Human Resource Management Studies Research Articles

Ethics and HRM: Theoretical and Conceptual Analysis

Despite the ongoing consideration of the ethical nature of human resource management (HRM), little research has been conducted on how morality and ethics are represented in the discourse, activities and lived experiences of human resource (HR) professionals. In this paper, we connect the thinking and lived experiences of HR professionals to an alternative ethics, rooted in the work of Bauman (Modernity and the Holocaust, Polity Press, Cambridge, 1989; Theory, Culture and Society 7:5–38, 1990; Postmodern Ethics, Blackwell, Oxford, 1991; Approaches to Social Enquiry, Polity Press, Cambridge, 1993; Life in Fragments, Blackwell, Oxford, 1995) and Levinas (Otherwise than Being, or, Beyond Essence, Duquesne University Press, Pittsburgh, PA, 1998). We argue that the study of HRM and ethics should be contextualized within the discourses used, the practices and activities of HR professionals. Through the analysis of interview data from 40 predominantly Canadian HR practitioners and managers we experiment with Bauman’s notion of ‘moral impulse’ to help us understand how HRM is both a product and perpetuator of moral neutralization in organizations. We suggest that HRM as it is practiced is concerned with distancing, depersonalizing, and dissembling, and acts in support of the ‘moral’ requirements of business, not of people. However, we also recognize that HR practitioners and managers are often confronted with and conflicted by actions and decisions that they are required to take, therefore opening possibilities and hope for an alternative ethical HRM.

“Equality Theory” as a Counterbalance to Equity Theory in Human Resource Management

This conceptual paper revisits the concept of equality as a base of distributive justice and contends that it is underspecified, both theoretically and in terms of its ethical and pragmatic application to human resource management (HRM) within organizations. Prior organizational literature focuses primarily upon distributive equality of remunerative outcomes within small groups and implicitly employs an equity-based conception of inputs to define equality. In contrast, through exposition of the philosophical roots of equality principles, we reconceptualize inputs as de facto equal and consider the systemic application of distributive equality in the form of status leveling practices. Ethical ramifications of distributive equality so viewed are explored. We conclude by arguing that, to implicitly insert a stronger ethics focus into the study and practice of HRM, perhaps there should be “equality theory” competing with equity theory for recognition in managerial and scholarly discourse.

Intercultural HRM Study on “Culture Clash” from Chinese Enterprises Investment in Brazil

With the advent of globalization, the enterprises in our country are increasingly diverse and multicultural. This study will see that the enterprise human resource management (HRM) must be knowledgeable about intercultural communication on both the domestic and abroad. By promoting training in intercultural communication competencies throughout the enterprises in our country, the enterprises human resource can better serve the company successfully to achieve its mission and goals. Therefore, the article takes Chinese enterprises’ “Culture Clash” in Brazil for the case study, deeply analyzes the intercultural conflicts that the Chinese enterprises in Brazil have met, discusses the reasons why the Chinese enterprises still have met from an intercultural communication perspective, and then put forward some suggestions to improve intercultural communication competences for human resource management in the Chinese enterprises and promote the development and cooperation between the Chinese and Brazilian enterprises, so as to make the enterprise leaders and managers in our country pay much attention to the this hot topic and to training in intercultural human resource management.

Encouraging divergent thinking in HRM studies through use of project management case studies

It is important that human resource management (HRM) undergraduate students develop critical thinking around project management decision making as part of their transferable skills development. Such initiatives provide opportunities for students to consider the implications of their decisions in relation to practical settings, that they might better address unexpected HRM demands of the future. We integrate project management into our teaching to progressively build students' skills in HRM. First, students engage in a project management case study and conduct a formal presentation. Second, we extend student awareness of divergent approaches to project management through engagement with excerpts from previous HRM student case studies. Third, the students execute project management of a written case study, under examination conditions. Our approach scaffolds students' higher order thinking and engagement with the divergent nature of the HRM discipline. We provide facilitator and student feedback to illustrate our outcomes. This research is relevant to management educators and, we suggest, is transferable to disciplines other than HRM.

