2001 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 20-30
This study proposes to clarify the support system which is introduced by regional head-quarters of Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) in Asia. In order to develop human resources in their subsidiaries, the regional headquarters (RHQs) of Japanese MNCs integrate and manage their subsidiaries located in Asian region. These RHQs are expected to promote effective collaboration of their subsidiaries by facilitating the information-dissemination and promoting of common value among them.
The prevailing researches into the human resource development (HRD) of Japanese MNCs have tended to emphasize that in the Asian region they confront serious problems in seeking for local personnel for developing local management and continuous technology transfer in their local operations. Hence, it is essential for the MNCs to appropriately educate their local employees as a means of the development of local human resource. In addition to the review of relevant literature, an attempt has been made to identify some determinant and influential factors in promoting HRD support system within RHQs, by using the data obtained from my research in Singapore in 1999-2000.
In this study, I have presented current problems and activities which RHQs of Japanese multinational corporations confront by analyzing two major corporations' methods and strategies in supporting the human resource development. There are several major roles of RHQs of Japanese MNCs, such as liaison mechanisms between related organizations, establishment of information dissemination system between branch offices and the like. As each branch of these corporations is under the certain circumstances relating to the local needs, there is difficulty in uniformizing the HRD goal. In fact, local needs and the head offices' standardized program are often contradictive. Thus we must examine applicability of training system to each branch. In order to solve those problems, on the basis of the understanding and accumulated knowledge between RHQ and subsidiaries, their communication must be advanced. Although for generalizing these findings it is required to conduct similar researches into various corporations, this study shows actual system of the sample companies and provide the method for this kind of researches.
