Showing papers in "Human Resource Management in 2005"
TL;DR: In this paper, the traditional service-oriented HR focus must be extended to a "decision science" that enhances decisions about human capital, which includes talent segmentation, or identifying pivotal talent pools where the quality and availability of human capital makes the biggest difference to strategic success.
Abstract: Two paradigm shifts are discussed here: talentship and sustainability. First, the traditional service-oriented HR focus must be extended to a “decision science” that enhances decisions about human capital. We call this decision science talentship. It includes talent segmentation, or identifying pivotal talent pools where the quality and/or availability of human capital makes the biggest difference to strategic success. Second, HR and business leaders increasingly define organizational effectiveness beyond traditional financial outcomes to encompass sustainability—achieving success today without compromising the needs of the future. A common strategic human capital decision science can reveal pivotal talent under both traditional and sustainability-based definitions, and thus uncover important insights about the talent implications of the shifting definition of strategic success. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
562 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used data from more than 1,200 "leavers" to understand the nature, content, and role of shocks in turnover decisions, and provided strategies to help organizations manage shocks, and thereby control turnover.
Abstract: Voluntary employee turnover is expensive. Companies that successfully retain the best and brightest employees save money and protect their intellectual capital. Traditional approaches to understanding turnover place accumulated job dissatisfaction as the primary antecedent to voluntary turnover. However, we show that precipitating events, or shocks, more often are the immediate cause of turnover. Using data from more than 1,200 “leavers,” we describe the nature, content, and role of shocks in turnover decisions. We then provide strategies to help organizations manage shocks, and thereby control turnover. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
306 citations
TL;DR: The authors empirically examined the relationship between the perceived employee involvement (EI) climate and organizational effectiveness using a sample of insurance companies and found that organizations with high levels of perceived EI climate lead to organizational effectiveness as measured through financial performance, turnover rate, and workforce morale.
Abstract: This study empirically examines the relationship between the perceived employee involvement (EI) climate and organizational effectiveness. Using a sample of insurance companies, results indicate that organizations with high levels of perceived EI climate lead to organizational effectiveness as measured through financial performance, turnover rate, and workforce morale. Implications of the results for research and practice are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
248 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors found that participation in decision making and autonomy, along with supervisory career support, fostered career adaptability and were positively associated with commitment and negatively with intentions to leave.
Abstract: Today, employees are encouraged to become more career-resilient and engage in career development activities to deal with changes in required knowledge, skills, and abilities, and to facilitate their mobility. This study found that participation in decision making (PDM) and autonomy, along with supervisory career support (information, advice, and encouragement), fostered this career adaptability. These practices were also positively associated with commitment and negatively with intentions to leave. However, career adaptability was positively associated with both commitment and intentions to leave, suggesting some unintended consequences for management approaches supporting career adaptability. Implications for research and practice are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
220 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the role of compensation strategies in promoting organizational learning capability is explored, and compensation strategies can be used to influence employees' commitment to learning and shape their understanding of the overall purpose of the organization.
Abstract: This study explores the role of compensation strategies in promoting organizational learning capability. By analyzing a sample of 111 Spanish firms from the chemical industry, we highlight how compensation strategies can be used to influence employees' commitment to learning and shape their understanding of the overall purpose of the organization. We also show that inappropriate strategies can lead to short-term efficiencies but damage longer-term learning. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
161 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a critical review of the reasons for, the processes involved in, and the perceived effectiveness of HR outsourcing, arguing that organizations should apply both the resource-based view and institutional theory when making outsourcing decisions.
Abstract: HR outsourcing as an organizational strategy has increased substantially over the last decade. However, this trend has attracted little academic attention regarding how outsourcing decisions are made, the manner in which these decisions are implemented, how outsourcing effectiveness is measured, and its impact on organizational performance. In this article, we provide a critical review of the reasons for, the processes involved in, and the perceived effectiveness of HR outsourcing.We investigate the implications of HR outsourcing for the role of the HR function and for the various groups of people affected by this strategy. We argue that organizations should apply both the resource-based view and institutional theory when making outsourcing decisions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
161 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors take a closer look at this new employee relationship in the context of the more traditional employer-employee relationship still found in many organizations, and they find that the economic value of the new employment relationship may be less attractive than previously perceived, since the bond between employer and employee no longer is a longterm relationship involving loyalty and commitment, but a contractlike economic exchange.
