Showing papers in "Human Resource Management Journal in 2014"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a case study of the implementation of HR practices relating to workplace bullying, finding that while the policy reflected best practice, implementation was uneven, resulting in persisting high levels of bullying which negatively affected staff well-being and performance.
Abstract: Research on the relationship between HRM and organisational performance has highlighted a gap between intended and implemented HR practices. However, this gap has rarely been explored systematically, and the consequences of the effectiveness of the implementation process for relevant outcomes remain poorly understood. This article addresses this issue by examining the process and quality of HR implementation. Drawing on a model of HR implementation, it presents a detailed case study of the implementation of HR practices relating to workplace bullying. Findings reveal that while the policy reflected best practice, implementation was uneven, resulting in persisting high levels of bullying which negatively affected staff well-being and performance. The results indicate that it is misleading to look just at HR practices, and that even ‘best HR practices’ are unsuccessful unless implemented effectively. It is argued that a greater focus on HR implementation will improve our understanding of the HRM – performance relationship.
184 citations
TL;DR: The authors argues that HRM is by nature a multidisciplinary subject area, and that it has traditionally been closely associated with the field of industrial relations (IR), however, it appears to have increasingly been taken over by industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology, and in the process increasingly associated with organisational behaviour, which has also been taken by I-O psychology.
Abstract: This article argues that HRM is by nature a multidisciplinary subject area, and that it has traditionally been closely associated with the field of industrial relations (IR). However, it appears to have increasingly been taken over by industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology, and in the process increasingly associated with organisational behaviour, which has also been taken over by I-O psychology. Coupled with the narrowing and marginalisation of IR, this has meant an increasing ‘psychologisation’ not only of the study of HRM, but of the study of employment relations in general. This article discusses why this appears to have been happening, what its implications might be and what (if anything) might be done about it. Focus is on developments within North America, although the issues raised apply, perhaps, to different degrees, across liberal market countries and possibly beyond.
140 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that exposure to bullying behaviour predicts an increase in both levels of job insecurity and intention to leave over a 6-month time lag, among a random sample of North Sea workers.
Abstract: Workplace bullying is a severe problem in contemporary working life, affecting up to 15 per cent of employees. Among the detrimental outcomes of bullying, it is even postulated as a major risk factor for exclusion from work. In support of this claim, the current study demonstrates that exposure to bullying behaviour predicts an increase in both levels of job insecurity and intention to leave over a 6-month time lag, among a random sample of North Sea workers (n = 734). The findings suggest that bullied employees are insecure about the permanence and content of their job, and they may be at risk of turnover and exclusion from working life. It is recommended that these outcomes are taken into consideration when incidences of workplace bullying are addressed.
136 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how perceived distributive and procedural justice affected the relationship between an employee's identification as a high potential (drawn from archival data), job satisfaction and work effort.
Abstract: We examined how perceived distributive and procedural justice affected the relationship between an employee's identification as a high potential (drawn from archival data), job satisfaction and work effort. A questionnaire was distributed within one large company among employees who were and employees who were not identified as a high potential (n = 203). The results indicated that perceptions of distributive justice were significantly higher for employees identified as a high potential. Moreover, perceived distributive justice fully mediated the relationship between an employee's identification and his or her level of job satisfaction. The results also revealed that perceptions of procedural justice moderated the relationship between perceived distributive justice and work effort. Theoretical and practical consequences of these findings are discussed.
133 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a line can be drawn that distinguishes research on formal organisational programs (above-the-line research) from research on organisational practices as they are experienced by employees.
Abstract: In HRM, a line can be drawn that distinguishes research on formal organisational programmes (above-the-line research) from research on organisational practices as they are experienced by employees (below-the-line research). Diversity management research has heavily emphasised below-the-line research using methodologies that measure employee perceptions of diversity management activities. This research demonstrates an impact of diversity management on employee reactions and identifies unit-level factors (e.g. leader behaviour) that impact the effectiveness of diversity management activities. However, below-the-line research is not able to answer HR professionals' questions about which diversity management activities should be adopted when, and so a research–practice gap is developing. I explain how both academics and practitioners would benefit from more above-the-line research examining the impact of formal organisational diversity management activities as reported by senior managers or documented in organisational records.
