Showing papers in "Human Resource Management Journal in 2002"

Communicating the psychological contract: an employer perspective

Abstract: The concept of the psychological contract, with its focus on the exchange of perceived promises and commitments, is increasingly used as a framework to study the employment relationship. Yet research has predominantly focused on employee views and has largely neglected the organisational perspective and the management of the psychological contract. This article begins to redress the balance by reporting a study, based on a survey of 1,306 senior HR managers, that explores the management of the psychological contract and in particular the role of organisational communication. Three distinct and relevant aspects of organisational communication are identified, concerned with initial entry, day-to-day work and more future-oriented, top-down communication. Effective use of these forms of communication is associated with what managers judge to be a clearer and less frequently breached set of organisational promises and commitments, as well as with a fairer exchange and a more positive impact of policies and practices on employee attitudes and behaviour. The findings are discussed within the context of the wider literature on psychological contracts, organisational culture and HRM. The study confirms that the psychological contract offers managers a useful framework within which to consider and manage the employment relationship.

Opportunities to work at home in the context of work‐life balance

Abstract: Discussion of ‘work-life balance’ and ‘family-friendly’ employment is much in vogue among politicians and business leaders. Often, but not always, working at home is included within such practices. However, the concepts of work-life balance and family-friendly are commonly left ill-defined by researchers and policymakers alike. In this article we outline formal definitions of these terms, which place spatial issues - and hence working at home - at the heart of the debate. This leads us on to examine working at home through the theoretical lens offered by attempts to explain the rise of work-life balance arrangements. Twelve hypotheses emerge from the literature and are tested on the management data contained in the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey or WERS98. Many of these hypotheses pass weak statistical tests but fail on stronger logistic regression tests. The article shows that the option to work at home is more likely to be available in the public sector, large establishments and work environments in which individuals are responsible for the quality of their own output. These workplaces are typically less unionised but not especially feminised.

The viability of alternative call centre production models

Abstract: Advances in information technologies and marketing techniques have led to a revolution in service delivery systems over the last decade. Whereas service delivery historically was decentralized and personal and service labour markets were local, advanced information systems and marketing techniques have made centralized remote servicing via technology-mediated call centres the preferred mode of customer — provider interaction for many firms. While data on call centres is difficult to procure, estimates are that call centres employ about 3 per cent of the workforce in the US, 2 per cent in the UK and 1.3 per cent in Europe (Data-monitor, 1998; 1999). US call centres were growing at an estimated annual rate of 15–20 per cent annually in the 1990s (Purdue University, 1999).

Employee wellbeing in call centres

Abstract: Call centres are often perceived to have a negative impact on employee wellbeing, mainly attributed to four factors: job design, performance monitoring, HR practices and team leader support. This article reports on a survey of 557 customer service representatives that examined the relationship of these factors to four measures of wellbeing: anxiety, depression and intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. One distinctive feature of this article is its focus on anxiety and depression, two major dimensions of wellbeing not addressed in call centre research to date. Results demonstrated that the factors most highly associated with wellbeing were high control over work methods and procedures, a low level of monitoring and a supportive team leader. Evidence also indicates that the level of wellbeing in some call centres is similar to that in other comparable forms of work.

Managing organisational culture: insights from the hospitality industry

Abstract: Despite the widespread criticism of the culture management approach by respected academics, recent surveys indicate that managers are continuing to engage in planned cultural interventions. Indeed, reports demonstrate that managing organisational culture is one of the most popular forms of managerial intervention, with one survey concluding that over 90 per cent of organisations engage in planned cultural change. This study describes and analyses organisational culture interventions in four companies within a single industry. It argues that the conceptualisation of organisational culture and culture change should be differentiated in ways that recognise the significance of contextual factors. It presents an analysis of interventions in the hospitality industry and delineates four insights from this sector that are pertinent to the theory and practice of managing cultural change.

