Systems Of Human Resource Management Practices Research Articles

Linking HR Practices and HR Service-Quality to Employee Performance: A Regulatory Focus Perspective

There is a growing consensus that human resource (HR) practices provide an economically and direct contribution to firm performance. The underlying reason is that a well-designed and implemented system of HR management practices can create a source of sustained competitive advantages by attracting talented employees and motivating their behaviors. Understanding employee motivations and providing sufficient HR support are the focal job of HR professionals. Employee motivation is multidimensional and takes different forms in the nature of the individual mindset. By distinguishing employees’ promotion-/prevention-focused motivations, the regulatory focus theory provides a basis for understanding employees’ goal setting. To motivate employees, companies not only need a well-structured HR practices but also to implement the practices in a quality way, i.e., providing efficient and effective HR service, that meets employees’ multidimensional motivations. Utilizing the regulatory-focus theory as the mechanism linking HR practices and HR service-quality to employee behaviors, we show that (1) promotion-focused motivation mediated the relationship between discretionary HR practices and employee outcomes (including in-role performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and turnover intention); furthermore, (2) only HR service-effectiveness was found to moderate the mediated relationship between discretionary HR practices and employee outcomes via employees’ promotion-focused motivation.

Exploring the mediating effects between transformational leadership and organizational performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the possible mediating mechanisms (human resource management (HRM), learning and innovation) that could exist in the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational performance. This topic has been studied only by a few groups of researchers and these researchers have not analyzed all these concepts jointly.Design/methodology/approachThis research explores the relationships using partial least squares with data from 200 Spanish industrial companies. Analyzing the mentioned relationships in the Spanish context has been done by few researchers before.FindingsThe study reveals that the adoption of transformational leadership styles improves performance when specific systems of HRM practices, learning and innovation are developed in an organization.Originality/valueThis study, therefore, contributes to the understanding of the link between transformational leaders and performance by proposing a model in which it is evinced that this leadership style produces synergies between HRM, learning and innovation, which in the end, affect performance.

The common welfare human resource management system

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to propose a new generic human resource management (HRM) system linked to a novel and more developed social and organizational paradigm: the common welfare HRM system.Design/methodology/approach– This conceptual paper builds on the concept of individual consciousness to better understand the differences between the three generic HRM systems. It relates different levels of consciousness to one of the most cited HRM system typologies: the control and the commitment HRM systems. The control HRM system will be related to a low level of consciousness. The commitment HRM system will be related to a medium level of consciousness. And the highest level of consciousness is related to the proposed common welfare HRM system. This latter system of HRM practices will be supported by examples of three very innovative organizations.Findings– This paper presents a new HRM system that intends to foster innovation and creativity all around the organization, and represents a development on the traditional control and commitment. The common welfare HRM system implies a new approach in management and HRM, away from the primacy of the ego, competition and hierarchy.Research limitations/implications– The common welfare HRM system is related to highly innovative organizations and implies a paradigm shift in which a more humanistic view of individuals is offered.Practical implications– The paper clarifies the several HRM practices related to the three HRM systems: control, commitment and common welfare.Originality/value– The paper theoretically underpins the existence of a new and more developed HRM system through consciousness levels and analyzes the particular HRM practices of this new system.

Exploring the impact of high performance work systems in professional service firms: A practices-resources-uses-performance approach.

This article aims to explore how a system of human resource management (HRM) practices influence firm performance in a professional service context. It integrates multidisciplinary theory and research findings. The system of HRM practices are labeled as high performance work systems (HPWS). In this article, it is proposed that HPWS influence firm performance through two steps: (1) by creating resources of human, social and organizational capital; and (2) by efficient uses of these resources. It indicates that firms using higher level of HPWS will experience better performance. The underlying mechanism is that HPWS first promote employees’ ability, relationships, and opportunities; that is, the resources. These resources then facilitate the uses process, which is represented by 4 means: (1) sensing the changes in the external environment; (2) team formation and utilization; (3) leveraging knowledge from seniors to juniors; and (4) combining and exchanging knowledge. Uses finally lead to higher organizational performance. This approach is called the practices-resources-uses-performance linkage model. Employing this linkage process tool, managers are able to diagnose the requirements for organizational development. They can effectively adopt and implement HPWS. This article introduces a novel perspective for investigating the underlying mediating mechanisms that explain the link between HPWS and Professional Service Firm (PSF) performance.

HRM practices and knowledge sharing: an empirical study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between human resource management (HRM) practices and knowledge sharing from the Malaysian industry context.Design/methodology/approachThe method of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were employed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The structural equation modeling (SEM) method was applied to examine the theoretical framework.FindingsThe results indicate that recruitment and selection, teamwork, training and development, and performance appraisal, showed a positive relationship with knowledge sharing, as perceived by the managers in the Malaysian manufacturing and service organizations.Research limitations/implicationsThe research design in this study was cross‐sectional rather than longitudinal. Hence, even though the SEM method was adopted, the interpretations of the cause‐effect‐relationship among the variables could not be determined. In this case, longitudinal research designs serve to be more constructive as compared with cross‐sectional designs in providing causation evidence between HRM practices and knowledge sharing.Practical implicationsFindings from this study should be beneficial for HRM managers in developing countries such as Malaysia, who plan to develop competitive knowledge sharing competencies through the adoption of HRM practices.Originality/valueThe contribution of this study is the construction of a measurement system of HRM practices and knowledge sharing that could facilitate future research on human resource management, as well as highlighting important implications for HR managers in developing countries.

The Effects of Human Resource Management Systems on Economic Performance: An International Comparison of U.S. and Japanese Plants

This study uses personally collected data from 41 steel production lines to assess the effects of Japanese and U.S. human resource management (HRM) practices on worker productivity. The Japanese production lines employ a common system of HRM practices including: problem-solving teams, extensive orientation, training throughout employees' careers, extensive information sharing, rotation across jobs, employment security, and profit sharing. A majority of U.S. plants now have one or two features of this system of HRM practices, but only a minority have a comprehensive system of innovative work practices that parallels the full system of practices found among the Japanese manufacturers. We find that the Japanese lines are significantly more productive than the U.S. lines. However, U.S. manufacturers that have adopted a full system of innovative HRM practices patterned after the Japanese system achieve levels of productivity and quality equal to the performance of the Japanese manufacturers. This study's evidence helps reconcile conflicting views about the effectiveness of adopting Japanese-style worker involvement schemes in the United States. United States manufacturers that have adopted a definition of employee participation that extends only to problem-solving teams or information sharing do not see large improvements in productivity. However, U.S. manufacturers that adopt a broader definition of participation that mimics the full Japanese HRM system see substantial performance gains.