Showing papers in "Human Resource Management in 1988"
TL;DR: In this paper, the assumptions about people and about the world underlying these HRM practices as they may differ from those of the national culture of the subsidiary are discussed, and issues concerning the use of corporate culture as a mechanism for globalization are raised.
Abstract: Corporate culture has been described as the “glue” that holds organizations together by providing cohesiveness and coherence among the parts. Multinational companies are increasingly interested in promoting corporate culture to improve control, coordination, and integration of their subsidiaries. Yet these subsidiaries are embedded in local national cultures wherein the underlying basic assumptions about people and the world may differ from that of the national and corporate culture of the multinational. These differences may hinder the acceptance and implementation of human resource practices, such as career planning, appraisal and compensation systems, and selection and socialization. This article discusses the assumptions about people and about the world underlying these HRM practices as they may differ from those of the national culture of the subsidiary. Finally, issues concerning the use of corporate culture as a mechanism for globalization will be raised.
366 citations
TL;DR: Partnerships and alliances between two or more multinational firms are becoming increasingly common Recent examples include ATT a tripartite venture of Honeywell, Bull, and NEC in computer mainframes; Philips and ATT Toyota and General Motors' joint manufacturing at NUMMI; or General Electric and Fanuc's worldwide collaborative network in robotics as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Partnerships and alliances between two or more multinational firms are becoming increasingly common Recent examples include ATT a tripartite venture of Honeywell, Bull, and NEC in computer mainframes; Philips and ATT Toyota and General Motors' joint manufacturing at NUMMI; or General Electric and Fanuc's worldwide collaborative network in robotics New strategic alliances are not limited to the manufacturing sector, they are increasingly frequent in the financial sector (eg, the joint venture of Credit Suisse and First Boston Corporation or the tie-up of Nippon Life and Shearson Lehman) and other service industries as well
326 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that expatriate reduction has significant consequences for the strategic management of multinational corporations: reduced identification with the worldwide organization and its objectives, difficulty exercising control through personnel, and a lack of opportunities for Americans to gain international expertise through assignments abroad.
Abstract: The significant reduction in the use of home country expatriates abroad by American multinationals is generally taken positively, reflecting internationalization, the environmental competence of host country nationals, equity, and the cost of maintaining Americans abroad. In this article I dissent, arguing that the phase-out of expatriates has gone too far, much further in fact than European or Japanese competition and that the dominant reason for the cutback is the difficulty Americans have in adapting to overseas assignments and the high failure rate they have experienced. I conclude that expatriate reduction has significant consequences for the strategic management of multinational corporations: reduced identification with the worldwide organization and its objectives, difficulty exercising control through personnel, and a lack of opportunities for Americans to gain international expertise through assignments abroad. Although I do not advocate returning to the ineffective and inequitable over-reliance on home country nationals, I argue that a corps of expatriates performs a function valuable to the MNC and that a means must be found to develop a group of managers who identify with the organization as a whole and provide overseas experience to home country managers.
319 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, differences between Chinese and U.S. human resource management systems are described with respect to fundamental organization and work-related assumptions about people and performance, rewards, training and development, and educational background of HR practitioners.
Abstract: Differences between Chinese and U.S. human resource management systems are described with respect to fundamental organization and work-related assumptions about people and performance, rewards, training and development, and educational background of HR practitioners. We identify key differences that present impediments to the modernization of HRM practices in Sino-U.S. cooperative ventures, and then, present a normative framework for the introduction of modem HRM practices into these ventures. We conclude with implications for both research and practice that focus primarily on integrating individuals and the enterprise, as well as integrating the enterprise with social and economic goals.
162 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors define the nature and source of some of these organizational challenges, and describe some approaches that can be taken to resolve them, after identifying some constraints and barriers to an effective response to the new demands.
Abstract: As the number, size, and complexity of Japanese multinational companies' (MNCs) overseas operations increase, many of them have begun to realize that they face some fundamental and difficult organizational challenges. Drawing on research undertaken with several large and successful Japanese MNCs, the authors define the nature and source of some of these organizational challenges, and describe some approaches that can be taken to resolving them. The article starts with a brief assessment of the traditional organizational capabilities and existing managerial approaches of Japanese companies, comparing them to the emerging challenges in the international environment. Then, after identifying some constraints and barriers to an effective response to the new demands, the authors propose a series of actions to overcome the problems.