113 citations
TL;DR: Work engagement relates to an individual's psychological state of mind while at work as discussed by the authors and is more relevant to HRM and employment relations but suffers from a lack of definition and a failure to specify the components that are associated with higher levels of employee engagement.
Abstract: Two basic approaches to engagement are contrasted. Work engagement relates to an individual's psychological state of mind while at work. The problems with this and its limited relevance to HRM are considered: its concern with a minority of employees, the way non-engaged staff are portrayed, the airbrushing out of conflict and the pernicious use of positive psychology. Employee or behavioural engagement is more relevant to HRM and employment relations but suffers from a lack of definition and a failure to specify the components that are associated with higher levels of employee engagement. It is usually a-contextual and lacks the subtlety of earlier work on HR and performance, while covering the same ground. Problems remain with research seeking to show the connections with financial performance. Boiling engagement measures down to one score is particularly worrying. The management of employee engagement in the UK National Health Service illustrates that properly constructed studies of employee engagement can inform policies and practices to improve work relations, employee well-being and aspects of performance.
100 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the validity of the assumption that employees' perceptions of those people management activities of their supervisor that impact on employees' abilities, motivation and opportunities to perform influence employee extra-role behaviour.
Abstract: This article examines the validity of the assumption that employees' perceptions of those people management activities of their supervisor that impact on employees' abilities, motivation and opportunities to perform influence employee extra-role behaviour. The results of a longitudinal survey with data from 3,368 employees provide support for this assumption. This study's distinctive features - the concept of people management that involves the management of HR implementation, the longitudinal research design, and the use of the AMO framework for specifying the linkages between HRM and performance - make it possible to address the core questions in the HRM-performance debate that still remain unanswered according to Guest. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
94 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the personal and emotive quality of knowledge sharing by asking: "How does employee commitment impact on knowledge sharing?" They study professional service firms operating in cross-boundary environments and examine the impact of commitment to the organisation, profession, team and client on knowledge-sharing.
Abstract: Knowledge-intensive firms need to leverage their individual knowledge assets via knowledge sharing to create collective knowledge resources. This process is, however, in the control of the knowledge worker. We explore this personal and emotive quality of knowledge sharing by asking: ‘How does employee commitment impact on knowledge sharing?’ We study professional service firms operating in cross-boundary environments and examine the impact of commitment to the organisation, profession, team and client on knowledge sharing. The article contributes directly to our understanding of the interrelationship between (a) the types and foci of commitment and (b) bidirectional knowledge sharing.
88 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the empirical diffusion and determinants of control and commitment HRM systems in Germany as well as their impact on HRM outcomes and firm performance and concluded that there is no one best way.
Abstract: In the literature, it is often assumed that traditional, control-oriented HRM systems are increasingly being replaced by commitment-based HRM systems because the latter generally result in higher firm performance. However, an HRM system's effectiveness may depend on an organisation's external and internal context, and neither control nor commitment HR systems are without disadvantages. Thus, the empirical validity of this claim is not clear ex ante. This paper analyses the empirical diffusion and determinants of control and commitment HRM systems in Germany as well as their impact on HRM outcomes and firm performance. The findings indicate that between the two extreme forms of high-control and high-commitment HRM systems, there are two hybrid forms (long-term-oriented control system and regulated commitment system) that combine elements of both ‘pure’ systems. Commitment HRM systems outperform the high-control HRM system concerning many HRM outcomes and firm performance measures. However, in direct comparison, the high and the regulated commitment HRM systems do not show substantially different outcomes, indicating that there is no one best way.
75 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used open-ended survey data (collected in 2011) from a sample of 407 organisational decision makers across all industries in Ireland to identify on what basis the age of an older worker is determined.
