Expatriates in their own home: a new twist in the human resource management strategies of Japanese MNCs

Article Abstract:

An innovative approach to human resources management involves hiring non-Japanese employees to work at a parent company in Japan for three or four years, and then reassigning them to work in subsidiaries in their own countries as expatriates. Japanese multinational corporations implemented this technique in response to the lack of manpower at foreign subsidiaries. The foreign employees must possess five characteristics: being loyal to the parent company, being familiar with headquarters' operating style, operating effectively in the foreign subsidiary, possessing strong functional skills, and having a fair amount of fluency in Japanese. The advantages of the new human resources management technique include that foreign employees in the parent company have a greater interest in having a career in international divisions, and they have fewer problems with adjustment. The disadvantages include that foreign employees may not be promoted as quickly as other employees, and local personnel may be jealous after foreign employees become expatriates.

Employment abroad, Overseas employment

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Transferability of Japanese human resource management abroad

Article Abstract:

Japanese firms abroad have some difficulties when applying their managerial style in other cultures. The main characteristics of this human resources management style are 'groupism' and egalitarianism. 96 percent of the companies surveyed agreed that human resources is the most valuable asset of a company. Japanese management style is highly successful in dealing with blue-collar workers, who like the principles of egalitarianism and job stability. It is much less successful with white-collar workers and in particular with middle managers, who resent the coldness of Japanese managers overseas. The contribution of Japanese personnel management concepts that should be imitated by other internationally active firms apply to blue collar workers, but the Japanese management style is not suitable for managing upper level employees.

Social aspects

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A typology of international human resource management in Japanese multinational corporations: organizational implications

Article Abstract:

A typology for designing multinational corporation (MNC)-based international human resource management (HRM) systems is presented. The typology approaches were based on problem attribution, dimensions of parent firm imprint, and diffusion of HRM innovations of Japanese overseas subsidiaries. Surveys and interviews were carried out to obtain how Japanese MNCs manage human resources in their subsidiaries. Data were also collected on the nature of these firms' human resource system and about the relationship between business strategy, HRM and performance using a grounded research approach. Results showed that the HRM systems framework is generalizable across firms and can be applied to other types of multinational firms.

Multinational Corporations, Business Personnel Management, Models, Subsidiary corporations, Subsidiaries, Human resource management systems, Human resource information systems

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