Tensions and Variations in Call Centre Management Strategies

Abstract: Call centres have become part of everyday experience and hold a grip on public imagination. Predominantly, the call centre reflects a ‘mass production approach to customer service’ (Batt, 1999; Cameron, 2000). Volume is managed through task routinization, scripting, and a sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) architecture configured to distribute, manage and monitor calls. Service quality is managed through a mixture of behavioural management and HR strategies. By these means, call centres seek to balance the logics of efficiency and the customer. The tension between these goals is keenly felt due to heightened visibility of cost trade-offs (Korczynski, 2001, p. 83; Sturdy, 2001, p. 7; Wallace, Eagleson and Waldersee, 2000, p. 174). This tension unmasks a series of conflicts: between costs and quality; between flexibility and standardization; and between constraining and enabling job design.

Paying the piper: choice and constraint in changing HR functional roles

Abstract: HR directors are often exhorted to play a more 'strategic' role in their organisations. However, it is not necessarily clear what is meant by this, or whether it is possible for departments to change their role at a whim. In this article we examine the changing role of the HR function within two contrasting organisations - an NHS trust and a bank - over a period of seven years. Drawing on role-set theory and concepts of negotiated order, we illustrate how HR functional roles are located within a complex and dynamic social setting, and present a model that seeks to map these interrelationships.

Small firms and internationalisation: learning to manage and managing to learn

Abstract: Small firms contribute significantly to the UK economy, but most research into learning and work features the experience of large organisations. This article focuses on learning and work in small organisations. An interpretive framework relating to organisational learning is derived from the literature. Data on learning in small firms that internationalise are analysed to assess the extent to which models of organisational learning are applicable to the context and challenges they face. The article suggests that the large firm model of learning is inappropriate; the distinctive culture and communication systems of small organisations require different approaches to the acquisition, transmission and interpretation of knowledge. Tacit knowledge, developed through informal learning, is a priority and learning through local business networks is more important than participation in formal programmes. Advocacy of human resource development (HRD) practices based on conventional theories of organisational learning, therefore, may hinder rather than encourage performance in small organisations.

Call centres and beyond: a thematic evaluation

Abstract: This introduction aims to place the articles in this special edition in the context of the wider literature on call centres. The discussion is arranged around four themes: the characteristics and organisational features of call centre work, the choices and strategies that are available to manage the work, the effects of this type of work on employees and, finally, the responses and reactions of call centre staff to their work experiences. The articles selected, which are drawn from a conference sponsored by this journal, are then summarised.

Extracurricular activity as an indicator of interpersonal skill: Prudent evaluation or recruiting malpractice?

Abstract: never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Twain’s wry observation lives on, manifested in perceptions of corporate recruiters that course grades and coursework are often inadequate indicators of the skills needed for success in today’s business reality. Surveys of recruiters regarding the characteristics they most value in graduating students consistently show interpersonal and/or leadership skills at the very top of the list (cf., Eberhardt, McGee, & Moser, 1997). In addition, an explosion of recent attention to concepts such as emotional and successful intelligence (cf., Goleman, 1995; Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 2000; Sternberg, 1999) has further fueled the notion that there is more to “real world” success than cognitive and/or academic ability. Moreover, interpersonal skills are likely to demand increased attention by organizations as teams become a standard mode of operation (Cascio, 1995). While there is growing consensus regarding the primacy of interpersonal skills, there is less agreement on the antecedents of such skills. One intuitive notion is that extracurricular activities are a place where students look to utilize, and perhaps refine and develop, their interpersonal skills. Career counselors, student advisors and recruiters commonly impress on students the importance of being “well-rounded” and the dangers of being perceived by recruiters as one dimensional or just “book smart.” As one director of university internship programs commented, “I’d take a solid C+ marketing graduate who can shoot from the hip and is comfortable with people, and has a good work ethic, over a 3.5 USING EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY AS AN INDICATOR OF INTERPERSONAL SKILL: PRUDENT EVALUATION OR RECRUITING MALPRACTICE?

