Abstract
AbstractThe implementation of human resource (HR) policies often proves troublesome due to the appearance, and stubborn persistence, of gaps in the process. Human resource management (HRM) scholars problematise these gaps and advocate tight implementation to reduce gaps and to ensure the desired impact of policies on organisational performance. Drawing on organisational institutionalism, we contend that gaps in implementing HR policies can actually be productive, as they secure organisational legitimacy, and thus enable organisations to operate viably within several institutional environments. We suggest that different approaches to implementation are needed, some of them premised on accepting sustained implementation gaps. We introduce minimum and moderate implementation approaches, rooted in the notion of decoupling, to complement approaches aimed at tight implementation. Our aim is to support the further development of research based on a richer interpretation of HRM implementation challenges and choices they present for HR managers.
Highlights
The task of human resource management (HRM) implementation is known to be persistently troublesome and often frustrating for human resource (HR) managers employed by corporate HR departments in multinational organisations (Hailey et al, 2005), by local HR units and subsidiaries of global firms (Schuler et al, 1993) and by organisations providing services and goods for domestic markets whether large, medium‐sized or small (Wu et al, 2015)
Our aim is to support the further development of research based on a richer interpretation of HRM implementation challenges and choices they present for HR managers
The scholarly conversation on HRM implementation mainly focuses on how to tightly implement HR policies in order to enhance the impact of policies on business performance
Summary
The task of human resource management (HRM) implementation is known to be persistently troublesome and often frustrating for human resource (HR) managers employed by corporate HR departments in multinational organisations (Hailey et al, 2005), by local HR units and subsidiaries of global firms (Schuler et al, 1993) and by organisations providing services and goods for domestic markets whether large, medium‐sized or small (Wu et al, 2015). The impact of HR implementation on business outcomes remains unclear and unconvincing for those who are needed to implement policies (Woodrow & Guest, 2014). Cases of gap‐ridden and ineffective HRM implementation are widely reported, suggesting that many HR policies that exist on paper may not be implemented as intended by their designers. Even if implemented, they may not have clear outcomes. This research is underpinned by assumptions that tight implementation is genuinely desirable and that HR managers add value to organisations by ensuring that policies have an impact on business outcomes
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