Complement Arities Between Recruitment and Selection Practices and Employee Learning in New Zealand Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Abstract

As a response to comments by numerous authors about lack of attention given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in human resource management (HRM) literature, this paper examines complementarities between recruitment and selection practices in SMEs and the work-related learning of newcomers. Data were collected through interviews with mainly owners/managers of 60 firms employing up to 50 staff. Analysis of the interviews suggests that the recruitment and selection practices used by some owners/managers had unintended positive effects on newcomers’ learning. Trusted current employees were encouraged to recruit new staff from their networks of family and friends. Sponsors often took the initiative in supporting newcomers on their pathways of work-related learning. Also, some owners/managers used selection methods; that involved candidates demonstrating their skills on-the-job, through work samples or work trials. These selection methods yield, as a by-product, information about candidates’ learning needs. Such information assists workplace models who guide learning of select tasks appropriate to the learner's level of development. The paper concludes that researchers should pay less attention to traditional HRM functions and start to focus on complementarities that might exist among HRM practices. Such a focus may be more consistent with the ways owners/managers view managing human resources.