Abstract: A refinement of the construct of age, specifically ‘older’, is recognised as a critical measurement concern for experts in both ageing research and policy formation In this context, we set out to both chronologically define an ‘older worker’ and to identify on what basis the age of ‘older’ is determined In doing so, we draw on open-ended survey data (collected in 2011) from a sample of 407 organisational decision makers across all industries in Ireland Our focus was specifically on the perspective of organisational decision makers because these individuals will be instrumental in facing the challenges associated with workforce ageing The results show that workers are considered as ‘older’ at a younger age than might be expected and that decision makers conceptualise workers as ‘older’ using various approaches in the organisational context Our findings contribute to the literature in three ways: firstly, by providing an important empirically derived understanding of the term ‘older worker’; secondly, by empirically examining previously suggested ‘possible’ indicators of age; and thirdly, by demonstrating that these indicators are conceptually and empirically distinct, advancing theory on the concept of age in the workplace
70 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the relationship between volunteer perceptions of LDOs, their motivations for volunteering, and retention and found significant main effects for LDOs and volunteer motivations on retention and several interactive effects demonstrating that LDOs can have differential effects on retention depending on the reasons for volunteering.
Abstract: The growing reliance on volunteers in Australia has heightened the need for non-profit organisations to retain these valuable resources. However, the current literature on volunteer retention is limited. One potential way volunteers can be retained is by providing learning and development opportunities (LDOs). This study investigates the relationship between volunteer perceptions of LDOs, their motivations for volunteering, and retention. Analyses revealed significant main effects for LDOs and volunteer motivations on retention and several interactive effects demonstrating that LDOs can have differential effects on retention depending on the reasons for volunteering.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the bundles of HR practices adopted by firms during the Irish recession and examined influences on the bundles that are evident, and contributed to HRM theory by testing different views on HR bundles likely to be adopted in recessionary conditions.
Abstract: The HR practices adopted by firms in response to the current deep and prolonged recession have received little attention in the literature. There are reasons for supposing that firms will adopt HR practices in bundles in responding to the recession in order to benefit from technical and behavioural complementarities. Drawing on a nationally representative survey, the article investigates the bundles of HR practices adopted by firms during the Irish recession and examines influences on the bundles that are evident. The article contributes to HRM theory by testing different views on HR bundles likely to be adopted in recessionary conditions and by moving beyond the prevailing focus in HRM on HR bundles adopted by firms in steady-state business conditions.
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and performance in firms of different sizes, and found that the relationship will be stronger in large firms than in both small and medium-sized firms.
Abstract: This article draws on the Organisational Growth and Development (OGD) life cycle model to explore the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and performance in firms of different size, thereby extending understanding of congruence or ‘best fit’ theory within strategic HRM debates. With reference to management control theory, economies of scale and the availability of specialist managerial skills, the article hypothesises that while an HPWS–performance relationship might exist in small, medium-sized and large firms, the relationship will be stronger in large firms than in both small and medium-sized firms, and stronger in medium-sized firms than in small firms. Analysis of data from the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey demonstrates, however, that there is no association between HPWS and workplace performance in medium-sized firms, in contrast to the positive relationship between HPWS and performance found in large firms and between HPWS and labour productivity in small firms.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of the major components of compensation on a rarely studied form of employee performance, namely innovation, were investigated using 7 years of data representing the Canadian private sector and they found that fixed pay (salary) and individual performance pay have no effect on innovation while variable group pay and indirect pay (employee benefits) have a positive effect.
Abstract: Using 7 years of data representing the Canadian private sector, we estimate the effects of the major components of compensation on a rarely studied form of employee performance: innovation. Although there are some limitations inherent in the data, our results indicate the complex motivation required for consistent innovation success. Surprisingly, we find that fixed pay (salary) and individual performance pay have no effect on innovation, while variable group pay and indirect pay (employee benefits) have a positive effect. In other words, our results suggest that you can pay employees to innovate, provided that you select the right compensation incentives.
TL;DR: In this article, the mediating role of negative and positive emotion between job stressors and counterproductive work behaviours (CWB) and organisational citizenship behaviours, and the moderating effects of personality and ability-based emotional intelligence (EI) on the relationships between jobs and emotions was investigated.
