Ownership

Ownership という英単語があります.逐語訳では「所有権」とか「所有してること」となると思います.冗長に意味を説明すると「この問題や事象は自分のものであって,自分が関わっていて,自分にとって大事なことである,そして自分が何とかしなければならない,という確固たる意識」と理解しています.長い間,この言葉の妙訳が思いつかなかったのですが,最近この単語の訳として適切なのは「当事者感(当事者としての覚悟)」ではないかと考えるようになりました.Google で検索すると「当事者意識」などと訳が出ていますので,私が最初に言い出したわけではありません.ただ自分が言葉を使用しながら感覚的に辿り着いたもので,自分には最もしっくりきています.

ところで,私は大学院留学の相談などを受けることがありますが,最終的に自分で何とかする,という ownership に欠ける相談者がいる,と感じることがあります.私が相談を受けた場合,自分で解答できれば解答しますが,多くの場合は私は答えを持ちあわせていません.例えば,ドイツの大学でゲシュタルト崩壊について研究したいのですが,大学の雰囲気や生活,奨学金の状況について知りたい,などと質問されれば,すずめの涙ほどにも役に立つことは言えません.そういった場合は「ここに相談したら解答が得られると思う」というリソースを提示することになります.リソースというのは,留学仲間と立ち上げた米国大学院学生会のメーリングリストであったり,Facebook のページで,たくさんの留学生の目に触れうる(やや)公共の場所です.

その際に私は「自分の名前を出して,学術的な興味関心を説明し,困っている状況や得たい情報を説明すれば,助けて下さる方は多いと思います」というようなことを言います.これは無責任に聞こえるかもしれませんが,それほど間違ってもいなくて,情報収集やこれからの決断に ownership を持って下さい,というアドバイスでもあるのです.ちなみに私の経験上,世の中の人は親切な人が多いですし,興味関心が似ている場合に,自分の経験を共有したいと思う人は少なくないはずです.自分の名前を出して情報収集すれば,そこでできた人との繋がりが,後々自分の便益として返ってきます.多角的に考えれば,プラスの期待値は大きいはずです.

しかし,実際に自分の名前をメーリングリストや Facebook のページに出して質問する,という方がどれだけいるかというと,感覚的には5人に1人くらいでしょうか.多いか少ないかわかりませんが,僕は少ないと感じています.個人情報云々の懸念があるのかもしれません,自分の名前が多くの人に触れるのは抵抗があるのかもしれません.そういった気持ちはわかる一方で,正直なところ割合の小ささを残念に思っています.少し厳しい言い方ですが「自分の名前を公に出して質問するリスクも取れない程度の ownership なのだろう」という印象を受けることが多いでしょうか.もちろん色んな事情や理由はあるのでしょうが,各人の事情を慮るほど,相手のことは知らない場合がほとんどですので,そこは何ともなりません.

何故このようなことを書いたかというと,先日相談を受けた方には直接的なアドバイスができず,上記のようなリソースの紹介に留まったのでした.そして,先日フォローアップのやり取りをしたところ「メーリングリストに出したら,すぐに協力してくれる方が見つかりました」との連絡をもらって,とても嬉しかったからです.(そして,ほら協力者見つかるよね,と自分が常々言ってきたことがウソではないことに対する安堵感もあります.)これは相談者の方が自分で行動したからこその結果ですし,このような形で相談者の積極性が報われれば,私も報われた気持ちになるのです.また繰り返しになりますが,このように自分の意志を(やや)公に宣言し,自分の名前を出し,自分の名前で質問をする過程が,ownership をより強固にしていくのだと思います.相談者にとっては,協力者を得る以上に大事な経験とも言えるはずです.相談者の方がこれを読んでいることはないと思いますが,今後とも頑張って欲しいです.

今年も数人の日本人の留学希望者の話を聞いて,数人から希望大学に合格したとの嬉しい連絡をもらっています.私は(おそらく同じように情報提供を行なう留学生の友人らも)後輩たちに大それた何かを提供したわけではないでしょうし,合格したのは各人の努力の賜物です.もちろん受験なので運不運もあるのは所与としてですが,合格したとの連絡をくれた人を思い浮かべると,彼ら,彼女らが一連の出願プロセスに ownership を持って,自分で乗り越えるという覚悟があったように見えます.また,そのようなマインドセットを持つからこそ,周りの協力を最大限に引き出し(逆説的だけど,自分の力で何とかしようとする意志を持っているから,周りが協力したくなるのかも)それを生かすことができたのだろうと思っています.

49 thoughts on “Ownership”

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