Global HRM and the dilemma of competing stakeholder interests

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the meaning of socially responsible human resource management (HRM) in the global business context.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a multiple case study and is descriptive. The study focuses on four case studies of two Finnish multinational companies. The data sources are company documents and web sites, newspapers, financial periodicals and web‐based open communication channels.FindingsThe study shows the contextual nature of socially responsible HRM and highlights the need to recognise the magnitude of the issues and viewpoints that affect the evaluation of social responsibility from the HRM point of view. The study also reveals the gap between the rhetoric used by top management and the messages given out by the HR function.Research limitations/implicationsThe four cases examined in this study do not allow for empirical generalisations.Practical implicationsThe study stresses that the costs and consequences of unethical behaviour cannot be overlooked when aiming to maintain the image of a socially responsible company.Originality/valueThis study addresses a research gap in HRM studies by adopting an ethical perspective and suggesting that instead of balancing global integration with responsiveness to local customs companies should find a balance between profitability and responsibility. The study provides rich material for discussion and illustration.

Small and medium-sized enterprises in China: a literature review, human resource management and suggestions for further research

As the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has increased, it has been accompanied by an increase in the amount of research attention paid to them. This has been the case in Asia, and also China. However, this work concentrates mainly on entrepreneurship, small business development and government support. Moreover, the fact is that in terms of issue focus, it is finance, marketing and ownership rather than people management that are the central themes of the discussion. However, there are some studies of human resource management (HRM) in SMEs in China. Our study here provides a broad review of prior work, and the results highlight some important issues for the study of HRM in SMEs and call for the development of more sophisticated theoretical models and more longitudinal research.

Lacan and the lack of humanity in HRM

This article offers to the field of organization studies and the critique of Human Resource Management (HRM) important theoretical insight implied by the ‘practical anti-humanism’ in Jacques Lacan’s theory of subjectivity. Drawing on Lacan’s notions of ontological lack and fantasy, it suggests that this anti-humanism may provide a challenge of the critical aspirations found in the studies of HRM that have maintained an insurmountable gap between the humanity of the human subject and the inhumanity of the managerial prescription. Turning the traditional critique on its head, the article explores the consequences of confronting the inhuman core of humanity itself instead of maintaining the humanity of the human by exposing the inhumanity of HRM. Following Lacan it questions the idealization of ‘the human’ and asks what it would mean to critical management studies to focus instead on the fallibilities and shortcomings of subjectivity.

Towards a model curriculum for graduate human resource management studies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a graduate human resource management (HRM) curriculum for a university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The curriculum reflects the core knowledge areas identified by the two major professional bodies in the HRM discipline.Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs literature to justify the importance generally of education in the HRM discipline and specifically in the UAE context. It then summarizes a program development approach that synthesizes core areas defined by the US Society for Human Resource Management and the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.Findings – The curriculum resulting from the program development process arguably constitutes a model curriculum for graduate studies in HRM. This proposition is tested with reference to focused survey of UAE HRM practitioners and is further explored with reference to the Syrian environment.Research limitations/implications – More work has to be done to confirm ...

A critical review of human resource management studies (1978–2007) in the People's Republic of China

The study reviews the empirical studies on human resource management (HRM) practices in mainland China published in 26 leading international journals across the span of 30 years in the period 1978–2007. We intend to achieve three aims in this review: (1) to take an inventory of what have been done so far in the field of HRM studies in China; (2) to critically evaluate the development of Chinese HRM practices in the past 30 years; and (3) to identify research gaps for what needs to be done in the future. Along with this critical review, we also examine which research methods have been used in the empirical inquiries; where the research has been published; and who has made the most contribution in the field of Chinese HRM studies. We conclude that what is known is comparative rather than definitive, with HRM in China treated as a subset of international HRM, rather than as a mainstream issue. With a quarter of the world's population affected by an understanding of what constitutes better HRM in China, we call for a more inclusive, collaborative approach to further theorising and substantiating HRM studies by researchers inside and outside China.

