HRM Professionals Research Articles

How Performance Management Enhances Employee Job Performance? “Finding the Silver Lining”

Purpose of this paper: Employees’ job performance is considered essential to the survival and success of organizations. Building on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this multilevel cross-sectional study aimed to examine the direct effects of performance management (PM) on employees’ job performance, as well as the moderating role of PM practices in the relationship between recognition and employees’ job performance and in the relationship between psychological well-being and employees’ job performance. Design/methodology/approach: Multilevel regression analysis was executed with Stata 16 software. The data were processed according to their hierarchical structure (i.e., 251 employees nested in 18 organizations). Findings: Although PM do not directly influence employees’ job performance in this study, it interacts with recognition and psychological well-being to accentuate their effects on job performance. Research limitations/implications: This study is cross-sectional and relies on employees’ self-report questionnaires. PM does not appear to be the cure for all ills, but still seem to be resourceful to employees, showing that every cloud has a silver lining. Practical implications: Performance management should be considered by HRM professionals and promoted among managers and employees as an organizational tool for orienting and optimizing employees’ resources that contribute to good functioning and goal attainment at work. Originality/value: These results extend the literature by illustrating that performance management is still useful in organizations when combined with other organizational and individual resources, such as recognition and employees’ psychological well-being. Specific practical implications for HRM professionals are discussed.

Human Resource Development (HRD) Meets Human Resource Management (HRM): A Skills Based Agenda for a FRAGILE World Order

Problem HRD and HRM can sometimes operate in silos or at cross-purposes. The increasingly FRAGILE world order confronting business (i.e., Fragmenting boundaries; Resurgent populism; Accelerated digitalisation; Growing inequality; Inverted populations; Loss of Trust; and the Ecological crisis) mandates greater collaborative engagement across HRD and HRM. Solution Following a detailed review of the skills-based implications of the FRAGILE world order, the article unpacks the nascent skills-based agenda, detailing the transition from traditional job to task-based understanding, and outlining some examples of what it can look like in practice. Ultimately, to effectively navigate the FRAGILE world order organizations must have a clear understanding of both their current skill demands and deficiencies, and equally skills required of the future. Stakeholders This conceptual article will be of interest to HRD and HRM professionals, but equally hold broader insights for organizations and policy makers engaged in navigating the FRAGILE world order through a skills-based agenda.

The where and the who of HRM decision-making: HRM decentralization and devolution

PurposeHRM decentralization and devolution have been highlighted as key HRM processes in organizations’ quest for increased flexibility. Although they have been extensively studied in the MNC and International HRM literature, they have mainly been examined on a separate basis, and their definition and operationalization have often been confused. Thus, we first clarify the difference between the two concepts by refining the definitions by Hoogendoorn and Brewster (1992), and then empirically examine how they are related.Design/methodology/approachThe relationship between HRM decentralization and devolution is examined by means of a survey in a large multi-country sample of multi-unit organizations.FindingsRegarding our clarification objective, we contend that devolution has to do with who takes responsibilities for HRM (i.e. line managers or HRM professionals) while decentralization refers to where HRM responsibilities are allocated (i.e. headquarters or increasingly local units). Regarding the relationship between the two concepts, the results show that higher levels of HRM decentralization are related to higher levels of devolution, but this association is attenuated in organizations with more powerful HRM departments.Originality/valueThe study contributes to theory and practice by disentangling, at the conceptual, operational, empirical and practical levels, two different but related HRM decisions (how much to devolve and how much to decentralize HRM) that organizations must make to efficiently cope with the characteristics of their own structure and competitive environment. It highlights the role of the relative power of HRM departments in how HRM responsibilities are ultimately distributed across the organization.

