Japanese approaches to organizational internationalization of Universities:a case study of three national university corporations.

Abstract

This study aims to develop an understanding of the internationalization processes at universities in Japan by exploring a strategic model in internationally oriented universities. Universities in Japan have experienced university reform since the 1990s. The role and system of Japanese universities have been re-examined due to an emerging global knowledge society and a decrease in the domestic traditional student population. Thus, internationalization has been recognized as a concern in the current aim of university reform. This study explores how and why three exemplary national university corporations have been internationalizing by focusing on the configuration of organizational design, program strategies and contextual factors. It examines how these three exemplary universities have changed their administrative systems to implement selected internationalization initiatives based on their own internationalization strategies. The processes they have engaged in are explored from the perspective of senior leaders, faculty, and administrative support staff who have been in positions involved in the decision-making process of institutional internationalization efforts. This study was designed to portray the process of internationalization in each university’s unique context along with the organizational characteristics of the individual case analyses. It then identifies the common elements of the internationalization process across the three studied universities. Finally, five common elements are presented as a strategic model that could help Japanese universities become more internationally oriented. The five elements are: (1) the development of a deliberate internationalization strategy, (2) the selection of internationalization initiatives: distinctiveness, accessibility and English capacity, (3) a top-down and expertise-oriented steering core, (4) professionalization in international exchange and education, and (5) the matrix structure for internationalization activities.