Motorola and Sony:

A Comparison in HR
Recruitment and
Selection
Jack Chung, Sarah Duran,
Ka-Yi Leung, Anthony Mai
 Introduction
 Theoretical Framework
 Comparing US and Japan
 Hiring Practices in the
United States
 Hiring Practices in Japan
 Recommendations
 Conclusion
 Theoretical Framework
 Recruitment Goals
 Selection Criteria
 Technical ability
 Cross-cultural suitability
 Family requirements
 Country-cultural requirements
 MNE requirements
 Language
 Importance
 Consequences of Failure
 Rewards of Successful
Completion
 Distribution of Expatriate Recall Rates
above 10% in Multinationals
80% 76%

60%

40%

20% 14%
3%
0%
United States Japan Europe

United States Japan Europe

Source: Human Resource Management, 1995

 Comparing US and Japan
United States Japan
Population 293,027,571 127,333,002
Communication Low-Context High-Context
Society Individualistic Collectivistic
Promotion Merit based Loyalty based
Goals Short-Term Oriented Long-Term Oriented
Time Seen as a commodity Less Important
Priorities Family Before Work Work Before Family
Negotiation Written Contract Relationship

Source: CIA World Fact Book 2004

 Hiring Practices for Domestic
Workers in the United States
 Goals
 High Productivity
 Recruitment and Selection
 Experienced
Applicants
 Resume Based
 Resume Databases
 Internet Applications
 Hiring Practices for Internationals in
the United States
 Goals
 Complete assignment with success
 “Localize” expatriates

 Recruitment and Selection

 Experienced Individuals often from inside company
 Cross-Cultural Competence
 International Certificate Programs
 Motorola
 Headquarters in Schaumburg, IL
 97,000 employees (2003)
 Revenues of $27,068 million (2003)
 Segments:
 Personal Communications, Semiconductor,
Global Telecom, Commercial, Government,
Industrial Solutions, Integrated Electronic
Systems, Broadband Communications
 Subsidiaries and Joint-Ventures in: US,
Europe, China, Asia-Pacific, Latin
America, and Japan.
 Hiring Practices for Domestic
Workers in Japan
Recruiting and Selection:
 New recruits are selected from universities
(traditionally)
 Lateral hires, independent contractors for special
tasks, recruiting agencies, and temporary employees
(currently)
 Hires new recruits with no specific job clarifying
a specific job function
 Hiring Practices for Domestic
Workers in Japan
 Continuous in-house training and on-the-
job training
 Currently more outside training is used
 In-house unions
 Job rotation
 Selection Exams
 Hiring Practices for Domestic
Workers in Japan
Nenko:
 Merit, age, seniority based promotion
 “Ghost” promotions
 Job security or “Lifetime Employment”
 No longer guaranteed
 Hiring Practices for Internationals in
Japan
 Goals:
 Share managerial resources with overseas operations
 Selection Criteria
 Focus on behavioral and relational ability vs. Technical ability
in the U.S.
 Relational skills
 Motivational state

 3 Areas:
 Self-orientation
 Stress reduction skills
 Reinforcement substitution
 Technical competence
 Alienation management
Hiring Practices for Internationals in
Japan
 Selection Criteria
 Other-orientation
 Relationship skills
 Language skills
 Understanding
 Respect
 Perceptual-orientation
 Non-judgmental
 Correct and positive assumptions
 Sony Corporation
 Founded May 7, 1946
 Headquarters located in Tokyo, Japan
 Total number of employees: 162,000 (as
of March 31, 2004)
 HR philosophy:
 Stress communication between employees
and top management
 Value employees’ contribution
 Recommendations
To reduce expatriates’ failure rate:
Not to underestimate the local executives
Special preparatory programs
In-house environmental awareness program
Off-site environmental awareness program
Study-abroad at graduate schools or research institutes
Temporary posting abroad, prior to formal assignment.
 Conclusion
 United States vs. Japan
 Culture
 UltimateGoals
 Job selection and recruitment
 Trends