This paper examined the significance and meaning of characteristical transformation of work that has come into the limelight recently and suggested the humanistic corporate paradigm, vision of work system principle and basic policy direction required in the 21st century knowledge-based society. Recently, the change in the technology paradigm of informationalization globalization and the change in social economic conditions are transforming the characteristic of labor, thus requiring the establishment of a new corporate paradigm and work system principle. This paper emphasized that the basic ideological and philosophical condition of the production system that actively conforms to the new social economic condition has to be human oriented, and that the post-Fordism work system principle that backs this is needed not only to overcome labor alienation and to raise equity, but also in order to secure economic efficiency in a long term point of view. This paper also pointed out that such a vision is not only something that is desirable, but is a reality of historical trend, considering the changes expected in the 21st century including the transition in technical condition, corporate environment and labor market conditions.
It also stressed that in order to meet the humanistic corporate paradigm and post-Fordism's work system principle, the whole society needs to outgrow from the existing labor-centered society and become a comprehensive learning society in which learning keeps pace with labor in all units of organizations. This paper asserted that in order to speed up the realization of such comprehensive learning society, the nation, market, businesses and labor unions should all be approached with a new principle and way of thinking. The business reengineering success case of Yuhan-Kimberly, Inc., which is growing strong through consistent employment security and lifelong learning, is an important case that proves the potential of humanistic learning corporations. It hints that the employment crisis that we face now could be overcome with a paradigm shift.