Abstract: With increasing globalization and hypercompetitive markets, most employers have resorted to headcount management to gain flexibility, remain competitive, and ensure survival. A new employment relationship has emerged. The bond between employer and employee no longer is a long-term relationship involving loyalty and commitment, but a contractlike economic exchange. The authors take a closer look at this new employee relationship in the context of the more traditional employer-employee relationship still found in many organizations. The economic value of the new employee relationship may be less attractive than previously perceived. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
142 citations
TL;DR: In the "managerial knowledge" marketplace, there is little evidence of much diffusion of ideas, innovative business models, or management practices as discussed by the authors, and one main reason explains the difficulties is the mental models or mind-sets of senior leaders.
Abstract: In the “managerial knowledge” marketplace, there is little evidence of much diffusion of ideas, innovative business models, or management practices. In organizations not implementing what they know they should be doing based on experience and insight, and in companies not acting on the basis of the best available evidence, one main factor explains the difficulties—the mental models or mind-sets of senior leaders. How they are formed, what they are about, and a multitude of examples that show how those mind-sets can be improved are presented here. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
141 citations
TL;DR: The best way to do this is by being a business partner, by directly improving the performance of the business as mentioned in this paper, which can be accomplished by effective talent management, helping with change management, influencing strategy, and a host of other value added activities that impact effectiveness.
Abstract: It is nearly unanimous that HR can and should add more value to corporations. The best way to do this is by being a business partner—by directly improving the performance of the business. This can be accomplished by effective talent management, helping with change management, influencing strategy, and a host of other value-added activities that impact effectiveness. But HR does not seem able to position itself as a business partner in many cases. To analyze the problem HR has in transitioning to a new role, think of HR as a business and what products it should offer. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
140 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of HP's worldwide implementation of their @HP Employee Portal in the Italian subsidiary of HP illustrates the key issues of these theories and illustrates the ways in which change management plans may need to be adapted to be effective in various subsidiaries.
Abstract: HR portals are complex information technology (IT) applications that can be accessed by all employees of a given organization. By placing more applications and information online, HR portals reduce the reliance employees have on HR personnel. Given this relational change, from human to computer, the HR portal implementation process must take into account the challenges of both change management and technology acceptance. By integrating change management theories with IT user acceptance models, this article adds to HR's collective knowledge of ways to effectively implement HR portals. In addition, this article describes the cross-national challenges that exist when a global firm attempts to implement an HR portal around the world. Thus, this article will present a model that (1) integrates change management theories and IT user acceptance models and (2) illustrates the ways in which change management plans may need to be adapted to be effective in various subsidiaries. A case study of Hewlett-Packard's (HP's) worldwide implementation of their @HP Employee Portal in the Italian subsidiary of HP illustrates the key issues of these theories. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
138 citations
TL;DR: The contributors of this special issue provide unique perspectives and insights about the future of human resource management, and many of their ideas present opportunities for future research as mentioned in this paper, focusing on identifying and briefly discussing the key needs and directions suggested by these articles.
Abstract: The contributors to this special issue provide unique perspectives and insights about the future of human resource management, and many of their ideas present opportunities for future research. Our intent is to focus on identifying and briefly discussing the key needs and directions suggested by these articles. The discussion is organized around four general themes: the HR function and its impact, the roles of HR professionals, the value of HR competencies, and the HR implications of globalization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors outline eight obstacles to work redesign: (1) influences on multiple outcomes, (2) trade-offs between different approaches, (3) choosing appropriate units of analysis, (4) difficulty in predicting the nature of the job, complications from individual differences, job enlargement occurring without job enrichment, creating new jobs as part of growth or downsizing, and (5) differences between longterm and short-term effects.