Abstract: Framed within an emotion-centred model, the current study investigated the mediating role of negative and positive emotion between job stressors and counterproductive work behaviours (CWB) and organisational citizenship behaviours, and the moderating effects of personality and ability-based emotional intelligence (EI) on the relationships between job stressors and emotions. Results from a sample of 202 Caribbean employees across eight public and private sector organisations showed that both positive and negative emotion mediated the relation between job stressors and citizenship behaviours, whereas only negative emotion was found to mediate the relation between job stressors and CWB. Some support was found for the moderating effects of personality and EI. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
TL;DR: Park et al. as discussed by the authors examined the mediating role of organisational commitment in the relationship between group incentives and financial performance and also investigated the moderated role of innovation in these relationships.
Abstract: Using a nationally representative and multisource data set, this study examines the mediating role of organisational commitment in the relationship between group incentives and financial performance The study also investigates the moderating role of innovation in these relationships The results demonstrate that organisational commitment partially mediates the relationship between group incentives and financial performance The findings of this study support the hypotheses that the relationships of group incentives with organisational commitment and financial performance are stronger in more innovative companies than in less innovative companies The results provide implications on how group incentives affect financial performance and which organisations in particular should provide their employees with group incentive practices Contact: Professor Rhokeun Park, College of Business Administration, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, 107 Imun-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-791, Korea Email: rkpark75@ hufsackr
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the reasons for the success or failure of HRM initiatives that have been associated with organisational outcomes and classified the reasons as dimensions of human resource management power.
Abstract: While a large body of literature has investigated the content of human resource management (HRM) practices, this research explores the process through which the HRM function impacts on organisational performance. Specifically, the research explores the reasons for the success or failure of HRM initiatives that have been associated with organisational outcomes and classifies the reasons as dimensions of HRM power. Based on 26 interviews conducted in Australia with senior HRM executives, top management team (TMT) executives and two management consultants, we found that, in order to contribute to organisational performance, HRM professionals can effectively utilise three dimensions of power, namely power of resources, power of processes and power of meaning. The findings offer new insights to the relationship between dimensions of HRM power and organisational performance.
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative analysis of eight British and German organisations was conducted to investigate the commitment, scope, coverage and implementation of age management in HRM, and they found that commitment and scope differ due to country specific institutions, particularly government, in nudging employers and unions to preferred age practices.
Abstract: Demographic change as well as pressure from the European Union and national government are forcing organisations to change age-discriminatory Human Resource Management (HRM) approaches. Based on a qualitative analysis of eight British and German organisations, we found that commitment, scope, coverage and implementation of age management differ due to country-specific institutions, particularly government, in nudging employers and unions to preferred age practices. This confirms the path-dependency concept suggested by institutional theory. Nevertheless, we also found that industry-specific factors mediate the implementation of age management, leading to some convergence across countries. This indicates that organisations deviate from the institutional path to implement practices that they deem important. (authors' abstract)
TL;DR: The authors examined the mismatches between supply of skills and attributes of immigrants and the demands of employers that influence workplace integration of skilled immigrants in Australia and found that despite being skilled, immigrants still cannot meet the requirements of employers in doing their jobs effectively.
Abstract: This article examines the mismatches between supply of skills and attributes of immigrants and the demands of employers that influence workplace integration of skilled immigrants in Australia. It argues that, despite being skilled, immigrants still cannot meet the requirements of employers in doing their jobs effectively. There are mismatches, which happen mainly in the aspects of English proficiency, qualification and culture. The study followed a qualitative research design taking skilled immigrants from IT and engineering professional backgrounds and their employers in Australia as the interviewees. The results confirm that the workplace integration of immigrants is not only affected by the inherent capacities of immigrants, but the mindset of employers and their perception towards immigrants' overall qualities also manipulate the process. The results are, however, indicative only, as the study is confined to IT and engineering professional groups, and does not report the experiences of other immigrants.
TL;DR: This paper found that firms subject to a specific type of private equity acquisition, institutional buyouts, are associated with job losses, lower wages and lower productivity, without any corresponding improvement in productivity.
