Human Resource Executives Research Articles

Adoption of the Casual Workplace by United States Fortune 500 Companies

The Casual Workplace has had positive effects on most aspects of the corporate culture. Rogers' Model of the Innovation-Decision Process provided the conceptual framework for this study. The sample consisted of Human Resource executives of United States Fortune 500 companies, with 189 executives (38% response rate) responding to the mailed questionnaire. The results of the Casual Workplace have met and exceeded the objectives of the Casual Workplace so it will continue in US companies. Results of this study have implications for global textile marketers, merchandisers, and drycleaners/launderers.

Explaining Organizational Responsiveness to Work-Family Issues: The Role of Human Resource Executives as Issue Interpreters

Explaining Organizational Responsiveness to Work-Family Issues: The Role of Human Resource Executives as Issue Interpreters

The dual‐career couple: Female expatriates and male trailing spouses

AbstractDual‐income and dual‐career couples are becoming an increasingly important segment of professional managers in the United States. The difficulties associated with addressing the unique needs of these dual couples is accentuated when attempting to relocate one of the members of the couple overseas. Referral rates for expatriation have increased and the failure rate of those expatriates who are relocated continues to be high. This article examines the issues international human resource executives face when expatriating female managers and how multinational corporations (MNCs) can proactively address the concerns of both the expatriate managers and their trailing spouses. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The challenge of profound transformation for industrial and organizational psychologists: Are we meeting the challenge?

I write this review from a very different perspective than those who have written the articles you will find in this special issue of Canadian Psychology. I see the content through a thick mask of 15 years of experience in the business world trying to make companies more competitive by helping them manage their people better. I wear my successes and my failures and, like everyone else, I attribute my successes to my abilities and I blame my shortcomings on factors outside my control, such as the state of the art in I-O psychology. I also assess the content you will read in this issue knowing most of the authors personally and having followed their careers for quite some time. Though in scientific circles such factors may be considered a source of bias to be avoided, for a practitioner, it is a an important source of understanding.The PerspectiveI have assessed the content of the articles from one perspective only: Relevance and usefulness to the types of challenges businesses are facing, or those we believe they will be facing in the next few decades. I also add personal experience to the harsh fact which inevitably strikes all organizations, professions, trades or any other identifiable entity in the world of work: All organizations will eventually have to undergo fundamental change in order to survive in the flew economy. Sector by sector, organization by organization, everyone has not or will meet the challenges of increased competition, globalization, changing demographics, and technological transformation.The framework for profound change in I-O PsychologyThe frame of reference for the review is quite simple: I-O psychology must go though a profound transformation to survive and grow in the 21st century. The only real question is how many times and how quickly it will need to change. If it does not transform itself it will go the way of phrenology.I have had the opportunity to do my homework on organizational transformation quite a few times. One of the inevitable conclusions is that all successful transformations start with a clear definition of what customers want and need. From a I-O practitioner's perspective, the customers of I-O psychology are the people who will use the knowledge it creates and hire the people educated in I-O psychology programmes in order to create competitive advantage for work organizations. And that is the CEOs of companies and the human resources executives of major work organizations in the public and private sector. Fortunately for us, David Ulrich of the University of Michigan has already done the work of defining what these people expect (Ulrich, 1997). There are four capabilities which people in organizations expect human resource professionals to have: 1) Knowledge and practice of basic human resources management functions; 2) Leadership in the management of change in organizations; 3) General business knowledge, and; 4) Personal credibility. In my view, research and teaching in I-O psychology should be contributing to building these four capabilities, because that is what it takes to make a difference to organizations.I also add this challenge: Universities should be leading in producing knowledge and competent people in these areas, not simply assessing the impact of things which have already happened. That, I believe, is the real challenge which faces my colleagues in the academic sector.In reviewing these papers, I respect the expertise of my colleagues in the academic world and assume they have represented the state of the art in the different disciplines. I impose the simple four-dimension framework not to judge the people who have written them, but to assess the extent to which the field itself is contributing to the practice of managing people in organizations.The ArticlesLatham and Sue-Chan's article makes the basic argument that the current wave of change sweeping the world is comparable to the changes which occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. …

HUMAN RESOURCE EXECUTIVES' PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Human Resource (HR) executives were surveyed with regard to their perceptions of academic HR research information. In general, the results suggest that HR practitioners' attitudes related to relevance, skepticism, and accessibility are not as negative as was commonly assumed. Still, some specific areas of practitioner concern were identified in the study. The executives' attitudes were also found to be significantly related to specific demographic and organizational variables. Interestingly, HR executives with Ph.D.s had significantly more negative attitudes toward academic research than those without Ph.D.s. Male HR executives also viewed academic research as more irrelevant than their female counterparts. Attitudes also differed significantly as a function of organizational size and type of industry.