Abstract: Successful work-design initiatives must overcome many obstacles in order to have their intended impact.This article outlines eight obstacles to work redesign: (1) influences on multiple outcomes, (2) trade-offs between different approaches, (3) difficulty in choosing appropriate units of analysis, (4) difficulty in predicting the nature of the job, (5) complications from individual differences, (6) job enlargement occurring without job enrichment, (7) creating new jobs as part of growth or downsizing, and (8) differences between longterm and short- term effects. This article examines the nature of these eight obstacles, reviews prior research on this topic, and outlines suggestions for managing these obstacles in practice. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors collected two primary data sets from private and public-sector organizations in Israel and found that having higher levels of human resources capital was strongly associated with performance only when top managers perceived that these resources provided distinctive value in terms of being highly valuable, inimitable, rare, and nonsubstitutable.
Abstract: Although scholars agree that complex relationships between organizations' actual human resources (i.e., human capital stock) and means of leveraging these resources may influence performance, little empirical work has tested such propositions directly. We collected two primary data sets from privateand public-sector organizations in Israel. The multiplicative interaction between perceived human resources capital and distinctive value derived from that HR capital was significantly related to various measures of perceived and objective organizational performance. Having higher levels of human resources capital was strongly associated with performance only when top managers perceived that these resources provided distinctive value in terms of being highly valuable, inimitable, rare, and nonsubstitutable. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on strategic human resource management and the resource-based view of competitive advantage, as well as for practical efforts to develop firm-specific human resource capital that is inherently distinctive. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the challenges of value creation and value delivery in a global economy and provide a model for understanding how the competing demands placed on HR create both organizational and professional conflict.
Abstract: Will HR professionals continue on their journey to be business leaders, with full sway and equal influence in organizational decision making, or will they take the shortcut by sacrificing professional ethics and values for a “seat at the table”? The first challenge refers to value creation. Creating value in a global economy requires HR executives to clearly understand the confluence of economic, social, and technological forces that drive industry competition. The second challenge, value delivery, deals with the pressing need for HR to demonstrate its tangible impact by aligning with and driving the issues critical to the business. Finally, living values asks us to rediscover that we are the guardians of our organizations. We guard and preserve strategic capability, people, and values. These challenges are examined and a model is provided for understanding how the competing demands placed on HR create both organizational and professional conflict. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate issues of convergence in human resource systems in Taiwan, with reference to the similarities and differences between locally owned companies and subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs), and provide empirical evidence indicating that Taiwanese companies are acting very much like MNCs with regard to the adoption of flexible, highperformance work systems.
Abstract: This article investigates issues of convergence in human resource systems in Taiwan, with reference to the similarities and differences between locally owned companies and subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs). Traditionally, management in Taiwanese companies has been largely influenced by Confucian values and is quite distinct from approaches common to MNCs. However, globalization has engendered significant competitive pressures, coupled with cultural and institutional change within Taiwan. This article provides a theoretical framework for understanding such changes and provides empirical evidence indicating that Taiwanese companies are acting very much like MNCs with regard to the adoption of flexible, highperformance work systems. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss what Yahoo! has done to build its strong branding image and discuss what they consider to be the key to treating employees right as well as treating shareholders right.
Abstract: Every day, thousands of companies spend millions of dollars to build external brand identity and customer loyalty. Branding implies more than just selling a product or service; the best companies create a strong emotional connection between the message and the product. The brand attaches meaning, the lifestyle, the transformation, the potential, the joy, and the fulfillment to the product. Today, competing for employees is as difficult as competing for customers; building employee loyalty is as important as building customer loyalty; and treating employees right is the key to treating shareholders right. Here we discuss what Yahoo! has done to build its strong branding image. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, a combination of economic and political factors led to the demand for greater accountability in all functional areas of business, including HR, leading to the outsourcing of many of HR's basic transactional functions.