Abstract: There is growing controversy on the HR consequences of private equity acquisitions, especially when the existing management team is replaced. Much of the debate thus far has centred on the use of limited panels of case studies and industry surveys. This article, in contrast, uses both in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders and objective company data to compare firms subject to private equity acquisitions against a control group of non-acquired firms. Our interviews provide insights into key issues that are investigated in the subsequent empirical analysis. Our core findings are that firms subject to a specific type of private equity acquisition – institutional buyouts – are associated with job losses, lower wages and lower productivity. This evidence is consistent with the notion that this type of private equity acquisition has negative employment consequences without any corresponding improvement in productivity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how HR outsourcing affects the HR role, competencies and relationships with senior management through 27 semi-structured interviews with senior HR professionals, comparing HR departments engaged in HR outsourcing with those maintaining full in-house HR provision.
Abstract: The business benefits of an outsourcing strategy are well documented, and HR is encouraged to outsource in order to add value. Yet little is known about how HR outsourcing affects the HR role, competencies and relationships with senior management. These issues are examined through 27 semi-structured interviews with senior HR professionals, comparing HR departments engaged in HR outsourcing with those maintaining full in-house HR provision. The findings indicate that HR outsourcing stymies HR role transformation. HR outsourcers experienced limited skill development and an increased focus on cost reduction at the expense of their strategic position. In contrast, non-HR outsourcers actively engaged in other parts of the business, developing competencies that garnered trust and support of senior managers. The benefits of an external HR community appear limited. The study suggests that an 'internal' HR community is better placed to enhance HR departmental roles.
TL;DR: In this paper, the question why some firms develop more socially responsible employment systems when economic conditions predict the use of low cost, precarious employment systems is central in the context of structural theory.
Abstract: Precarious employment practices such as short-term contracts, low pay and lack of voice have undesired outcomes for workers, because these impede employees in their ethical rights to freedom, well-being and equality. Still, precarious employment practice is common in sectors with restrained economic conditions, such as Dutch agriculture. However, in every restrained industry, examples of more socially responsible employment management are reported. The question why some firms develop more socially responsible employment systems when economic conditions predict the use of low cost, precarious employment systems is central in this article. Structuration theory provides a lens to understand how employers position their employment practice in the wider (institutionalised) social context. Insight in the reproduction circuits that link employers' actions with their social context (product, market, institutions and policies, demographics) can reveal where, at a sector level, change to avoid unethical employment practice could start.
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of supervisors in controlling potential job stressors for employees and implications for stress management in large, complex workplaces were discussed, and they found no buffering effect of LMX between job demands and strain.
Abstract: High-quality supervisor–subordinate relationships, measured as leader–member exchange (LMX), can either reduce or intensify subordinates’ job strain. We examined LMX effects on job demands and strain in junior and senior role nursing dyads in a sample of five UK hospitals. LMX reduced job demands and strain for junior subordinates, but for senior subordinates both low- and high-quality LMX lead to greater strain, indicating a curvilinear relationship between LMX and strain. We found no buffering effect of LMX between job demands and strain. The article discusses the role of supervisors in controlling potential job stressors for employees and implications for stress management in large, complex workplaces.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the experiences of short-term workers in the food manufacturing industry in the UK and found that variations in absence rates between directly employed temporary workers and agency workers are the result of differing levels of managerial control over absence, which affects workers' ability to use absence as a form of industrial conflict to escape a low-skilled and monotonous work process.
Abstract: This article responds to a recent call in a provocation article in the Human Resource Management Journal by Thompson to use workplace studies to investigate employees' experiences of HR practices. Examining the particular case of absence management, the article investigates the experiences of short-term workers in the food manufacturing industry in the UK. Variations in absence rates between directly employed temporary workers and agency workers are shown to be the result of differing levels of managerial control over absence, which affects workers' ability to use absence as a form of industrial conflict to escape a low-skilled and monotonous work process.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the institutional determinants of downsizing in an economy with a highly rigid labour market and found that low levels of severance payments incurred by downsizers in the past promoted downsizing, but too high severance payment discourages downsizing.
