Human Resource Initiatives Research Articles

Determining Competencies for Frontline Sales Managers in For-Profit Organizations

The Problem With sales models evolving in response to the changing marketplace, knowing the skills required for sales effectiveness is key to organizational competitive advantage. Frontline sales managers are the most critical role in a productive sales force; however, empirical research focusing on sales manager competence is limited. The Solution Understanding the knowledge and skills necessary for success as a frontline sales manager can assist in improving individual, team, and organizational sales performance. This article adds to the knowledge base by providing a frontline sales manager competency model that can serve as a guide for human resources initiatives to increase sales force effectiveness and help bridge the gap between theory and practice. The Stakeholders Competency models are valuable across industries, and human resources professionals, senior leaders, sales organizations, and researchers can learn from the findings of this study and adapt them to their context.

Implementing a Cross-District Principal Mentoring Program: A Human Resources Approach to Developing Midcareer Principals’ Leadership Capacities

Despite the key role that principals play in leading schoolwide change, districts’ efforts to support principals are often limited, particularly in rural settings. In this article, we report the preliminary findings of a cross-district mentoring program for nine midcareer rural school principals. The collaboratively developed human resource initiative was intended to increase the principals’ capacities to use data to lead change in their schools. The program helped the principals address their schools’ improvement needs and determine their own professional learning requirements. Cross-district support was key to the success of the initiative. We conclude with practical implications for implementing similar mentoring programs.

Environmental Sustainability and Human Resource Management Initiatives

The bottom line of sustainability is the economic, environmental and social performance of an organization. Among the three it is quite evident to see organizations focusing on the economic aspect with more rigors to increase economic performance. It is but obvious for organizations to maximize their profits rationally to help them carry on their operations without the threat of solvency. Environmental performance of any organization is seen on two fronts. Either on a voluntary basis or as an impact of policy, fee levied by Government agencies or regulatory boards. Citizens are now aware of issues of environmental performance, thereby voluntary organizations, and forums' of environmentalist influence organizations to abide by the rule and also show initiatives of being environmentally sensitized. The most commonly used measures are to levy a Hefty fine on high level of emissions and incentive of subsidies on lower level of emissions. The focus is on emissions being a reactive action to the program of environmental performance, but, the shift had to be pro-active looking into the energy reductions as an opportunity of performance. During the past two decades, a worldwide consensus has been emerged around the need for proactive environmental management goals. The responses from organizations are seen to be involving strategic decisions and behavior modification for organizations employees. It is not only the management but also the employees who are benefited by the green practices in the organizations. The paper would like to analyze the initiatives taken by the organizations towards environmental performance for sustainability. The study uses stratified sampling technique and has a sample of 66 organizations located in Bangalore. The data examines the human resource initiatives implemented by the organizations as understood by the employees of the organization.

The practice of corporate social responsibility by Malaysian developers

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to assess the implementation of sustainable practice by Malaysian property developers, particularly on social and environmental perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThis is a qualitative research where content analysis is used to analyse leading property companies’ websites, annual reports, corporate responsibility and sustainability reports, and carbon disclosure reports.FindingsFindings from this research indicate that the majority of the developers have their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in place and there are variations in their approaches and reporting process. Of all, philanthropic activities are the mostly widely reported followed by human resource initiatives. Even though the majority of property companies reported their environmental practices, only the top few developers had their projects certified by sustainability rating agencies.Research limitations/implicationsAs this project was restricted to the top ten Malaysian developers, the results do not reflect how other companies, particularly the smaller ones, adopt CSR in their business. However, this project revealed valuable findings regarding the magnitude of CSR initiatives, particularly on social and environmental perspective, adopted by the top ten Malaysian property developers; this is useful for the Malaysian government authorities in formulating CSR‐related policies particularly on environmental sustainability. As well, the findings of this project can be a useful reference to other property companies which are keen to contribute to sustainable development, particularly on social and environmental perspectives.Originality/valueThere has been limited literature on CSR in the Malaysian property industry thus far. Previous research papers are mainly about environmental sustainability of property companies, sustainable practice by Malaysian real estate investment trusts, and CSR perception of house buyers and developers. Therefore, to fill the gap in the literature, this research is designed to assess the implementation of sustainable practice by Malaysian property developers, particularly on the social and environmental perspectives.

