Changes in Japanese Employment Practices: Beyond the Japanese Model

ISBN-13: 9780415447584 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 216 str.

Arjan Keizer

Opis

Japan's employment practices were long considered a cornerstone to its economic success. However, the reversal in economic performance during the 1990s altered the positive perception and inspired major adaptations like the rise in performance-related pay ('seikashugi') and non-regular employment. This book presents case-studies of the adaptations in personnel management by major Japanese firms. It highlights the diversity, the stability and the considerations behind the adaptations that are implemented by these firms. Drawing on insights from institutional theory, it shows how factors such as legitimacy and institutional interlock have guaranteed an important continuity in employment practices. It discusses how the adaptations have not actually replaced the existing practices but have been shaped by them and, as a consequence, the result may not be as revolutionary as once expected but is likely to last. Furthermore, it argues that the employment practices remain specifically Japanese and that expectations of convergence have so far proved misplaced. Overall, this book is a valuable contribution to the study of employment issues. It provides an effective framework to analyse the ongoing developments in Japanese employment practices and demonstrates that Japanese developments continue to offer important insights for human resource management and labour market institutionalisation in general.

For many years Japanese employment practices were considered one of the cornerstones of its economic success, but the lack of economic growth and various structural developments have now renewed the debate on their efficiency and the need for change. This book examines changing employment practices in Japan, focusing on the position of the Japanese firm that is confronted with the need to address the changing economic circumstances while also maintaining some fit with the wider set of institutions that govern the Japanese labour market. It outlines the key developments of recent years, in particular the rise in non-regular employment and the rise in performance-related pay, and discusses the pressure being exerted on traditional employment practices, such as lifetime employment, which nonetheless has achieved and continues to receive wide social support. Throughout, the assessment of these issues is based on detailed empirical evidence of the changes in human resource management at various major firms, divided over several industries, illuminating not only the process of change but also providing an understanding of the complex decisions that firms are confronted with, the actual strategies deployed and the possible contribution of these practices to the competitive strength of the firm. Finally, it concludes by discussing the wider implications for the study of employment issues, demonstrating that Japanese developments continue to offer important insights for human resource management and labour market institutionalisation in general.

Recenzje

"All in all, Keizer has done an excellent job in presenting...a balanced set of conclusions, skilfully avoiding the overblown rhetoric of previous studies that have hailed a complete transformation or collapse in lifetime employment in Japan. The book deserves to be read by scholars from the fields of management studies, economics, and sociology who are interested in contemporary employment practices in developed countries, and is an excellent example for graduate students who are themselves engaged in firm level field work. In short, this book is a welcome dose of good sense on a subject that routinely requires a grounding in real world data analysis in order to retain balance. I look forward to reading more from Keizer as he deepens and extends this research." -- Peter Matanle, Relations industrielles / Industrial Relations – 66-4, 2011

Spis treści

1. Reconsidering Japanese Employment Practices  2. The Dialectics of Change  3. The Logic of Japanese Employment Practices  4. Adjustment of Employment and Employment Practices  5. The Automobile Industry  6. The Electronics Industry  7. The Construction Industry  8. The Retail Industry  9. Seikashugi: Change within the Internal Labour Market  10. Non-Regular Employment: Change beyond the Internal Labour Market  11. Institutional Change in Japanese Employment Practices  References