Personnel Practices and Employee Attitudes: A Study of Japaneseand American-Managed Firms in the United States

Abstract

There has been considerable speculation as to the applicability of Japanese employment practices in industrial settings outside of Japan. This paper reports on a 3 year study of Japanese managed companies in the United States and investigates (1) the extent to which the employment practices of these firms differ from those of matched American firms and (2) whether these differences, if any, contribute to different employee attitudes and behavior as measured by job satisfaction and worker attendance patterns. The findings suggest that Japanese firms in the United States expend more resources per employee on nonpayroll benefits and that employees of Japanese firms in the United States perceive themselves as more satisfied and productive. These perceptions are not supported by worker attendance patterns which found no significant differences between workers at Japanese and American companies.