Socially Responsible Investment: Explaining its Uneven Development and Human Resource Management Consequences

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: ConceptualResearch Question/Issue: In this paper we address two research questions. First, to what extent has Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) developed unevenly across countries with different corporate governance systems and how might we explain this? Second, what consequences does its uneven development have for human resource management (HRM)?Research Findings/Insights: We map the nature and extent of SRI equities across five industrialized countries – Germany, Japan, the UK, the US and Australia. We find that differences between the institutional, corporate governance and cultural characteristics of national business systems explain variations in the size and significance of SRI across countries. We also find that SRI has an impact on HRM in institutional contexts such as where its influence is complemented by strong employee voice institutions.Theoretical/Academic Implications: The notion of “institutional complementarities,” within and across spheres of a corporate governance system is a useful theoretical lens for understanding the varied impact of SRI across different corporate governance systems. Further, future studies of HRM will need to consider the heterodox pressures produced by SRI that may influence its conduct.Practitioner/Policy Implications: Implications for SRI fund managers are considered, especially how they might use the notion of institutional complementarities to help in their investment decisions and in the impact they can exert. Specifically SRI funds are likely to be more effective where they can form alliances with other existing bodies or where they spur the development of such bodies. The implications for other actors in HRM and corporate governance are also considered.

Configuring and Contextualising HR Systems: An Empirical Study of Manufacturing SMEs

Human resource management (HRM) has become for SMEs a critical factor of adaptation to an increasingly complex and uncertain business environment. Founded on open systems and contingency theory, the present study seeks to identify configurations of HR systems in manufacturing SMEs, and to determine the extent to which these configurations are associated to the environmental and organisational context. Survey data analysis of 176 manufacturing SMEs revealed three configurations of HR systems, namely a strategic-high-commitment a functional-high-commitment and a traditional-low-commitment system. Differences in these systems are associated to variables that reflect the SMEs' environmental, organisational and technological context. Key words: HRM, gestalts, open systems theory, context, small business Introduction One of the important trends in the study of organisations in the last thirty years has been the increasingly explicit recognition of environmental factors, including the study of HRM in SMEs (Arthur/Hendry 1992). For Scott (2004), this is attributable to the development of open systems theory, focusing on the environment with which all types of systems interact, be it the cell or the solar system, or in which they operate and evolve. This theory has given rise to various theoretical approaches aimed at explaining the determinants of organisational structure, including contingency theory (Woodward 1958; Lawrence/Lorsch 1967), transaction cost theory (Williamson 1975, 1985), resource dependency theory (Pfeffer/Salancik 1978), network theory (White/ Boorman/Breiger 1976), population ecology (Hannan/Freeman 1977) and institutional theory (DiMaggio/Powell 1983; Meyer/Rowan 1977). Each approach has developed new arguments to explain how certain environmental factors interact with and affect organisations. Being in close proximity to their business environment, small and medium-si2ed enterprises (SMEs) in particular must continuously adapt themselves to the pressures and constraints that emanate from this environment (Freel 2000). As well, these firms must be flexible in managing internal changes pertaining to their resources (human, technological, financial) and their organisation (e.g., changes in size, stage of development, production system) (Harney/Dundon 2006). In adapting to changes in their internal and external environments, SMEs must make all sorts of adjustments, especially with regard to their HR systems. The manner in which these adjustments are made has given rise to an important body of literature characterised by a divergence between those researchers that have adopted the universalistic perspective and those advocating the contingency perspective. The universalistic perspective posits that the most-recognised HR have a positive effect whenever they are applied. Thus, simply applying or more practice is deemed to directly and positively influence organisational performance. This approach has also been labelled as practices and one best way (Delery/Doty 1996; McMahan/ Virick/Wrigth 1999; Colbert 2004). The contingency perspective suggests however that HRM are effective to the extent that they are aligned with the business strategy (Miles/Snow 1984; Schuler/Jackson 1987). As discussed by Venkatraman (1989), various forms of alignment or are possible, including whereby fit is seen as a set of relationships that are in a temporary state of balance (Miller 1981). Another assumption is equifinality, which recognizes that numerous equally effective gestalts may exist (Van de Ven/Drazin 1985). The configurational perspective, at times distinguished from the contingency perspective in HRM research (Delery/Doty 1996), is taken here to be similar to the latter perspective as it is not really distinguishable from a conceptual point of view (Schuler/Jackson 2005). Both the universalistic and contingency perspectives have been the object of criticism, the first mainly for being too simplistic, the second because it most often considers only contingency variable, that is, strategy. …