Green HR Initiatives Adoption through The Theory of Planned Behaviour Lens

The goal of this article is to propose the model of green human resource initiatives adoption. Based on innovation management and psychology literatures, attitude, pressure and controllability are ...

Why do organisations engage in HR initiatives? A test case of a health and wellbeing intervention

PurposeMany studies look at the effects of human resource (HR) initiatives. Yet very few consider why organisations adopt them in the first place. Health and wellbeing interventions offer a critical case because they offer apparent benefits for all. Assessing the process of engagement reveals variations in managerial commitment, which has implications for studies of “effects”. This paper seeks to address these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe study offered a free health intervention to organisations; this was separate from the research study, which aimed to assess the effects. A total of 86 organisations were approached, of which 53 indicated some interest in involvement. After further withdrawals and selection against criteria of size and sector, nine remained. The paper assesses the degree of engagement with the study, looking in detail at three organisations. The methods utilised included structured telephone interviews, qualitative interviews and observation.FindingsThe organisations underwent a rigorous selection procedure to ensure their full commitment to the study. On this basis it is expected that the participating organisations would be highly engaged. However, it became clear that there were considerable variations in how they engaged. This reflected the favourability of the organisational context, but also the enthusiasm and commitment of key actors.Originality/valueEngaged organisations were a highly self‐selected group. Studies of effects of interventions may thus be systematically biased. The interventions studies here were also shaped by how they were put into practice; they were not fixed things whose effects could be understood independently of their implementation. The study was also able to make predictions of the subsequent effects of the interventions based on the process of implementation. The results of a follow‐up study to test these predictions will be reported in a further paper.

Are generational differences in work values fact or fiction? Multi-country evidence and implications

Few would disagree that human resource initiatives aimed at enhancing employees' quality of life have universal appeal, but the definition of ‘quality of life’ varies by generation. Workplaces are becoming increasingly age diverse and the likelihood that an older employee will report to a younger manager is increasing. Burke's study for the Society for Human Resource Management found that in organizations with 500 or more employees, 58% of human resource management (HRM) professionals reported conflict between younger and older workers, largely due to their different perceptions of work ethics and work–life balance requirements. While cultural and gender diversity have received significant attention in the literature, little attention has been paid to the impact of age diversity on HRM practices. This study attempts to bridge this gap by examining the work values of four generational cohorts – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y – across five countries. Generational differences were found when the effects of culture and life stage were controlled for. Significant differences were observed with Generation Y in particular, presenting creative challenges in accommodating the needs of this cohort while still watching the bottom line. This study establishes the legitimacy of intergenerational differences as an important social categorization variable.

Human Resource (HR) Initiatives and Their Impact on Performance of National Bank of Pakistan

This study discusses about the major Human Resource (HR) initiatives under taken by the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and their contribution on Banks’ overall performance. The main objective of the study is to embark-upon significant HR strategies adopted by NBP that led the Bank to show outclass performance. By virtue of these HR Policies not only the financial health of the Bank has been improved but it has also revitalized, energized & motivated the entire work force of the Bank to take & accept future challenges. Our study will be very helpful for the Banking industry and it will give a new direction to top level Management of Banks & financial institutions including HR consultants.

An exploration of emotional intelligence between levels of management

The purpose of this paper is to examine the emotional intelligence (EI) as conceptualized in Goleman’s competency model, in different levels of management. To conduct this study, different level managers in Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) organization completed a questionnaire on emotional intelligence. The researchers used descriptive and inferential statistics to describe data and analyze the differences between managers in three levels. Results revealed significant differences between components of emotional intelligences in levels of management. One the EI component, social skills, out of five improved significantly, and some of the specific dimensions, self-awareness and self-regard, showed this significant improvement, while others such as empathy and self-motivation did not have a clear change. This research provides implications for practice in development and sustenance of emotionally intelligent managers. Revealing the impact of EI in managerial levels could be a guide for organizations to improve emotional intelligence. The findings will further assist organizations in human resource initiatives such as managerial development and selection. Key words: Emotional intelligence (EI), managerial levels, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

New insights into an old debate: Investigating the temporal sequence of commitment and performance at the business unit level

