Experimenting with Standardization and Individualization: Human Resource Management and Restructuring in Japan

Current restructuring programs in Japanese firms aim at introducing new forms of standardized performance evaluation and results-oriented compensation schemes. At the same time, existing competitive advantages related to their group-based work organization are to be safeguarded.On the basis of related experiences elsewhere and supporting theoretical considerations, it is argued that such rationalization efforts in Japanese personnel systems are likely to result in a number of unintended consequences, undermining present systemic advantages.