Abstract: This study analyses the institutional determinants of downsizing in an economy with a highly rigid labour market: Spain. Our focus is first placed on the impact that the system of severance payment has on downsizing adoption. In particular, we analyse whether the regulatory environment can explain variations in employers' downsizing use. In addition, we analyse how organisations imitate one another in implementing downsizing, presumably in a quest for legitimacy. The evidence provided indicates that low levels of severance payments incurred by downsizers in the past promotes downsizing in the present, but too high severance payments discourages downsizing. Therefore, firms in Spain are constrained by regulatory forces stemming from labour law. Our results also reflect the importance of rational myths in downsizing because companies imitate the decisions on downsizing widely used in their industry and, particularly, those adopted by industry leaders.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that change agency is better seen as replaying rather than resolving the ambiguity of HRM's role and identity in organisations, and that challenges to occupational credibility and competing jurisdictional claims have wider implications for the role of HR practitioners.
Abstract: Change agency is seen as a key route to reducing the occupational vulnerability of human resource management (HRM). However, few look outside of the HRM context to consider change agency more broadly in organisations. Drawing on a study of change agency units in British organisations, we argue that challenges to occupational credibility and competing jurisdictional claims have wider implications for the role of HR practitioners. In particular, change agency is better seen as replaying rather than resolving the ambiguity of HRM's role and identity in organisations.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors find that employee preferences are influenced by two common cognitive heuristics (representativeness and familiarity), organisational commitment, the perceived quality of corporate communications about these plans and perceived managerial commitment to employee ownership.
Abstract: In this article, we broaden the focus of existing research on employee stock purchase plans by analysing employee preferences for investing in employer stock as a construct distinct from actual investment behaviour. In our analysis of original survey data in a sample of 900 employees in four French companies, we find that employee preferences are influenced by two common cognitive heuristics (representativeness and familiarity), organisational commitment, the perceived quality of corporate communications about these plans and perceived managerial commitment to employee ownership. We did not find, however, that risk aversion, turnover intentions or perceived employee involvement in decision making influenced preferences for investing in employer stock. Our findings have both theoretical and practical implications for understanding and operating these types of employee benefit plans, which are becoming more common across the globe.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the results of a study of the over-training of apprentices by large manufacturers in the UK and examine the extent and nature of overtraining, the reasons why employers become involved in overtraining and policy implications.
Abstract: This article reports the results of a study of the ‘over-training’ of apprentices by large manufacturers in the UK. The term ‘over-training’ was traditionally used to refer to the way in which nationalised industries trained more apprentices than they needed, with the ‘surplus’ being released at the end of their training to find another employer. In contrast, the evidence reported in this article indicates that over-training now typically involves large employers helping to train apprentices who are employed and paid by other firms from the outset. The project examines the extent and nature of over-training, the reasons why employers become involved in over-training, and policy implications. The evidence suggests that over-training can increase the number of high-quality apprenticeships. Large employers need to be made more aware of over-training. Government can help promote over-training via its ‘Catapult Centres’.
TL;DR: This article examined college students' perceptions of the amount and degree of information available to potential employers who use social media and found that participants did not perceive much information about key job categories could be derived from their pages and they planned very few changes even though many believed it highly likely an employer would review their page.
Abstract: Increasingly employers are using social media as a mechanism to screen potential job candidates. This study examined college students' perceptions of the amount and degree of information available to potential employers who use social media. The study employed a survey of college students to determine how much information they felt someone could learn about them through their Facebook page. Results indicated that participants did not perceive much information about key job categories could be derived from their pages and they planned very few changes even though many believed it highly likely an employer would review their page. A subgroup also had their pages reviewed by HR professionals. A comparison analysis revealed that in several key job-related areas, such as potential unethical behaviours and communication skills, HR personnel felt that they were able to learn significantly more about the participants than the participants believed themselves.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine and combine aspects of two approaches to recruitment and selection: the political nomination model and the more professional HRM approach, and argue that an integrative approach would acknowledge the political, regulatory and organisational context while incorporating valid selection criteria such as domain-specific skills and performance on the job.
Abstract: The role of a pension trustee is significant, which makes the recruitment and selection of labour trustees an important issue. In this article, we examine and combine aspects of two approaches to recruitment and selection: the political nomination model and the more professional HRM approach. We argue that an integrative approach would acknowledge the political, regulatory and organisational context while incorporating valid selection criteria such as domain-specific skills and performance on the job. Such an integrated process can help trade unions in filling labour trustee positions with talented individuals who are more likely to be effective in achieving labour's goals in pension governance.