HRM: A Management Science in Need of Discipline

Abstract

Human resource management (HRM), as a subdiscipline of managementscience, is in its infancy. HRMpractices are often utopian in expectation andfail to incorporate a realistic view of existing knowledge bases in the psychological, social, and biological sciences. The HRM discipline relies upon theoretical approaches (e.g., theories of motivation, satisfaction, and performance)which are: 1) almost invariably linear in conceptualization and dependlargely upon correlational evidence, 2) frequently validated within non-representative contexts that are overly constrained by researchers, and3) overly simplistic in that the constraints and patterns imposed by our biological, psychological, and social systems are frequently ignored or assumedto constitute random error within the models. This frequently translates intoHRM practices which map reasonably well onto theory yet fall short of yieldingexpected outcomes. The theories do not match the realties observed. We pointto non-linear dynamics and chaos theory as a way of conceptualizing howcommon HRM practices may translate into observable outcomes. Such anapproach will force managers to pull back from simple reliance on linearpredictions and realize that truly effective HRM practices should be sensitiveto the unique, complex, and less systematically predictable patterns of humanbehaviour.