Understanding the state and direction of HR as an occupation through institutional theory - the case of Japan

Abstract

This article applies institutional theory to analyse the state and direction of human resource management as an occupation. Using Japan as a case study, we apply a framework by Zietsma et al. (2017) to demonstrate how an analysis of institutional logics and institutional infrastructure helps to understand the state of and tensions within the HR occupation. Abstracting from the case of Japan, we argue that such systematic stocktaking of an HR occupational field along a neo-institutional theoretical model can offer valuable insights into possible (re-)configurations of the field that go beyond the somewhat normative prescription of the ‘HR professional’ in the Western literature.

Keywords:

• Institutional theory
• human resource management
• professionalization
• business partnering
• competency
• institutional logic
• institutional infrastructure
• Japan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of this research, participants of this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data is not available.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1.