How do the Japanese companies grow in the American soil? A study on human resource management in Japanese-owned companies in New York and New Jersey

This dissertation will focus on the dramatic transformation of human resource management in Japanese-owned companies in the United States. It will attempt to show that the popular Japanese management style is not worthy of being copied.;The primary problem is the backwardness of personnel management. While Japanese corporations have moved beyond exporting products from Japan to the United States to establishing human and organizational control bases for overseas production, the backwardness of their personnel management, especially cross-cultural personnel management becomes evident.;Four Japanese-owned companies in New York and New Jersey were examined, including one trade company, one commercial bank, one multi-product manufacturer and one distribution company of high-technology products. Five American managers and five Japanese managers from each company were interviewed intensively using structured but open-ended questions about promotions, compensation, job satisfaction, social relations between Japanese and American, decision-making and information distribution. In addition to the interview, questionnaires were distributed to ten Japanese managers and ten American managers for each company for supplemental purposes.;The primary purpose of conducting these interviews lay in determining and analyzing conflicts between employees of different nationalities. Currently, Japanese-owned companies use a two-tier personnel management system. How can companies bridge these two groups?;The language barrier is the primary cause for both groups remaining separate. However, another key difficulty lies with Japanese-specific personnel management customs. These customs help create a "family like atmosphere" among Japanese employees in Japan. However, the same customs do not beget the same results when employed in a different country. Value structures for the two nationalities--conflicts are inherent.;The dissertation analyzes the root causes of the above described conflicts in depth and seeks possible solutions for each conflict. It will be concluded with speculations about the possible future trend of the personnel management of Japanese-owned companies in the United States.