Perspectives of HRM Professionals on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Nepal

Diversity Management has not yet been a significant part of now much discussed topic HRM in Nepal although the concepts of Diversity Management (DM) emerged in the USA, Canada in 1980s. Most of the developed countries in European Union have been the flagship of diversity management. There is handful of renowned organizations today either catering HRM services or implementing full-fledged HRM discipline in their own organizations. College text books and, seminars and dialogues conducted by development sectors have indicated that the emergence of concepts of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is pertinent in today’s context. In developed countries, both profit making and non-profit making organizations have been emphasizing the concepts of DEI and focusing on those in organizations. It’s a thought[1]provoking idea to learn the perspectives of current organization leaders in Nepal about their views on DEI. The article has been prepared based on findings of in-depth interviews taken with leaders and/or senior HR managers of reputed companies those are promoting HRM in Nepal. It attempts to provide an exploratory review seeking to shed light on their perspectives of regarding DEI in their pre-established HRM domain. The article explores the opinions, experiences and competencies and the initiatives taken by HRM leaders. The article also discusses the challenges faced by the HRM leaders in the pursuit of promoting the diversity management.

Five innovation energy mechanisms need strategic and operational HRM involvement—An abductive case study at Saxion University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands

This paper provides insight into innovation energy, its five working mechanisms, and innovative work behaviour (IWB). Although human energy is often mentioned as an important factor in theories about motivation, it is still an unexplored theme in literature. The management of organisations often focuses on the innovation content and neglects the process aspects. Strategic and operational HRM involvement is needed to realising the essential conditions for the innovation energy of innovative employees. An abductive case study on innovation energy took place in five educational departments of one academy at Saxion University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. We interviewed 21 innovating lecturers and their five team leaders individually and organised five focus groups with a total of 17 team members. Innovation energy converts individual innovation properties (creativity, psychological empowerment, and optimism) into IWB. Organisations must pay attention to these properties and four other working mechanisms (autonomy, teamwork, leadership, and external contacts) that influence this conversion process. HRM professionals should be involved with innovation processes to realise the right conditions for innovation energy, together with line management. The construct of innovation energy with five working mechanisms gives more insight into the IWB process from the perspective of the engaged employee with IWB. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on IWB, (human) innovation energy, and engagement in relation to HRM.

The impact of the emergence of E-HRM practices on employees performance

This paper aims to investigate the emergence of Electronic Human Resources Management (E-HRM) practices and its impact on employee's performance. Furthermore, it looks at the digitalization and how it affects the degree of engagement and satisfaction. This study aims to illustrate the relationship between E-HRM and organizational performance. A total of 10 HRM professionals were interviewed from different countries in the MENA region. Thematic analysis was conducted to retrieve recurring themes that helped us understanding the relationship between e-HRM and employees' performance. The main originality of this study is to suggest to HRM managers that they now need to work with IT people to ensure E-HRM practices are implemented as this can have a positive impact on employees' performance. Keywords: HRM Practices, technology, e-HRM, innovation, societal impact, employee performance, employee satisfaction.

Connecting the Dots: How Organizational Commitment Mediates the HR Practices-Turnover Intention Link

The main purpose of the current study is to analyze the influence of human resource (HR) practices on the intention of employees to leave their jobs, taking into account the intermediary role played by employees' commitment to the organization. This investigation is rooted in the organizational support theory. Data was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. The research was carried out by selecting a sample of 400 respondents from Pakistan's hospitality industry, using a non-probability purposive sampling approach. The study's findings revealed that there is a partially significant and direct relationship between HR practices such as training and development, motivation-enhancing approaches, and skill-enhancing initiatives—except for aspects related to pay and promotion. Notably, organizational commitment was found to significantly mediate the connection between HR practices and employees' intention to leave their jobs within Pakistan's hospitality industry. This research enriches the Human Resource Management literature by amalgamating HR practices, turnover intention, and organizational support theory into a unified framework. Through this, it offers insights into the potential routes via which HR practices can yield positive outcomes. From a practical perspective, this study extends guidance to HRM professionals in the hospitality sector on the effective implementation of HR practices.

Food for thought on eating while meeting virtually

ABSTRACT This study examines observers’ perceptions of employees eating during virtual work meetings. Using a 2 × 3 experimental design, participants (N = 842) were randomly assigned to one of three eating conditions including no one eating, target eating, and everyone eating where they rated either a male or female target. While existing research has demonstrated positive consequences of sharing food in the traditional workplace, our findings demonstrate that individuals who eat during virtual work meetings are perceived as less professional, less competent, and less likely to experience career success. Observers’ perceptions of the eater’s professionalism are negatively impacted, regardless of whether the target is the only one eating or whether everyone is eating. We offer practical suggestions for HRM professionals working to help managers and employees understand the nuances of videoconferencing.

