Une comparaison des politiques et des pratiques de ressources humaines en Allemagne et aux Etats-Unis

The aim of this essay is to compare the Human Resources practices typical of the USA and Germany, to highlight the reasons behind these differences, and to analyse the evidence these differences provide to the convergence/divergence debate. These countries have been chosen because USA is considered as an economic and political leader in today's society, and many countries often seek to follow or are indirectly influenced by the examples set by them. Germany has been chosen as it is described as being "Europe's economic giant" (Glunk, Wilderom, & Ogilvie, 1996). Therefore, if it is true that countries often follow the example of the USA, and that it is their methods that underpin their success, then Europe's 'economic giant' should not be too different from the USA, and should therefore provide substantial evidence for the convergence theory.
Many benefits may be derived from comparing the Human Resources practices of different countries and regions. From a theoretical point of view, it can help to understand what underpins successful Human resources theories, and what individual factors support or hinder their implementation. From an organisational point of view, comparative Human Resources Management is particularly useful to multinational companies and companies looking to locate in a foreign country, as "comparisons can identify the unique features of a nation's HRM system and in so doing help multinational corporations to adopt and fit their Human resources policies and practices across countries" (Muller, 1999). An organisation that doesn't take into account the specific factors of their host country may find themselves faced with barriers to success, such as culture problems or government legislation.
The structure of this essay will be firstly, to outline the distinguishing features that seem to underpin each country's Human resources practices. Then it will highlight the key areas of HRM, and for each one will examine the different approaches of Germany and USA to give a more detailed impression of each country's approach. The essay will then look at the different contexts of each country's practices and how they relate to each other to determine why they are similar or different, and determine whether the conclusions support the convergence or divergence theory.