Showing papers in "Human Resource Management Journal in 2005"
TL;DR: In this paper, an overview of what the authors believe to be every empirical research article into the linkages between HRM and performance published in pre-eminent international refereed journals between 1994 and 2003 is presented.
Abstract: This is an overview of what the authors believe to be every empirical research article into the linkages between HRM and performance published in pre-eminent international refereed journals between 1994 and 2003. The analysis covers the design of the study, including the primary level of analysis and the identity of the respondents; the dominant theoretical framework(s) informing the article; how HRM is conceived and operationalised; how performance is conceived and operationalised; and which control and/or contingency variables are incorporated. Finally, the article examines how each study depicts the so-called 'black box' stage between HRM and performance. It reports wide disparities in the treatment of these components, but also some welcome commonalities and indicative trends that point towards a gradual convergence on how future research into this complex relationship might usefully be conducted. The findings are compared with previous reviews of the literature. The analysis should illuminate the ongoing debate about the linkages between HRM and performance, and prove valuable for future research designs.
1,475 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review and attempt to extend the theoretical and methodological issues in the HRM and performance debate, and make a plea for research designs starting from a multidimensional concept of performance, including the perceptions of employees.
Abstract: The last decade of empirical research on the added value of human resource management (HRM), also known as the HRM and Performance debate, demonstrates evidence that ‘HRM does matter’ (Huselid, 1995; Guest, Michie, Conway and Sheehan, 2003; Wright, Gardner and Moynihan, 2003). Unfortunately, the relationships are often (statistically) weak and the results ambiguous. This paper reviews and attempts to extend the theoretical and methodological issues in the HRM and performance debate. Our aim is to build an agenda for future research in this area. After a brief overview of achievements to date, we proceed with the theoretical and methodological issues related to what constitutes HRM, what is meant by the concept of performance and what is the nature of the link between these two . In the final section, we make a plea for research designs starting from a multidimensional concept of performance, including the perceptions of employees, and building on the premise of HRM systems as an enabling device for a whole range of strategic options. This implies a reversal of the Strategy-HRM linkage. 2
388 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the links between employees' satisfaction with HR practices and their commitment to the organisation and find that satisfaction with some HR practices appears to be linked to the commitment of all employees, while the link for others varies between the three employee groups.
Abstract: This article examines the links between employees' satisfaction with HR practices and their commitment to the organisation. It draws on recently collected data to examine these links for three groups of employees: professionals, line managers and workers. Satisfaction with some HR practices appears to be linked to the commitment of all employees, while the link for others varies between the three employee groups. These findings pose a challenge to the universalistic model of HRM and have implications for those seeking to design practices that will improve organisational commitment.
356 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an overview of what the authors believe to be every empirical research article into the linkages between HRM and performance published in pre-eminent international refereed journals between 1994 and 2003 is presented.
Abstract: This is an overview of what the authors believe to be every empirical research article into the linkages between HRM and performance published in pre-eminent international refereed journals between 1994 and 2003. The analysis covers the design of the study, including the primary level of analysis and the identity of the respondents; the dominant theoretical framework(s) informing the article; how HRM is conceived and operationalised; how performance is conceived and operationalised; and which control and/or contingency variables are incorporated. Finally, the article examines how each study depicts the so-called ‘black box’ stage between HRM and performance. It reports wide disparities in the treatment of these components, but also some welcome commonalities and indicative trends that point towards a gradual convergence on how future research into this complex relationship might usefully be conducted. The findings are compared with previous reviews of the literature. The analysis should illuminate the ongoing debate about the linkages between HRM and performance, and prove valuable for future research designs.
221 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the competency profile of project managers working within the construction industry, one of the most complex and dynamic project-based industrial sectors, and found that while their job-task competencies are highly specific to the industry in which they work, the behavioural competencies of superior project managers are mostly generic in nature and apply to a range of other management positions.
Abstract: There is a growing awareness within project-based sectors of the relationship between performance and managers' competencies. This article reports on research that investigated the competency profile of ‘superior’ project managers working within the construction industry, one of the most complex and dynamic project-based industrial sectors. The study combined an assessment of both their behavioural competencies and job-task competencies. The results reveal that while their job-task competencies are highly specific to the industry in which they work, the behavioural competencies of superior project managers are mostly generic in nature and apply to a range of other management positions. This research shows how it is practically possible to identify the competency profile of superior managers and utilise this framework for managing the performance of this key management group.
210 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how operational managers are interpreting the management of diversity in practice and find that line managers, familiar with the value of demonstrating a common approach in their decision-making, regarded a diversity management agenda concerned with recognising and responding to individual differences as more likely to lead to feelings of unfairness and claims of unequal treatment.
