SELECTION ACROSS TWO CULTURES: ADAPTING THE SELECTION OF AMERICAN ASSEMBLERS TO MEET JAPANESE JOB PERFORMANCE DEMANDS

Obstacles related to cultural differences between Japanese management concepts and American selection practices were overcome to develop a selection system for hiring American workers in a Japanese-American joint venture assembly plant. Job analysis procedures and traditional selection system design procedures were modified to accommodate the Japanese culture and management philosophy. This paper describes the process used to develop a cross-culturally valid selection system and outlines problems presented in validating the selection system to ensure compatibility with Japanese management demands regarding productivity, team orientation, quality standards, and formal employee performance evaluations.