000 Blue Planet Prize. Developed the 4 Sustainability Principles underpinning sustainable management frameworks. BCon leverages these principles in sustainability consulting engagements.
• 金沢工業大学 / 株式会社リバースプロジェクト (Kanazawa Institute of Technology / Reverse Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed SDGs card game (THE SDGs Action cardgame 'X') used in BCon's internal SDGs events including the BCon SDGs Family Day.
• 株式会社LDcubecoreTechnology or IntegrationBCon's 100% owned subsidiary established April 2023. Handles licensing program marketing, sales agency, and digital learning content business. Became formal successor to BCon's LPS (Learning Platform Solutions) division through absorption-type company split effective July 2024.
• 株式会社ビーコンランニングサービス (BCon Learning Service)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBCon's subsidiary serving Japanese public sector (government agencies, municipalities), commercial associations, healthcare and social welfare organizations, and educational institutions since 2014.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Right Management (ManpowerGroup): Talent and career management consulting arm of ManpowerGroup, offering organizational effectiveness, leadership development, and outplacement. Overlaps with BCon's career development and leadership programs at the enterprise level.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with substantial leadership development, talent management, and organizational consulting practices. Competes with BCon in Japan and pan-Asia for large-enterprise OD and HR engagements.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with leadership assessment and development services. Adjacent competitor for senior leadership consulting engagements and executive coaching work.

Direct peers

• Development Dimensions International (DDI): Global leadership and talent development consultancy offering leadership programs, assessment, and training similar to BCon's Positive Leadership Program and SBRP. Comparable methodology-driven approach serving multinational enterprises.
• Dale Carnegie Training: Global training franchise specializing in leadership, sales, and professional development with significant presence in Japan. Comparable in delivery model (instructor-led) and target audience (corporate employees at all levels).
• FranklinCovey: Global performance and leadership training firm offering content-based leadership and organizational effectiveness programs with a licensing model. Comparable to BCon's SBRP and Positive Leadership licensing approach.
• Link and Motivation Inc. Tokyo-listed Japanese HR/organizational consulting firm providing motivation engineering, organizational development, and HR consulting to large enterprises. Closest direct Japanese peer given overlapping organizational consulting, employee engagement, and training services for the same enterprise customer base.
• BTS AB: Swedish-headquartered strategy execution and leadership development consultancy with significant Asian presence, specializing in leadership simulations and capability-building programs. Closely comparable to BCon's simulation-based new employee training methodology.

Others

• The Natural Step (sustainability partner ecosystem): International sustainability NGO partnered with BCon since 2010 to deliver sustainable management consulting in Japan. Indirect comparator as BCon's exclusive delivery channel for TNS frameworks in Japan.

Regional players

• Recruit Management Solutions (RMS): Japan-focused HR solutions subsidiary of Recruit Holdings providing organizational consulting, talent management, and HR cloud solutions. Competes with BCon in the Japanese mid-market and enterprise OD space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Business Consultants