文化传统与制度安排——以日本江户时代“奉公人”制度为例

Cultural Tradition and Institutional Arrangement——with " Master Serving" Institution in Japanese Edo Period as the Example

制度是文化的产物,一种制度安排必然建立在对世界认知的基础之上,反映所在群体的共同追求。以世代传承的世界观和价值观为核心内容的民族文化传统势必会深刻影响制度的设计与选择,而制度天生具有的约束力和强制性反过来又会进一步强化、深化文化传统。日本江户时代的"奉公人"制度就是一种与"和"观念、集团意识、等级思想、"家"原理等民族文化传统高度契合的经营管理模式,其终身雇佣、年功序列等人力资源管理方法一直延续至今,已经内化、沉淀成了一种社会文化。"奉公人"制度充分验证了文化传统与制度安排之间是一种相互蕴含、互为因果的辩证关系。

Institution is the outcome of culture. An institutional arrangement is inevitably based on the understanding of the world, and reflects the common pursuit of its representative group. The design and selection of an institution is deeply influenced by the national cultural tradition whose central content is the world view and value that have passed on from generation to genera- tion, whereas the binding force and enforceability of an institution will further strengthen and promote the cultural tradition conversely. The ＂Master Serving＂ institution in Japanese Edo peri- od is such a management mode that highly agrees with its national cultural traditions such as ＂ harmony＂, Group Consciousness, Hierarchy, and ＂family＂ concept. Its human resource man- agement approaches like Lifetime Employment and Seniority Wage system have been adopted and applied in practice until today, and have been internalized and developed into a social cul- ture. The ＂ Master Serving＂ institution fully validated the dialectical relationship between the cultural tradition and institutional arrangement in their reciprocal causation and mutual inclu- sion.