A female ghetto? Women's careers in call centres

Abstract: Although several studies have shown that women make up the majority of the call centre workforce, their role and position in this new and expanding industry has not yet been examined. This article makes a contribution to the research gap by exploring the extent and nature of the career opportunities open to women within call centres. Current portrayals of call centre work appear to indicate that these new workplaces offer very little in the way of either job satisfaction or potential for career progression. Indeed, on the basis of existing research evidence it could be concluded that call centres represent little more than female job ‘ghettos’. The article assesses this claim by drawing on women's own accounts of their work experiences and their perceptions of their prospects.

Regulating labour management in small firms

Abstract: There is a relative paucity of evidence on the management of labour in smaller firms. Research that has been undertaken, while recognising the heterogeneity of the sector, does note the prevalence of informality regarding employee relations. Such informality could be challenged by the increasing regulation of the employment relationship following the election of successive Labour governments since 1997. To illuminate this discussion further, evidence drawn from a study of employment regulation is offered. A number of smaller firm owners and their employees were interviewed to ascertain their views on the impact of regulation on the employment relationship. Owners were largely resistant to it but felt they could accommodate changes with relatively little disruption to their existing approach to labour management. Meanwhile, most employees felt the effect of regulation would be muted due to their position as smaller firm labour.

Knowledge management practice in Scottish law firms

Abstract: Law firms, as part of the professional services sector, are increasingly engaged in strategic thinking about business growth and development. The management of partners, staff and their knowledge is critical to this strategic development. This study of a sample of Scottish law firms engaged in commercial and corporate law finds that organisations are at different stages of progress, and that change has focused more on technical solutions than on organisational and HR issues. Based on evidence from partners and management, and on attitude data from salaried staff, the article suggests that, although the traditional professional firm's interest in building and leveraging its human capital is still present, the underlying social and cultural processes involving motivation, sharing of experiences, coaching and mentoring are relatively underdeveloped. The implications for HR strategy and practice, and for the role of the HR manager, are considered.

Ambiguity, ambivalence and indifference in organisational values

Abstract: In this article the authors explore the use of official company values as a device for the achievement of cultural control. A qualitative study is presented, investigating the relationship between a set of official values and their enactment, as perceived by company employees. The study reveals a perceived discrepancy between the official espousal of the values by the company and their actual enactment, especially in the attitudes and behaviour of senior management. The ambivalence of this group towards such values is reflected in the indifference of staff, for whom the values have little salience as drivers of company policy or practice. The embedding of company values is represented as part of a larger descriptive framework of salience. It is also argued that political considerations, including powerful, unofficial cultural and subcultural norms, will override the impact of officially espoused, but unembedded, values.

The impact of Investors in people: a case study of a hospital trust

Abstract: This article reports on case study research conducted in a hospital trust and explores the impact that the Investors in People award had on employees. Investors in People is widely seen as the principal mechanism for increasing workforce skills within a voluntarist system as well as supporting ‘good’ employment policies. Yet in this case study, as elsewhere, most of the ‘soft’ HR initiatives had existed prior to accreditation and the internal marketing of corporate value statements was met with both amnesia and cynicism. More worrying, training activity was focused on ‘business need’, which was defined in the narrowest sense, with the result that some employees had fewer opportunities for individual development. Motivation and commitment levels were high, staff were enthusiastic about their work and many actively engaged in training and development. But this owed little to Investors in People, and its impact here raises questions about its influence on skill levels more broadly.