To Examine the Challenges and Implications for the China Hospitality Industry When Conducting Recruitment and Selection Under the Influence of COVID-19

COVID-19 has shaken all institutions, constructing a complicated and challenging atmosphere for hospitality managers and business practitioners in the field, who must devise alternatives to secure the future of their businesses and assist their staff in dealing with this unprecedented crisis. There are few kinds of research examining the effects of the downturn on HRM. This article is a comprehensive analysis of the issues of recruiting in the hotel industry in China and all around the globe, with a focus on contingency planning to provide practical and feasible solutions in the future. By investigating the impact of the COVID-19 on hospitality and tourism HRM, the study aimed to increase the area of HRM leadership literature. It analyzes the significant difficulties and advantages which have already come as a result of this emerging outbreak and its approaches to help HRM professionals with perspectives on potential new ranking factors that may evolve as a result of such openings.

Making Change Happen: How HRM Professionals Deal with Tensions in Times of Organizational Change

This paper is an ethnographic study of HRM professionals who were engaged in organizational-change projects that conflicted with each other. I explore tensions that arose for HRM professionals when they were required to simultaneously attend to multiple projects—both short-term change projects and long-term strategic-change projects. Applying a practice-theory lens, this paper helps us better understand how HRM professionals make change happen. This paper looks at change management from the view of HRM professionals to investigate the resourcing practices they use to work through short-term–long-term-tensions that arise under conditions of resource scarcity. The first contribution is extending our knowledge of the HRM profession by identifying resourcing practices to deal with tensions during change-management projects. In investigating these conflicts, I identify three resourcing strategies that HRM professionals use to navigate and work through these tensions - situational reframing, organizational preframing and institutional deframing. The second contribution is adding to the HRM-as-practice literature by helping to bridge HRM practices with HRM practitioners (in this paper: professionals) and HRM praxis. By highlighting the everyday practices that HRM professionals engage in, I add to a better understanding of the intersecting elements and the situated social activities enabling HRM praxis. In doing so, I add to a more practice-oriented approach of HRM research with an increased focus on actors and their agency.

HRM Practices and Agendas for Equality in Global-South Contexts

Although macro-social influences on managerial and international HRM practices have been extensively reported in the literature, the alignments and contentions between these practices in post-colonial states are, however, poorly understood. This paper examines the HRM role and practices of traditional and Western-informed, non-traditional, elite managers in introducing and progressing universal HRM practices and agendas, under a Praetorian regime in post-colonial Pakistan. In-depth interviews were conducted with HRM professionals, union representatives, and managers working in the Pakistani public and private sectors and multinational organisations. Through the lens of Foucauldian discourse, analyses of the interviews revealed the coexistence of managerial global-HRM orientated elite and Praetorian post-colonial elite managers and how their HRM practices impacted employees’ experience of equality and inequality within their organisations. This intertextual `union` is predicated on the dynamics of hierarchical and heterarchical relations of power and resistance within the organisation, and the imbrication, or interleaving, of local history and culture, global culture, and influential HRM practices. Our findings suggest the need for greater consideration of social practices, including forms of subjectivity, meanings, and power relations, when managing human resources to achieve equality in organisations within post-colonial countries.

Breaking up Order Through Temporal Role Taking: HRM Professionals as Jesters in Navigating Paradoxes

Breaking up Order Through Temporal Role Taking: HRM Professionals as Jesters in Navigating Paradoxes

The Myth of Employee Experience: From False Premises to Benevolent Subordination

The concept of employee experience, developed by the management consulting industry to address the link between human resource management and firm profit, is fashionable among HRM professionals. In this ethnographic case study, we take a critical look at its evolution and show that it is based on two false premises: the false premise of perspectives and the false premise of relationships. We therefore question the underlying logic of employee experience and portray it as a myth. Given the lack of academic research on employee experience in general and critical research in particular, we make a contribution by introducing the notion of benevolent subordination. It describes how senior managers may frame HRM initiatives such as employee experience as well-intending and benevolent, obscuring their own subordinating acts and the adverse outcomes that these acts may bring about for the employees themselves.