90 citations
TL;DR: A survey of midwestern personnel directors in manufacturing firms was conducted to capture organizational policies and assess perceptions and attitudes regarding downsizing as mentioned in this paper, and seniority was cited as the overwhelming criterion used to determine layoffs.
Abstract: Downsizing is a competitive strategy which many organizations use, yet little is known about organizational policies related to downsizings. A survey of mid-western personnel directors in manufacturing firms was conducted to capture organizational policies and assess perceptions and attitudes regarding downsizing. Seniority was cited as the overwhelming criterion used to determine layoffs. Nonunion firms considered performance significantly more than did unionized organizations in determining layoffs. Few alternatives to layoffs were actually considered, which is not surprising because 94% of the HR managers had less than two months to plan and implement the downsizing. Implications for white collar employees, prescriptions for HR practice, and future research are discussed.
82 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe and analyze two very different patterns of entrepreneurship found in large American companies studied by the author, and suggest the fundamental questions that must be addressed to promote entrepreneurship.
Abstract: This article will first describe and analyze two very different patterns of entrepreneurship found in large American companies studied by the author. “Surface entrepreneurship” denotes the pattern of entrepreneurial activity found in companies where entrepreneurship was seen as an important business objective that management was trying to promote and accomplish. In contrast, “deep entrepreneurship” denotes the pattern found in companies where entrepreneurship was an important shared value. European firms currently being studied combine elements from these two patterns. These studies suggest the fundamental questions that must be addressed to promote entrepreneurship. Some answers in the form of recommendations to management are presented.
79 citations
69 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a four-cell typology of career systems is proposed to describe the way different corporate strategies reflect the nature of executive labor markets, and individual background and personality variables, drawn from a ten-year study tracking 125 MBA graduates, are examined to show how executives sort themselves into the career system best suited to their needs.
Abstract: This paper proposes a four-cell typology of career systems, which describes the way different corporate strategies reflect the nature of executive labor markets. The two critical dimensions of the model, “supply flow” and “assignment flow,” reflect the external and internal movement of executives. We use recent examples from industry to demonstrate the way in which business and career system strategies align. We then examine individual background and personality variables, drawn from a ten-year study tracking 125 MBA graduates, to show how executives sort themselves into the career system best suited to their needs.
The broader purpose of this research is to begin to tie together a general theory of career systems that focuses on the level of the firm in its changing strategic and industry context.
42 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the experience of burnout and success in the professional and private lives of people in technical careers and found that male engineers are better able to integrate work success with private life than their female counterparts.
Abstract: This paper explores the experience of burnout and success in the professional and private lives of people in technical careers. Participants in the study were 51 male and 51 female engineers, who were matched as pairs on a variety of personal and job-related variables. An analysis of the data shows that the sampling design worked: the two groups are very similar in their organizational positions, share a similar outlook on their jobs, and have similar orientations towards their careers and lives. However, gender differences were revealed in the interrelationship between work and private life and its effect on measures of well-being such as feelings of burnout, satisfaction, enjoyment, and perceived success. Results indicate that male engineers are better able to integrate work success with private life than their female counterparts. For men, work and non-work success are compatible, while for women they seem to conflict. The results are discussed in the light of a theoretical proposition to view burnout in a person/environment-fit framework. Implications are drawn for career consultants and human resource managers in organizations that rely on technical expertise.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a new strategy for Japanese firms to transform from a production orientation to a product orientation by creating a strategic vision through commitment of the employees, an entrepreneurial middle management as a key strategic node and multi-dimensional personnel management.