Abstract: In the 1980s, a combination of economic and political factors led to the demand for greater accountability in all functional areas of business, including HR. The massive restructuring of organizations in the 1990s led to the outsourcing of many of HR's basic transactional functions. In order for HR to add value to an organization, it must have several key competencies. “Influence in leadership is all about understanding the business well enough so that what you recommend adds value to the organization,” says one HR vice president. This article shows how this is done through the example of SYSCO Corporation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, an immense change in the labor market from many perspectives, including economic growth, demographics, labor supply trends, and other metrics, is investigated, and it is shown that HR challenges have more to do with changes in employment relationships than a shortfall of workers caused by demographic changes.
Abstract: HR challenges have more to do with changes in employment relationships than a shortfall of workers caused by demographic changes. But there are serious problems with forthcoming labor shortages as well, especially now that the baby boomers are beginning to leave the labor market. An immense change in the labor market from many perspectives—economic growth, demographics, labor supply trends, and other metrics—is investigated in this article. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
IBM1
TL;DR: Workforce diversity cannot be delegated; it must be a partnership as mentioned in this paper, and although the HR team plays the key staff role, total delegation from the top, without active involvement, is a recipe for failure.
Abstract: To be successful, global companies must continue to look toward the future, and CEOs, senior line and HR management, and diversity leaders play a key role in that process. Workforce diversity cannot be delegated; it must be a partnership. Although the HR team plays the key staff role, total delegation from the top, without active involvement, is a recipe for failure. IBM considers diversity a business imperative as fundamental as delivering superior technologies in the marketplace. To ensure that talented people can contribute at the highest possible level, the company insists on a workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment and full of opportunity for all people. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, a human resource ROI has been identified: return on intangibles (ROI), which represents the hidden value of a firm and is becoming an increasingly important portion of the firm's total market capitalization.
Abstract: A new human resource ROI has been identified: return on intangibles. Intangibles represent the hidden value of a firm and are becoming an increasingly important portion of a firm's total market capitalization. Six actions that HR professionals can take to create sustainable intangible value are presented in great detail. The emerging focus on intangibles opens the way for HR professionals to more readily link their work to shareholder value. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: An in-depth look at human resources scalability—an organization's capacity to get the right numbers of the right types of people to the right places at the right times.
Abstract: Presented here is an in-depth look at human resources scalability—an organization's capacity to get the right numbers of the right types of people to the right places at the right times The authors pose Guiding Principles to Promote Freedom and Flexibility and Guiding Principles to Promote Discipline and Order, and discuss how HR and other business functions can work together to build a far more flexible and effective workplace © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
TL;DR: In this article, a field study of a medical clinic found that employees in spatially dense work areas experienced higher levels of perceived crowding, transfer intentions, and tardiness, as well as lower work area satisfaction than employees in low-density areas.
Abstract: This field study of a medical clinic found that employees in spatially dense work areas (i.e., those with little space available per person) experienced higher levels of perceived crowding, transfer intentions, and tardiness, as well as lower work area satisfaction, than employees in low-density areas. Crowding perceptions explained the relations between spatial density and the measures of work area satisfaction and tardiness. Finally, when employees had high workloads and their jobs required physical movement, spatial density had weaker relations to crowding perceptions and area satisfaction than in other conditions. Implications of these findings for human resource practitioners are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In an effort to understand how to optimize employee energy at work, the authors borrow from the sports physiology literature to develop and test several concepts that have now been used in more than 75 large and small organizations (e.g., automobile firms, banks, hospitals, manufacturing, high technology, service businesses, financial services, and more).
Abstract: In an effort to understand how to optimize employee energy at work, we borrow from the sports physiology literature to develop and test several concepts that have now been used in more than 75 large and small organizations (e.g., automobile firms, banks, hospitals, manufacturing, high technology, service businesses, financial services, and more). Our focus on employee energy led us to develop new measures and processes for our research. The resulting studies presented in this article test two hypotheses focusing on the link between employee energy, turnover, job performance, and job satisfaction. Consistent with what we know about athletic performance, we found that energy is an optimization construct and that variation in employee energy at work has detrimental consequences for performance and satisfaction. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show how the executive team in each company believed the capacity to work cooperatively across borders was one key to the success of its company, and how cooperative working within teams and across internal and external boundaries of a company provides much of the value-creation opportunities within an organization.
