REPLICABILITY OF JAPANESE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) APPROACH TO BANGLADESH: DOES CULTURE MATTER?

This article investigates whether Japanese HRM practices—characterized by lifetime employment, seniority-based wages, and consensus-driven decision-making—can be replicated in Bangladesh. It considers structural differences in labor markets, socio-cultural norms, and institutional contexts. The analysis highlights which practices are transferable, such as quality circles and teamwork, versus those less compatible, such as lifetime employment. The study argues that cultural adaptation, not wholesale replication, is necessary for successful HRM transfer. It concludes that hybrid models can enhance productivity while respecting local realities.

The body first reviews key features of Japanese HRM, including enterprise unions, job rotation, and participatory management. Section One examines labor market structures in Bangladesh: informality, high youth unemployment, and weak collective bargaining. Section Two contrasts cultural dimensions—power distance, collectivism, uncertainty avoidance—drawing on Hofstede’s framework to analyze compatibility. Section Three evaluates pilot cases of Japanese firms operating in Bangladesh, noting successes in training and productivity but difficulties with seniority-based promotion. Section Four discusses implications for policy: the need for labor law reform, worker education, and institutional support. Section Five outlines a hybrid HRM approach: blending Japanese practices like Kaizen with Bangladeshi socio-cultural norms. The conclusion emphasizes that cross-cultural HRM must be adaptive and contextualized to succeed.