The Role of Sustainable HRM in Promoting Corporate Sustainability

The quest for greater sustainability is one of the most serious and important undertakings of our time. In investigating the transformation towards enhanced corporate sustainability, HRM has been attributed substantial potential to contribute to more sustainable business practices. Taking into account previous conceptual work on sustainable HRM, this qualitative study conducted in Germany explores how HRM professionals perceive their roles in promoting corporate sustainability, what tensions associated with the alignment of corporate sustainability objectives and divergent stakeholder demands they experience, and which practices they use to mitigate those tensions. Discussing our rich empirical data in the context of paradox theory, we propose an explanatory framework considering the three identified HRM roles for promoting social, ecological, and financial sustainability, the categorization of perceived tensions between corporate sustainability objectives, and indications on how HR professionals address those divergent goals, which explains how sustainable HRM can contribute to corporate sustainability and, eventually, to corporate success. We point to the specific need to better understand the ability of HRM professionals to capture paradoxical tensions, create dynamic capabilities for sustainable HRM and design mitigating practices. From our findings, we derive practical implications and suggest avenues for future research.

Supporting Australian veteran transition: career construction through a person-environment fit perspective

Despite military veterans being recognised as a rich talent pool for employers, evidence suggests that their capabilities are not fully utilised in civilian workplaces, with recent research indicating difficulty finding appropriate jobs and high turnover rates for this population. This study is underpinned by a person-environment fit perspective, and applies career construction theory to explore veterans’ perspectives of key challenges in their significant career transition from military service into the civilian workforce. It identifies ways for HRM professionals to improve integration and ultimately, retention. Interviews were conducted with 31 veterans from the Australian Defence Force who had transitioned from full-time service and had been working in civilian employment for at least six months but no more than three years. The research resulted in the development of a framework for veteran career transition that acknowledges the personal adaptation that occurs throughout this process and informs HR action required to attract and retain this valuable talent segment.

Transformational Leadership, HRM practices and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of personal stress, anxiety, and workplace loneliness

The present research investigates the crucial role of “Transformational Leadership (TFL)” on employees’ “anxiety”, “personal stress”, and “workplace loneliness”, and finally on employees’ “burnout”. Moreover, this survey investigates the moderating role of “HRM practices” in the relationship between TFL and burnout. For the needs of the research, “Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)” was conducted on a sample of 459 Greek “customer-contact employees” based on thirteen hotels during the “COVID-19 pandemic”. First, the findings uncover the dynamic of TFL in reducing all three stressors, namely “personal financial stress”; “anxiety”; and “workplace loneliness”, thus prohibiting employees’ “burnout”. Moreover, the study underscores the moderating role of “HRM practices” in strengthening the negative relationship between TFL and “burnout”. Overall, the findings provide additional evidence on the process through which “HRM practices” interact with “TFL”, “job stressors”, and employees’ “burnout”, a vital knowledge for HRM professionals and hotels’ managers.

The role of HRM and HR professionals in making change happen

Die Unternehmung" zählt mit ihrem Konzept, theoretischen Anspruch und Praxisrelevanz in qualitativ hochwertigen Beiträgen zu verbinden, zu den führenden deutschsprachigen Fachzeitschriften der Betriebswirtschaftslehre.

Making change happen: How HRM professionals experience and deal with tensions in times of organizational change

Die ethnographische Studie zeigt Spannungen und Konflikte, denen HRM Verantwortliche während organisationaler Veränderungsprozesse ausgesetzt sind. Diese ergeben sich daraus, dass sich HRM Verantwortliche gleichzeitig mehreren Projekten, sowohl jener kurz- als auch langfristiger und strategischer Art, widmen. Die Studie zeigt, wie HRM Verantwortliche unter diesen Bedingungen Veränderungen ermöglichen und erläutert ‚resourcing‘ Praktiken, die bei Ressourcenknappheit zur Anwendung kommen. In konfliktbehafteten Situationen wenden HRM Verantwortliche drei ‚resourcing‘ Praktiken an, um mit den Spannungen umzugehen - ‚situational reframing‘, ‚organizational preframing‘ und ‚institutional deframing‘. Mit dem Beitrag wird eine Brücke zwischen HRM Praktiken, der HRM Verantwortlichen und der HRM Praxis geschlagen und erweitert damit unser Wissen über HRM in der Praxis.