Human resource management practices in Eritrea: challenges and prospects

PurposeThis article seeks to examine the challenges and prospects of human resource management (HRM) in a developing‐country context. It focuses on contextual factors and employee involvement in analysing HRM to provide theoretical insights.Design/methodology/approachTo explore the above theme, on‐site interviews were carried out with general managers, human resource professionals, line managers and union leaders in eight firms. Furthermore, a sample of 252 employees was included, thereby contributing to the generalisability of the findings.FindingsThis article provides substantial and current information on HRM knowledge and practices in Eritrea. The paper argues that some contextual variables impose certain challenges to HRM practices. However, evidence also reveals that the concept and knowledge of HRM practices, such as training, recruitment, compensation, employee participation, performance appraisal and reward systems, are in place with some indicators of local influence.Research limitations/implicationsIn light of the above findings, the article informs multinational companies that transferring managerial expertise to Africa may not necessarily be required, as the knowledge already exists there. A major limitation may derive from the use of convenience sampling in selecting the firms, but extreme caution is taken to get a faithful representation.Originality/valueContrary to the dominant view that African management is characterised by authoritarianism, this study shows the participative style of managers. Moreover, it incorporates the attitudes and perceptions of employees, a generally neglected part of HRM studies.

A Qualitative Study of HRM and Performance in the Barbados Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT This study explores and measures the effect of human resource management (HRM) and performance in the hotel industry in Barbados. HRM and performance have been the subject of much debate worldwide, especially in the large Anglophone countries. This research seeks to replicate Hoque's (1999b) study of HRM and performance in the UK hotel industry. The qualitative survey covered 16 hotels out of a population of 75 hotels in Barbados. Respondents in this research were hotel managers, being either a general manager, human resource (HR) manager or line manager, who gave their perceptions. Similar to Hoque, the impact of internal and external fit and the universal relevance of HRM were tested. It was found that there was mixed support for internal fit, external fit, and universal relevance in the Barbados hotel industry. All the hotels perceived themselves as performing well. Strong evidence of elements of industrial relations and personnel management (IR/PM) and HRM were also found. However, one can conclude that best practice works in Barbados rather than best fit.

The HR Function in Local and Overseas Firms: Evidence from the Pricewaterhousecoopers-Cranfield HR Project (1999)

Multinational companies (MNCs) employ a significant proportion of the Australian workforce and are influential in shaping local human resource management (HRM) practices. Notwithstanding this influence, there have been few studies of Australian HRM comparing local companies with MNCs. This study systematically compares the nature of the HRM function in local and overseas firms using data from the 1999 PricewaterhouseCoopers-Cranfield Project on HR in Australia. The study makes these comparisons against the backdrop of theoretical arguments for overseas companies to either adapt to the local HR environment or adopt HR practices from other parts of their overseas networks. The main conclusions are that while overseas companies as a group differ from locals in some important ways, particularly in having higher levels of representation on company boards and being more influential in overall decision on HR matters, in terms of formal HR policies the two groups are substantially similar. The main differences between the three main overseas groups are that UK companies report a lower level of influence and representation than their US or European counterparts.

