The Japanese model of human resource management is no longer relevant Essay

The Japanese model of human resource management is no longer relevant to firms in the contemporary business environment. Critically assess this statement - Essay Example In this case, an individual may argue about the extent to which Japan should adopt Western management practices so as to boost its performance in the global marketplace (Sakikawa, 2012). This paper will evaluate whether the Japanese HRM model is relevant to the contemporary business environment. The Japanese HRM model is characterized by information flow and collaboration that is dominated by the Japanese culture. Japanese people believe in getting their hands dirty to help them identify the prevailing problems and come up with relevant solutions to address the challenges, and the leaders are not exempted from this initiative. These principles are usually mistaken by most western managers who believe in micromanagement, which is an unprincipled and constant practice that interferes with the processes (Rowley & Benson, 2004). However, according to the Japanese society, these tools are essential in terms of shepherding the underlying processes. The decision making process according to the Japanese is aimed at providing an opportunity that fosters equal ranking among employees and managers in a particular group in order to incorporate the idea that an individual stipulates. This process rhymes with the Japanese culture that focuses on harmonizing people. The physical action that is attributed to the decision making process aims at creating an environment that offers support as well as an agreement for a decision in case a manager who is in a higher position accepts and recommends a particular decision (Ruysseveldt, 2004). The Japanese people believe in the ringi decision making process. This means that a person should submit a proposal to his or her supervisors, and await their feedback. Though the executive leadership does not define the corporate policy clearly, all the managers regardless of the levels that they occupy are supposed to raise their decisions that