International human resources management systems of Japanese firms are
changing in three points. First, in order to combine all of the employees and
increase the management efficiency worldwide, Japanese firms emphasize
management value/mission. The J1, J2, J3, and J5 firms made their management
value/mission to gradually penetrate them in their subsidiaries. (So far, their
value/mission of the Japanese firms do not affect their human resources
management systems, unlike American firms. Interestingly, an American
subsidiary of the J3 firm made its performance appraisal system that is affected by
the value/mission of the parent’s firm.) Second, Japanese firms invite managers in
the world to their headquarters and provide them with special training programs.
The J1 firm holds six-month training programs for high-potential assistant general
managers in the world. The J3 firm asks their subsidiaries to recommend
high-potential managers to the global training program. The recommended 20
managers are got together twice a year and are provided with off-the-job training,
including training programs on management value/mission, brand strategies, and
leadership. A sales department of the J2 firm started to train Asian local
managers of sales, who become key persons of the sales departments at the
subsidiaries. Finally, at some Japanese firms including the J4 firm,
manufacturing subsidiaries are behind of sales subsidiaries concerning human
resources management. A human resources department of the JS4 subsidiary
(regional headquarter) in Hong Kong is strongly helping human resources
management functions at the manufacturing subsidiaries in Asia.