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Is Japanese HR talent becoming more desirable for regional HR positions?

Posted: 25.06.10

In previous articles we have discussed the changing nature of HR in Japan. Ten, or even five years ago, it was very common to see Japan HR Directors being given a great amount of autonomy to lead HR in Japan as its own ‘region', and there was very little need for them to truly ‘manage up' to international HR stakeholders or ‘manage across' to their HR counterparts in Asia. With the growth of China and India in the region, Japan has recently been under pressure to lose its status as ‘the exception' to HR in Asia, and is increasingly being pulled into the regional HR matrix.

While this has come as quite a shock to some of the traditionalists in the Japan HR market, others have used this growing regionalisation to their advantage. By becoming more receptive to external influence, Japanese HR Directors are beginning to portray themselves as true players in the region rather than in pure isolation. They are learning the ‘tricks' in managing the complexity of keeping both the regional HR team and the domestic business leaders happy. They are realising that there's great value in hearing from their HR counterparts in other parts of the world, and are becoming more open to global best practices. And, most important of all, they are learning that there is power in being well networked across international boundaries within their company, as the more ‘friends' that you make at the regional and global level, the easier it becomes in winning credibility and earning a voice at regional decision-making forums.

This is an excerpt. For the full press release, please download the PDF version below.