Absence management: the issues of job retention and return to work

Abstract: Strategies aimed at facilitating the job retention and return to work of sick and injured workers are currently the subject of growing attention. In this article the authors examine the nature and potential significance of such strategies to absence management and utilise interview findings to shed light on current employer policies and practices relating to the management of long-term absences. They conclude that at the national level a large proportion of working days lost through sickness absence stem from relatively long spells of absence and that the adoption of a proactive approach to supporting the return to work of ill and injured workers can have beneficial consequences. However, they further conclude that few organisations appear to have comprehensive arrangements in place to handle cases of long-term absence. A number of areas where present employer arrangements could usefully be reviewed are therefore identified.

Co‐determination and strategic integration in German firms

Abstract: Looking at the economic development and importance of German companies in Europe, one might expect that an important aspect of a good economic performance is a well-functioning HR system. Although a number of scholars claim this, the empirical evidence seems to point to the opposite. Several comparative studies have found that HRM in German companies is less strategically integrated and proactive than that of comparable firms in other countries. This article argues that the empirical results reported fail to grasp the essence of HRM in German firms. This lacuna is partly due to the co-determination structure. HRM in large German firms has to be evaluated within the co-determination structure, with the Betriebsrat (works council) being an important actor. For German firms co-determination might even be a strategic resource. By examining this issue within such a framework, a more favourable picture of HR integration in German firms emerges.

Reconciling traditional Chinese management with high-tech Taiwan

Abstract: The traditional view of management culture among the overseas Chinese is that of an autocratic, paternalistic and centralised organisation with low levels of trust of ‘outside’ professional managers and employees. By contrast, the organisational culture associated with successful innovation and/or high technology is that of a decentralised organisation with high levels of employee autonomy. Existing research indicates that the overseas Chinese have become successful by sticking to the business sectors compatible with their preferred management culture, and that this holds true for Taiwan. What, then, explains the Taiwanese success in high-technology ventures? This article offers initial evidence that management culture in Taiwan is adapting in order to enable industrial development in new areas. In-depth interviews with 20 Taiwanese companies indicated that the change is being led by the high-technology businesses. However, while many of these business culture changes are in a direction towards the organisational culture associated with high-technology companies, it is also clear that a strong Chinese influence remains.

Training and development deficiencies in ‘high skill’ sectors

Abstract: Policy debates across advanced industrial economies are stressing the centrality of skills and training to compete in the new ‘knowledge economy’. In the UK increasing importance is being placed on improving workplace learning, yet policy has so far failed to confront the issue of employers' lack of investment in training and development. This article examines whether the high skill sectors that exist within the UK can provide a model of workplace learning for other such sectors to emulate. By using case study research from the aerospace and pharmaceutical industries, training and development practices are examined in relation to the requirements of the business and individual employees. The article will argue that the companies in question, despite their favourable product market position, remain constrained by the broader institutional environment.

Selecting managers for transformational change

Abstract: This article draws on the findings of a recent empirical study into the experience of managing change in ‘high velocity’, transformational change contexts. It argues that, with increasing empowerment, notions of the singular, mandated change agent may have to be juxtaposed with the idea of change being managed by a more diverse, multifarious ‘cast of characters’. If this is the case, effectiveness in change management may increasingly rest on the development and application of a systematic methodology for assessing the suitability and capabilities to perform in a change role. However, on the basis of the evidence presented, it would appear that selection decisions are being made on a largely subjective and arbitrary basis, and this may be creating wrong or misguided assumptions about an individual's suitability to perform in a change agent role. Additionally, the initial evidence suggests that the process of selection may be open to manipulation by some individuals whose personal aims and goals in the change process are not necessarily congruent with those of the organisation. This in turn may pose an element of strategic risk to the overall change process. The article then discusses some of the theoretical and practical implications facing those with a responsibility for selecting and managing the change managers.

The legal aspects of teleworking

Abstract: This article discusses teleworking from a legal perspective. Although spreading rapidly, the many legal aspects of teleworking are under-represented in the literature. The main issues covered in this article are the definition of teleworking, employment relationships and employment contracts, civil liability, and other legal considerations. Lastly, implications are discussed for both the management of organisations and the legal establishment.