The underappreciated role of line managers in human resource management

Abstract

In recent years, SHRM scholars have devoted increasing attention to examining the critical roles of line managers in the delivery of organizations' human resource (HR) practices. In this chapter, we characterize the current state of SHRM scholarship on line managers' influence in the HR context across various levels of the organization. In doing so, we make several observations which lay the foundation for our recommendations for future research. First, research in this realm has been characterized by a disproportionate focus on line managers as implementers of HR practices, offering limited consideration of line managers' modification or introduction of HR practices. Second, extant work in this vein has often focused on line managers' HR practice delivery behaviors at the unit level, while offering little in the way of integrative insights from research in other areas (e.g., idiosyncratic deals, emergent strategy) that sheds light on line managers' involvement and influence at the individual and organization levels. Third, prior research has tended to overlook the fact that line managers' core responsibilities within their roles are generally not centered on HR practice delivery, but rather focus on maintaining the effective operations of their units or functions, raising important questions about how line managers perceive and manage the intersection of their primary roles with their responsibilities for HR practice delivery. In the course of our critical review, we discuss the implications of these observations and lay a foundation for future research.