Job attitudes and performance are correlated, but which comes first? Despite a long‐lasting debate regarding this question, the potential ordering of the job attitude–job performance relationship and its ideal timing of measurement over time remains unclear. Based on the hedonic treadmill theory and the endowment/contrast model, we develop arguments as to why the influence of performance on subsequent attitudes might be less persistent over time than vice versa and we suggest a strategy to determine the ideal period for measurement time lags. We contrasted both temporal directions within a data set of 755 employees from the retail banking division of a large bank, nested in 34 business units, for the period of 2005–2008, allowing for a controlled environment and consistent data capturing over time. We studied the relationship of organizational commitment aggregated to the business unit level with two business unit performance indicators (financial achievement and customer satisfaction). Results indicated that organizational commitment had a more persistent influence on performance at the business unit level than vice versa. Consistent with prior research, this suggests that job attitudes may come first, and that practitioners might be well advised to aim to improve job attitudes in order to boost performance.Practitioner Points Our study suggests a potential answer to the chicken‐and‐egg problem (i.e., the temporal ordering of the job attitude–job performance relationship): Our theory and data suggest that the influence of performance on subsequent attitudes might be less persistent over time than vice versa. Our study sheds new light onto which timely dimensions are involved in the job attitude–job performance relationship: While the impact of performance on attitudes diminishes after 1 year, the impact of attitudes on performance lasts up to 3 years. Our results may be relevant for practitioners when it comes to evaluating the benefits of human resource initiatives and adding dollar values to the discussion around attitudinal changes.

Work–life balance in China? Social policy, employer strategy and individual coping mechanisms

This paper investigates major sources of work–life conflicts encountered by workers in China against a context of marketization of the economy, the rapid growth of the private sector and a trend of work intensification across occupational groups. The study shows that Chinese organizational leaders and workers tend to accept work–life conflicts as a fact of life. Individuals adopt various coping strategies on their own. While organizations are more likely to introduce human resource initiatives to cushion the negative effect of long working hours on their key employees and their families, managers are far less willing to adopt practices to accommodate childcare needs. We argue that the institutional and cultural contexts of work–life conflict and solution in China are significantly different from those found in developed economies and that the understanding of these issues has particular implications for western multinational firms operating in China.

B2B service brand identity: Scale development and validation

Several brand identity frameworks have been published in the B2C and the B2B brand marketing literature. A reliable, valid and parsimonious service brand identity scale that empirically establishes the construct's dimensionality in a B2B market has yet to be developed. This paper reports the findings of a study conducted amongst 421 senior executives working in the UK IT Service sector to develop and validate a B2B Service Brand Identity Scale. Following established scale development procedures support is provided for a B2B Service Brand Identity Scale comprising five dimensions; employee and client focus, visual identity, brand personality, consistent communications and human resource initiatives. Concluding remarks discuss theoretical and managerial implications with limitations and directions for future research.

Investing in people: financial impact of human resource initiatives

A Logical, Proven Framework for Understanding the Economic Value of Human Resources Investments How to choose Human Resources investments that deliver optimal strategic valuei??and eliminate those that don't Best-practice metrics and analysis techniques for talent management, performance management, health and wellness programs, and much more Investing in People introduces a breakthrough approach to Human Resources (HR) measurement that systematically aligns HR investments with organizational goals and helps make HR the true strategic partner it needs to be. Wayne F. Cascio and John W. Boudreau show exactly how to choose, implement, and use metrics to improve decision-making, optimize organizational effectiveness, and maximize the value of HR investments.You'll master crucial foundational principles such as risk, return, and economies of scalei??and use them to evaluate investments objectively in everything from work/life programs to training. Cascio and Boudreau also introduce powerful ways to integrate HR with enterprise strategy and budgeting and for gaining commitment from business leaders outside the HR function.If you truly want “a seat at the table”i??or if you want to keep the one you havei??you'll find this book utterly indispensable.Free software available onlineYou don't need to be a math wizard to get results from Investing in People! Visit www.shrm.org/publications/books to access software that automates virtually all of this book's key formulas and calculations.Foreword xiAcknowledgments xiiiAbout the Authors xivPreface xvPlan for the Book xviiChapter 1: Making HR Measurement Strategic 1Chapter 2: Analytical Foundations of HR Measurement 21Chapter 3: The Hidden Costs of Absenteeism 43Chapter 4: The High Cost of Employee Separations 67Chapter 5: Employee Health, Wellness, and Welfare 99Chapter 6: Employee Attitudes and Engagement 125Chapter 7: Financial Effects of Work-Life Programs 151Chapter 8: Staffing Utility: The Concept and Its Measurement 171Chapter 9: The Economic Value of Job Performance 195Chapter 10: The Payoff from Enhanced Selection 223Chapter 11: Costs and Benefits of HR Development Programs 245Chapter 12: Talent-Investment Analysis: Catalyst for Change 271Appendix A: The Taylor-Russell Tables 285Appendix B: The Naylor-Shine Table for Determining the Increase in Mean Criterion Score Obtained by Using a Selection Device 297Index 309