Abstract: Traditional “Japanese personnel management” that has long been considered as the key for Japan's competitive success now needs fundamental restructuring in order to meet the challenges of a stagnant economy, matured domestic market, and the rise of NICs (Newly Industrialized Countries) in international markets. The self-renewal of Japanese firms can be achieved by a paradigm shift at the corporate strategy level: from a production orientation to a product orientation. In accordance with this paradigm shift, leading Japanese firms have started reforming their Human Resource Management (HRM) function from a productivity-centered to a creativity-centered one— creative HRM. Creative HRM has three pillars: (1) the creation of the strategic vision through commitment of the employees, (2) an entrepreneurial middle management as a key strategic node, and (3) multi-dimensional personnel management. Creation and realization of the strategic vision through the active commitment of an entrepreneurial middle management is necessary for the self-renewal of the firm. “Japanese Personnel Management” that might have been overadapted to the traditional strategic paradigm is now transforming itself from a “group-centered” personnel administration to an “individual-centered” one. While Western companies have been adopting Japanese “groupism” to reconstruct their production systems, Japanese companies have started introducing Western “individualism” to encourage creative self-transformation. But no system or technique is truly effective without human commitment, and this requires a fundamental paradigm shift for Japanese firms.
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) examines issues raised by efforts to stabilize employment and explores the implications of the DEC experience for the broad human resource principles and actions which must underlie any effort to stabilise employment.
Abstract: This article, based on a case study of Digital Equipment Corporation, examines issues raised by efforts to stabilize employment. The specific case is a large program which restructured and reduced employment without resorting to layoffs. The article describes the DEC process, the key choices which underly the procedures, and provides data on the consequences for individuals and the firm. It then explores the implications of the DEC experience for the broad human resource principles and actions which must underlie any effort to stabilize employment.
TL;DR: This paper found that Chinese female managers have little job mobility, pursue careers appraised by the Party and influenced by central government planning, work the most hours per week, and recommend the political/ideology path as the fastest route to the top.
Abstract: Questionnaire and interview data were gathered on 150 People's Republic of China female managers who were contrasted with their counterparts in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Chinese female managers have little job mobility, pursue careers appraised by the Party and influenced by central government planning, work the most hours per week, and recommend the political/ideology path as the fastest route to the top. They are comparatively less educated, progress under a patrilineal tradition, recommend business courses as a means of preparation for managerial responsibilities, and slowly are gaming opportunities in fob selection.
TL;DR: In this article, a contrasting approach to inquiry is proposed, with the various imperatives becoming redefined as shared objects for further study, supported by a set of diagnostic questions, and illustrated by a comparison between separate Knowledge for Pay and PAY for Knowledge human resource management initiatives.
Abstract: Both career development and participation at work activities have emphasized a “prospecting” approach to inquiry. Although jointly inspired by the humanistic ethic, the two ventures have grown as separate streams of inquiry through their distinct responses to economic, hierarchical, technological, reductionist, and systems imperatives about work. A contrasting “mating” approach to inquiry is proposed, with the various imperatives becoming redefined as shared objects for further study. The proposal is supported by a set of diagnostic questions, and illustrated by a comparison between separate “Knowledge for Pay” and “Pay for Knowledge” human resource management initiatives. The possibility of broader application of the mating principle to other human resource management efforts is briefly considered.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the economics behind plant closings, suggest a possible role for public policy to ameliorate the effects of closings in some situations, and review Maine's experience with mandatory advance notice and severance payments.
Abstract: This paper discusses the economics behind plant closings, suggests a possible role for public policy to ameliorate the effects of closings in some situations, and reviews Maine's experience with mandatory advance notice of closings and severance payments. The possibility of a less flexible labor market in Maine is noted, as are areas for future research. Finally, the economic and political history of Maine's experience with plant closing legislation is discussed in terms of its implications for similar legislation at the federal level.
TL;DR: The authors analyzes a recent presidential election held within the United Steelworkers to suggest a framework for understanding how elections can impact on charges in the strategic direction of unions, and suggests a framework to understand the influence of elections in the formation of unions.
Abstract: Fundamental changes in the conduct of U.S. Labor relations have led unions to reconsider their future strategies. While scholars have focused attention on the content of their strategic choices, far less attention has been paid to the process of managing a change process within unions. This article analyzes a recent presidential election held within the United Steelworkers to suggest a framework for understanding how elections can impact on charges in the strategic direction of unions.