An integrative framework for understanding cross-national human resource management practices

Currently, debate in the area of cross-national human resource management (HRM) suggests that both “culture-bound” and “culture-free” factors and variables are important determinants of HRM policies and practices. HRM is presented as being context-specific and it is argued that with the growth of new markets world-wide, and increased levels of competition and globalization of business, there is a strong need for more cross-national HRM studies. However, the literature shows the absence of an integrated framework, which can help to highlight the different role that context-specific facets of HRM practices play. The nature of different determinants in different national and regional settings is rarely analyzed. This paper develops an integrated framework. It delineates the main distinctive facets associated with national factors, contingent variables, and organizational and human resource (HR) strategies and policies, that may be used to evaluate cross-national comparative HRM policies and practices.

An industrial relations perspective on the high-performance paradigm

Recent studies have suggested that various human resource management (HRM) practices are associated with enhanced economic performance in organizations. This research has led to what we call the high-performance paradigm, a belief that firms can improve performance by adopting certain high-performance work practices (HPWP). We apply an industrial relations (IR) perspective to the high-performance paradigm to extend the insights of HRM studies. After identifying how the perspective typically adopted in IR research differs from that used by HRM researchers, we briefly review the literature on HPWPs, identify limitations in the existing research approach, and suggest issues and areas for future research. In general, we suggest that research on HPWPs has made a valuable contribution to the literature. We urge HRM researchers, however, to devote more attention to underlying conflicts at work, focus more explicitly on the implications of new forms of work for workers, and pay greater attention to the role that cultural forces, unions, and governments play in shaping the workplace.

Rethinking comparative and cross-national human resource management research

This article first briefly highlights the rapid development of the human resource management (HRM) discipline and the need for more cross-national HRM studies. The universal applicability of Anglo-Saxon models of HRM is then questioned. To examine the applicability of HRM models in different settings (national and international), five main HRM models are critically analysed and their main research propositions are identified. This provides the basis for a framework for HRM evaluations in different contexts. Based on such a framework and developments in the literature, finally, a contextual model is proposed for conducting cross-national and comparative HRM studies. The paper also indicates some related directions for future research.

Rethinking comparative and cross-national human resource management research

This article first briefly highlights the rapid development of the human resource management (HRM) discipline and the need for more cross-national HRM studies. The universal applicability of Anglo-Saxon models of HRM is then questioned. To examine the applicability of HRM models in different settings (national and international), five main HRM models are critically analysed and their main research propositions are identified. This provides the basis for a framework for HRM evaluations in different contexts. Based on such a framework and developments in the literature, finally, a contextual model is proposed for conducting cross-national and comparative HRM studies. The paper also indicates some related directions for future research.

A study of HRM and recruitment and selection policies and practices in Taiwan

In this paper, the authors present and discuss the findings of a survey of human resource management (HRM) and recruitment and selection policies and practices in a sample of manufacturing industry in Taiwan. The results indicate that there is a general desire among HR professionals in participant companies that HRM policies are integrated with corporate strategy and that HRM should be involved in decision making at board level. Evidence was also obtained that some HRM decisions are shared between line management and HR specialists and that line managers had a particularly influential role in decisions regarding recruitment and selection, training and development, and workforce expansion/reduction. There was also some evidence supporting an assertion that certain recruitment and selection practices were culturally sensitive and this was supported by evidence of association between recruitment and selection practices and country of ownership.

Justice in the workplace?

This paper is concerned with recent attempts to appropriate normative ethics as a medium for engaging critically with the practice and theory of human resource management (HRM). Focusing particularly on arguments for justice and rights in the workplace, the limits of foundationalist critiques of HRM are explored. The discussion suggests a future direction for the critical study of HRM in the present economic and political conjuncture. Critical scholars of HRM are invited to give further consideration to their aims and objectives and the manner of their intervention in current debates, in a discussion which highlights the importance of politically and rhetorically sensitised management scholarship.