The relationships between organisational citizenship behaviour, job satisfaction and turnover intention

This study aims to explore the relationships between organisational citizenship behaviour, job satisfaction and turnover intention. Because of the changing health policies landscape, Taiwan's hospital administrators are facing major cost reduction challenges. Specifically, the high turnover rate of nurses represents a hindrance and a human resource cost. This study focuses on ways of reducing the employee turnover rate through enhanced organisational citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction. A cross-sectional study. This study focuses on hospital nurses in Taiwan. Our research samples were obtained from one medical centre, three regional hospitals and seven district hospitals. Out of 300 questionnaires distributed among samples, 237 were completed and returned. Pearson's correlation was used to test for relationships among the main variables. One-way analysis of variance and Scheffé's post hoc analysis were employed to test the influence of demographic data on the main variables. The results reveal that the nurses' job satisfaction has a significantly positive correlation with organisational citizenship behaviour and a negative correlation with turnover intention. This study has proven that the turnover intention of clinical nurses is related to their organisational citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction. Hospital administrators can reduce the turnover intention by meeting nurses' needs and by promoting their organisational citizenship behaviour. Organisational citizenship behaviour involves behaviour that encourages staff to endeavour to voluntarily improve organisational performance without lobbying for compensation. Employees' job satisfaction includes satisfaction with the working environment or welfare programme in the context of human resource initiatives. Similarly, human resource protocols may serve as the starting point for promoting staff organisational citizenship behaviour. Administrators in clinical healthcare are encouraged to meet their employees' working needs through human resource practices.

Systematic review of the links between human resource management practices and performance

In recent years human resource management (HRM) has been seen as an important factor in the successful realisation of organisational change programmes. The UK NHS is undergoing substantial organisational change and there is a need to establish which human resource (HR) initiatives may be most effective. To assess the results from a wide-ranging series of systematic reviews of the evidence on HRM and performance. The first part assesses evidence on use of HRM in the UK and fidelity of practice implemented. The second part considers evidence for the impact of HRM practices on intermediate outcomes, which can impact on final outcomes, such as organisational performance or patient care. The following databases were searched: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), British Nursing Index (BNI), Business Source Premier, Campbell Collaboration, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE), DH-Data, EMBASE, Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC), International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), King's Fund database, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), National Research Register (NRR), PREMEDLINE, PsycINFO, ReFeR, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index (SCI). The searches were conducted in May/June 2006. Broad categories of HRM interventions and intermediate outcomes were generated: 10 HRM categories and 12 intermediate outcome categories. Seven patient final outcomes were derived from the NHS Performance Indicators and the NHS Improvement Plan. The quality criteria used to select papers incorporated a longitudinal study design filter to provide evidence of the causal direction of relationships between HRM and relevant outcomes. Single HRM practices were considered. Within the health-specific literature, focus was on the impact of HRM on patient outcomes. Information is presented on the reliability of measures in each of the intermediate outcome areas. Work design practices that enhance employee autonomy and control influenced a number of outcomes and there was consistent evidence for the positive impact of increased job control on employee outcomes, such as job satisfaction, absence and health. For employee participation, the small number of studies reviewed supported the involvement of employees in design/implementation of changes that affect their work. In health literature in particular, employee involvement through quality improvement teams resulted in improved patient outcomes. Findings were positive for the impact of training on the intended outcomes of the initiatives. Support for the impact of performance management practices was apparent, in particular feedback on performance outcomes and the use of participative goal setting. Strong associations were found among all intermediate outcomes, and the relationship between most intermediate behaviours and outcomes were significant. Limited evidence was available on the use of HRM and on the implementation of policy. Also, the specific practices studied within each HRM category differ so there was little evidence to show whether similar practices have the same effects in health and non-health settings. Some potentially effective practices for both health and non-health areas were identified, and HRM methods could be used to support change processes within the NHS; the findings relating to work organisation are particularly promising with regard to changes in methods of service delivery. Using training to support the implementation of change is highlighted. However, future multilevel studies that embrace the individual, team and organisational level are needed. Studies should look into interventions aimed at improving HR outcomes and performance, and allow for pre- and post-intervention measurement of practices and outcomes.