Strategic human resources: a new source for competitive advantage in the global arena

As demands are made on organizations to expand their global markets, having an effective global human resources function becomes imperative. Based on interviews with global human resource executives in sixty of the largest US-based multinational organizations, this study first identifies ten factors, or guiding principles, that facilitate such effectiveness. Using data from surveys of these HR executives as well as of managers of non-HR areas and the CEOs/business unit executives of these companies, the paper then analyses how the members of these various groups rated the effectiveness of the global HR function. The survey findings demonstrate that the global HR executives and the CEO/business unit executives rated the global HR function relatively high, while the executives in the other functional areas rated its effectiveness somewhat low. The relationship between the effectiveness of the global HR function and firm performance was also examined and revealed that three of the ten factors identified by the HR executives were related to bottom-line organizational performance measures. These findings suggest that, in successful organizations, global HR is perceived to be making a contribution and actually is making a contribution to the overall financial performance of the organization.

Building a business case for diversity

Executive Overview While most companies acknowledge the importance of making diversity a business consideration, diversity is often not a top business priority. Other business initiatives that present more compelling, factual evidence of payback on investment win out over diversity initiatives, which seem to offer less predictable and tangible benefits. As a result, many human resource executives revert to the argument that “it's the right thing to do” and trust that management will back their suggestions to promote a diversity-friendly work environment, then wonder why nothing happens or why well-intended initiatives fail. The presentation of a solid business case increases the likelihood of obtaining the leadership commitment and resources needed to successfully implement diversity initiatives.

Computer End-User Skills Needed by Business Professionals Now and toward 2000

The focus of this research was to determine the computer end-user skills needed by business professionals now and toward the year 2000. Human resource executives of 83 Fortune 500 companies completed a questionnaire that identified the important computer end-user skills related to hardware, operating systems, word processing software, spreadsheets, databases, desktop publishing, programming, telecommunications and groupware, and discipline-specific information systems. The findings indicated that 20 end-user skills are important for all the business professionals now and toward 2000, and 15 discipline-specific information systems skills are important for the professionals in the respective disciplines now and toward 2000. The respondents also provided additional valuable suggestions for business professionals to stay on the competitive edge.

A quality human resource curriculum: Recommendations from leading senior HR executives

This article describes a high quality human resource management curriculum as perceived by one group of customers–senior human resource executives who hire, train, and work with university and college graduates. A Delphi research methodology was used to survey the opinions of 24 members of the Human Resources Council, an advisory body to the American Management Association. The study confirms that the major topics taught in most HRM curricula at the bachelor and masters levels are perceived by HR executives to be just about right. It also presents their views about the relative value of the topics and shares specifics about their conviction that graduates need a much deeper understanding of how and where the HR function fits into the overall business strategy of an organization. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Human Resource Management and Fortune's Corporate Reputation Survey

This study investigates the relationship between human resource objectives and Fortune's corporate reputation score. Questionnaires were received from 83 human resource executives of companies measured in Fortune's survey. The questionnaire measured the degree to which the following HR objectives underlie HR activities: (1) treating employees fairly, (2) improving organizational performance, and (3) complying with the law. Results show that a significant, positive correlation exists between emphasis placed on the fairness objective and corporate reputation.

Personality Traits of Successful Managers as Perceived By Food and Beverage Human Resource Executives and Recruiters

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the perceptions held by food and beverage human resource executives and recruiters concerning the personality traits of successful hospitality managers. A survey research design and a causal-comparative research design using survey methodology were both used to address the three research questions. Results indicated hospitality management recruiters perceive energy as the most important trait of successful hospitality managers. Whereas, food and beverage human resource executives identified the personality trait of trustworthiness as the trait of greatest importance for successful hospitality managers. In the third research question and corresponding hypothesis, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the hospitalityindustry executives (15.20) and hospitality management recruiters (12.68) on the personality trait of trustworthy, p value of <0.001. The results of this study provide information for future hospitality m...

Hoover's directory of human resources executives, 1996

Hoover's directory of human resources executives, 1996

Four ways to choose a CEO: Crown heir, horse race, coup d'Etat, and comprehensive search

AbstractMost attempts to understand CEO succession fail to adequately differentiate the various ways by which CEOs are chosen. This article presents a conceptual framework that identifies four kinds of CEO succession processes, distinguished according to two key factors: political dynamics (who rules?) and the candidate search (are preferences known in advance?). Our main point is that the response of organizational stakeholders to CEO successions—(a) whether the process is perceived as fair, (b) whether the chosen successor is seen as good for an organization's future, and (c) the extent of disruption attending the leadership change—reflects how the politics and the search are managed. How internal and external stakeholders respond to a CEO succession can affect a new CEO's capacity for exercising effective leadership. Examples of each type (Apple, General Motors, Kodak, and Procter &amp; Gamble) are offered and implications are drawn for researchers and for human resource executives. © 1995 by John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc.

A Positive Policy? Corporate Perspectives on Redundancy and Outplacement

The management of the job‐loss situation is becoming of central importance to top management and human resource executives in the current climate of redundancy. The current nature of severance packages and the provision of outplacement may be interpreted as a move towards normative practices within the policy making of many UK organizations. Reports on the results of a recent survey of over 600 UK organizations. The survey covered organizational perspectives on redundancies and the use of outplacement in the event of redundancy. The results indicated a change in corporate values in the 1990s. There appeared to be a move towards normative practices in the management of redundancy and in particular in the use of outplacement as a moderator of the potentially detrimental impact of the redundancy situation.

