“One of the reasons why I decided to come to the U.S. to study, and specifically at Cornell, was to gain some cross-cultural experience. It is hard to find a better environment for meeting people from virtually any culture and country. Last fall, the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS) announced a contest for a summer internship at Toshiba Corporation in Tokyo, Japan. I immediately decided to apply, and a few weeks later I was excited when I got the offer from Toshiba.

“I must admit that in early June when I was finally on the plane from my home, Prague, flying to Tokyo, my feelings were a little mixed. I was looking forward to it, but at the same time, I was a little nervous—traveling to a country where I didn’t speak the language, which I was also completely unable to read, was a little scary. Fortunately, it was an awesome experience. During my nine weeks there, I worked on various projects; my main responsibility was to conduct a comparative analysis of the training and development systems in American and Japanese companies, and to identify American methods that would be applicable to Japanese culture. I also worked on evaluating performance feedback systems and MBO techniques.

“Besides these projects, individual sections of the HR department met with me to present the objectives and content of their work and answer my questions about the distinctive characteristics of HR in Japan. I also had the opportunity to visit a number of Toshiba operations around Tokyo ranging from a heavy industry plant to a research center. These visits gave me a nice overview of the manufacturing systems at Toshiba and provided me with an opportunity to discuss the HR systems and potential challenges with many local experts. From the professional perspective, I really enjoyed learning about Japanese culture and analyzing the differences between HR systems in the US and in Japan. At first, I expected disparately different systems. Over time, I found that there are many similarities. The main differences are in details; as some people say, ‘even though the systems are 95 percent the same, it is the remaining 5 percent that makes the huge difference.’

“Contrary to my initial fears, I had no problems communicating in English most of the time, and was aided by a Japanese class offered by Toshiba to foreign interns. Of course, the internship was not just work. I really enjoyed living in the Tokyo area. The city’s blended mixture of history and ultra-modern technology is unique. The opportunities for sightseeing, traveling, and having fun are really extensive—from traditional bars and clubs or Karaoke to climbing Mt. Fuji and visiting Japanese hot springs.

“I am really grateful to Toshiba HR Division and CAHRS/ILR for giving me this wonderful opportunity to learn about a completely different culture, about HR, and about myself. I would certainly recommend the Toshiba internship to every ILR student.”

—Jakub Sovina, ILR Connections, Winter 2003