Wait Times for Gastroenterology Consultation in Canada: The Patients’ Perspective

Long wait times for health care have become a significant issue in Canada. As part of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology's Human Resource initiative, a questionnaire was developed to survey patients regarding wait times for initial gastroenterology consultation and its impact. A total of 916 patients in six cities from across Canada completed the questionnaire at the time of initial consultation. Self-reported wait times varied widely, with 26.8% of respondents reporting waiting less than two weeks, 52.4% less than one month, 77.1% less than three months, 12.5% reported waiting longer than six months and 3.6% longer than one year. One-third of patients believed their wait time was too long, with 9% rating their wait time as 'far too long'; 96.4% believed that maximal wait time should be less than three months, 78.9% believed it should be less than one month and 40.3% believed it should be less than two weeks. Of those working or attending school, 22.6% reported missing at least one day of work or school because of their symptoms in the month before their appointment, and 9.0% reported missing five or more days in the preceding month. A total of 20.2% of respondents reported being very worried about having a serious disease (ie, scored 6 or higher on 7-point Likert scale), and 17.6% and 14.8%, respectively, reported that their symptoms caused major impairment of social functioning and with the activities of daily living. These data suggest that a significant proportion of Canadians with digestive problems are not satisfied with their wait time for gastroenterology consultation. Furthermore, while awaiting consultation, many patients experience an impaired quality of life because of their gastrointestinal symptoms.

Employee opinion of human resource practices in Indian knowledge process outsourcing companies

The knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) sector's contribution to India's economy over the past few years has been appreciable and undeniably due to its robust set of extremely talented workforce. Human resource initiatives favourable to this workforce, therefore, become vital catalysts to its success and incorporating employee opinion on these a worthwhile investment. Literature lacks studies on employee opinion on human resource practices in KPOs and this article is perhaps one of the first few which analyses such opinion in the context of Indian KPOs. The study uses a structured questionnaire containing 54 pairs of importance-satisfaction items on select human resource practices and deploys importance-performance analysis as importance-satisfaction analysis. Career planning and development emerged as the top employee priority area demanding thoughtful analysis and consideration. The study offers valuable insights about employee perceptions and aspirations which should be useful to policy makers of KPOs in developing effective future strategies.

Emotional intelligence of leaders: a profile of top executives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the emotional intelligence (EI) scores of two high profile executive groups in comparison with the general population. Also the study aims to investigate the executive group's EI scores in relation to various organizational outcomes such as net profit, growth management, and employee management and retention.Design/methodology/approachThe Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ‐i) was administered to a sample of 186 executives (159 males and 27 females) belonging to one of two executive mentoring associations, the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and the Innovators' Alliance (IA). A series of questions relating to pre‐tax operating profits over the past three years, previous year's net profit, and various business challenges were asked of each executive.FindingsThe results showed that top executives differed significantly from the normative population on the EQ‐i in eight of the 15 EQ‐i subscales. Executives who possessed higher levels of empathy, self‐regard, reality testing, and problem solving were more likely to yield high profit‐earning companies, while Total EQ‐i was related to the degree to which a challenge was perceived as being easy with respect to managing growth, managing others, and training and retaining employees.Practical implicationsThe findings enable researchers and practitioners to better understand what leadership differences and similarities exist at various organizational levels. These profiles further aid in human resource initiatives such as leadership development and personnel selection.Originality/valueDespite empirical evidence supporting the relationship between EI and leadership, research with high‐level leadership samples is relatively sparse. The study examines EI in relation to two unique, yet high functioning executive groups, which will enable further exploration into the emotional and psychological structure of these high‐performing groups.

Wayne Cascio and John Bourdreau. Investing in People: Financial Impact of Human Resource Initiatives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press, 2008, 360 pages

Wayne Cascio and John Bourdreau. <i>Investing in People: Financial Impact of Human Resource Initiatives. </i>Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press, 2008, 360 pages

Investing in people: financial impact of human resource initiatives

Investing in people: financial impact of human resource initiatives