Coping with an emerging market competition through strategy-humanresource alignment: case study evidence from five leading Japanesemanufacturers in the People's Republic of China

摘要

This paper documents how PRC-based Japanese affiliates can align their humanresource management (HRM) policies and practices with their business strategiesbased on in-depth interview surveys of the five leading Japanese manufacturers inChina. In particular, using a multiple-informant research design to interview both topand human resource managers in each site, the study has attempted to clarify thestrategic fit between the business strategies pursued and HRM practices adopted inChina. Our interviews with top management for each affiliate revealed three types ofbusiness strategies that the PRC-based affiliates adopt to gain competitiveness in theChinese market. Separate interviews with HR managers further clarified that affiliates'HRM efforts are aligned with the strategy each affiliate is pursuing. The findings areused to suggest several hypothesized relationships between the particular strategiespursued and the HRM practices adopted in China. Furthermore, this study has providedsome important insights as to how the choice of affiliate-level business strategies inChina affects the 'hybridization' processes of the HRM policies and practices used inthe cross-national business environment.