Role Of Strategic Human Resource Management Research Articles

Human resource management and firm innovativeness in a European context: advancing our understanding of the relationship (Introduction to the thematic issue)

This paper introduces the papers included in the thematic issue on Human Resource Management (HRM) and firm innovativeness in a European context. Furthermore it presents the results of a literature review on human resource management and firm innovativeness. The literature shows that the positive relationship between HRM and firm innovativeness has been confirmed. However, the explanation for how this relationship works is not equivocal/unified. Empirical studies have investigated the role of strategic HRM, specific HRM systems and HRM practices. For strategic HRM, the empirical support is still limited, while for HRM systems considerable work confirms the positive influence of commitment-based HRM. For HRM practices, in particular training, working in teams, and internal labour flexibility, including job rotation, the literature provides empirical evidence and indications that they are positively related to firm innovativeness

The role of SHRM in turning tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge: a cross-national study of the UK and Malta

We propose that strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices nurture a context of knowledge sharing where tacit knowledge can be turned into explicit knowledge and that this type of knowledge sharing promotes innovative behaviours. We draw on the fields of knowledge management and international human resource management to show why organisations need to turn tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge to gain most from their workforce skills and creativity. Findings from a couple of cross-national case studies show how SHRM promotes employees to interact and share knowledge so that there is a conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge that informs innovative behaviour. In Case Study 1, the focus is on a UK local authority that implemented a bundle of SHRM practices through a people management programme, which resulted in a flattened management structure. In Case Study 2, the focus is on a geriatric hospital in Malta that introduced a management presence to an interdisciplinary team working to improve patient care. The analysis also highlights the methodological contribution of qualitative research for enabling inductive enquiry that yields emergent themes – an approach not typically seen in SHRM innovation studies.

Key role of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in advancing the degree of team learning

Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is the main concern of the managers who are expanding their business at global level. It provides new avenues for the promotion of team learning in the organization. The significance of SHRM in advancement of team learning behaviour is still to be emphasized by scholars and academicians. Less emphasis is laid on the analysis of key role of SHRM in advancing degree of team learning in the globalized business world. The main purpose of this article is to explore literary facts pertaining to this key area. On the basis of review of literature on SHRM, its importance for nurturing the team learning behaviour among the diverse workforce of global business organizations to develop learning organizations and sustaining emotionally intelligent knowledge workers is presented and analyzed. Key words: Strategic human resource management (SHRM), cultural differences, team learning, team effectiveness, learning organization, knowledge workers, emotional intelligence.

The impact of strategic human resource management on the performance of firms in India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between strategic human resource management (SHRM) and performance in service sectors firms in India. Also, it has tried to explore whether the three main approaches in the area of SHRM – universalistic, contingency and configurational approaches hold true in an Indian setting.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 25 organizations, using two sets of questionnaires. Set 1 comprised measures of business strategy (n=98) and key informant approach was used to collect the data. Set 2 had measures of SHRM which consisted of two sections – human resource management (HRM) system orientation and HRM capabilities and organizational effectiveness (n=750). Performance was measured in terms of organizational effectiveness. Regression analysis was carried out at two levels: industry level and overall level.FindingsResults indicated that there is positive relationship between SHRM and effectiveness, business strategy has an impact on the relationship between SHRM and effectiveness and universalistic theory of SHRM does not work in the Indian service sector.Practical implicationsThe results of this study revealed that transport and IT‐enabled industries require more strategic HR capability while finance requires more technical HR capability. The SHRM policies need to be dynamic and contingent on the business strategy to attain maximum impact on effectiveness.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the sparse literature on the role of SHRM in the service sector industry where dependence on human resources is more critical as compared to other sectors.

The role of cultural context in direct communication

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine how the cultural context and other institutional factors may influence the amount of direct communication with employees in nine European countries.Design/methodology/approachNine countries were selected from the Cranfield Network on Comparative Human Resource Management database varying from high to low context. The dependent or criterion variable, was direct communication, independent variables were organization size age and industry, strategic role of human resource management (HRM), union presence and communication culture context. Data were analysed using one‐way analysis of variance and hierarchical regression.FindingsThe results show that cultural communication context, union presence and strategic role of HRM all have an influence on direct communication. The authors also see that union presence and cultural context interact.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper relied on data collected from the human resource managers of the organizations; therefore the authors do not know how the communication is perceived by the employees themselves. Future research can investigate not only the amount, also but the quality of the communication by collecting data from employees.Practical implicationsIn today's environment where people from different cultures and companies from different legal systems are increasingly working together, the authors need to realise that context matters. What has worked in one environment may not be successful in another. The authors need to develop models that can guide managers in how they can deal with the differences and be effective in communicating with their employees.Originality/valueThe paper investigates direct communication in low‐ and high‐context countries as well as medium‐context countries. European integration provides a move towards convergence in some practices, however, there remains cultural differences between groups of countries.

Varieties of Capitalism: Production and Market Relations in the USA and Japan

During the 1980s, Japan’s macroeconomic strength encouraged widespread interest in the competitive advantages associated with its organizationorientated micro-level institutions. However, with Japan’s more recent macroeconomic difficulties and prolonged stagnation, and in the light of America’s relative success, pressure for institutional reform in the direction of the American model is mounting. Liberalization of trade and capital movements has contributed to increasing economic interdependence and integration of the world’s advanced nations. Customers and investors in Japan and the USA alike are demanding that firms be increasingly responsive to changes in technologies and market requirements and that they deliver consistently high quality products and services at low prices. At the same time, the increase in foreign equity investment in Japan means that, like their American counterparts, Japanese firms are being urged to prioritize shareholder interests, deliver continuous improvement in short-term financial results and be transparent in their reporting. However, despite very similar pressures to those faced by American firms, Japan is evolving incrementally and developing a hybrid system that continues to maintain its emphasis on a resource-based approach to productive system effectiveness and organizational competitiveness. Focusing on the contrasting cases of Japan and the USA, The Embedded Corporation: Corporate Governance and Employment Relations in Japan and the United States describes developments in corporate governance and human resource management (HRM) — analysing the influence of globalization, shifts in macroeconomic performance and declining union strength on employment practices, the strategic role of HRM and the professional status of the HR executive in this context. Traditionally, Japanese firms have been what Jacoby describes as ‘organisation oriented’ while American firms have been more ‘market oriented’. This is reflected in the dominant features of their respective systems of corporate governance and work organization, where despite movement towards the American model, the Japanese system