Abstract: This article examines how operational managers are interpreting the management of diversity in practice. It is explicitly concerned with the way in which managing diversity was understood and applied in one large, long-established British retailing company. The findings suggest that while the business benefits attributed to diversity management are appealing to employers, it is a concept that lacks clarity for line managers both in terms of what it is and how it should be implemented within the anti-discrimination legal framework. Line managers, familiar with the value of demonstrating a common approach in their decision-making as the key means of defence against claims of discriminatory treatment, regarded a diversity management agenda concerned with recognising and responding to individual differences as more likely to lead to feelings of unfairness and claims of unequal treatment. It will be argued that, in the implementation of organisational diversity initiatives, employers need to take greater account of the tensions facing line managers, their interpretation of diversity management and perceptions of fair treatment as well as the operational context.
116 citations
93 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors distinguish three approaches to the operational management of temporary employees, based on theoretical work that discusses the employment relationship for temporary employees and the process of identification with the organisation and different ways of managing diversity.
Abstract: Strategic HRM theory argues that organisations should distinguish different types of employees according to their value and availability. We argue that this has resulted in an underestimation of the importance of specific HRM practices in relation to temporary employees. Building on theoretical work that discusses the employment relationship for temporary employees, the process of identification with the organisation and different ways of managing diversity, we distinguish three approaches to the operational management of temporary employees. We explore two cases that reflect opposite ends of the scale. They illustrate the value of the theoretical framework and substantiate the claim that, even after the strategic choice for a lean, distanced and uninvolved temporary ‘employment mode’ is made, different operational HRM practices lead to differences in performance.
92 citations
TL;DR: The hotel industry is renowned for its poor pay and employment conditions and a low take-up of HR practices and it is generally believed that the industry has relied on a low-cost, numerically flexible and disposable workforce as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The hotel industry is renowned for its poor pay and employment conditions and a low take-up of HR practices. It is generally believed that the industry has relied on a lowcost, numerically flexible and disposable workforce. Recently, however, there has been debate concerning the extent to which managers in the hotel industry are embracing high commitment HRM and functionally flexible work practices. This study seeks to shed light on this question by analysing large-scale survey and interview data on the hotel industry in Australia. While hotel workplaces in general continue to be associated with high levels of numerical and temporal flexibility and greater informality of HR policies, it was apparent that larger luxury hotels were adopting more systematic employee management techniques and strengthening their internal labour markets through functional flexibility initiatives. Such firms were also pursuing numerical and temporal flexibility strategies, although in rather different ways.
90 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that less than 25% of temporary workers take part in training, while higher-skilled individuals are more likely to take training when it is offered and spend more hours on it.
Abstract: Does temporary work provide a way for individuals to improve their skill levels? Using a sample of more than 4,000 employees of US temporary staffing agencies, we analyse whether blue, white and pink-collar temps get access to company training, and the impact of skill development on wages and employee retention. We find that less than 25 per cent of temps take part in training. Educated and experienced individuals are more likely to be offered training, but lower-skilled individuals are more likely to take training when it is offered and spend more hours on it. Office workers who took part in training were more likely still to be with the agency a year later and experienced significant wage growth, while training had no effect on wage growth for blue-collar workers. Skill development that took place on the job was associated with greater wage growth for all types of temps.
76 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined preferences of business school graduates for different types of career fields and systematic differences between people with different career orientations in terms of behavioural characteristics as well as personality traits.
Abstract: Using the basic distinction between organisational and post-organisational career orientation, this article examines preferences of business school graduates for different types of career fields and systematic differences between people with different career orientations in terms of behavioural characteristics as well as personality traits. The results show that business school graduates clearly distinguish between organisational and post-organisational career fields. Graduates with post-organisational career aspirations display attributes of high flexibility, leadership motivation, selfpromotion/self-assertion, self-monitoring, networking and less self-consciousness. For individuals preferring an organisational career pattern, inverse relationships apply. Some implications of the findings for HR practice are discussed.
TL;DR: The relationship between HRM and Organisational and Employee Performance (OEP) was discussed at the 7th Eur IIRA Conf: Study Group HRM: The relationship betwee HRM as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: 7th Eur IIRA Conf.: Study Group HRM: The relationship betwee HRM and Organisational and Employee Performance, 7 september 2004
TL;DR: A recent survey of personnel management associations found that, although associations are active in these areas, there is a lack of mandatory control and regulation across the profession, diluting the legitimacy accorded by such activities as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In considering the development of the HR ‘profession’, there has been little exploration of the role of the professional association. This is particularly true looking across national boundaries, raising questions about the impact and extent of homogeneity of personnel management association activities. It is argued that professional associations have a legitimising role to play in establishing a specialist body of knowledge, regulating practice and providing a source of internal and external identity for practitioners. A recent worldwide survey of personnel management associations found that, although associations are active in these areas, there is a lack of mandatory control and regulation across the profession, diluting the legitimacy accorded by such activities. Association activities were also found to be largely generic across countries, resulting from inter-association collaboration, although different contexts result in different outcomes.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a research project undertaken with the co-operation of the UK's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire branch, to investigate members' attitudes to and engagement with "continuing professional development" and how these correlated with a range of other variables and demographic characteristics.