Abstract: In profiles of Nokia, BP, OgilvyOne, and Royal Bank of Scotland, all high-performing companies, the author shows how the executive team in each company believed the capacity to work cooperatively across borders was one key to the success of its company. Cooperative working within teams and across internal and external boundaries of a company provides much of the value-creation opportunities within an organization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: The Society for Human Resource Management has conducted research to determine how the HR profession is perceived by other, non-HR executives as discussed by the authors, and the results present a mixed acceptance of HR professionals.
Abstract: The Society for Human Resource Management has conducted research to determine how the HR profession is perceived by other, non-HR executives. The results present a mixed acceptance of HR professionals. The author contends that successful HR professionals today and in the future must be competent, curious, courageous, and caring about people—the four Cs. Each area is broken down into separate components, and examples from various companies' HR roles are used to demonstrate how each quality works to make the HR function an inherent valuable asset. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate Wal-Mart's exceptional program for obtaining and retaining its employees and helping them grow within the company, showing that if the basic exercise of getting, keeping, and growing a company's talent is done well, the other HR functions will reflect this excellence.
Abstract: One of the major concerns of any corporation, particularly a high-growth business, is employee retention. Without minimizing the importance of roles such as compliance, diversity, compensation, and benefits, if the basic exercise of getting, keeping, and growing a company's talent is done well, the other HR functions will reflect this excellence. This article demonstrates Wal-Mart's exceptional program for obtaining and retaining its employees and helping them grow within the company. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on developments in research and guidelines for practice in five selected areas that, if applied, will lead to more informed use of assessment tools: validity generalization, statistical significance testing, criterion measures, cutoff scores, and cross-validation.
Abstract: Over the past several decades, there have been some significant advances in psychological science, specifically in our knowledge about important questions to address with respect to the development and use of assessment tools. This article focuses on developments in research and guidelines for practice in five selected areas that, if applied, will lead to more informed use of assessment tools. The five areas that we discuss are validity generalization, statistical significance testing, criterion measures, cutoff scores, and cross-validation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the reasons, processes, and implications of opportunistic hiring, which is the practice of hiring employees before their jobs exist, and offer a typology of whether opportunistic hire is used to meet immediate or anticipated needs and the extent to which these needs are articulated prior to selection.
Abstract: Most research on selection processes and organizational fit deals with existing, unfilled positions where expectations and tasks are known and measurable. This article instead evaluates the reasons, processes, and implications of opportunistic hiring—hiring employees before their jobs exist. Examples from an exploratory study show how “fit” factors into selection decisions. A typology is offered along the dimensions of whether opportunistic hiring is used to meet immediate or anticipated needs and the extent to which these needs are articulated prior to selection. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present what HR has to do to prove it is a sound business partner, as well as the steps it can take to stimulate the essential employee of today.
Abstract: Today's employers must use their resources as efficiently as possible. This includes continuous improvement in products, processes, and productivity, as well as sound procedures for compliance, risk management, and accountability. But customer satisfaction depends on employee discretionary behavior. The HR profession has the lead responsibility to design the policies and practices that elicit behavior leading to sustainable success. This article presents what HR has to do to prove it is a sound business partner, as well as the steps it can take to stimulate the essential employee of today. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined 62 lateral influence episodes to more fully understand the process used by executives to gain the support of peers for new initiatives and found that target assessment factors were connected to certain preparation efforts and the use of specific influence tactics. Executives' preparation efforts were not associated with influence tactic use.
Abstract: We examined 62 lateral influence episodes to more fully understand the process used by executives to gain the support of peers for new initiatives. Behavioral complexity theories (cf. Zaccaro, 2001) were used to formulate the research questions related to this study and interpret the results. Interestingly, target assessment factors were connected to certain preparation efforts and the use of specific influence tactics. Executives' preparation efforts, however, were not associated with influence tactic use. Implications for HR professionals and directions for research are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.