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Restoring the missing context in HRM: Habitus, capital and field in the reproduction of Japanese repatriate careers
Author(s) -
McCann Leo,
Monteath Gareth
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
human resource management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.44
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1748-8583
pISSN - 0954-5395
DOI - 10.1111/1748-8583.12279
Subject(s) - habitus , agency (philosophy) , context (archaeology) , field (mathematics) , sociology , situated , reproduction , privilege (computing) , social capital , variety (cybernetics) , practice theory , cultural capital , public relations , political science , social science , ecology , mathematics , artificial intelligence , computer science , pure mathematics , law , biology , paleontology
HRM literature often fails to adequately consider the political‐economic context that can strongly influence HR practices and outcomes. This problem is particularly visible as regards international careers. Notions such as “boundaryless careers” privilege HR and employee agency and neglect the complexity, variety, and importance of social structure in influencing careers and constraining agency. Informed by Bourdieu's theory of practice, this paper explores Japanese HRM through the careers of repatriate managers. Through in‐depth and prolonged narrative inquiry, it documents the powerful “forms of capital” that structure the “salaryman” career field. Although tensions and conflicts existed—notably in relation to gender—traditional “lifetime employment” careers remain powerful, highlighting the continued centrality of capital and habitus in reproducing the Japanese white‐collar career field. We conclude by suggesting alternative ways of conceptualizing, researching, and portraying white‐collar careers within varied employment environments that are always shaped by specific and situated contexts.