The cross-cultural transfer of management practices: The case of Japanese human resource management practices in Singapore

Abstract

Japan’s spectacular economic performance until recently has stimulated organizational scholars and managers to consider the application of Japanese management practices in other cultures. This article presents the findings of a study of the validity of doing so in one particular culture, Singapore. Five practices associated with the Japanese style of management were selected for the study: lifetime employment, seniority systems, house unions, consensual decision making and quality (control) circles. The study focused on their prevalence, attitudes towards them and their interplay and covered thirty-two organizations and 1,700 employees in the public and private sectors in Singapore. The findings suggest that house unions, consensual decision making and quality circles are transferable to Singapore, but that lifetime employment and seniority systems are problematic for cultural reasons. The implications for transferring management practices from one culture to another are discussed.