An analysis of Changes in Human Resource Management within Non-Academic Departments of Japanese National Universities after Their Incorporation

Abstract

National universities in Japan were incorporated in 2004. Before that, these institutions were just branches of the Ministry of Education and their administrative staff comprised civil servants. Fifteen years after the incorporation, it is becoming increasingly important for all national universities to develop their human resource strategies as a juridical public body separated from the central government. This paper examines the changes in human resource management within non-academic departments of Japanese national universities after their incorporation using a framework based on principal-agent theory.

The findings of this study show that the total number of middle managers at non- academic departments has been expanding while those dispatched from the Ministry of Education have not decreased. This implies that national universities have acted on their own strategies while considering government incentives.