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International Human Resources
Cultural differences are inevitable in modern day organizations. Even with rapid increase
and growth of globalization and emergence of international new markets, the human resource
management practices of organizations differ from one country to another. Over the decades, the
Japanese economy has recorded consistence growth and social transformation. The success is
largely attributed to the local cultural practices of managing organizations more and
organizations, which is deeply rooted and embedded in the management of human resources
through values, beliefs, and mindset. For this reason, perhaps it is appropriate to consider that
culture is defined as the behavior, thinking, feeling and conduct of the present generation based
on the crystallization of their history (Dunphy, 2002).
Therefore, the objective of this paper is twofold. First, this paper offers a comparative
approach to human resource practices in Japan and western countries whilst pointing out at the
necessary adjustments to be made for professionals assigned roles to perform in Japan based on
their differences in human resource management practices. Most importantly, this discourse is
structured by four dimensions that identify and highlight on the contrasts between the cultural
management practices of human resource in Japan in comparison to practices in the west.
