Self-fulfilling processes at a global level: The evolution of human resource management practices in Korea, 1987–2007

Abstract

This article analyzes the evolution of human resource management practices in Korea as a self-fulfilling process at a global level. Korean human resource management practices have experienced two paradigm shifts, in 1987 and 1997, going from a seniority-based, paternalistic employment relationship to a performance-based, market-like relationship. These revolutionary changes in human resource management practices occurred when Korean society underwent major social upheavals, which created the conditions for accepting ‘new’ norms and practices. The rapid diffusion of American-style management ideologies and practices to Korean firms can be explained by a self-fulfilling diffusion process taking place through international organizations and local institutions. This study makes a contribution to the literature of organizational learning by conceptualizing the global management diffusion process as a learning process. Further implications are discussed in the line of the change of management discourse.