Introduction to exemplary practices

Human Resource ManagementVolume 31, Issue 1-2 p. 1-7 Editors' Note Introduction to exemplary practices Dale G. Lake, Dale G. Lake Giest Editor Dale G. Lake is the president of Human Systems Development, Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan. HSD provides consulting services, workshops, and presentations in the areas of organizational capability, implementing planned change, global team development, sourcing, and human resource management; it also offers workshop design and management services. He is the co-author of Organizational Capability: Competing from the Inside/Out and has published numerous other books, chapters and articles. Dale received his Doctorate in social psychology from Columbia University.Search for more papers by this authorDave Ulrich, Dave Ulrich Giest Editor Dale Ulrich is a Clinical Professor at the School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is on the core faculty of the Michigan Executive Program, the Academic Director of Michigan's Human Resource Executive Program, and the co-director of the Advanced Human Resource Executive Program. He has published over 50 articles and book chapters and is co-author of Organizational Capability: Compting from the Inside/Out. He served on the Board of Directors for the Human Resource Planning Society, is the Editor of Human Resource Management, and serves on the editorial board of five other journals. He has consulted and done research with public and private organizations on strategic planning, implementing strategic plans, management of change, and using human resources as a competitive advantage.Search for more papers by this author Dale G. Lake, Dale G. Lake Giest Editor Dale G. Lake is the president of Human Systems Development, Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan. HSD provides consulting services, workshops, and presentations in the areas of organizational capability, implementing planned change, global team development, sourcing, and human resource management; it also offers workshop design and management services. He is the co-author of Organizational Capability: Competing from the Inside/Out and has published numerous other books, chapters and articles. Dale received his Doctorate in social psychology from Columbia University.Search for more papers by this authorDave Ulrich, Dave Ulrich Giest Editor Dale Ulrich is a Clinical Professor at the School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is on the core faculty of the Michigan Executive Program, the Academic Director of Michigan's Human Resource Executive Program, and the co-director of the Advanced Human Resource Executive Program. He has published over 50 articles and book chapters and is co-author of Organizational Capability: Compting from the Inside/Out. He served on the Board of Directors for the Human Resource Planning Society, is the Editor of Human Resource Management, and serves on the editorial board of five other journals. He has consulted and done research with public and private organizations on strategic planning, implementing strategic plans, management of change, and using human resources as a competitive advantage.Search for more papers by this author First published: Spring ‐ Summer 1992 https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930310101Citations: 1 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume31, Issue1-2Special Issue: Exemplary PracticesSpring ‐ Summer 1992Pages 1-7 RelatedInformation

Attitudes toward employee participation in decision-making: A comparison of european and american managers in a united states multinational company

This article examines an American multinational company to uncover any crossnational differences in managerial attitudes toward employee participation in decision-making. Human resource practices of the parent company toward its European subsidiaries were also examined, especially those relevant to employee participation issues. Data were collected from the company's manufacturing facilities in Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States. Managers were interviewed and then surveyed regarding their attitudes toward participation. The interviews revealed resistance to the parent company's efforts to “export” an American vision of employee participation to its European subsidiaries. The survey data revealed attitudinal differences among European managers as well as among their American counterparts. Possible explanations, implications for human resource executives and research directions are discussed. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Employment of persons with severe disabilities in large businesses in the United States

A mail survey of the largest businesses in the US, the Fortune 500 industrial and service corporations, examined the attitudes of personnel and human resource executives towards the employability of persons with severe disabilities and actual corporate practices regarding the employment of persons with disabilities. The 341 executives who responded are found to be favourable to the employment of persons with disabilities, especially if the executives work in corporations that have hired persons with disabilities within the past three years, and/or have had personally good contact with persons with disabilities in the past. Almost two-thirds of the corporations have a policy regarding hiring persons with disabilities; over one-half have hired such persons within the past three years; and over one-third have supported work programmes.

Customer–supplier partnerships: Human resources as bridge builders

AbstractThis article examines an approach for breaking down interorganizational boundaries between a company, its customers, and suppliers. Human Resource executives can play an important role in designing and facilitating customer–supplier partnerships and collaboration. A case example of fashioning such a relationship between GE and Sears is used to highlight key issues in the process. Specific guidelines and observations are provided regarding implementation issues.

Can HR Respond to Corporate Strategy?

Human resources (HR) executives have traditionally avoided taking center stage in dealing with management. In most cases, in fact, they stay off the stage entirely, handling various (and mostly narrowly defined) personnel functions “behind the scenes.”

Key human resource issues in IS in the 1990s: Views of IS executives versus human resource executives

Key human resource (HR) issues in IS for the 1990s were identified by separate Delphi studies of IS executives and human resource executives in Fortune 500 firms. Three rounds of survey of participants were used to move opinions toward consensus. For IS executives, acquiring a stronger business orientation was the top ranked issue. For HR executives, better HR planning was the top ranked issue. Six issues were ranked in the top ten by both groups: however ranking differed considerably. The article discusses survey methodology, analyzes results, and provides conclusions.