Talent management and academic context: a comparative study of public and private universities

PurposeThe aims of this research are to present a comprehensive and holistic view of talent management (TM) at universities by exploring the current practices of TM among private and public universities in Jordan and make a comparison between the two sectors in regard to how they recruit, retain, train and develop, and measure the performance of talented people. Moreover, the practice of recruitment and selection, or so-called reflective or process-oriented practices, has given special attention to see how both public and private universities differ in regard to this process in particular.Design/methodology/approachA structured questionnaire was utilized to elicit responses from participants on five selected constructs, recruitment and selection reflective or process-oriented practices, retention, training and development, and performance management. A convenient sampling approach was used to source participants for the study. The data has been analyzed, structured and organized utilizing SPSS software to analyze the results. Frequency tests have been used to test the demographic variables. Descriptive analysis was used to check the standard deviation and mean for total items. The reliability, discriminate validity, convergent validity and correlation matrix of all the questions have been tested using various methods. Moreover, exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) tests were performed. For testing the hypothesis and to examine whether or not there is a significant difference in TM practices between public and private universities in Jordan, independent sample t-tests have been employed.FindingsThe results show that the means of TM practices differ slightly between public and private universities. The public universities demonstrate a higher level of TM practices compared to private universities in all practices except that of performance management. However, while there are visible differences in TM practices between public and private universities, these differences were not statistically significant. On the other hand, we revealed a significant difference in the reflective or process-oriented practices between public and private universities. The results show that HR departments in public universities are more likely to have less power in performing the recruitment and selection processes as compared to private universities. We also compared the extent to which elite academics in public universities select candidates congruent with their own personal and scientific preferences to the extent their counterparts do so in private universities and the results indicate that this practice differs significantly between public and private universities being far more common in private universities. Finally, we compared the practice of academic talents being recruited through informal networks of scouts between private and public universities. The results show a slight and insignificant difference between private and public universities concerning this practice.Originality/valueThis study is built on the concept of “new managerialism” in higher education, which supports collaboration between HRM professionals and academics to enhance TM practices. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by combining “reflective or process-oriented practices” with other TM practices in an attempt to make a comparison of public and private institutions’ practices and provide a more comprehensive view of the TM process. However, the overwhelming majority of study on TM has been carried out in Western countries, with limited attention paid to non-Western contexts. Even though this growing body of research has advanced our theoretical and empirical knowledge of TM, there is still a need to comprehend TM practices in the rest of the globe, particularly when one considers the cultural and institutional disparities that exist between countries. Moreover, according to the researcher’s best knowledge, no previous studies have compared public and private universities regarding talent management, and it would be of great importance to investigate the implementation of TM practices in this vital sector.

Core self-evaluations and project managers' competencies: the moderating role of cultural intelligence

PurposeThe study investigates the effects of core self-evaluations on project managers' competencies. The study further examines the moderating effect of cultural intelligence between core self-evaluations and competencies.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, with a descriptive-survey approach, necessary data were collected from a sample of project managers of Iran's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology through questionnaires. The conceptual framework of the study was tested according to structural equation modeling by PLS software.FindingsFindings show that core self-evaluations have positive and significant effects on project managers' competencies among which psychological stability has the greatest effect. Furthermore, the moderating role of cultural intelligence in the relationship between core self-evaluations and project managers' competencies was confirmed. According to the calculated coefficient, motivational cultural intelligence had the greatest role.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected using a questionnaire at a single point in time, and thus, not allowing cause–effect inferences. Also, the demographic variables were not controlled.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide some implications for HRM professionals and project managers interested in promoting a system of HR practices that contributes to enhancing project managers' competencies and effectiveness.Originality/valueThis study advances our understanding of the factors that have an effect on project managers' competencies, specifically on a list of main competencies necessary for project managers' performance. Moreover, it suggests that project managers' competencies will benefit from cultural intelligence, which will display a greater effect when embedded in highly diverse cultural contexts.