Abstract: This article describes a research project undertaken with the co-operation of the UK's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire branch, to investigate members' attitudes to and engagement with ‘continuing professional development’(CPD), and how these correlated with a range of other variables and demographic characteristics. Women held more positive attitudes to the value of CPD than men. The majority of the most popular updating strategies were informal and organisationally located, with less emphasis on courses and qualifications. The most powerful predictor of the perceived value of CPD was professional commitment, while other attitudinal and demographic variables had weaker associations than expected. Valuing CPD did not necessarily translate into participating in it. Implications of this research include guidance for professional institutes on what CPD professionals engage in and why, and what influences this.
TL;DR: In this paper, a longitudinal study at the business unit level was conducted to investigate the relationship between survey data on perceived HR practices, work climate and job stress on the one hand, and prospective and retrospective financial performance on the other.
Abstract: Using data front a large financial services organisation in the Netherlands, this article reports a longitudinal study at the business unit level. The study addresses the question of which longitudinal relations exist between survey data on perceived HR practices, work climate and job stress on the one hand, and prospective and retrospective financial performance on the other. Data from 223 business units were available for this study. Eight scales were selected from an employee survey answered by 18,142 respondents. These were aggregated to mean scores at the business unit level. Financial performance is operationalised by a yearly profits-to-costs ratio. Correcting for employee and business unit characteristics, the eight survey scales predict 22 per cent of the variance in business unit financial performance in the year after the survey.‘Co-operation between departments’ appears to be the most important predictor. Equally strong evidence was friund for a reverse causation sequence: business unit financial performance in the year before the survey was a significant predictor for four out of eight survey scales, especially for ‘co-operation between departments’ and ‘job security’. The results underline the importance of studying variance in HR and performance variables within large organisatiuns, and the possibilities of using employee surveys in this research context. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on unemployed job-seekers' attitudes towards entry-level jobs in three areas of the service sector and provide an analysis of the motives of those ruling out service work.
Abstract: This article focuses on unemployed job-seekers' attitudes towards entry-level jobs in three areas of the service sector – retail, hospitality and call-centre work. The article examines whether job-seekers are reluctant to pursue these opportunities, and provides an analysis of the motives of those ruling out service work. A range of potential barriers is discussed, including the extent to which job-seekers perceive the service economy as offering only so-called 'McJobs' – low-skilled, low-paid jobs with few opportunities for development. However, the article also focuses on perceived skills mismatches, with some job-seekers arguably over-qualified for entry-level service jobs, while others consider themselves to lack the necessary 'soft' skills. The analysis is based on interviews with 220 unemployed people in Glasgow. The article concludes that policy action may be required to encourage job seekers to consider a broader range of vacancies and to provide tailored training in partnership with service employers. On the demand side, service employers must address the need for entry-level positions that offer realistic salaries, decent work conditions and opportunities for progression and development.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the relationship between business strategy and skills in the service sector by presenting research findings from the UK fitness industry and found that there is no clear link between competitive strategies and skills.
Abstract: It is widely accepted that creating quality products and services requires a well-trained and skilled workforce. This article seeks to contribute to unpicking the relationship between business strategy and skills in the service sector by presenting research findings from the UK fitness industry. This sector has grown quickly and includes companies that compete on the basis of high-quality services, alongside those competing largely on cost. If the route to a high-skills economy is to shift more firms towards the higher-quality end of the market, we would expect to find employers in these companies making use of a workforce with higher levels of skill. The research from the fitness industry questions this simple relationship, finding that there is no clear link between competitive strategy and skills. As market position is not necessarily the impetus for improving the skills of the workforce, the article then briefly explores what other factors may also be required.
TL;DR: This paper found that little formal evaluation of changes in pay and grading systems had been carried out and that managers expressed considerable scepticism about the evaluation process and appeared to have little psychological incentive to evaluate.
Abstract: The evaluation of the impact of changes in reward systems is a common recommendation in the personnel practitioner literature, but little has been written about how and to what extent practitioners themselves evaluate. This article therefore focuses on the activities of HR managers who have introduced new pay systems, not on academic studies of reward system change. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in 15 large, unionised organisations in England between 2000 and 2002. The study found that little formal evaluation of changes in pay and grading systems had been carried out and that managers expressed considerable scepticism about the evaluation process. They relied heavily on informal or anecdotal feedback, and appeared to have little psychological incentive to evaluate. The article suggests explanations for this lack of formal evaluation, drawing on the management decision-making literature, and recommends how changes in reward systems should be evaluated.
TL;DR: The evaluation of a recent workforce modernisation initiative in the NHS is used to provide insights into the manner in which the patient has played an increasing role in the construction of skills in healthcare.
Abstract: Previous research illustrates how managers use the ‘customer’ in the service sector to develop roles and determine requisite skill sets. This article uses the evaluation of a recent workforce modernisation initiative in the NHS to provide insights into the manner in which the patient has played an increasing role in the construction of skills in healthcare. It indicates how public-funded healthcare in the NHS contains similar tensions and contradictions to service work in consumer capitalism. Although the patient is not in a position of authority, the desire of some workers to address fully the physical and psychological needs of the patient (or embodied customer) leads them to develop skills and roles that management may find hard to resource within current budgets.