Hiroshi Ono is a sociologist who also has a background in mechanical engineering. His research interests include sociology of education, human resources, and the science of happiness. Discussing rationales of university rankings system, he sheds light on why our current education system is overwhelmingly built upon the mechanism of competition and what to do about it. Hiroshi Ono (Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Chicago) is Professor of Human Resources Management at Hitotsubashi University Business School and Affiliated Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M University. Hiroshi’s work focuses on the relationships among motivation, happiness, and productivity in the workplace. He is especially interested in demographic change and labor market dynamics in Japan, and the role of higher education in sorting individuals into higher status jobs. Hiroshi is a frequent contributor and commentator for Japanese and global news media, both print and broadcast. He is the author of Redistributing Happiness: How Social Policies Shape Life Satisfaction (with Kristen Schultz Lee, Praeger Publishing, 2016). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx