t h e ox f o r d ha n d b o o k of
HUMAN
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
the oxford handbook of
......................................................................................................................................................
HUMAN
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
......................................................................................................................................................
Edited by
PETER B OX ALL,
JOHN PURCELL,
and
PATR I CK WR IGH T
1
3
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide in
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offices in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press
in the UK and in certain other countries
Published in the United States
by Oxford University Press Inc., New York
ß Oxford University Press 2007
The moral rights of the authors have been asserted
Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
First published 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press,
or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate
reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction
outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department,
Oxford University Press, at the address above
You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover
and you must impose the same condition on any acquirer
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Data available
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Data available
Typeset by SPI Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India
Printed in Great Britain
on acid free paper by
Biddles Ltd., King’s Lynn, Norfolk
ISBN 978 0 19 928251 7
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Co
ntents
.........................................
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Contributors
1. Human Resource Management: Scope, Analysis, and Significance
Peter Boxall, John Purcell, and Patrick Wright
I.
viii
ix
x
1
F O U N DAT I O N S A N D F R A M E WO R K S
2. The Development of HRM in Historical and International
Perspective
Bruce E. Kaufman
3. The Goals of HRM
Peter Boxall
4. Economics and HRM
Damian Grimshaw and Jill Rubery
5. Strategic Management and HRM
Mathew R. Allen and Patrick Wright
6. Organization Theory and HRM
Tony Watson
7. HRM and the Worker: Towards a New Psychological Contract?
David E. Guest
8. HRM and the Worker: Labor Process Perspectives
Paul Thompson and Bill Harley
9. HRM and Societal Embeddedness
Jaap Paauwe and Paul Boselie
19
48
68
88
108
128
147
166
vi
contents
II.
CORE PROCESSES AND FUNCTIONS
10. Work Organization
John Cordery and Sharon K. Parker
11. Employment Subsystems and the ‘HR Architecture’
David Lepak and Scott A. Snell
12. Employee Voice Systems
Mick Marchington
13. EEO and the Management of Diversity
Ellen Ernst Kossek and Shaun Pichler
14. Recruitment Strategy
Marc Orlitzky
15. Selection Decision-Making
Neal Schmitt and Brian Kim
16. Training, Development, and Competence
Jonathan Winterton
17. Remuneration: Pay Effects at Work
James P. Guthrie
18. Performance Management
Gary Latham, Lorne M. Sulsky, and Heather MacDonald
III.
187
210
231
251
273
300
324
344
364
PAT T E R N S A N D D Y N A M I C S
19. HRM Systems and the Problem of Internal Fit
Sven Kepes and John E. Delery
20. HRM and Contemporary Manufacturing
Rick Delbridge
21. Service Strategies: Marketing, Operations, and Human
Resource Practices
Rosemary Batt
22. HRM and Knowledge Workers
Juani Swart
23. HRM and the New Public Management
Stephen Bach and Ian Kessler
24. Multinational Companies and Global Human Resource Strategy
William N. Cooke
385
405
428
450
469
489
contents
25. Transnational Firms and Cultural Diversity
Helen De Cieri
I V.
509
MEASUREMENT AND OUTCOMES
26. HRM and Business Performance
John Purcell and Nicholas Kinnie
27. Modeling HRM and Performance Linkages
Barry Gerhart
28. Family-Friendly, Equal-Opportunity, and High-Involvement
Management in Britain
Stephen Wood and Lilian M. de Menezes
29. Social Legitimacy of the HRM Profession: A US Perspective
Thomas A. Kochan
Index
vii
533
552
581
599
621
L..................................................................
i s t of F ig ure s
3.1
3.2
7.1
9.1
9.2
10.1
11.1
11.2
13.1
14.1
14.2
19.1
22.1
24.1
26.1
26.2
The Harvard ‘map of the HRM territory’
The goals of HRM: a synthesis
A framework for the analysis of the psychological contract
General framework for analyzing industrial relations issues
Impacts of DiMaggio and Powell’s three mechanisms on HRM
The organization of a work system
HR architectural perspective
HR architectural perspective and knowledge flows
Goals of EEO and managing workforce diversity policies and
practices
Mediation effects of recruitment on organizational effectiveness
Windolf ’s typology of recruitment strategies
The different types of internal fit within the HRM architecture
The multiple sources of identity of knowledge workers
An analytical framework
Revised HR causal chain
People management, HRM, and organizational effectiveness
50
62
138
172
175
189
214
224
261
282
283
392
461
492
541
544
List of Tables
..............................................................
3.1 Predicting HR strategy: two different scenarios despite
the same type of competitive strategy
3.2 Market characteristics, competitive dynamics, and HR
strategy in services
6.1 The contributions of four strands of organization
theory to HRM
9.1 Strategic responses to institutional processes
10.1 A taxonomy of work content characteristics associated
with different work system archetypes
10.2 Recommended job design strategies
12.1 Framework for analyzing direct voice
12.2 Factors influencing the adoption of voice systems
13.1 Definitions of employer objectives of EEO and
diversity strategies
13.2 EEO HR practices and organizational effectiveness:
representative studies
14.1 Summary of previous research investigating the main
effects of recruitment on organizational effectiveness
14.2 Summary of previous research investigating contingency
effects of/on recruitment practices and strategy
22.1 Concurrent themes, HR practice impact areas, and key tensions
28.1 The provision of family-friendly practices for non-managerial
employees
28.2 The provision of equal-opportunity practices for
non-managerial employees
28.3 The provision of high-involvement practices for
non-managerial employees
54
60
121
176
194
197
235
243
259
263
277
284
459
587
588
589
L i s t of Co n t r i b u t o r s
..............................................................................................
Mathew R. Allen is a doctoral candidate in human resource management at Cornell
University where his research is concerned with the relationship between HR
practices and firm performance among small businesses.
Stephen Bach is Reader in Employment Relations and Management at King’s
College, University of London. His research interests include public sector restructuring and public sector unionism and his publications include Employment
Relations and the Health Service: The Management of Reforms (Routledge).
Rosemary Batt is Professor of Women and Work at the New York State School of
Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University. Her research ranges across
high-performance work systems, unions, international and comparative workplace
studies, technology, and work and family issues, and her publications include The
New American Workplace: Transforming Work Systems in the U.S. (ILR Press,
Cornell) with Eileen Appelbaum.
Paul Boselie is an Assistant Professor in Human Resources Studies in the Faculty
of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Tilburg University. His research traverses
human resource management, institutionalism, strategic management, and industrial
relations.
Peter Boxall is Professor in Human Resource Management at the University of
Auckland where he has served as Head of the Department of Management and
Employment Relations and as an Associate Dean. His research is concerned with
the links between HRM and strategic management and with the changing nature of
work and employment systems and he is the co-author of Strategy and Human
Resource Management (Palgrave Macmillan) with John Purcell.
Bill Cooke is a Visiting Professor in the School of Labor and Industrial Relations
at Michigan State University. His research concerns multinational companies and
foreign and global human resource/collective bargaining strategies, the integration
of technology and HRM strategies, work team systems, and union–management
cooperation, and he is editor of Multinational Companies and Global Human
Resource Strategies (Greenwood Publishing).
John Cordery is Professor of Organizational and Labour Studies in the School of
Economics and Commerce at the University of Western Australia where he has
list of contributors
xi
served as Head of Department. His research focuses on new technology and work
design, team-based work organization and organizational trust.
Helen De Cieri is Professor of Human Resource Management and Director of the
Australian Centre for Research in Employment and Work (ACREW) at Monash
University. Her research is concerned with strategic human resource management,
global HRM, and HRM in multinational networks, and she is co-author of Human
Resource Management in Australia (McGraw-Hill) with Robin Kramar.
Rick Delbridge is Professor of Organizational Analysis at Cardiff Business School
and Senior Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management Research. His research
areas include work organization, workplace and inter-organizational relations, and
the management of innovation, and he is the author of Life on the Line in
Contemporary Manufacturing (Oxford University Press).
John E. Delery is Professor of Management in the Sam Walton College of Business
at the University of Arkansas. His research is concerned with the strategic management of human resources, the structure of human resource management systems,
personnel selection, and the selection interview.
Barry Gerhart is Bruce R. Ellig Distinguished Chair in Pay and Organizational
Effectiveness at the School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison. His
research spans compensation, HR strategy, incentives, and staffing, and his books
include Compensation: Theory, Evidence, and Strategic Implications (Sage) with Sara
Rynes.
Damian Grimshaw is Professor in Employment Studies and Director of the European Work and Employment Research Centre (EWERC) at the University of
Manchester. His research covers several areas of employment policy and practice
and his publications include The Organisation of Employment: An International
Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan) with Jill Rubery.
David E. Guest is Professor of Organizational Psychology and Human Resource
Management at King’s College, University of London. His research examines the
relationship between human resource management, corporate performance, and
employee well-being as well as including studies of psychological contracting and
the future of the career.
James P. Guthrie is the William and Judy Docking Professor of Human Resource
Management in the School of Business at the University of Kansas. His current
research interests include the impact of HR systems on firm performance and
alternative reward systems.
Bill Harley is Associate Professor in the Department of Management at the
University of Melbourne and Associate Dean (International) in the Faculty of
Economics and Commerce. His research interests range across HRM and industrial
xii
list of contributors
relations and his publications include Democracy and Participation at Work (Palgrave Macmillan), edited with Jeff Hyman and Paul Thompson.
Bruce E. Kaufman is Professor of Economics and Senior Associate of the W. T.
Beebe Institute of Personnel and Employment Relations at Georgia State University. His research interests span labor markets, industrial relations, and human
resource management, and his books include The Global Evolution of Industrial
Relations (ILO).
Sven Kepes is a doctoral candidate in management at the Sam Walton College of
Business, University of Arkansas, where he is researching in the areas of strategic
HRM, compensation, and employee turnover.
Ian Kessler is Reader in Employment Relations at Said Business School, Oxford
University, and a Fellow of Templeton College. His research interests include
reward strategies, employee communications, and the psychological contract.
Brian Kim is a doctoral candidate in psychology at Michigan State University where
he is conducting research on selection instruments and processes.
Nicholas Kinnie is Reader in Human Resource Management in the School of
Management at the University of Bath. His research concerns the links between
HRM and organizational performance, the role of people management practices
in professional service firms, and HRM in customer response centers, and he is the
co-author of Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the Black
Box (CIPD) with John Purcell, Sue Hutchinson, Bruce Rayton, and Juani Swart.
Thomas Kochan is the George Maverick Bunker Professor of Management at MIT’s
Sloan School of Management and Co-Director of the MIT Workplace Center and
the Institute for Work and Employment Research. His research covers a variety of
topics in industrial relations and human resource management and his recent
books include Restoring the American Dream: A Working Families’ Agenda for
America (MIT Press).
Ellen Ernst Kossek is a Professor of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior at Michigan State University’s Graduate School of Labor and
Industrial Relations. Her interests span human resource management, organizational support of work/life integration, and diversity, and her books include Work
and Life Integration (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) with Susan Lambert.
Gary Latham is Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Behaviour in the
Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. His research traverses
goal-setting, employee motivation, performance appraisal, training, organizational
justice, and organizational citizenship in the workplace.
David Lepak is Professor of Human Resource Management in the School of
Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. He is interested in the
list of contributors
xiii
strategic management of human capital, in different modes of employment, and in
the links between HRM and performance.
Heather MacDonald is a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of
Waterloo where she is conducting research on leadership, work motivation, and
performance appraisal.
Mick Marchington is Professor of Human Resource Management at the University
of Manchester where he has also served as Dean of Management Studies. His
research traverses worker participation and voice and the changing nature of
work, and his most recent book is Fragmenting Work: Blurring Organizational
Boundaries and Disordering Hierarchies (Oxford University Press), co-edited with
Damian Grimshaw, Jill Rubery and Hugh Willmott.
Lilian M. de Menezes is a senior lecturer in the Cass Business School, City
University, London. Her research focuses on forecasting, human resource management, and measurement in the social sciences.
Marc Orlitzky is an Associate Professor in the School of Business at the University
of Redlands in California. His research includes studies of corporate social-financial performance, corporate social responsibility and business ethics, and strategic
HRM.
Jaap Paauwe is Professor in Human Resource Studies in the Faculty of Social and
Behavioural Sciences at Tilburg University. His research ranges across HRM and
industrial relations and his publications include HRM and Performance: Achieving
Long-Term Viability (Oxford University Press).
Sharon K. Parker is Professor of Occupational Psychology at the Institute of
Work Psychology, University of Sheffield, and the Institute’s Director. Her research
interests include work design, employee learning and development, organizational change, and workplace health, and her publications include Job and
Work Design: Organizing Work to Promote Well-Being and Effectiveness (Sage)
with Toby Wall.
Shaun Pichler is a doctoral candidate at the School of Labor and Industrial
Relations at Michigan State University with research interests in EEO and the
management of diversity.
John Purcell is Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of
Bath where he is Head of Research in the School of Management and where he leads
the Work and Employment Research Centre (WERC). His research interests span
the impact of people management on organizational performance, HRM in multidivisional firms, employee relations’ styles, and changing forms of work and
employment, and his books include Strategy and Human Resource Management
(Palgrave Macmillan) with Peter Boxall.
xiv
list of contributors
Jill Rubery is Professor of Comparative Employment Systems and head of the
People, Management, and Organization Division of Manchester Business School
and founder and Co-Director of the European Work and Employment Research
Centre (EWERC) at the University of Manchester. Her research is concerned with
the ways in which work and employment systems vary across organizations and
societies and her publications include The Organisation of Employment: An International Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan) with Damian Grimshaw.
Neal Schmitt is Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology at
Michigan State University. He researches in the areas of personnel testing and
selection, job placement, and performance appraisal and his books include Organizational Staffing (Lawrence Erlbaum & Associates) with Robert Ployhart and
Benjamin Schneider.
Scott A. Snell is Professor of Human Resource Studies and Director of Executive
Education in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University.
His research focuses on the development and deployment of intellectual capital as a
foundation of an organization’s core competencies and he is the author of Managing Human Resources (Southwestern Publishing) with G. W. Bohlander.
Lorne M. Sulsky is Professor of Management and Organizational Behavior at
Wilfred Laurier University. His research traverses performance management, training, and work stress, and he is the co-author with Dr Carlla Smith of Work Stress
(Wadsworth Publishing).
Juani Swart is a Senior Lecturer and Director of MBA programmes in the School of
Management at the University of Bath. Her research interests include knowledge
management, intellectual capital, and knowledge workers, and she is the co-author
of Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the Black Box (CIPD)
with John Purcell, Nicholas Kinnie, Sue Hutchinson, and Bruce Rayton.
Paul Thompson is Professor and Head of the Department of Human Resource
Management at the University of Strathclyde. His research traverses the labor
process, organization theory, and workplace misbehavior and conflict, and he is
the co-editor of the recent Oxford Handbook on Work and Organization (Oxford
University Press) with Stephen Ackroyd, Rosemary Batt, and Pamela Tolbert.
Tony Watson is Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Nottingham University
Business School where he is head of the OB/HRM division. His research is
concerned with organizations, managerial work, strategy-making, entrepreneurship, HRM, and industrial sociology, and his books include Organising and Managing Work (Prentice Hall).
Jonathan Winterton is Professor of Human Resource Development and Director
of Research and International at Toulouse Business School. His research interests
span management development, vocational education and training, social dialog,
list of contributors
xv
industrial relations, and employee turnover. His publications include Developing
Managerial Competence (Routledge) with Ruth Winterton.
Stephen Wood is Professor and Deputy Director of the Institute of Work Psychology at the University of Sheffield. His recent research has concerned highinvolvement management, employee voice, idea-capturing schemes, portfolio
working, and the social challenges of nanotechnology. He is editor (with Howard
Gospel) of Representing Workers: Trade Union Recognition and Membership in
Britain (Routledge).
Patrick Wright is Professor of Human Resource Studies and Director of the Cornell
Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies in the School of Industrial and
Labor Relations, Cornell University. His research interests span the relationship
between HR practices and firm performance, the creation of a strategic HR
function, and HR’s role in corporate governance, and he is the co-author of
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (McGraw Hill) with Raymond
Noe, John Hollenbeck, and Barry Gerhart.
chapter 1
....................................................................................................................................................
H U M A N R E S O U RC E
M A NAG E M E N T
S C O P E , A N A LY S I S , A N D
SIGNIFICANCE
....................................................................................................................................
peter boxall
john purcell
patrick wright
Human resource management (HRM), the management of work and people
towards desired ends, is a fundamental activity in any organization in which
human beings are employed. It is not something whose existence needs to be
elaborately justiWed: HRM is an inevitable consequence of starting and growing
an organization. While there are a myriad of variations in the ideologies, styles, and
managerial resources engaged, HRM happens in some form or other. It is one thing
to question the relative performance of particular models of HRM in particular
contexts or their contribution to enhanced organizational performance relative to
other organizational investments, such as new production technologies, advertising campaigns, and property acquisitions. These are important lines of analysis. It
is quite another thing, however, to question the necessity of the HRM process itself,
as if organizations could somehow survive or grow without making a reasonable
attempt at organizing work and managing people (Boxall and Steeneveld 1999). To
wish HRM away is to wish away all but the very smallest of Wrms.
2
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
With such an important remit, there need to be regular reviews of the state
of formal knowledge in the Weld of HRM. Edited from the vantage point of the
middle of the Wrst decade of the twenty-Wrst century, this Handbook reveals a
management discipline which is no longer arriviste. Debates that exercised us in
the 1980s and 1990s, concerned with the advent of the HRM terminology, with how
it might be diVerent from its predecessor, personnel management, or with how it
might threaten trade unions and industrial relations, have given way to ‘more substantive issues: the impact of HRM on organizational performance and employees’
experience of work’ (Legge 2005: 221). These earlier debates retain a salient role
in our understanding of the subject, but the literature is no longer preoccupied
with them.
In the last ten years, the connections between HRM and the study of strategic
management have deepened and links with organizational theory/behavior
have grown. The literature on HRM outside the Anglo-American world has burst
over the levee, reminding us constantly of the diVerent socio-political contexts in
which HRM is embedded. A process of maturing has been taking place which we
aYrm in this Handbook. Looking outwards, the discipline is more aware of
diVerent environments, and is the better for it. Looking inwards, it is more
concerned with interactions, with cause–eVect chains, with how management
initiatives enlist employee support, or fail to do so, and is the better for it. There
are major challenges for theory and methodology but we wish to cement these
trajectories: they mean that HRM is poised to assume a greater role in the theory of
organizational eVectiveness. In this introductory chapter, we outline what we see as
the scope of the subject, identify key characteristics of what we call ‘analytical HRM’,
underline the signiWcance of the discipline, and provide a guide to the chapters
that follow.
1.1 The Scope of HRM: Three
Major Subfields
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Judging by the literature, HRM refuses to be any one thing. Not only does the Weld
cover a vast array of styles but there are three major subdomains of knowledge,
each bursting its banks.
Micro HRM (‘MHRM’) covers the subfunctions of HR policy and practice
(Mahoney and Deckop 1986). These can be further grouped into two main
categories. The largest group of subfunctions is concerned with managing individuals and small groups, including such areas as recruitment, selection, induction,
training and development, performance management, and remuneration. These
hrm: scope, analysis, and significance
3
topics each cover a vast array of practices, underpinned by an extensive body of
research, much of it informed by personnel or industrial-organizational psychology and, to some extent, by personnel and institutional economics. A smaller
group of subfunctions concerned with work organization and employee voice
systems (including management–union relations) is less driven by psychological
concepts and is more associated with industrial sociology and industrial relations.
The depth of research in the HR subfunctions has grown enormously over the
years and some areas, such as Human Resource Development, can legitimately
claim to be Welds in their own right. Regular reviews testify to this depth while
pointing out the way in which MHRM research often remains ‘silo based’ and,
thus, poorly connected to the wider set of HR practices and to broader workplace
problems (e.g. Wright and Boswell 2002). On the other hand, each of these
subfunctional domains represents recurring organizational processes which carry
major costs and simultaneously oVer opportunities to improve performance. The
conventionally designed Wrst course in HRM in any country is a survey course
which attempts to summarize MHRM research across the major subfunctional
domains and, in the better-designed programs, relate it to local laws, customs,
organizations, and markets. A vast range of textbooks published by the largest
international publishers serve this need.
Strategic HRM (‘SHRM’) is concerned with systemic questions and issues of
serious consequence—with how the pieces just described might Wt together, with
how they might connect to the broader context and to other organizational
activities, and with the ends they might serve. SHRM focuses on the overall HR
strategies adopted by business units and companies and tries to measure their
impacts on performance (e.g. Dyer 1984; Delery and Doty 1996). Much of the ‘big
push’ in the recognition of the Weld of HRM came from landmark works in the
1980s which sought to take a strategic perspective, arguing that general managers,
and not simply HR specialists, should be deeply concerned with HRM and alert to
its competitive possibilities (e.g. Beer et al. 1984). The area now has major texts
reviewing a research domain in which HRM bridges out to theory and research in
strategic management as well as industrial relations and organizational behavior
(e.g. Boxall and Purcell 2003; Paauwe 2004). The links with strategic management
are well known, particularly through the two Welds’ mutual interest in the resourcebased view of the Wrm and in processes of strategic decision-making (e.g. Boxall
1996; Wright et al. 2003). The links with industrial relations are also very important,
currently shown in the shared interest in the notion of ‘high-performance work
systems,’ while the connections with organizational behavior are evidenced in
mutual interest in such notions as psychological contracting and social exchange
(e.g. Wright and Boswell 2002; Purcell et al. 2003).
A third major domain is International HRM (‘IHRM’). Less engaged with the
theoretical bridges that are important in strategic HRM, IHRM concerns itself with
HRM in companies operating across national boundaries (e.g. Brewster and Harris
4
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
1999; Evans et al. 2002; Dowling and Welch 2004). This connects strongly to issues
of importance in the Welds of international business, including the internationalization process. International HRM is an amalgam of the micro and the macro with
a strong tradition of work on how HR subfunctions, such as selection and
remuneration, might be adapted to international assignments. When, however,
the Weld examines the ways in which the overall HR strategies of organizations
might grapple with the diVerent socio-political contexts of diVerent countries (as,
for example, in several chapters of Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt’s (2004) edited
collection), it takes on more strategic features.
We have, then, three major subdomains, summarized here under the acronyms
MHRM, SHRM, and IHRM. Researchers have pursued questions in all sorts of
specialized niches in these three domains, some publishing for decades on one
minor aspect of a Weld (the age-old academic strategy of looking for new angles in a
small corner of a perpendicular Weld). For much of the time, the three subdomains
seem to have been developing in parallel. While this has added to the volume of
publication, over-specialization brings problems and much can be done to enhance
learning about theory and/or methodology from one domain to another (Wright
and Boswell 2002). We think there are some important characteristics of an analytical approach to HRM that are critical for the intellectual life of all three domains.
1.2 Analytical HRM: Three Key
Characteristics
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
We use the notion of ‘analytical HRM’ to emphasize that the fundamental mission
of the academic management discipline of HRM is not to propagate perceptions
of ‘best practice’ in ‘excellent companies’ but, Wrst of all, to identify and explain
what happens in practice. Analytical HRM privileges explanation over prescription.
The primary task of analytical HRM is to build theory and gather empirical data in
order to account for the way management actually behaves in organizing work and
managing people across diVerent jobs, workplaces, companies, industries, and
societies.
We are not simply making an academic point here. Education founded on an
analytical conception of HRM should help practitioners to understand relevant
theory and develop analytical skills which can be applied in their speciWc situation
and that do not leave them Xat-footed when they move to a new environment. The
weaknesses of a de-contextualized propagation of ‘best practices’ were classically
exposed by Legge (1978) in her critique of the personnel management literature. She
pointed out how personnel management textbooks commonly failed to recognize
hrm: scope, analysis, and significance
5
diVerences in the goals of managers and workers and the way in which favorite
prescriptions worked well in some contexts but not in others. This argument has
been reinforced by similar critiques in the HRM literature (e.g. Marchington and
Grugulis 2000), by major reviews of the relationships between contextual variables
and HR practices (e.g. Jackson and Schuler 1995), and by studies of the embeddedness of HRM systems (e.g. Gooderham et al. 1999). The growth of the Weld of IHRM
has strongly emphasized the way in which models of HRM vary across cultures and
reXect the impact ofdiVerent employment laws and societalinstitutions (e.g. Brewster
1999; Paauwe and Boselie 2003). To quote the technical language of methodology,
‘moderators’ are important in our understanding of models of HRM: some things
work well under some conditions and not under others. The challenge, of course, is
very much to move on from a general genuXection to the importance of context to
models which incorporate the most vital contingencies (Purcell 1999).
A key implication, however, is that analytical HRM is deeply sceptical about
claims of universal applicability for particular HR practices or clusters of practices,
such as the lists oVered in the works of the US writer JeVery PfeVer (e.g. 1994, 1998).
This does not rule out the search for general principles in the management of work
and people—far from it—but it does caution strongly against prescription at the
level of speciWc HR practices (Becker and Gerhart 1996; Youndt et al. 1996; Boxall
and Purcell 2003).
A deep respect for context also implies that we make an attempt to understand
the goals of HRM within the wider context of the goals and politics of Wrms. Like
personnel management before it, MHRM has a tendency to begin with surveys or
case studies of favourite practices, such as 360-degree appraisal, which never raise
the question of what the overarching HRM principles might be or how they might
situate within management’s general goals for the organization. This stems, to
some extent, from the inXuence of psychology in MHRM, which does not oVer a
theory of business. One of the beneWts of the strategic and international schools of
HRM, both more concerned with the economic and social motives of Wrms, is that
they have opened an analysis of strategic HR goals and their relationship to wider
organizational goals (e.g. Evans 1986; Wright and Snell 1998; Boxall and Purcell
2003). The key message from this work is that the general motives of HRM are
multiple, subject to paradox or ‘strategic tension,’ and negotiated through political
and not simply ‘rational’ processes. This helps us to guard against two erroneous
extremes. One extreme is held by those who think that HRM only exists to serve the
proWt-oriented ‘bottom line,’ and who continually seek to justify HR policies in
these terms. This misunderstands the plurality of organizational eVectiveness.
While HRM does need to support commercial outcomes (often called the ‘business
case’), it also exists to serve organizational needs for social legitimacy (e.g. Lees
1997; Gooderham et al. 1999). The other extreme is held by those who seem to
imagine that managers are waiting with bated breath to implement their most
recent conception of ‘best practice.’ This pole seriously underestimates the way
6
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
businesses are aVected by the economics of production in their chosen sector,
creating a natural scepticism among managers about claims that some new technique will inevitably improve their business.
Building on the way in which analytical HRM seeks to locate HRM in its wider
contexts, a key trend in analysis is the construction of models of how HRM might
work, models that lay out the cause–eVect chains, intervening variables, or ‘mediators’ involved. There are two drivers of this trend in analysis. One stems from the
debate in SHRM concerning the need to show how human resources contribute to
business viability and might lay a basis for sustained competitive advantage. To
make the resource-based view of the Wrm truly useful, we need to show how HRM
helps create valuable capabilities and helps erect barriers to imitation (Mueller
1996; Boxall and Purcell 2003; Wright et al. 2003). A second key driver stems from
the realization that to work well, HR policies must be eVectively enacted by line
managers and must positively enhance employee attitudes and encourage productive behaviors (e.g. Guest 1999, 2002; Wright and Boswell 2002; Purcell 1999; Purcell
et al. 2003). This means that notions such as organizational culture and constructs
associated with psychological contracting and social exchange, which have been
important in the companion discipline of organizational behavior (OB), are now
being integrated into models of the process of HRM. We have embarked on a longoverdue process of investigating the way in which HR policies and practices aVect
job satisfaction, trust-in-management, attitudinal commitment, discretionary job
behavior, behavioral commitment, and beyond.
This extremely important analytical development has quite a job to do. On
the one hand, it means that HRM must become better integrated with theory
in organizational behavior and with other accounts of how HRM works, such as
those in industrial relations (IR) and labor economics. It also means that
HRM research must become more sophisticated methodologically. Not only are
there are issues around the way HRM researchers measure the presence (or
otherwise) of HR practices and systems (Gerhart et al. 2000), but recent reviews
of the quality of the evidence for the performance impacts of particular models of
HRM Wnd it seriously wanting (Wall and Wood 2005; Wright et al. 2005). These
reviews show that a huge proportion of the studies measuring both HR practices of
some kind and Wrm performance have found associations all right—but between
the former and past performance, thus leaving us poorly placed to assert that
causality runs from the selected HR practices to performance. This stems from the
preponderance of cross-sectional studies, which actually pick up historical Wnancial
data while asking about current HR practices, and the existence of very few
genuinely longitudinal studies.
This brings us to our Wnal point about analytical HRM: it is concerned with
assessing outcomes. This is obvious in terms of the way in which SHRM has
generated a slew of studies on the HRM–performance link; however, in the light
of what we have just said about the mediating role of employee attitudes and behavior,
hrm: scope, analysis, and significance
7
it is not simply about outcomes sought by shareholders or by their imperfect
agents, managers. HRM research is taking on board the question of mutuality (e.g.
Guest 1999, 2002; Peel and Boxall 2005); it is examining the extent to which
employer and worker outcomes are mutually satisfying and, thus, more sustainable
in our societies over the long run. It is, therefore, becoming less true to say that
HRM is dominated by fascination with management initiatives, as was very much
true of the literature of the 1980s. HRM is moving on, as Legge (2005) argues. It is
becoming more interactional, a process that will inevitably challenge other disciplines oVering a narrative about how employees experience work and which will
better equip HRM research to speak to the public policy debate.
In our view, then, analytical HRM has three important characteristics. First, it is
concerned with the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of HRM, with understanding what management tries to do with work and people in diVerent contexts and with explaining
why. Second, it is interested in the ‘how’ of HRM, in the chain of processes that
make models of HRM work well (or poorly), thus building much stronger links to
companion disciplines such as strategic management and organizational behavior.
Third, it is interested in questions of ‘for whom and how well,’ with assessing the
outcomes of HRM, taking account of both employee and managerial interests, and
laying a basis for theories of wider social consequence.
1.3 On the Offensive: The Significance
of HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The emphasis we place on understanding HRM as the management of work and
people in organizations (MWP—an acronym we quite like) and the analytical
approach we take to this means that the boundaries between HRM, industrial/
employment relations, organizational behavior/theory, economics, sociology,
psychology, and labor law (and more) are, at the least, porous. As a management
discipline, HRM draws insights, models, and theories from cognate disciplines and
applies them to real world settings. It is characteristic of such disciplines that they
beg, steal, and borrow from more basic disciplines to build up a credible body of
theory, and make no apology for it.
The conception of HRM that we advance here is not a narrow subject area. The
narrowness of perceiving HRM as solely what HR departments do (where they exist)
or of perceiving HRM as only about one style of people management are enemies of
the subject’s relevance and intellectual vigor. So, too, are the excesses of academic
specialization. The diVerentiation of management theory has gone too far, aided
and abetted by the ‘chapterization’ of management theory that occurs in such
8
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
organizations as the US Academy of Management, and the shortening of academic
vision that can occur through processes such as the UK’s research assessment
exercise. We live in a time when the perverse aspects of these institutional academic
practices need to be challenged and the ‘scholarship of integration’ (Boyer 1997)
needs to be fostered. An integration across the ‘people disciplines’ taught in business
schools—HRM, organizational behavior, and industrial/employment relations—is
particularly important, as is a reaching out to operations management, a subject
presently preoccupied with technical programming and barely aware of the issues
associated with managing work and people that actually fall into the lap of operations managers. The same could be said for marketing. In the service–proWt chain
(Heskett et al. 1997), where the employee–customer interface is central, understanding the worker dimension is poorly developed. HRM has much to oVer here.
Our aim, then, is to foster a more integrated conception of HRM with much
better connections to the way production is organized in Wrms and the way workers
experience the whole management process and culture of the organization. We see
HRM as the management discipline best placed to assert the importance of work
and employment systems in company performance and the role of such systems,
embedded as they are in sectoral and societal resources and institutional regimes, to
national economic performance and well-being. In taking this view, we oppose the
way writers in general or strategic management continue to downplay the importance of work organization and people management (Boxall and Purcell 2003). To be
sure, resource-based theory has reawakened the human side of strategy and, on a
practical level, support for the importance of HRM has come from Kaplan and
Norton’s (1996, 2001) ‘balanced scorecard,’ which starts from the premiss that it is
executed strategy that counts in Wrm performance. HRM is central to developing
the skills and attitudes which drive good execution. This in itself is enormously
important but, more than this, the contribution of HRM is dynamic: it either helps
to foster the kind of culture in which clever strategies are conceived and reworked
over time or, if handled badly, it hinders the dynamic capability of the Wrm. In our
assessment, more work is needed to reframe general or strategic management so
that it assigns appropriate value to work and employment systems and the organizational and sectoral-societal contexts which nurture or neglect them.
1.4 The Handbook of Human Resource
Management: Design and Contributions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
We designed the Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management to place
emphasis on the analytical approach we have just outlined. In the Wrst part,
hrm: scope, analysis, and significance
9
contributors lay down their theoretical foundations and review major conceptual
frameworks. This begins with Bruce Kaufman’s review of the history of HRM
(Chapter 2), tracing key intellectual and professional developments over the last
100 years. US developments naturally play a central role in the chapter but Kaufman also draws in research on Britain, Germany, France, Japan, and other parts of
the world. In Chapter 3, Peter Boxall asks the question: what are employers seeking
through engaging in HRM and how do their goals for HRM relate to their broader
business goals? The chapter emphasizes the ways in which employers try to adapt
eVectively to their speciWc economic and socio-political context, arguing that the
critical goals of HRM are plural and inevitably imply the management of strategic
tensions.
This then leads to chapters which cover the relationship between HRM and three
major academic disciplines: economics, strategic management, and organization
theory. Damian Grimshaw and Jill Rubery examine the connections with economics in Chapter 4. Finding the mainstream premisses underpinning ‘personnel
economics’ wanting in terms of their understanding of workplace behavior, they
examine more fruitful inXuences stemming from heterodox schools of economics.
This leads them to argue that the comparative study of employment institutions is
vital in locating Wrm-oriented analysis in HRM within the ‘interlocking web’ of
national institutions. In Chapter 5, Mathew Allen and Patrick Wright investigate
the important links that have developed between HRM and strategic management
theory. This includes reviewing the application to HRM of the resource-based view
(RBV) of the Wrm and notions of Wtting HRM to context. They highlight key
unanswered questions and call for an expanded understanding of the role of
strategic HRM. In Chapter 6, Tony Watson explains the need to ground HRM
theory in a theory of organization and considers four strands of organization
theory of particular relevance: the functionalist/systems and contingency strand,
the Weberian strand, the Marxian strand, and the post-structuralist and discursive
strand. He shows how these traditions have, to some extent, been applied to
analysis in HRM and indicates how they could be more fully applied to enhance
our understanding of patterns of HRM in the workplace.
The following two chapters focus on particular theoretical perspectives, drawn
from organizational behavior and industrial relations, that assist us to interpret
how the processes of HRM aVect workers. In Chapter 7, David Guest engages with
the OB notion of psychological contracting, which accords a central role to
mutuality questions, to how employees perceive and respond to employer
promises. Reviewing research on worker well-being, he argues that greater use of
high-commitment HR practices, involving greater making and keeping of promises
by the employer, enhances the psychological contract and brings beneWts to both
parties. This positive interpretation is juxtaposed with Chapter 8 in which Paul
Thompson and Bill Harley contrast what they perceive as the fundamental
premisses of HRM with the premisses of labor process theory (LPT), an area of
10
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
IR theory which oVers an analysis of the dynamics of employer–employee conXict.
Starting from assumptions about a ‘structured antagonism’ (Edwards 1990) in the
capitalist employment relation, LPT generates a diVerent set of conclusions about
the extent to which current workplace trends in employee control, work organization, and skill demands have enhanced mutuality. In Chapter 7, the glass of worker
well-being is at least half-full, while in Chapter 8 it is clearly half-empty. In
juxtaposing these chapters, we invite readers to decide which account they Wnd
more compelling. Finally in the Wrst section, Jaap Paauwe and Paul Boselie use
institutional theory to explain in Chapter 9 how HRM is embedded, and evolves, in
diVerent social contexts, producing, for example, very diVerent patterns in ‘Rhineland’ countries such as the Netherlands and Germany from those found in the
Anglo-American world. They emphasize the need for Wrms to Wnd a ‘strategic
balance’ between economic and justice/legitimacy objectives and, like Rubery and
Grimshaw, emphasize the value of comparative analysis in building an understanding of the forces that shape HRM. Thus, the Wrst part of the book reviews theory
which helps us to understand the management of work and employment but does
so in a way that pays due respect to diVerent theoretical and ideological premisses
and to the diverse histories and contexts of HRM.
While the Wrst part of the Handbook reXects much that stems from SHRM and
IHRM, the second part of the Handbook acknowledges the ongoing importance of
MHRM and seeks to properly acknowledge both the individual and collectively
oriented dimensions. The core processes and functions of HRM reviewed here start
with Chapter 10 on work organization in which Sharon Parker and John Cordery
adopt a systems approach to outline the characteristics and outcomes for Wrms and
workers of three archetypal work conWgurations: mechanistic, motivational, and
concertive work systems. Their analysis emphasizes the ways in which relationships
among a range of contingent factors aVect the adoption of diVerent work systems
and their chances of success. In Chapter 11, David Lepak and Scott Snell consider
employment subsystems, recognizing the problems in deWning a core workforce
and subsequent tensions in managing diVerent types of HRM for diVerent segments, whether internally or through outsourcing/oVshoring. They note how
HRM used to be about managing jobs but, as the knowledge economy grows, it
is increasingly about managing people. Here questions of knowledge-sharing
become more important, placing yet further tensions on variegated employment
subsystems.
In Chapter 12, Mick Marchington reviews employee voice systems, analyzing
direct modes of voice and the extent to which voice practices are embedded. On
this basis, he builds a model of the major societal, organizational, and workplace
factors that either promote or impede employee voice, enabling us to understand
why some voice systems are more prevalent in some contexts than in others. In
Chapter 13, Ellen Kossek and Shaun Pichler interrogate EEO and the management
of diversity. While they note that these concepts are socially constructed, they
hrm: scope, analysis, and significance
11
argue, drawing on US experience and perspectives, that we should subscribe to
some ‘best practices’ in this Weld and that the challenge for employers is to move
beyond legal compliance to create more inclusive workplaces. In Chapter 14, Marc
Orlitzky takes us into one of the less well-developed areas—recruitment strategy.
The research we have on how organizations recruit implies that hiring practices
vary based on labor market conditions, on what other Wrms are doing, and on
industry factors such as capital intensity. In contrast to the previous chapter,
Orlitzky’s review reveals very little evidence for ‘best practice takeaways’ in the
research on recruitment strategy and underlines the need for theoretical and
methodological development. The much more heavily tilled Weld of selection
decision-making is reviewed by Neal Schmitt and Brian Kim in Chapter 15.
Beginning with an outline of the variety and validity of selection methods, they
devote the bulk of their chapter to some key developments that are adding
complexity, controversy, and challenge to the selection process: for example, they
review theory and research on how Wrms might select individuals who perform in a
team-based and more dynamic sense, examine the debate around selection practices and minority representation in organizations, and consider how organizations might predict (and minimize) deviance and counterproductivity.
In Chapter 16, Jonathan Winterton covers the enormous terrain of training,
development, and competence. He oVers a deeply contextualized account of trends
in these areas, showing the extent to which national vocational education and
training systems vary, and how something like the notion of competence, developed in the USA, is taken up and applied in diVerent ways in countries like
Germany, France, and the UK. James Guthrie reviews remuneration in Chapter 17,
covering research on pay levels, pay structure, and pay forms and drawing on both
economic and psychological approaches. Rather like Marc Orlitzky, he shows the
‘deep-seated disagreement as to what constitutes ‘‘best practice’’ in compensation
management.’ Gary Latham, Lorne Sulsky, and Heather MacDonald tackle
performance management in Chapter 18. They review theory on the meaning
of performance, on the eYcacy of appraisal instruments, and on the value of
appraiser training. While much of this is about ‘best practice’ questions, they
underline the ways in which appraisal practices are aVected by the belief systems
and cognitive biases of managers and are located in the political context of the Wrm.
In Part II, then, the authors follow a classical set of dividers in MHRM. Each of
the chapters illustrates the enormous depth that can be found in the literature on
the subfunctions of HRM. While some authors in this section of the book argue
that there are some universally better practices in the subfunction on which they
have focused (which tend to be those in which techniques at the individual level
have been the subject of a long tradition of psychological studies), the overall tenor
of the section underlines the diversity of HR practice in diVerent contexts and our
need to understand how it emerges. Rather than focusing on static notions of ‘best
practice,’ most authors point to the need for us to understand the principles
12
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
underpinning why and how HR practices vary across diVerent occupational,
company, industry, and societal contexts.
The engagement with context is taken further in Part III, where we oVer a
diVerent shuZing of the pack suggested by concerns in SHRM and IHRM. The
idea is to look at how the subfunctional processes of HRM might be blended in
diVerent ways, examining HRM challenges in diVerent economic sectors and
in Wrms operating across national borders. This begins with Chapter 19, in which
Sven Kepes and John Delery analyze the important notion of ‘internal Wt’ or the
question of internal integration in HRM. They outline a comprehensive theoretical
framework and examine research on synergistic eVects—including ‘powerful connections’ and ‘deadly combinations.’ While pointing to areas where we need more
research, they argue that there is, indeed, evidence for the importance of synergies.
Choices in SHRM and the internal Wt of MHRM are strongly inXuenced by the
Wrm’s sector and the dominant work processes within it. The next four chapters
look at manufacturing, the service sector, knowledge workers, and the public
sector. Rick Delbridge (Chapter 20) focuses on the way in which HRM in highcost manufacturing countries has evolved towards ‘lean manufacturing’ and
‘high-performance work systems,’ examining the impacts on worker interests and
considering alternatives to the lean model. Much of the early research in HRM was
undertaken in manufacturing yet, as Delbridge shows, many controversies remain
unresolved. The service sector is now so large and diverse, and such an important
part of modern economies, that no one analysis is suYcient. Rosemary Batt
examines HRM and the service encounter in Chapter 21, showing how services
management calls for careful integration of marketing, operations and human
resource functions. She outlines the implications for HRM of diVerent service
strategies and, in particular, explores the tensions between operational management, which emphasizes eYciency and cost reduction, and marketing, where
satisfying the customer is the dominant consideration. These create conXicting
pressures for HRM. Juani Swart focuses on the growing number of workers who
trade on their knowledge and work in knowledge-intensive Wrms. The dilemmas in
managing them are explored in Chapter 22. These types of workers, whose work is
central to the Wrm, are likely to have distinctive, and multiple, identities and
aspirations, which may not match those desired by their employer. Getting the
most eVective HRM in place is no easy matter. In Chapter 23, Stephen Bach and
Ian Kessler review HRM in the public sector, analyzing the distinctive features of
the state as an employer. They consider the way in which the ‘new public management’ of the 1990s, and subsequent developments that incorporate some learning
about its strengths and weaknesses, have challenged the nature of HRM, but also show
that institutional patterns of behavior are embedded and hard to change. Together,
these four chapters show how sectoral and occupational analysis has tremendous
value. They show the limitation of taking the individual Wrm as the unit of analysis
and oVer much deeper understanding both of context and of diVerent forms of
hrm: scope, analysis, and significance
13
management relevant to particular market characteristics. Future research could
usefully be focused much more on sectors or occupations rather than just the
atomized organization.
In the last two chapters in the section, the focus is on large, complex Wrms
operating internationally. In Chapter 24, Bill Cooke develops an analytical framework which helps us understand how multinational Wrms think about the economics of global HR strategy. He reviews evidence that shows that multinational
Wrms typically invest less in countries with lower average education levels and
higher average costs and less in countries in which they perceive IR systems as
driving up the unit costs of production, either directly or indirectly through greater
restrictions on management prerogative. Helen De Cieri looks at how transnational
Wrms are dealing with the reality of cultural diversity in Chapter 25. Her chapter
underlines the fact that there are diverse views about the value and management of
cultural diversity and highlights the challenges HR managers face in managing
pressures for global integration and local adaptation in transnational Wrms.
Together, these two chapters help us to analyze the ways in which the HR activities
of multinational Wrms aVect, and are aVected by, diVerent economies and societies
around the world.
Part IV is concerned with the outcomes of HRM. In Chapter 26, John Purcell and
Nick Kinnie review the research on links between HRM and performance. They
examine problems associated with methodology, with how we deWne performance
and HRM, and with the theory linking them. They then develop a model that
postulates a number of key mediating elements, including line manager and
employee responses, which can be used to guide HRM–performance studies,
both qualitative and quantitative. The methodological issues are scrutinized in
Chapter 27 by Barry Gerhart, drawing heavily on how statistical procedures have
been improved in the much more established Welds of Psychology and Economics.
This chapter is not for the numerically challenged but is essential reading for
anyone skeptical about the claims made in some well-cited studies, and wanting
to design more rigorous quantitative studies of the relationship between HRM and
performance.
The last two chapters are concerned with mutuality of outcomes. We agreed with
these authors that they could adopt approaches which are somewhat diVerent from
the general chapter brief adopted for the other chapters in the book. In Chapter 28,
Stephen Wood and Lilian de Menezes examine the relationships among familyfriendly management, EEO, and high-involvement management. Looking to see if
an underlying orientation underpins these three forms of management, they report
their analysis of British data on the associations among these forms of management
and their relationships with performance. In Chapter 29, Tom Kochan applies the
criterion of social legitimacy to the work of HR specialists in the USA, arguing that
the quest for senior management approval has gone too far, has ignored the fraying
American ‘social contract,’ and calling for a major re-evaluation of the values and
14
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
professional identity that inform specialist HR roles. These last two chapters help
to reinforce the point that an analytical approach to HRM can be used to guide
critique of the patterns that HRM assumes in particular societies and whether these
need reform by the state, by Wrms, and by professional bodies.
In sum, the Handbook is designed to enable readers to form an overview of the
major theoretical perspectives that help to illuminate the broad practice of HRM
and to read contextually sensitive reviews of the classical subfunctions of MHRM.
But it also oVers examinations of the more holistic contexts and dynamic questions
about patterns and outcomes that are the stuV of SHRM and IHRM. There are,
naturally, omissions but we trust the Handbook oVers a comprehensive overview
of contemporary HRM and provides important guideposts for its future development in theory, research, and curriculum. Most HRM textbooks are parochial, but
rarely recognize this single country, and often single topic, limitation. This is not
just a limitation of content and relevance but one of ‘seeing’ and ‘conceptualizing.’
We three editors, from New Zealand, Britain, and the USA, have become increasingly aware of our own mental maps in working with each other, and in particular
working with the authors of the chapters. We have often challenged each other, and
them, to think beyond traditional boundaries of the topic even where they are
subject specialists of high renown. The authors have nearly always responded with
enthusiasm, making signiWcant alterations to second or third drafts. We thank
them most warmly for that. We hope this collection of original essays reXects this
learning process. It means that the chapters are not potted summaries of all we
know about a topic in HRM but challenge what we know, or what we thought we
knew, and set signposts for further exploration.
References
Becker, B., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Practice.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39:
779 801.
Beer, M., Spector, B., Lawrence, P., Quinn Mills, D., and Walton, R. (1984). Managing
Human Assets. New York: Free Press.
Boxall, P. (1996). ‘The Strategic HRM Debate and the Resource Based View of the Firm.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 6/3: 59 75.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan.
and Steeneveld, M. (1999). ‘Human Resource Strategy and Competitive Advantage:
A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Consultancies.’ Journal of Management Studies,
36/4: 443 63.
Boyer, E. (1997). Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. San Francisco:
Jossey Bass.
hrm: scope, analysis, and significance
15
Brewster, C. (1999). ‘DiVerent Paradigms in Strategic HRM: Questions Raised by
Comparative Research.’ In P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau, and G. Milkovich (eds.),
Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management, Supplement 4: Strategic Human
Resources Management in the Twenty First Century. Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.
and Harris, H. (eds.) (1999). International Human Resource Management: Comtem
porary Issues in Europe. London: Routledge.
Delery, J., and Doty, D. (1996). ‘Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and ConWgurational Performance
Predictions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4: 802 35.
Dowling, P. J., and Welch, D. E. (2004). International Human Resource Management:
Managing People in a Multinational Context. London: Thomson.
Dyer, L. (1984). ‘Studying Human Resource Strategy.’ Industrial Relations, 23/2: 156 69.
Edwards, P. (1990). ‘Understanding ConXict in the Labour Process: The Logic and
Autonomy of Struggle.’ In D. Knights and H. Willmott (eds.), Labour Process Theory.
London: Macmillan.
Evans, P. (1986). ‘The Strategic Outcomes of Human Resource Management.’ Human
Resource Management, 25/1: 149 67.
Pucik, V., and Barsoux, J. L. (2002). The Global Challenge: Frameworks for Inter
national Human Resource Management. New York: McGraw Hill.
Gerhart, B., Wright, P. M., McMahan, G. C., and Snell, S. A. (2000). ‘Measurement
Error in Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: How Much Error is
There and How Does it InXuence EVect Size Estimates?’ Personnel Psychology, 53: 803 34.
Gooderham, P., Nordhaug, O., and Ringdal, K. (1999). ‘Institutional and Rational
Determinants of Organizational Practices: Human Resource Management in European
Firms.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 44: 507 31.
Guest, D. E. (1999). ‘Human Resource Management: The Workers’ Verdict.’ Human
Resource Management Journal, 9/3: 5 25.
(2002). ‘Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee
Well Being: Building the Worker into HRM.’ Journal of Industrial Relations, 44/3: 335 58.
Harzing, A. W., and Van Ruysseveldt, J. (eds.) (2004). International Human Resource
Management. London: Sage.
Heskett, J. L., Sasser, W. E., and Schlesinger, L. A. (1997). The Service ProWt Chain: How
Leading Companies Link ProWt and Growth to Loyalty, Satisfaction and Value. New York:
Free Press.
Jackson, S., and Schuler, R. (1995). ‘Understanding Human Resource Management in the
Context of Organizations and their Environments.’ Annual Review of Psychology, 46: 237 64.
Kaplan, R., and Norton, D. (1996). The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into
Action. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
(2001). The Strategy Focused Organization. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press.
Lees, S. (1997). ‘HRM and the Legitimacy Market.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 8/3: 226 43.
Legge, K. (1978). Power, Innovation, and Problem Solving in Personnel Management.
London: McGraw Hill.
(2005). ‘Human Resource Management.’ In S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson, and
P. Tolbert (eds.), Oxford University Press Handbook of Work and Organization. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
16
peter boxall, john purcell, and patrick wright
Mahoney, T., and Deckop, J. (1986). ‘Evolution of Concept and Practice in Personnel
Administration/Human Resource Management (PA/HRM).’ Journal of Management, 12:
223 41.
Marchington, M., and Grugulis, I. (2000). ‘ ‘‘Best practice’’ Human Resource Manage
ment: Perfect Opportunity or Dangerous Illusion?’ International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 11/6: 1104 24.
Mueller, F. (1996). ‘Human Resources as Strategic Assets: An Evolutionary Resource
Based Theory.’ Journal of Management Studies, 33/6: 757 85.
Paauwe, J. (2004). HRM and Performance: Achieving Long Term Viability. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
and Boselie, P. (2003). ‘Challenging ‘‘Strategic HRM’’ and the Relevance of the
Institutional Setting.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 56 70.
Peel, S., and Boxall, P. (2005). ‘When is Contracting Preferable to Employment? An
Exploration of Management and Worker Perspectives.’ Journal of Management Studies,
42/8: 1675 97.
Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive Advantage through People. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press.
(1998). The Human Equation: Building ProWts by Putting People First. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press.
Purcell, J. (1999). ‘The Search for ‘‘Best Practice’’ and ‘‘Best Fit’’: Chimera or Cul de Sac?’
Human Resource Management Journal, 9/3: 26 41.
Kinnie, N., Hutchinson, S., Rayton, B., and Swart, J. (2003). Understanding the
People and Performance Link: Unlocking the Black Box. London: CIPD.
Wall, T. D., and Wood, S. (2005). ‘The Romance of Human Resource Management and
Business Performance, and the Case for Big Science.’ Human Relations, 58/4: 429 62.
Wright, P., and. Boswell, W. (2002). ‘Desegregating HRM: A Review and Synthesis of
Micro and Macro Human Resource Management Research.’ Journal of Management, 28/3:
247 76.
and Snell, S. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and Flexibility
in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review, 23/4:
756 72.
Dunford, B., and Snell, S. (2003). ‘Human Resources and the Resource Based View
of the Firm.’ Journal of Management, 27: 701 21.
Gardner, T., Moynihan, L., and Allen, M. (2005). ‘The Relationship between HR
Practices and Firm Performance: Examining Causal Order.’ Personnel Psychology, 58:
409 46.
Youndt, M., Snell, S., Dean, J., and Lepak, D. (1996). ‘Human Resource Management,
Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4:
836 66.
part i
...................................................................................................................................................
F O U N DAT I O N S A N D
F R A M E WO R K S
...................................................................................................................................................
chapter 2
....................................................................................................................................................
THE
D EV E LO P M E N T
OF HRM IN
H I S TO R I C A L A N D
I N T E R NAT I O NA L
PERSPECTIVE
....................................................................................................................................
bruce e. kaufman
2.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The human resource function in the business enterprise has its origins in the rise of
modern industry in the late nineteenth century. In this chapter, I provide a survey
of its historical development both as a functional area of management practice and
as an area of research and teaching in universities. Although, for reasons to be
described, the bulk of attention is on the United States, I endeavor to put the
subject in an international context. Also provided is an account of the Weld’s
progress, shortcomings, and controversies.
20
bruce e. kaufman
2.2 The Origins and Early
Development of HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Viewed as a generic activity involving the management of other people’s labor in
production, human resource management (HRM) goes back to the dawn of
human history. The Wrst visible roots of the HRM function as practiced today in
modern business organizations appeared in the late nineteenth century more or
less contemporaneously in England, France, Germany, and the United States. Japan
experienced a broadly similar development a decade or so later.
The generic practice of HRM does not require a formal human resource department or any specialized personnel staV. This was the arrangement practiced in
most late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century enterprises, even in large-size
factories and mills employing several thousand people. The HRM functions
of hiring, training, compensation, and discipline/termination were performed
in alternative ways. Considerable reliance was placed on the labor market, for
example, to set pay rates and provide motivation for hard work (through the
threat of termination and unemployment), while other HRM functions were done
by the owner or plant manager or were delegated to foremen and inside contractors. Interestingly, this arrangement is still the norm today in many small Wrms. In
their national survey conducted in the mid-1990s, for example, Freeman and
Rogers (1999: 96) found that 30 percent of the American workers were employed
in Wrms that had no formal HRM department.
The modern HRM department grew out of two earlier developments. The Wrst
was the emergence of industrial welfare work. Starting in the 1890s, a number of
companies started to provide a variety of workplace and family amenities for their
employees, such as lunch rooms, medical care, recreational programs, libraries,
company magazines, and company-provided housing (Eilbirt 1959; Gospel 1992;
Spencer 1984). Frequently, a new staV position was created to administer these
activities, called a ‘welfare secretary,’ and women or social workers were often
appointed. The impetus behind welfare work was an amalgam of good business,
humanitarian concern for employees, and religious principle. German companies
were pioneers in welfare work in the nineteenth century, but employers in all the
industrializing countries participated.
The second antecedent was the creation of some type of separate employment
oYce. These oYces, often staVed by one or several lower-level clerks and supervisors, were created to centralize and standardize certain employment-related
functions, such as hiring, payroll, and record-keeping. The introduction of civil
service laws in several countries also led to the creation of employment departments in various levels of government. A stand-alone employment oYce reportedly existed in large European companies as far back as the 1890s. Farnham (1921)
the development of hrm
21
reports, for example, that the German steel company Krupp had a long-established
Personnelbüro to handle staV administration, while the French steel Wrm Le
Creusot had a similar Bureau de Personnel Ouvrier. The earliest employment
department in America is reported to have been established at the B. F. Goodrich
Co. in 1906 (Eilbirt 1959). The movement to create a separate employment department in American Wrms started to coalesce in 1912 with the formation of the Boston
Employment Managers Association. Quickly the term ‘employment management’
became the accepted descriptor for this new management function and in 1916 it
had spread widely enough to support the creation of a nationwide Employment
Managers Association.
The rise of the employment management function is tightly linked with another
seminal development—the emergence of the doctrine and practice of scientiWc
management (SM). The Wrst professional/scientiWc writings on business organization and management appeared in the early 1880s in the United States, authored
primarily by engineers. The engineers sought to use principles of science to increase
the eYciency of business production systems. Inevitably they were led to consider
the ‘people’ side of production, including methods of employee selection, job
assignment, supervision, work pace, and compensation. This new approach
found its most inXuential and strategic formulation in the writings of Frederick
Taylor, particularly his book Principles of ScientiWc Management (1911). In America,
employers’ interest in applying SM to labor management was substantially heightened by two new and much publicized empirical Wndings reported in the early to
mid-1910s. The Wrst was the huge cost of employee turnover (often in excess of 100
percent annually); the second was the cost savings from the recently inaugurated
industrial safety movement (Jacoby 1985).
The First World War had a great impact on the development of the HRM function
throughout the industrial world (Eilbirt 1959; Kaufman 2004a). The major combatants sought to harness their economies to maximum war production, greatly
stimulating the pressures to rationalize management and achieve higher productivity. Governments in several countries sponsored research on industrial fatigue and
instituted screening tests for new recruits into the armed forces (Baritz 1960; Niven
1967). Likewise, war production led to an economic boom and dramatically higher
employee turnover rates, escalating wage pressures, and problems with discipline
and work eVort. Finally, labor unrest, strikes, and union organizing greatly
mounted—factors that, with the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917, caused
widespread concern that the ‘Labor Problem’ was on the verge of boiling over into
revolution in other countries. Out of this fear was born, in turn, a new movement for
industrial democracy (Lichtenstein and Harris 1993). In response, companies
expanded welfare activities, created new employment departments, and in hundreds
of cases established shop committees and employee representation plans.
In the American context, two new terms for labor management quickly emerged.
The Wrst of these was personnel management (or personnel administration). By the
22
bruce e. kaufman
end of the war many American Wrms took the two functions of welfare work and
employment management and combined them into a new department called
personnel management. At the time, this was framed as bringing under one roof
both the ‘employment’ and ‘service’ parts of the HRM function. Some European
Wrms also used the ‘personnel’ term, but particularly in Britain the most common
descriptor through the 1920s remained ‘welfare work.’ Illustratively, the Wrst professional employment association in Britain was the Association of Welfare Workers, established in 1913, and it did not change its name to Institute of Labor
Management until 1931 (Niven 1967). The ‘personnel’ term, in turn, did not become
widely accepted until after the Second World War (Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development 2005). In continental Europe, a number of Wrms established
employee ‘social’ departments, again emphasizing the welfare side of personnel
management.
The second new term was industrial relations (occasionally also called ‘employment relations’). The industrial relations term came into widespread usage in the
USA and Canada in 1919–20, not coincidentally at the same time as corporate
worries about labor unrest and government regulation were at a peak. The term
was not, however, widely adopted in other countries until after the Second World
War and then typically with a narrower (union management) meaning.
In early usage, the subject domain of industrial relations was the entire
employer–employee relationship (Kaufman 2004a). In the corporate world, it was
conceived as representing a more broad-based and strategic (‘management policy’)
approach to labor management, including the subject of workforce governance.
Industrial relations thus subsumed the narrower employment function of
personnel management, just as personnel management subsumed employment
management and welfare work. In this vein, Kennedy (1919: 358) states, ‘employment
management is, and always must be, a subordinate function to the task of preparing
and administering a genuine labor policy, which is properly the Weld of industrial
relations.’
During the sharp recession of 1920–1 many companies disbanded their newly
formed personnel departments, partly as a cost-saving measure and partly because
employee turnover and the threat of unions dissipated. The setback was temporary,
however, and over the rest of the 1920s the personnel/industrial relations movement gradually regrouped and resumed growth. Jacoby (1985) provides these
suggestive data: in 1915 perhaps 3–5 percent of workers employed in medium–
large Wrms (over 250 employees) had a personnel/IR department; by 1920 this Wgure
had increased to 25 percent and to 34 percent by 1929. By 1929 over one-half of Wrms
with over 5,000 employees had a formalized HRM function. In the vanguard of the
movement were leading corporate giants in the 1920s Welfare Capitalist movement,
such as AT&T, Standard Oil, Dupont, and General Electric, and small- to
medium-size Wrms run by progressive owner/entrepreneurs, such as Dennison
Manufacturing and Plimpton Press. These Wrms abandoned the pre-war ‘market’
the development of hrm
23
model of HRM, in which labor was traded and used more or less like any other
commodity, and moved to what labor economist John Commons (1919) described
as a combination of a ‘machine’ (scientiWc management), ‘good will’ (high commitment), and ‘industrial citizenship’ (democratic governance) model. Also noteworthy, Commons (1919: 129) used the term ‘human resource’ to connote the idea
that investment in human skills and education makes labor more productive and
counseled employers to take a strategic approach to labor, observing that
‘[employee] goodwill is a competitive advantage’ (1919: 74).
If there were two themes that pervaded the 1920s HRM literature, it was that
labor must be looked at as a distinctly human factor and that the central purpose of
HRM is to foster cooperation and unity of interest between the Wrm and workers
(Kaufman 2003a). To achieve these goals, the leading practitioners of Welfare
Capitalism created extensive internal labor markets (ILMs), complete with what
Leiserson (1929) called the ‘crown jewel’ of the Welfare Capitalist movement—the
employee representation plan. These plans were early forerunners of modern forms
of participative management and employee involvement (Taras 2003; Kaufman
2000a). Many of the speciWc employment practices in these companies were
tactical in nature and administered by lower-level personnel staV. The overall
design and mission of these new HRM programs, however, was done at the highest
executive level with clear-cut strategic goals in mind. Indeed, the need to take a
strategic approach to HRM was widely cited in the 1920s. For example, in the Wrst
article in the Harvard Business Review on the new practice of HRM, titled ‘Industrial Relations Management,’ the author (Hotchkiss 1923: 440) tells readers, ‘When,
however, we pass from tactics to the question of major strategy, industrial relations
management is essentially functional rather than departmental. . . . [It] deals with
a subject matter which pervades all departments. . . . [and] must to succeed
exercise an integrating, not a segregating, force on the business as a whole.’
Not only did the practice of HRM take root and start to develop in major
companies in the USA in the 1920s; so too did a supporting infrastructure of
journals, associations, consulting Wrms, and university teaching and research
programs. After the Industrial Relations Association of America folded, a new
association called the National Personnel Association was founded. It later became
the American Management Association. Also founded in 1922 was the Personnel
Research Federation which promoted academic and industrial research and
published it in the Journal of Personnel Research. In 1926 industrialist John
D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated funds to start the nation’s Wrst large-scale (non-proWt)
HRM consulting/research organization, Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc.
(Kaufman 2003b). In the academic world, the Wrst personnel textbook appeared
in 1920, Personnel Administration by Tead and Metcalf, and was shortly followed by
several others. In 1920 the University of Wisconsin was the Wrst to oVer an area of
study in industrial relations (comprised of coursework in personnel management,
labor legislation, industrial (workforce) government, and unemployment) and
24
bruce e. kaufman
in 1922 Rockefeller donated funds to Princeton University to establish an Industrial
Relations Section, the Wrst academic unit in an American university dedicated to
research on HRM practices in industry. During the 1920s a number of business
schools also introduced courses on personnel management. Institutional labor
economists were the largest contingent of researchers and teachers on labor
management, but a small cadre of academics from industrial psychology and
commerce were also active in the Weld (Kaufman 2000b).
The development of HRM in other countries during the 1920s was slower, more
piecemeal, and less strategic. Industrialization, for example, was less advanced or on
a smaller scale in a number of countries. Australia is a case in point. In the mid-1920s
there were perhaps six full-time welfare workers in the entire country (Hinder 1925)
and only during the Second World War production boom did labor management
departments start to appear (Wright 1991). Even in countries with large-scale
industry, HRM lagged behind. One person estimated that the development of
labor management in Britain in the early 1920s was Wve years behind America
(Fryer 1924). Also illustrative is the remark of Mary Fleddérus, a Dutch welfare
manager (quoted in Journal of Personnel Research, 1/1: 175) who stated in 1922,
‘Broadly speaking, welfare work in Holland seems to me, as in other countries, to
have arrived at a transition state. I have the impression that it chieXy looks to
America for the lines on which it will go on working.’ In a similar vein, Englishman
Harold Butler (1927: 107) observed, ‘The American literature on the subject [industrial relations] probably exceeds that of the rest of the world put together.’
To be sure, there were advances in HRM research and practice outside America
in the 1920s. German academics and industrial researchers, for example, pioneered
a new Weld called Arbeitswissenschaft (science of work) which explored subjects
such as ergonomics, fatigue, and job satisfaction (Campbell 1989). Next to the USA,
Germany was also the most active site for work in the new Welds of industrial
psychology (called ‘psychotechniks’) and industrial sociology. In Britain, little
work was pushed forward on labor management or industrial psychology and
sociology in universities during the 1920s, in part due to the tepid interest of the
British in scientiWc management principles (Guillén 1994). Burns (1967: 198) notes,
for example, that British academics had an ‘ideological bias against business and
against internal studies of business undertakings.’ Some vocational training and
applied research in labor management was sponsored, however, by the government, the Institute of Welfare Work, and technical schools. Limiting the development of HRM in not only Britain but all of Europe was, in addition, the fact that
these countries were more advanced than the USA with regard to labor legislation,
social insurance programs, and trade unionism, all of which reduced the opportunity and incentive for European employers to take a more individualized and
strategic approach to labor management (Rodgers 1998; Kaufman 2004a).
Perhaps the country outside the USA that saw the most signiWcant advance in
HRM practice during the 1920s was Japan. Japan was an early and enthusiastic
the development of hrm
25
adopter of Taylor’s credo of scientiWc management and, more so than in England,
France, and Germany, Japanese employers strove to implement it (Merkle 1980;
Tsutsui 1998). In the 1920s a number of individual employers and governmentsponsored business groups from Japan visited the USA speciWcally to observe
American industrial practices and they took back and adopted (with modiWcations) a number of elements of the Welfare Capitalism project. An association of
academics, business managers, and government oYcials, called the Kyochokai
(Society for Harmonious Cooperation), was formed to promote improved industrial relations practices, and the Wrst labor management consultants appeared
(Gordon 1985; Kinzley 1991). Japanese Wrms began to develop ILMs, created
personnel/IR departments, and started numerous HRM practices such as recruiting programs, hiring tests, incentive wage plans, job evaluation programs, and shop
committees (Dore 1973; Hazama 1997; Jacoby 1991). These practices were also
fostered by the American corporations that had branch plants in Japan.
A notable event in the history of HRM is the world’s Wrst international conference devoted to the subject. Held in Flushing, the Netherlands, in 1925, it was titled
International Industrial Welfare (Personnel) Congress. The conference lasted
seven days and featured Wrst-hand reports on the status of the welfare/personnel
movement in twenty-two countries. The conference organizers chose to call it a
congress on ‘welfare work,’ since this title was the most common in Britain and
British colonial territories (India, South Africa, etc.), but put the word ‘personnel’
in parentheses in recognition of the shift in nomenclature in the United States.
The conference proceedings explained that the term ‘welfare work’ was used in a
broad sense to include personnel management activities, but nonetheless its
use gave emphasis to what was described as the ‘paternal and social side’ (p. 45).
It goes on to say that the term ‘personnel’ as used in the USA stresses that the
function is ‘recognized as part of the Management’ and that personnel is not just a
staV function but includes ‘anyone who supervises employees, from the assistant
foreman to the president’ (p. 46). Several years later the association abandoned
both the welfare and personnel terms and adopted the name ‘International Industrial Relations Association’ (Kaufman 2004a).
2.3 The Middle Period: 1930–1965
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
From its birth in the mid-1910s to the late 1920s, the new management function
of HRM made considerable progress and was quite favorably viewed by
academic observers in the United States. Illustratively, labor economist and mediator William Leiserson (1929: 164) concluded, ‘when the contributions of personnel
26
bruce e. kaufman
management are recapitulated in some such fashion as we have attempted, the
result is bound to be an impressive sum.’ Stated another labor scholar (Slichter
1929: 432), ‘modern personnel methods are one of the most ambitious social
experiments of the age.’
Over the next ten years, however, the prestige and inXuence of HRM, and
particularly the strategic ‘goodwill’ version associated with the Welfare Capitalist
movement, took a dramatic nose-dive. The Great Depression began in late 1929
and the economy went into a downward spiral until in early 1933 gross domestic
product had fallen 30 percent and one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed.
The economies of other countries followed suit and, indeed, Great Britain had
started the descent earlier.
Companies had no choice but to retrench and look for deep cost savings. The
term ‘rationalization’ became an oft-used phrase on both sides of the Atlantic.
Thus, smaller, less proWtable, or less progressive companies Wrst began to cut wages,
make lay-oVs, and disband their personnel programs. Then the pressures of
competition and imminent bankruptcy forced the others to fall in line, leading
even the vanguard of Welfare Capitalist companies to start liquidating labor
(Cohen 1990). Doing so of course meant losing their costly investment in employee
goodwill, but without proWts they could not aVord a progressive HRM program
and mass unemployment solved the turnover and selection problems and provided
a highly eVective alternative method for inducing hard work and compliant
behavior. Surveying the wreckage created by the Depression, Leiserson (1933: 114)
observed, ‘depression has undone Wfteen years or so of good personnel work.’
Presciently, he also noted, ‘labor is going to look to legislation and not to personnel
management for a solution of the unemployment problem.’
Public policy in the United States made a dramatic U-turn in order to solve the
economic debacle. The Roosevelt administration launched the New Deal in mid1933 and attempted to stimulate purchasing power by raising wages and household
income through minimum wage laws, social insurance programs (unemployment
and old age insurance), mass unionism, and public works spending. Government
intrusion into employment relations thus noticeably increased. Most worrisome to
business, the New Deal encouraged workers to join unions and they did so by the
millions. In the space of Wve years, union density almost doubled in the United
States and the bulk of the mass production industries were unionized. Suddenly,
unilateral employer determination of wages, conditions, and employment procedures through HRM was replaced by joint determination through collective bargaining. To help ensure that collective bargaining displaced the Welfare Capitalist
non-union HRM model, the employer-created representation plans were legally
banned (Kaufman 2000a). The extent of change was even greater in some other
countries, such as Germany and Japan. Fascist governments came to power,
banished opposition political parties and trade unions, extended a tight grip of
state control over industry, and mobilized their economies for war.
the development of hrm
27
These events had both positive and negative repercussions on the HRM function
(Jacoby 2003). On the positive side, the rapid spread of collective bargaining
actually worked to the advantage of HRM in several ways. For example, in an
eVort to avoid unionization many companies quickly established or strengthened
their personnel programs. Also, once the companies were unionized they needed
to add personnel and labor relations staV to conduct collective negotiations with
the union and administer the contracts. And, Wnally, unions pushed for wage
standardization, job classiWcation systems, formal grievance systems, and written
employment rules, all of which required personnel/labor relations staV to develop
and administer. The new government labor and social insurance laws had much the
same eVect.
But there were also several distinctly negative eVects. The early part of the 1930s
eVectively eviscerated many corporate labor programs and left others badly weakened. The HRM function had also lost a great deal of professional prestige, worker
conWdence, and public approval. Now HRM appeared to many people as a largely
empty promise, a set of techniques to manipulate workers, and a covert tool for
union avoidance. Most damaging, however, was HRM’s loss of power and inXuence at the strategic level. While the tactical and administrative parts of HRM may
have experienced net growth in the latter part of the 1930s, the new collective
bargaining model had little place for the strategic component built on the unitarist/
mutual-gain (and paternalist) vision of Welfare Capitalism. Collective bargaining
was now widely seen as the preferred method to govern and administer employment, unions were the new source of innovation and strategic change, and cooperation and goal alignment were replaced by conXict of interest, power balancing and
adversarial negotiations (Kochan et al. 1986). Indicative of this new viewpoint is the
dramatic turn-around of opinion of Leiserson. By the late 1930s he has abandoned
the non-union HRM model and declares: ‘Popular judgment now favors collective
bargaining . . . The organization of labor and collective bargaining [are] necessary
and inevitable’ (1938: 40, 43).
The events and pressures associated with the Second World War ampliWed and
extended these disparate trends in HRM in the United States. In most of Europe
and Asia, HRM had gone into arrested development in the 1930s and then largely
disappeared amidst the economic devastation of the Second World War. Illustratively, the International Industrial Relations Association continued to hold conferences in Europe in the 1930s but the topics shifted from plant-level personnel work
to world economic planning, and then, with the outbreak of war in 1939, the
association disbanded (Kaufman 2004a).
During the war both collective bargaining and government regulation of
employment expanded and solidiWed in the United States, thus further limiting
HRM’s independent room for maneuver. But there were also a number of positive
developments. The hiring boom set oV by the war created a need for recruitment
and selection specialists, while concerns with holding down turnover grew apace.
28
bruce e. kaufman
Likewise, the mushroom growth in new war-related production plants and hiring
of inexperienced workers created a huge need for training programs and staV. In
order to comply with government wage control programs and prevent strikes,
companies also had to implement new job evaluation procedures and systematize
and formalize their compensation procedures. And, Wnally, employee beneWt
programs proliferated during the war since beneWts fell outside the government’s
wage control program. The net result was a considerable expansion of personnel
programs and departments. Data provided by Jacoby (1985), for example, show
that only 39 percent of companies in 1929 with 1,000–5,000 employees had a
personnel department, while in 1935–6 this ratio rose to 62 percent and then to
73 percent in 1946–8.
The United States emerged from the Second World War as the undisputed world
economic leader. Much of Europe and Asia lay in ruins. Over the next Wfteen years
American industry enjoyed a golden age, Germany and Japan picked up the pieces
and started on a sustained industrial recovery, Great Britain slowly advanced in
absolute terms but declined in relative terms, and many nations in South America,
Asia, and Africa started to join the industrial world.
In a number of respects the two decades after the Second World War period saw
further advance in American HRM. Nonetheless, the Weld entered the 1960s with a
pervading sense of low status and marginal importance.
In the 1920s many large-sized Wrms still did not have any organized HRM
function; by the mid-1950s nearly every medium–large-size company had one.
Furthermore, these departments were adding staV, taking on new duties, and
growing in importance. American Wrms grew in size during this period, partly as
plant size expanded to take advantage of economies of scale and partly due to
mergers, acquisitions, and the rise of the conglomerate corporation. As Jacoby
(2003) notes, the 1950s was the era of the ‘organization man,’ symbolized by the rise
of mega-corporations, such as General Motors, IBM, and Sears Roebuck, and the
swelling ranks of middle management and white-collar technicians and staV. With
increasing corporate size came a need for more systematized and centralized
personnel practices.
Application of industrial psychology, industrial sociology, and ‘human relations’
to employment problems also emerged in the 1940s as a hot topic and created new
opportunities for HRM (Wren 2005). The human relations movement grew out of
the pioneering Hawthorne experiments at the Western Electric Company, led by
Elton Mayo. Whereas most of the focus of industrial psychologists in the 1920s had
been on narrow ‘technique’ applications, such as employee selection tests and the
relationship between work hours and fatigue, in the 1940s the focus among
behavioral scientists shifted to more overtly psycho-social topics, such as the
relationship between morale and work eVort, interpersonal dynamics in small
work groups, and the role of non-Wnancial incentives. These topics had many
potential applications to HRM and spurred the founding of a new applied research
the development of hrm
29
journal, Personnel Psychology. According to Brown and Myers (1956: 89) coming out
of human relations research was ‘a pervasive belief in the existence of a positive
correlation between the degree of ‘‘morale,’’ ‘‘job satisfaction,’’ or ‘‘loyalty,’’ on the
one hand, and the productive eYciency of the enterprise on the other hand.’ These
were the key variables that personnel management in the 1950s was enlisted to
promote.
The 1950s also saw the high water mark in union density and collective bargaining. The most popular title for the corporate HRM function in large companies,
particularly in the union sector, was ‘industrial relations.’ The industrial relations
department was typically divided, in turn, into the labor relations (collective
bargaining) section and personnel (employment) section (Heneman and Turnbull
1952: p. iii).The idea that industrial relations should be practiced in a strategic
manner, Wrst articulated in the 1920s, was not lost on writers in the 1950s. Economist E. Wight Bakke, for example, wrote on this theme in an article aptly titled
‘From Tactics to Strategy in Industrial Relations’ (1948), while the practitioneroriented Personnel Handbook (Mee 1951: 3, emphasis in original) counsels readers
on the Wrst page, ‘the detailed work of employee testing, of job evaluation, or other
day-to-day personnel operations is of little value unless these activities are welded
together in a carefully planned, well-integrated, eYcient, and eVective program to
help achieve the objectives of the business.’ But given the importance of union–
management relations at the time, the strategic focus in HRM was most often
oriented toward unions and collective bargaining (Kochan and Cappelli 1984).
However, as union density began to recede in the late 1950s and collective
bargaining became routinized, resources and programs began to move back toward
the personnel part of the HRM function (Jacoby 1985). In non-union companies,
the HRM function was sometimes called personnel and sometimes industrial
relations, but the primary focus at the strategic level was union prevention and
maintaining a stable, motivated workforce. Personnel departments in the top tier
of progressive non-union corporations tended to be inXuential players, given that
these companies developed highly structured internal labor markets and gave great
emphasis to maintaining employee morale and job satisfaction (Foulkes 1980;
Jacoby 1997). At the large bulk of American companies, however, the personnel
department typically had little contact with strategic business and employment
policy and instead focused on tactical administration of various personnel activities. Often the personnel function was regarded as one of the lowest rungs in the
management hierarchy and a place for low-level administrators and clerks. For
example, Peter Drucker (1954: 275) characterized personnel as ‘partly a Wle clerk’s
job, partly a housekeeping job, partly a social worker’s job and partly ‘‘Wre-Wghting’’
to head oV union trouble or to settle it.’ Twenty years later, Foulkes (1975: 74) noted
that only 150 of the Harvard Business School’s 39,000 graduates were employed in a
personnel position. He explained this anomaly by noting, ‘Many of them [the
graduates] feel the personnel Weld is ‘‘low status’’ and ‘‘bad news’’.’
30
bruce e. kaufman
A similar pattern developed in Japan after the Second World War. Japan
developed a ‘dual’ industrial sector with giant national and multinational Wrms in
the primary sector and small- to medium-size subcontractor and supplier Wrms
in the secondary sector. Primary sector Wrms developed a distinctive employment
system with highly developed and formalized ILMs featuring lifetime employment, seniority wages, extensive job rotation, and enterprise unions (Shirai 1983).
Powerful personnel departments were created to administer these ILMs. According
to Hirano (1969), these Japanese personnel departments had more authority and
range of responsibilities than the personnel departments of the leading American
companies in Japan. In the secondary sector, on the other hand, personnel
programs in Japanese Wrms were far more informal and less developed. In the
1980s the Japanese economy experienced a ‘productivity miracle’ and many foreign
observers concluded that a large part of the explanation resided with the ability of
the Japanese HRM system to foster loyalty, cooperation, and hard work. Books
and articles on Japanese management practices proliferated and now it was the
Americans and Europeans who were trekking to Japan for plant tours and management seminars. Largely lost from sight, however, was the fact that many of the
pillars of the Japanese management model were imported from America, including not only the scientiWc management and total quality management principles of
Taylor and Edwards Deming but also the unitarist ‘goodwill’ employment model
pioneered by leading American writers and practitioners of industrial relations in
the 1920s (Kaufman 2004a; Wren 2005).
In Europe, by way of contrast, HRM only slowly recovered and developed from
the disasters of the Second World War, even as European industry rebounded.
F. T. Malm (1960) wrote a survey of personnel management in Europe. He observed
that ‘personnel administration does not have the professional status in Europe
it enjoys in the United States, except for the United Kingdom’ (1960: 77). With
respect to Europe, he provided this overview (1960: 72):
Many European enterprises do not appear to think in terms of an integrated personnel and
industrial relations program. In some countries, the social welfare approach to employee
relations problems has received special attention. In others, the ‘personnel department’
turns out to be the ‘lohnbüro’ or payroll oYce having no concern with basic personnel
problems. In still another, the ‘personnel oYcer’ saw his function as that of a records
manager. . . . In the United States, modern consideration of personnel staV departments
emphasizes the variety of functional roles: advisory, service, coordinative, and analytical (or
‘control’). European personnel departments are often limited to the ‘service’ concept, and
have too low status and recognition to permit eVective participation in problem solving
and policy formulation.
Malm went on to observe that (1960: 79), ‘The most serious and basic of the
problems aVecting European personnel administration are those in executive
development and management education . . . The problem in much of Europe is the
lack of a professional approach to management.’ He also noted, however, that a more
the development of hrm
31
American approach to HRM was slowly taking hold in Europe due to the
substantial transfer of management methods to Europe initiated under the
Marshall Plan and then carried forward through the 1950s sponsored by American
foundations and the American government. Many American business people and
academics traveled to Europe as members of productivity mission teams and for
sponsored consulting and teaching, while numerous Europeans came to the USA
for professional management training at universities and companies.
Shifting attention to the status of HRM in universities, a distinctly mixed picture
emerges. Outside of the USA, HRM received little attention in either research or
teaching, most particularly with respect to the personnel management part of the
subject. Malm notes, for example, that ‘Relatively little material on ‘‘personnel
management’’ is included in the curricula of universities in Europe, or even in
technical institutes or graduate schools of business and economics’ (1960: 78). One
reason for this situation is that in many European countries, such as Germany, the
employment relationship was (and still is) heavily regulated by labor law, making
legal education more important than management education for personnel
directors. A partial exception to this situation existed in Great Britain. Universities
gave very modest attention to personnel management per se, but signiWcant
vocational training was provided by technical schools and professional groups,
such as the Institute of Personnel Management (Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development 2005). Also, relative to other European countries universities in
Britain provided greater teaching and research in human relations and industrial
relations (and, correspondingly, relatively little in labor law, reXecting the light
degree of legal regulation of employment in Britain). Industrial relations, however,
was typically deWned narrowly in Britain to include only labor–management
(union) relations, although starting in the mid-1960s the subject of management
began to garner more attention (Gospel 1992; Kaufman 2004a).
The 1945–65 period in the USA was a boom time for HRM broadly deWned, but a
relatively stagnant time for personnel management per se. Into the 1950s the term
‘industrial relations’ continued to be deWned broadly in America to include all
aspects of employment, including personnel. Prior to the Second World War only a
handful of universities had formal programs in industrial relations; after the war
several dozen new industrial relations centers and institutes were established
(Kaufman 2004a). The impetus for these new programs came foremost from the
dramatic spread of unionism and the pressing problems of collective bargaining,
dispute resolution, and contract administration. But also important was the
swelling interest in industrial human relations and its applications to management
and organization design. These new industrial relations programs greatly expanded
teaching and research in the HRM area and drew thousands of students to the
subject. The programs were multidisciplinary, had a social science orientation, and
sometimes were housed in business schools but more often were established as
free-standing units in the university (in order to ensure impartiality between labor
32
bruce e. kaufman
and management). According to a curriculum survey (Estey 1960), the four core
courses in these industrial relations programs were: labor economics, collective
bargaining, personnel management (and human relations), and labor law. It is fair
to say, however, that the emphasis was on labor–management relations.
The personnel management side of the Weld was not held in high regard during
this time period and did not attract many students. A foundation-sponsored
assessment of American business education in the late 1950s reached this scathing
conclusion: ‘next to the course in production, perhaps more educational sins have
been committed in the name of personnel management than in any other required
course in the business curriculum’ (Gordon and Howell 1959: 189). Also indicative
is this remembrance of a former student at the Institute of Labor and Industrial
Relations at Illinois (Weber 1987: 15): ‘When I studied at Illinois in 1950–1951, there
were a few students at the institute who were taking personnel; they were déclassé
by deWnition. I would approach these fellows and quizzically ask why they
were going into personnel. . . . They always gave one of two answers which were
descriptive of the Weld: (1) ‘‘I did it in the Army,’’ or (2) ‘‘I like people.’’ ’
2.4 The Development
and Internationalization of
Contemporary HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In the post-Second World War period HRM in the USA experienced a low point in
its fortunes during the 1960s. Then the Weld slowly revived and expanded and by
the early to mid-1990s was at a new high in energy, activities, and reputation. Yet, as
century’s end neared there were also signs of continued problems and perhaps
some slippage in HRM in both industry and academe. Beginning in the early
1980s, the modern version of HRM also quickly spread beyond North America and
was transplanted to Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. The subject is now
taught at universities in all parts of the globe and the term ‘human resource
management,’ either in English or translated into the national language (e.g.
Gestión de Recursos Humanos in Spanish), is increasingly the name companies
everywhere use to label their people management function.
The ‘doldrums’ experienced by HRM in the 1960s had several sources. I focus on
the academic end. As previously described, HRM was through the 1950s subsumed
as part of industrial relations. After 1960, however, the two Welds gradually drifted
apart with IR more narrowly focused on unions and labor–management relations
and HRM on the functional parts of employee management. Accompanying the
the development of hrm
33
divorce of IR and HRM was a divorce between labor economists and scholars from
management and the behavioral sciences.
Up to the 1950s in the USA, economics was regarded as the foundation discipline
of business education, per the statement of Craig (1923: 36) that ‘Business has
always been recognized as a branch of the subject of economics.’ Thus, personnel
management was widely regarded as ‘applied labor economics’ and through the
1950s many of the most recognized authorities on personnel, and authors of leading
personnel texts, were labor economists (broadly deWned) and industrial relations
specialists (Kaufman 2000b, 2002). These economists, such as Heneman, Myers,
Strauss, and Yoder, were aYliated with industrial relations and tended to emphasize the macro (‘external’), governance, and strategic dimensions of HRM, typically
with an emphasis on labor markets and labor relations. But by the late 1950s these
people were either retiring from academe or moving away from HRM to other
topics, while the new generation of neoclassical labor economists had little interest
in management.
As the economists exited, the HRM Weld became increasingly the preserve of
scholars from management and the behavioral sciences. Naturally, their interests in
employment had a more organizational (‘internal’) and psychological orientation
and were centered on subjects such as organizational design and control, leadership
styles, eVective management principles, and the psychological and social aspects of
human interactions in the workplace. In the 1950s this group of researchers, such as
Arensberg, Argyris, McGregor, and Whyte, was most often aYliated with the
human relations movement, not HRM per se. In the early 1960s human relations
was absorbed in the new Weld of organizational behavior (OB), and its oVshoot
organizational development (OD), and most of the leading behavioral scientists in
management and business schools became active in it (Wren 2005). The net result
was that the HRM Weld in the 1960s—largely perceived at this point as personnel
management—was left in a rather marginalized position. On one side, the economists and IR scholars drifted away, while on the other the behavioral scientists
and management scholars gave their time and attention to the new Weld of OB.
Both groups looked down on PM as a largely a-theoretic subject dealing with
a collection of largely disconnected administrative procedures and employment
tools (Mahoney and Deckop 1986). Tangible evidence in support of this verdict is
provided in the volume Classics in Personnel Management (Patten 1979). The
articles in it illustrate the intellectual dominance of OB, the absence of economists,
and the depressingly low-level administrative nature of PM.
From this low point the Weld of HRM embarked on a slow but cumulatively
signiWcant upward movement in intellectual substance, vigor, and participation in
the academic world. To a large degree, the status of HRM in the practical world of
industry mirrored this trajectory.
The term ‘human resource management’ Wrst appeared in the textbook literature
in the mid-1960s in the USA (Strauss 2001). The inspiration for the term appears to
34
bruce e. kaufman
come from a published lecture given several years earlier by economist E. Wight
Bakke entitled ‘The Human Resources Function’ (1958), although as noted the
phrase ‘human resources’ has an earlier origin. It is worthwhile to quote Bakke’s
conception of the human resources function for it bears on later debates about the
meaning of the term. He states (1958: 5–6, emphasis in original), ‘The general type
of activity in any function of management . . . is to use resources eVectively for
an organizational objective . . . The function which is related to the understanding,
maintenance, development, eVective employment, and integration of the potential
in the resource ‘people’ I shall call simply the human resources function.’ He also
states (1958: 4, emphasis in original), ‘The Wrst thing that we ought to be clear on is
that there is nothing new about the managerial function of dealing with people. . . .
Like other sub-functions of management . . . it has been carved out of the general
managerial function, not put into it.’
For the next Wfteen to twenty years the terms personnel management and human
resource management largely coexisted and were often used interchangeably, albeit
with some sentiment that HRM reXected a more up-to-date terminology and
conception of the people management function. But then, starting in the early
1980s, two separate lines of thought developed. The Wrst followed tradition and
argued that HRM and PM were largely diVerent labels for the same subject. But
according to a second line of thought, the HRM term represented a new model and
philosophy of people management that was fundamentally diVerent from the
traditional approach of PM and IR.
An early and inXuential expression of this position was by Harvard management
professor Michael Beer and colleagues in the book Managing Human Assets (1984)
and by Beer and co-author Bert Spector in an article entitled ‘Human Resource
Management: The Integration of Industrial Relations and Organizational Development.’ In the book and article they describe what is called ‘a new HRM
paradigm.’ In their article they list fourteen characteristics that distinguish
the traditional employment management model, which they identify as ‘industrial
relations’ (including personnel), from the new paradigm they label ‘human
resource management.’ For example, they claim IR/PM are reactive, piecemeal,
part of a command and control employment system, mediators of conXicting
interests, and take a short-term perspective; HRM on the other hand is proactive,
integrative, part of an employee commitment and participation system, creator of
a unity of interest, and takes a long-term perspective. They summarize the new
HRM paradigm as reXecting (1984: 292) ‘the emerging view that people are an asset
and not a cost’ and ‘an HR function fully aware of and involved in all strategic and
business decisions’ (1984: 293).
Where did this second conception of HRM come from? Two intellectual developments were key.
The Wrst, as suggested by the title of Beer and Spector’s article, is the melding of
theories and insights from OB/OD into traditional IR/PM. This process began in
the development of hrm
35
the 1960s, per the comment of Dunnette and Bass (1963) that ‘many of the leading
schools of business and industrial administration have shifted from the descriptive
study of current personnel practices to the application of principles of the social
sciences to the analysis of organizational problems. . . . The behavioral sciences are
making rapid strides and are moving to a central position in the study of industrial
behavior.’ A decade later Martin echoed this observation, stating (1975: 150),
‘Personnel administration and management as taught in collegiate schools of
business changed drastically during the 1960s. This change stemmed in large
part from two 1959 foundation-sponsored studies of business schools, which
argued persuasively that business school curricula should incorporate more of
the behavioral sciences.’ Martin found that the Wve most cited academic authors
in the practitioner personnel literature were all behavioral scientists associated with
OB/OD: Herzberg, McGregor, Porter, Maslow, and Argyris.
The common denominator in the writings of these OB/OD scholars is that
organizations can gain higher productivity and performance by designing work
and practicing management in ways that take into account that employees are
people with psychological and social needs and aspirations, rather than the traditional model that (allegedly) follows economic theory and treats employees as akin
to an inert factor input and the self-interested ‘economic man.’ This duality is
captured, for example, in McGregor’s (1960) ‘theory X and theory Y’ management
system (command and control versus consensual and participative) and Walton’s
(1985) inXuential article ‘From Control to Commitment in the Workplace.’ The
bedrock idea is that by treating employees as organizational assets rather than
disposable commodities, structuring work to make it more interesting and selfcontrolled, and creating mutual-gain forms of compensation the employment
model is transformed from an inXexible, high-conXict, and low-productivity
system (the traditional pluralist IR model) to a Xexible, low-conXict, and highproductivity unitarist HRM system. This new organizational/management model
became widely known by various labels, such as ‘high-commitment’ workplace and
‘high-performance work system’ (HPWS), and the new HRM paradigm that
emerged in the 1980s was the ‘people management’ component. As such, HRM
was clearly positioned as diVerent from traditional IR/PM and also as a superior
performer, as extolled in books such as In Search of Excellence (Peters and
Waterman 1982), The Ultimate Advantage: Creating the High-Involvement Organization (Lawler 1992), and Competitive Advantage through People (PfeVer 1994). The
inXuence of OB became so strong that in many universities HRM gravitated
toward a course in ‘applied organizational behavior.’
The second key event that heavily inXuenced and shaped the new HRM paradigm
was the development and popularization of the strategic management concept
(Boxall and Purcell 2000). Strategic management—earlier called strategic planning
and earlier still management policy, originated out of work by Michael Porter,
H. Igor AnsoV, and others (Wren 2005). It was soon imported into personnel/HRM.
36
bruce e. kaufman
In one of the earliest contributions, for example, Devanna et al. (1982: 11) say of
the traditional personnel function, ‘The recent popularity of human resources
management is causing major problems for traditional personnel departments.
For years they have been explaining their mediocre status by bewailing their lack of
support and attention from the CEO.’ They then go on to outline a new approach,
saying: ‘Whether the human resources component survives as a valuable and
essential contribution to eVective management will largely depend on the degree
to which it is integrated as a vital part of the planning system in organizations. In
large part, the management of human resources must become an indispensable
consideration in both strategy formulation and strategy implementation.’
The next two decades witnessed a veritable explosion of writing and research on
strategic aspects of HRM, leading in short order to the creation of an entirely new
subWeld called ‘strategic human resource management’ (SHRM). As with the term
HRM, some authors deWne SHRM as a generic practice/approach, while others give
it a more particularized meaning. Wright and McMahan (1992: 298), for example,
state that SHRM is: ‘[t]he pattern of planned human resource deployments and
activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals.’ This conceptualization is generic since it encompasses all types of organizations and systems of
people management and requires only that the HRM deployments be chosen in a
forward-looking, integrated fashion in order to achieve the organization’s goals. It
also suggests HRM and PM are largely equivalent (since by logical inference
if SHRM is strategic then HRM is largely tactical, like PM). Other authors,
however, deWne SHRM more narrowly so it is eVectively coterminous with the
employment model in the HPWS. In this spirit, McMahan et al. (1998: 197) state,
‘Today, what we call strategic human resource management may well be ‘‘second
generation’’ employee involvement with a relationship to Wrm strategy and performance.’ This conceptualization of SHRM is both narrower and more
prescriptive—narrower since it seems to limit the room for strategic choice to
some permutation of the HPWS and more prescriptive since it suggests that a
strategic approach to HRM should incorporate employee involvement and other
HPWS practices.
Regardless of deWnitional disputes, what can be unambiguously stated is that the
development of the SHRM concept led to a substantial resurgence of academic
interest in the HRM function and strengthening of both the theory and practice of
people management. In the area of theory, for example, SHRM provided intellectual support for the idea that a Wrm’s employees and HRM system can potentially
provide a long-run source of competitive advantage (Boxall 1996; Wright et al.
2001)—a contention that appeared to receive empirical support in studies that
found a positive link between advanced HRM practices and Wrm performance
(e.g. Huselid 1995; Becker and Gerhart 1996).
HRM in all guises was also promoted by several developments outside academe.
One example is the large-scale growth of government regulation of employment
the development of hrm
37
in the post-1960s period, including legislation regulating discrimination and equal
opportunity, pensions, treatment of disabled employees, and family medical leave.
Companies typically assigned compliance and administration of these new laws to
the personnel/HRM department, thus leading to new staV positions and responsibilities.
Also important was the ongoing decline of the union sector. Companies gained
new opportunity to switch from defensive union avoidance and a pluralist collective bargaining approach of employment management to a more proactive, unitarist, and high-performance approach. Many companies, to signal this shift,
relabeled their personnel and industrial relations departments as human resources
departments. Likewise, in the USA, the Weld’s major professional group, the
American Society of Personnel Administrators (ASPA), changed its name in 1989
to Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
A Wnal factor that had a large impact was the tremendous economic success
enjoyed by Japanese industry in the 1970s–1980s and the widespread conviction
that a key ingredient was the Japanese HRM model built on high-performance
practices, such as participative management, extensive investment in employees,
and a mutual gain philosophy (Thurow 1992).
By the early to mid-1990s the practice and study of HRM had clearly experienced
a rejuvenation. This trend was clearly evident in universities. Student enrollment in
HRM courses was booming, business schools were hiring dozens of new HRM
professors, membership and participation in the HR Division of the Academy of
Management steadily rose, the leading management scholarly journals (e.g. Academy of Management Journal) were featuring far more HRM-related articles, and
new HRM Weld journals were born (e.g. Human Resource Management Review) or
renamed and strengthened (e.g. Human Resource Management). Adding to the
sense of resurgence was the palpable decline of the once-dominant industrial
relations Weld and its rival approach emphasizing a social science, multidisciplinary
curriculum.
Amidst this upbeat mood arose two other developments in the 1990s that
threatened the comfortable status quo and brought into light some long-standing
deWciencies and vulnerabilities that all the hoopla about SHRM and HPWS had
temporarily masked.
The Wrst of these developments was the return of economists and industrial
relationists to the HRM Weld. In the late 1980s a new subWeld of labor economics
emerged, called the economics of personnel, and quickly grew in terms of participants and publishing activity. Using the tools of neoclassical microeconomics,
these economists, led by Edward Lazear, developed a wide array of sophisticated
models to explain a plethora of personnel practices, such as diVerent forms of
compensation, mandatory retirement rules, and screening models of employee
selection (Lazear 1999; Gunderson 2001). Other economists, coming from an
institutional and industrial relations perspective, have developed insightful models
38
bruce e. kaufman
that explain the choice of employment systems across Wrms (Begin 1991; Marsden
1999) and the ‘make versus buy’ choice with respect to producing HRM services inhouse or purchasing these services from an external provider (Kaufman 2004b).
On one hand, the return of economists to the HRM Weld was a ‘plus’ for it
substantially added to and strengthened the theoretical and empirical work in
the area, particularly with regard to the macro (external) dimension. But also
brought to light were unmet opportunities and potential vulnerabilities. Evidence
reveals, for example, that the economics and management/behavioral science wings
of the Weld were often like the proverbial ships passing in the night, either unaware
of or uninterested in the other and thus forfeiting intellectual gains from trade
(Mitchell 2001; Kaufman 2004b). Also, a good deal of the management literature,
particularly at the textbook level, continued to be heavily descriptive and prescriptive and thus vulnerable to encroachment by economists.
A second development also introduced a discordant note into the otherwise
bright picture. Even as the academic and practitioner literatures were brimming
with books and articles extolling the new HRM paradigm, evidence was also
accumulating that while individual HPWS practices were widely diVusing, relatively few Wrms had adopted the full package (Freeman and Rogers 1999; Osterman
2000). Further, many companies continued to practice HRM in a fairly traditional
manner not much distinguishable from PM and IR. Indeed, while some companies
were moving toward the human capital/mutual-gains HRM model, many others
moved in the opposite direction. For them, ‘high performance’ was gained by
repeated downsizings, re-engineering programs, and corporate restructurings,
accompanied by large lay-oVs, the end of employment security, the dismantling
of ILMs, the externalization of employment to temporary workers and contracted
employees, and the roll-back or elimination of many beneWt programs (Cappelli
1999; Purcell and Purcell 1999). Accompanying this movement were, in many cases,
major reductions in the size and inXuence of corporate HRM departments and the
externalization of HRM services to call centers, temp Wrms, consultants, and
independent contractors (Jacoby 2003).
This scenario of events led to a degree of intellectual schizophrenia in HRM. For
example, if HRM is built on the idea that employees are assets then what type of
labor management system is being used at all the companies practicing downsizings and lay-oVs? PM? IR? Likewise, if HRM is synonymous with a HPWS
employment model, then are companies such Wal-Mart and McDonald’s using
non-HRM? Most writers sidestepped these thorny conceptual issues, or focused
only on paradigmatic ‘best practice’ cases.
Also evident in the 1990s was a certain sense of desperation and prescriptive
boosterism in academic and practitioner writings on HRM. Part of the outpouring
of research on SHRM was a thinly veiled attempt to defend and enhance the
organizational survival of HRM in universities and companies (Kaufman 2004b).
Prescription also became wrapped up with a somewhat apocalyptic vision that
the development of hrm
39
HRM faced a stark choice of ‘transform or die.’ A number of articles, for example,
appeared with titles such as ‘Repositioning the Human Resource Management
Function: Transformation or Demise?’ (Schuler 1990). Also illustrative is the article
by David Ulrich in the Harvard Business Review (1998). He states (1998: 124),
‘Should we do away with HR? . . . there is good reason for HR’s beleaguered
reputation. It is often ineVective, incompetent, and costly; in a phrase, it is value
sapping. Indeed if HR were to remain conWgured as it is today in many companies,
I would have to answer the question above with a resounding ‘‘yes—abolish the
thing!’’ ’ Ulrich’s statement suggests that despite all the much ballyhooed emphasis
on HRM as a strategic business partner, in many companies the function (apparently) remains not much diVerent from the low-level, administrative version so
often criticized in the past. One could also easily read this statement and reach the
mistaken conclusion that the function/practice of HRM is equivalent to the staV
and activities of the HRM department. The two, however, are quite distinct (if
overlapping), as recognized by writers from the earliest days of the Weld.
Before ending I want to brieXy discuss the movement of modern HRM outside
North America. To give this topic the coverage it deserves, however, would require
another chapter.
Through the 1960s and 1970s the subject and practice of personnel management
had a secure if small and relatively low-status position in business Wrms and
universities outside of North America. In Britain and Australia, for example,
personnel courses were oVered in universities as part of a commerce program
and a small number of personnel texts were available. The subject, however,
suVered from both an overall neglect of management as an academic discipline
and the dominant position of industrial relations and collective bargaining (Wood
1983; Bacon 2003; Kelly 2003). But the situation markedly changed in the 1980s and
early 1990s, not only in these countries but many others, and opened the door for
contemporary HRM to enter. Relevant factors include: growing national interest in
new management methods to stimulate productivity, industrial performance, and
competitive advantage in the world economy; the swing in public opinion and
national economic policy—epitomized by the coming to power of the Thatcher
government in the UK—away from labor collectivism and toward a neo-liberal
policy of open markets and individualized employment relations; the widespread
perception that American management methods were ‘best practice’ and thus to be
imported and emulated; the beginning of American-style professional business
schools; and a new research program on management by a small set of industrial
relations scholars. At this time the Japanese were also opening up new plants in
Britain and elsewhere with their own version of HRM and this further heightened
interest in the subject.
Although personnel slowly gave way to HRM in America over a twenty-year
period beginning in the mid-1960s, the switch-over was more sudden and controversial in a number of other countries. I focus on Britain and Australia. In Britain
40
bruce e. kaufman
the term ‘HRM’ started to appear in the mid-1980s (e.g. Hendry and Pettigrew
1986; Guest 1987) in journal articles. A particularly inXuential early book was John
Storey’s edited volume New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (1989).
As recounted by Kelly (2003), the topic of HRM entered academic discourse in
Australia in a signiWcant way only in the late 1980s. She cites several inXuential
papers, such as Boxall and Dowling (1990). Common to both countries was an
initial period of hot debate and deep skepticism about this new import from
America. Kelly states, for example, that the response of many Australian academics
was (p. 152) ‘dismay, doubt, and deep concern. Scholars rejected the foundations
of HRM, the suggestions to integrate their Weld with HRM, and even notions that
the emergent Weld of study should be taken seriously. Debate followed debate.’
A number of British authors wrote highly critical assessments of HRM, suggesting
it was little more than ‘rhetoric,’ ‘ritualism,’ and ‘religious fervor’ (Strauss 2001).
Why did HRM engender such a sharp and divided reaction? In part it was
because HRM threatened the well-established industrial relations group and in
part because HRM was seen as a stalking horse for union avoidance and Thatcherist neo-liberalism (Guest 1987; Purcell 1995). But also crucial to the debate was the
ambiguous and to some degree contradictory deWnition and model of HRM that
had come over from America. Was HRM a generic concept covering all forms of
labor management, another name for personnel management, or a new ‘human
asset’ model of labor management? The Americans tended to say, either pragmatically or uncritically depending on one’s viewpoint, that HRM was all three and
‘let’s get on with it.’ Nor were American HRM scholars interested in a deeper probe
of the new paradigm’s underlying normative and ideological principles. What went
largely unquestioned in America, however, did not go unquestioned by scholars
in Britain and elsewhere. A minority view was that HRM was largely a repackaged
version of PM and thus not anything to get excited about. But many British and
Australian writers opted for the view that HRM was indeed a substantively diVerent
model built on unitarism, individualism, high commitment, and strategic
alignment (e.g. Guest 1987; Storey 1995). Given this, several strands of critical
commentary and outright rejection emerged. One criticism, for example, was
that HRM is inherently Xawed because it mixes positive/descriptive with
normative/prescriptive (Legge 1989); a second was that HRM is practiced in only
a distinct minority of workplaces and may thus be of small practical signiWcance
outside the USA (Sisson 1993); a third was that HRM focuses only on corporate goals
and ignores employees’ interests (Mabey et al. 1998); and a fourth was that HRM
did not seem to deliver the advertised positive performance eVects (Hope-Hailey
et. al. 1997).
From the early 1990s onward, the dust started to settle and HRM became more
Wrmly established and less controversial in Britain and Australia. The boundaries
and content of HRM remain unsettled to the present time, but a growing body of
thought holds that for HRM to be a useful intellectual construct across counties
the development of hrm
41
it must be deWned in a broad, generic, and value-free way. Representative is the
statement by Boxall and Purcell (2003: 1) that HRM represents ‘all those activities
associated with the management of the employment relationship.’ Illustrative of
HRM’s rising fortunes, Britain is home to two well-recognized scholarly journals,
Human Resource Management Journal and International Journal of Human Resource
Management, a number of British universities have established departments and
chairs of HRM, numerous HRM textbooks are available, and most universities
oVer HRM courses.
In the 1990s HRM also spread rapidly to continental Europe, Asia, Latin America,
and Africa. As was true in the British case, in each of these regions the concept of
HRM and the mode of teaching and research reXects diVerences in university
systems and economic and political environments (Lawrence 1992). Also arising
out of the globalization of HRM is a new subWeld of research on international and
comparative HRM. Numerous articles and books have appeared in recent years, for
example, on the practice and structure of HRM in Europe (e.g. Brewster 1995),
comparative diVerences in the HRM systems and practices in American, British,
German, and Japanese companies (e.g. French 1995), and strategic HRM from an
international perspective (e.g. Schuler et al. 2002).
2.5 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The practice and academic study of HRM has made huge progress over the last
century. At the turn of the twentieth century the concept of human resource
management had not yet been invented, its practice in industry was highly informal and often grossly ineYcient and inequitable, and no organized research or
teaching on HRM existed. At the beginning of the twenty-Wrst century, the
situation is transformed. Not only has the idea of HRM spread across the world,
it is now recognized and practiced as a fundamental part of business, is the subject
of a voluminous academic and practitioner research literature, and has greatly
promoted eYcient enterprise and more equitable and harmonious employee
relations. This is surely quite a positive record.
But the evolution of HRM is not without problem areas and shortcomings.
Some of these remain today. Compared to some other areas of business management, such as Wnance, marketing, and accounting, HRM has often ranked lower in
strategic importance, corporate investment, and professional status. Likewise,
while some companies ‘walk the talk’, view employees as organizational assets,
and make HRM a strategic driver of competitive advantage, many others
have either signiWcantly scaled back their investment in employees and HRM or
42
bruce e. kaufman
continue to practice people management in a largely tactical, administrative, and
cost-focused manner. With regard to academic research, this last issue highlights
the fact that at any point in time a wide frequency distribution of Wrms exists
ranked by their breadth and depth of HRM practices. This frequency distribution
also varies in systematic ways among countries, depending on their respective
histories, business institutions, legal environments, and cultures. A considerable
portion of recent academic research on HRM has been focused on the top tier of
companies in a small number of countries, leading to an unbalanced and overly
ethnocentric and normative (prescriptive) account. But the evidence provided in
this review also suggests that the progress of research in these areas is surely in the
right direction.
References
Bacon, N. (2003). ‘Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.’ In P. Ackers
and A. Wilkinson (eds.), Understanding Work and Employment: IndustrialRelations in
Transition. London: Oxford University Press.
Bakke, E. W. (1948). From Tactics to Strategy in Industrial Relations. New Haven: Labor
Management Center, Yale University.
(1958). The Human Resources Function. New Haven: Labor Management Center, Yale
University.
Baritz, L. (1960). The Servants of Power: A History of the Use of Social Sciences in American
Industry. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press.
Becker, B., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.’ Academy of Management Journal,
39/4: 779 801.
Beer, M., and Spector, B. (1984). ‘Human Resources Management: The Integration of
Industrial Relations and Organizational Development.’ In K. Rowland and G. Ferris
(eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, vol. ii. Greenwich,
Conn.: JAI Press.
Lawrence, P., Mills, D. Q., and Walton, R. (1984). Managing Human Assets.
New York: The Free Press.
Begin, J. (1991). Strategic Employment Policy: An Organizational Systems Perspective.
Englewood CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Boxall, P. (1996). ‘The Strategic HRM Debate and the Resource Based View of the Firm.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 6/3: 59 75.
and Dowling, P. (1990). ‘Human Resource Management, Employee Relations and the
Industrial Relations Tradition in Australia and New Zealand.’ In G. GriYn (ed.), Current
Research in Industrial Relations. Melbourne: Proceedings of the 5th AIRAANZ Confer
ence, Melbourne University.
and Purcell, J. (2000). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Where Have We
Come From and Where Are We Going?’ International Journal of Management Reviews,
2/2: 183 203.
the development of hrm
43
(2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Brewster, C. (1995). ‘Towards a European Model of HRM.’ Journal of International
Business Studies, 26/1: 1 21.
Brown, V. D., and Myers, C. (1956). ‘The Changing Industrial Relations Philosophy of
American Management.’ In Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Industrial
Relations Research Association. Madison: Industrial Relations Research Association.
Burns, T. (1967). ‘The Sociology of Industry.’ In A. Welford et al. (eds.), Society: Problems
and Methods of Study. London: Routledge.
Butler, H. (1927). Industrial Relations in the United States. Series A, No. 27. Geneva:
International Labor Organization.
Campbell, J. (1989). Joy in Work, German Work. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Cappelli, P. (1999). Change at Work. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2005). The History of the CIPD.
www.cipd.co.uk/about/history.htm.
Cohen, L. (1990). Making a New Deal: Industrial Workers in Chicago, 1919 1939. New York:
Columbia University Press.
Commons, J. (1919). Industrial Goodwill. New York: McGraw Hill.
Cowdrick, E. (1924). ‘The Expanding Field of Industrial Relations.’ American Management
Review, December: 3 5.
Craig, D. (1923). ‘Book Review: Management: A Study of Industrial Organization.’ Journal
of Personnel Research, 2/1: 36 7.
Devanna, M., Fonbrun, C., Tichy, N., and Warren, L. (1982). ‘Strategic Planning and
Human Resource Management.’ Human Resource Management, 21/Spring: 11 16.
Dore, R. (1973). British Factory Japanese Factory: The Origins of National Diversity in
Industrial Relations. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Drucker, P. (1954). The Practice of Management. New York: Harper.
Dunnette, M., and Bass, B. (1963). ‘Behavioral Scientists and Personnel Management.’
Industrial Relations, 3/May: 115 30.
Eilbirt, H. (1959). ‘The Development of Personnel Management in the United States.’
Business History Review, 33/5: 345 64.
Estey, M. (1960). ‘Unity and Diversity in Industrial Relations Education: The Report of the
IRRA Survey.’ In Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Meeting. Madison: Industrial
Relations Research Association.
Farnham, D. (1921). America vs. Europe in Industry. New York: Ronald Press.
Foulkes, F. (1975). ‘The Expanding Role of the Personnel Function.’ Harvard Business
Review, 53/2: 71 84.
(1980). Personnel Policies at Large Nonunion Companies. Englewood CliVs, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Freeman, R., and Rogers, J. (1999). What Workers Want. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press.
French, J. L. (1995). ‘Japanese and German Human Resource Practices: Convergence of
West with East?’ In S. Prasad (ed.), Advances in International Comparative Management,
vol. x. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Fryer, D. (1924). ‘Psychology and Industry in France and Great Britain.’ Journal of
Personnel Research, 2/10: 396 402.
Gordon, A. (1985). The Evolution of Labor Relations in Japan: Heavy Industry, 1853 1955.
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
44
bruce e. kaufman
Gordon, R., and Howell, J. (1959). Higher Education for Business. New York: Columbia
University Press.
Gospel, H. (1992). Markets, Firms, and the Management of Labour in Modern Britain.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Guest, D. (1987). ‘Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.’ Journal of
Management Studies, 24/5: 503 21.
GuillÉn, M. (1994). Models of Management: Work, Authority, and Organization in Com
parative Perspective. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Gunderson, M. (2001). ‘Economics of Personnel and Human Resource Management.’
Human Resource Management Review, 11/4: 431 53.
Hartmann, H. (1959). Authority and Organization in German Management. Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
Hazama, H. (1997). The History of Labour Management in Japan. London: Macmillan.
Hendry, C., and Pettigrew, A. (1986). ‘The Practice of Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Personnel Review, 15: 3 8.
Heneman, H., and Turnbull, J. (1952). Personnel Administration and Labor Relations:
A Book of Readings. New York: Prentice Hall.
Hinder, E. (1925). ‘Australia and New Zealand.’ In Report of the Proceedings of the
International Industrial Welfare (Personnel) Congress. Flushing: International Industrial
Welfare (Personnel) Congress.
Hirano, R. (1969). ‘Personnel Management in Foreign Corporations.’ In R. Ballon (ed.),
The Japanese Employee. Tokyo: Sophia University.
Hope Hailey, V., Gratton, L., McGovern, P., and Truss, C. (1997). ‘A Chameleon
Function: HRM in the 90s.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 7/3: 5 18.
Hotchkiss, W. (1923). ‘Industrial Relations Management.’ Harvard Business Review, 1/July:
438 50.
Huselid, M. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover,
Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal,
38/3: 635 72.
International Industrial Welfare (Personnel) Congress (1925). Report of the Proceedings of the
International Industrial Welfare (Personnel) Congress. Flushing: International Industrial
Welfare (Personnel) Congress.
Jacoby, S. (1985). Employing Bureaucracy: Managers, Unions, and the Transformation of
Work in American Industry, 1900 1945. New York: Columbia University Press.
(1991). ‘PaciWc Ties: Industrial Relations and Employment Systems in Japan and the
United States since 1900.’ In N. Lichtenstein and H. Harris (eds.), Industrial Democracy in
America: The Ambiguous Promise. New York: Cambridge University Press.
(1997). Modern Manors: Welfare Capitalism since the New Deal. Princeton: Princeton
University Press.
(2003). ‘A Century of Human Resource Management.’ In B. Kaufman, R. Beaumont,
and R. Helfgott (eds.), Industrial Relations to Human Resources and Beyond: The Evolving
Process of Employee Relations Management. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Kaufman, B. (2000a). ‘The Case for the Company Union.’ Labor History, 41/3: 321 50.
(2000b). ‘Personnel/Human Resource Management: Its Roots as Applied Economics.’
In R. Backhouse and J. Biddle (eds.), Toward a History of Applied Economics. Durham,
NC: Duke University Press.
the development of hrm
45
(2001). ‘The Theory and Practice of Strategic HRM and Participative Management:
Antecedents in Early Industrial Relations.’ Human Resource Management Review, 11/4:
505 34.
(2002). ‘The Role of Economics and Industrial Relations in the Development of the
Field of Personnel/Human Resource Management.’ Management Decisions, 40/1: 962 79.
(2003a). ‘The Quest for Cooperation and Unity of Interest in Industry.’ In
B. Kaufman, R. Beaumont, and R. Helfgott (eds.), Industrial Relations to Human
Resources and Beyond: The Evolving Process of Employee Relations Management. Armonk,
NY: M. E. Sharpe.
(2003b). ‘Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc.: Its History and SigniWcance.’ In
B. Kaufman, R. Beaumont, and R. Helfgott (eds.), Industrial Relations to Human
Resources and Beyond: The Evolving Process of Employee Relations Management. Armonk,
NY: M. E. Sharpe.
(2004a). The Global Evolution of Industrial Relations: Events, Ideas and the IIRA.
Geneva: International Labor Organization.
(2004b). ‘Toward an Integrative Theory of Human Resource Management.’ In
B. Kaufman (ed.), Theoretical Perspectives on Work and the Employment Relationship.
Champaign, Ill.: Industrial Relations Research Association.
Kelly, D. (2003). ‘A Shock to the System? The Impact of HRM on Academic IR in Australia
in Comparison with USA and UK, 1980 95.’ Asia PaciWc Journal of Human Resources, 41/2:
149 71.
Kennedy, D. (1919). ‘Employment Management and Industrial Relations.’ Industrial Man
agement, 58/5: 353 8.
Kinzley, W. (1991). Industrial Harmony in Japan: Invention of a Tradition. London:
Routledge.
Kochan, T., and Cappelli, P. (1984). ‘The Transformation of the Industrial Relations and
Personnel Function.’ In P. Osterman (ed.), Internal Labor Markets. Cambridge, Mass.:
MIT Press.
Katz, H., and McKersie, R. (1986). The Transformation of American Industrial
Relations. New York: Basic Books.
Lawler, E. (1992). The Ultimate Advantage: Creating the High Involvement Organization.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Lawrence, P. (1992). ‘Management Development in Europe: A Study in Cultural
Contrasts.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 3/Autumn: 11 23.
Lazear, E. (1999). ‘Personnel Economics: Past Lessons and Future Directions.’ Journal of
Labor Economics, 17/2: 199 236.
Legge, K. (1989). ‘Human Resource Management: A Critical Assessment.’ In J. Storey (ed.),
New Perspectives on Human Resource Management. London: Routledge.
Leiserson, W. (1929). ‘Contributions of Personnel Management to Improved Labor
Relations.’ In Wertheim Lectures on Industrial Relations. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press.
(1933). ‘Personnel Problems Raised by the Current Crisis.’ Management Review,
22/April: 114.
(1938). Right and Wrong in Labor Relations. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of
California Press.
Lichtenstein, N., and Harris, H. (1993). Industrial Democracy in America: The Ambiguous
Promise. New York: Oxford University Press.
46
bruce e. kaufman
Mabey, C., Skinner, D., and Clark, T. (1998). Experiencing Human Resource Management.
London: Sage.
MacDuffie, J. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Productions Systems in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48/2: 197 221.
McGregor, D. (1960). The Human Side of Enterprise. New York: McGraw Hill.
McMahan, G., Bell, M., and Virick, M. (1998). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management:
Employee Involvement, Diversity, and International Issues.’ Human Resource Manage
ment Review, 8/3: 193 214.
Mahoney, T., and Deckop, J. (1986). ‘Evolution of Concept and Practice in Personnel
Administration/Human Resource Management (PA/HRM).’ Journal of Management, 12:
223 41.
Malm, F. (1960). ‘The Development of Personnel Administration in Western Europe.’
California Management Review, 3/Fall: 69 83.
Marsden, D. (1999). A Theory of Employment Systems. London: Oxford University Press.
Martin, J. (1975). ‘The InXuence of the Behavioral Sciences on Management Literature.’
Personnel Journal, 54/March: 150 3.
Mee, J. (1951). Personnel Handbook. New York: Ronald Press.
Merkle, J. (1980). Management and Ideology: The Legacy of the International ScientiWc
Management Movement. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Mitchell, D. (2001). ‘IR Journal and Conference Literature from the 1960s to the 1990s:
What Can HR Learn from it? Where is it Headed?’ Human Resource Management Review,
11/4: 375 94.
Niven, M. (1967). Personnel Management 1913 63: The Growth of Personnel Management
and the Development of the Institute. London: Institute of Personnel Management.
Nolan, M. (1994). Visions of Modernity: American Business and the Modernization of
Germany. New York: Oxford University Press.
Osterman, P. (2000). ‘Work Reorganization in an Era of Restructuring: Trends in DiVusion
and EVects on Employee Welfare.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 53/January:
179 96.
Patten, T., Jr. (1979). Classics of Personnel Management. Oak Park, Ill.: Moore.
Peters, T., and Waterman, R. (1982). In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s
Best Run Companies. New York: Harper & Row.
Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive Advantage through People: Unleashing the Power of the
Workforce. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Purcell, J. (1995). ‘Ideology and the End of Institutional Industrial Relations.’ In C. Crouch
and F. Traxler (eds.), Organized Industrial Relations in Europe: What Future? Aldershot:
Avebury.
and Purcell, K. (1999). ‘Insourcing, Outsourcing and the Growth of Contingent
Labour as Evidence of Flexible Employment Strategies.’ Bulletin of Comparative Labour,
35: 151 62.
and Sisson, K. (1983). ‘Strategies and Practice in the Management of Industrial
Relations.’ In G. Bain (ed.), Industrial Relations in Britain. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Rodgers, D. (1998). Atlantic Crossings: Social Politics in a Progressive Era. Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Schuler, R. (1990). ‘Repositioning the Human Resource Function: Transformation or
Demise?’ Academy of Management Executive, 4/3: 49 59.
the development of hrm
47
Budhwar, P., and Florkowski, G. (2002). ‘International Human Resource Manage
ment: Review and Critique.’ International Journal of Management Reviews, 4/March:
41 70.
Shirai, T. (1983). Contemporary Industrial Relations in Japan. Madison: University of
Wisconsin Press.
Sisson, K. (1993). ‘In Search of HRM.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 31/June:
200 10.
Slichter, S. (1929). ‘The Current Labor Policies of American Industries.’ Quarterly Journal
of Economics, 43/May: 393 435.
Spencer, E. (1984). Management and Labor in Imperial Germany. New Brunswick, NJ:
Rutgers University Press.
Storey, J. (1989). New Perspectives on Human Resource Management. London: Routledge.
(1995). Human Resource Management: A Critical Text. London: Routledge.
Strauss, G. (2001). ‘HRM in the United States: Correcting Some British Impressions.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12/September: 873 97.
Taras, D. (2003). ‘Voice in the North American Workplace: From Employee Representa
tion to Employee Involvement.’ In B. Kaufman, R. Beaumont, and R. Helfgott (eds.),
Industrial Relations to Human Resources and Beyond: The Evolving Process of Employee
Relations Management. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Tead, O., and Metcalf, H. (1920). Personnel Administration: Its Principles and Practice.
New York: McGraw Hill.
Thurow, L. (1992). Head to Head: The Coming Economic Battle among Japan, Europe, and
America. New York: Morrow.
Tsutsui, W. (1998). Manufacturing Ideology: ScientiWc Management in Twentieth Century
Japan. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Ulrich, D. (1998). ‘A New Mandate for Human Resources.’ Harvard Business Review, 76/1:
124 34.
Walton, R. (1985). ‘From Control to Commitment in the Workplace.’ Harvard Business
Review, 63/2: 76 84.
Weber, A. (1987). ‘Industrial Relations and Higher Education.’ In D. Mitchell (ed.), The
Future of Industrial Relations. Los Angeles: UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations.
Wood, S. (1983). ‘The Study of Management in British Industrial Relations.’ British Journal
of Industrial Relations, 13/2: 51 61.
Wren, D. (2005). History of Management Thought, 5th edn. New York: Wiley.
Wright, C. (1991). ‘The Origins of Australian Personnel Management: Developments in
Employment, Selection and Training Procedures in Manufacturing Industry, 1940 1960.’
Sydney: ACIRRT Working Paper No. 8, University of Sydney.
Wright, P., and McMahan, G. (1992). ‘Theoretical Perspectives for Human Resource
Management.’ Journal of Management, 18/2: 295 320.
Dunford, B., and Snell, S. (2001). ‘Human Resources and the Resource Based View
of the Firm.’ Journal of Management, 27/6: 701 21.
chapter 3
....................................................................................................................................................
T H E G OA L S
OF HRM
....................................................................................................................................
peter boxall
3.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Human resource management covers a vast array of activities and shows a huge
range of variations across occupations, organizational levels, business units, Wrms,
industries, and societies. This confusing detail and profound diversity naturally
begs a fundamental question: what are employers seeking through engaging in
HRM and how do their goals for HRM relate to their broader business goals? The
question that drives this chapter is not about the reasons for individual HR policies
and practices, important though they may be, but about the underpinning objectives of employers. In terms of the ‘level of analysis’ involved, the focus is on goals
that characterize whole employing units: that is, Wrms or, where these are diversiWed and devolved in labor management, business units, or establishments within
them. This unit of analysis should not, however, be seen as implying that Wrms are
somehow isolated islands. The chapter will lay emphasis on the fact that employer
goals are inevitably aVected by the sectoral and societal contexts within which Wrms
operate.
The task is a diYcult one: at this level of analysis, research shows that the goals of
HRM are often implicit (Gratton et al. 1999; Purcell and Ahlstrand 1994). Only the
largest Wrms tend to have formal or explicit goal statements for their overall HR
strategy. Even when they do, we need to be careful in taking them at face value. In
HRM, aspirational rhetoric may mask a more opportunistic and pragmatic reality
the goals of hrm
49
(Legge 2005; Marchington and Grugulis 2000). Broad policies are always open to
the interpretations of managers, both general and specialist, and sometimes their
active subversion. Furthermore, particular patterns of HRM are laid down or
‘sedimented’ (cf. Giddens 1979) at certain critical moments in an organization’s
history (Poole 1986) and managers Wnd themselves working within these traditions
without necessarily being able to explain how all the pieces got here. Goals may not
be seriously analyzed unless some kind of crisis emerges in the Wrm’s growth or
performance that forces reconsideration and restructuring (e.g. Colling 1995; Snape
et al. 1993). Our task, then, is better understood as trying to infer the general
intentions of labor management, recognizing that we are studying a complex,
collective process, built up historically in Wrms and inevitably subject to a degree
of interpretation, politicking, and inconsistent practice.
This chapter examines a range of frameworks, theories, and research contributions that throw some light on the goals of HRM. As a business school discipline,
much of the literature in HRM is normative, designed to support management
education and thus setting out an argument about what managers should do or,
more modestly, oVering an analytical framework to assist practitioners to shape
their own policy prescriptions. Fortunately, it also contains studies that test the
predictions of theoretical models and thus provide a descriptive picture of what
employers actually do. The chapter reviews both normative and empirical contributions within the HRM canon but its prime objective is to outline what we know
about the goals of HRM in practice and what needs further research.
The chapter treats HRM as a broad, generic term equivalent to ‘labor management’ (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Gospel 1992). This deWnition needs to be contrasted with two others. First, it diVers from the school of thought that sees HRM
as a high-commitment model of labor management (e.g. Guest 1987; Storey 1995),
one in which employers invest heavily in employees to secure high motivation and
low labor turnover. Such models exist but employer styles are actually much more
diverse (e.g. Katz 2005; Marchington and Parker 1990; Purcell and Ahlstrand 1994;
Rubery and Grimshaw 2003) and the goal of this chapter is to understand why.
Second, the deWnition used here diVers from the school that sees HRM as an antiunion employer strategy, as a form of union substitution, or as attack on the
collective institutions of industrial relations (e.g. Barbash 1987). Given the fact that
the rise of HRM has correlated with a major decline in private-sector union density
in Anglo-American countries, this reading is understandable, but it is again too
restrictive, as we shall see.
While the literature referenced in this chapter is mainly drawn from HRM, use is
also made of key sources in the industrial relations and labor economics literatures
which contain some important theory and studies on the goals of employers.
Although ideological perspectives and scholarly methods vary across these disciplines, one thing unites the various works cited: they share an assumption that Wrms
do not employ people for ‘the sheer hell of it.’ They assume an underpinning
50
peter boxall
rationale to employment, envisaging it as a costly and purposeful human activity,
serving some kind of desired end. Whether, of course, all parties are enamored of
the same ends is another matter.
3.2 Goal Frameworks in HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
As was widely noted in the late 1980s and early 1990s (e.g. Boxall 1992; Poole 1990),
the Harvard framework (Beer et al. 1984) provided one of the Wrst major statements
in the HRM canon on the issue of employer goals (Fig. 3.1). In this framework,
managers in Wrms are encouraged to set their own priorities in HRM based on the
interplay of stakeholder interests and situational factors. HR outcomes, in turn, are
seen as having longer-term impacts on organizational eVectiveness and on societal
Stakeholder
interests
Shareholders
Management
Employee
groups
Government
Community
Unions
Situational
factors
Workforce
characteristics
Business
strategy and
conditions
Management
philosophy
Labor market
Unions
Task
technology
Laws and
societal values
HRM policy
choices
Employee
influence
Human resource
flow
Reward systems
Work systems
HR outcomes
Commitment
Competence
Congruence
Cost
effectiveness
Fig. 3.1. The Harvard ‘map of the HRM territory’
Source: Beer et al. 1984.
Long-term
consequences
Individual
well-being
Organizational
effectiveness
Societal well-being
the goals of hrm
51
and individual well-being. As the emphasis on stakeholders and contextual factors
implies, the model was oVered more as an analytical framework and teaching
device than as a theory (Beer et al. 1984: 17).
In terms of our understanding of overarching HRM goals, the most important
chapter in the Harvard text was the last one in which the authors sought to
integrate the huge range of HR choices that might be adopted by considering the
diVerences between ‘bureaucratic’, ‘market’, and ‘clan’ models of HRM, a set of
categories that draws on the work of Ouchi (1980). The fundamental goals of HRM
are seen to diVer across these styles or models. The bureaucratic model is seen as
concerned with ‘control and eYciency,’ using traditional authority and such staples
of personnel management as job descriptions and job evaluation to provide order
and equity (Beer et al. 1984: 179). This HRM approach is regarded as relevant to
markets with stable technology and employment levels. The market HRM
approach, on the other hand, aims to treat employees more like subcontractors,
fostering short-term exchanges and performance-related pay systems. This is seen
as relevant to fast-changing environments such as high-fashion merchandising,
advertising, and professional sports (ibid.: 180). Finally, clan HRM systems are seen
as building more diVuse kinship links, fostering shared values, teamwork, and
strong commitment in organizations seeking ‘long-term adaptability’ (ibid.: 181).
This is seen as relevant to Wrms pursuing quality and innovation. Combining
aspects of two or even three models is seen as useful when facing complex
environments (ibid.: 184).
While the links between HRM goals and the Wrm’s business strategy and
environment are only very brieXy sketched in the book, the main message is that
HRM goals can, and should, vary based on contextual factors and that Wrms should
aim to develop a relatively consistent style. Beer et al. (1984: 178, 184) argue that
‘HRM policies need to Wt with business strategy’ and with ‘situational constraints’
while also envisaging a role for management values (ibid.: 190–1). Most of this is
not well developed but the goal of Wt with broader business strategy and context,
followed by internal consistency in HR choices, was argued to be the essential
purpose of HRM.
The Harvard framework was followed by a range of similar models (e.g. Baron
and Kreps 1999; Dyer and Holder 1988). In Dyer and Holder’s (1988) framework,
management’s goals in HRM are analyzed across the dimensions of contribution
(what kind of employee behaviour is expected?), composition (what headcount,
staYng ratio, and skill mix?), competence (what general level of ability is desired?),
and commitment (what level of employee attachment and identiWcation?). Like
Beer et al. (1984), Dyer and Holder (1988: 10) advocate ‘consistency between HR
goals . . . and the underlying business strategy and relevant environmental conditions’ (with the latter, like the Harvard framework, including inXuences such as
labor law, unions, labor markets, technology, and management values). In Baron
and Kreps’s (1999) framework, managers are advised to consider the impact of ‘Wve
52
peter boxall
forces’ on HR policy choices: the external environment (social, political, legal, and
economic), the workforce, the organization’s culture, its strategy, and the technology of production and organization of work. This advice is not oVered in a simple,
deterministic fashion: managers still have choices (such as where to locate plants in
manufacturing) but once some choices are made, certain environmental consequences do follow (e.g. if you locate in the USA rather than Honduras, US laws,
culture, and workforce characteristics inevitably come into play). The goal of achieving internal consistency in whatever model of HRM is adopted (often called ‘internal’
or ‘horizontal’ Wt) is then strongly emphasized by Baron and Kreps (1999).
In a similar fashion to Beer et al. (1984), Dyer and Holder (1988) also identify
three broad styles of labor management but go further than the Harvard authors by
providing more detail on how their three types of HR strategy—‘inducement,’
‘investment,’ and ‘involvement’—are linked to environmental conditions. Inducement, seen as having its roots in ScientiWc Management, aims for reliable, costeYcient employee behavior (ibid.: 18–24). This is deemed suitable for Wrms
operating in very competitive markets with simple, slowly evolving technologies.
Environmental conditions are seen as ‘largely benign, although militant unions
are not unheard of ’ (ibid.: 22). The investment strategy, with its roots in Welfare
Capitalism and Human Relations movements, pursues high employee competence
and commitment in a generously staVed organization. These goals stem from
paternalistic founders and are seen as consistent with a business strategy of competing through diVerentiation rather than price in rapidly changing technological
environments (ibid.: 24–7). Unions are rare in these environments. Finally, the
involvement strategy, owing something to the Human Relations movement but also
to more contemporary emphases on participative management, aims for very high
employee commitment, competence, and creativity. Self and team management
loom large in this model. Firms pursuing involvement fall mainly into two types:
those in highly competitive markets (like inducers) and those pursuing innovation
or agility. Some Wrms may be pursuing the model not for any product market
reasons but as a response to ‘today’s highly educated and narcissistic labor force’
(ibid.: 28). The model is not seen as antithetical to unions but clearly requires a high
level of union–management cooperation in a unionized environment (ibid.: 30).
Like the Harvard authors, if not more emphatically, Dyer and Holder (1988) and
Baron and Kreps (1999) argue for a contingent understanding of HR strategy or the
necessity of molding HRM goals and means to the Wrm’s particular context. Dyer
and Holder (1988: 31) conclude that ‘the inescapable conclusion is that what is best,
depends.’ Baron and Kreps (1999: 33) assert that ‘in HRM, there is no one size that
Wts every situation’ and when considering the high-commitment model of HRM
argue that it should not be adopted unless the beneWts outweigh the costs (ibid.:
ch. 9). None of these frameworks is inherently anti-union or takes the view that
HRM is restricted to one style. The message in terms of the goals of HRM is one of
Wt or adaptation.
the goals of hrm
53
3.3 Goal Theories and Research in HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In terms of theoretical development, there are, however, problems with the broad
frameworks just described. It is hard to form testable propositions when it is
argued that HRM goals depend somehow on so many variables (Guest 1997; Purcell
1999). The objective of Wtting HRM to key features of the organization’s external
and internal environment rapidly became a key theme in the HRM literature but
theoretical models of what this meant became more parsimonious.
In one of the earliest sources, Baird and Meshoulam (1988) argued that
HR activities, like structure and systems, should Wt the organization’s stage of
development, implying informal, more Xexible styles of HRM among start-up
Wrms and more formal, professionalized styles as Wrms become more mature.
Theoretically, however, most models of ‘best Wt’ in HRM did not follow Baird
and Meshoulam’s (1988) emphasis on adapting to organizational size and stage of
development but argued that the key goal was to achieve Wt with the Wrm’s
competitive strategy. While there are other models of what is variously called
‘external’ or ‘vertical’ Wt in HRM, Schuler and Jackson (1987) used Porter’s typology of generic competitive strategies (cost leadership versus diVerentiation,
either on a broad or niche basis) to create what became the most inXuential
model. Their model is normative: it argues that HR practices ought to be designed
to mutually reinforce the Wrm’s choice of competitive strategy and, if so, business
performance will improve. If, for example, management chooses a competitive
strategy of diVerentiation through product innovation, this would call for high
levels of creative, risk-oriented, and cooperative behavior. On the other hand, if
management wants to pursue cost leadership, the model suggests designing jobs
which are fairly repetitive, training workers as little as is practical, cutting staV
numbers to the minimum, and rewarding high output and predictable behavior.
Although competitive posture can be complex, there are now several studies
which can be cited as oVering some support for the argument that Wrms try to
relate a variety of HR practices to their competitive strategies (e.g. Delery and
Doty 1996; Guthrie et al. 2002; Jackson et al. 1989; Sanz-Valle et al. 1999; Youndt
et al. 1996). In a study of 200 Spanish Wrms, for example, Sanz-Valle et al. (1999)
Wnd that those with an innovation or a quality strategy do indeed provide more
training and greater opportunities for employee participation than those pursuing cost leadership, as Schuler and Jackson’s (1987) model predicts. They also Wnd
that innovators pay better wages than those focusing on cost, again as the model
predicts. However, the Wt between HR strategy and competitive strategy is not
overwhelming. These mixed results are typical for this kind of study. They suggest
that current competitive strategy is indeed playing some role in shaping goals
in HRM but that HRM goals are complex and various factors exert inXuence
over time.
54
peter boxall
This means that single-factor explanations of HRM goals (such as, ‘employers
simply seek to manage people in a way consistent with their competitive strategy’)
are likely to be misleading. Without reverting to excessively complicated frameworks, what other factors are needed? In manufacturing, surveys and case studies
indicate that the impact of competitive strategy on HR strategy is aVected by the
dominant technology used in the sector and the Wrm (Boxall 1999; Purcell 1999;
Snell and Dean 1992; Youndt et al. 1996). In labor-intensive, low-technology
manufacturing, labor costs are typically in competition and Wrms commonly
seek to employ labor at least cost, as Schuler and Jackson (1987) predict (Table 3.1,
Wrst row). Where these pressures are intense, Wrms are often observed shifting their
production facilities to low-cost countries or ‘oVshoring’ workforces (Boxall and
Table 3.1 Predicting HR strategy: two different scenarios despite the same type
of competitive strategy
Firm’s
choice of
competitive
strategy
Worker actions and impacts of Implications for HR strategy
Nature of
state regulation
productive
technology in
the sector
Cost
leadership
Low
technology,
often highly
labourintensive
operations and
large scale
Where workforces are
strongly unionized, this often
strengthens the drive to
locate operations in low-wage
countries. Among lightly
unionized workforces,
employment regulation
sets the lower bound of
wages and conditions.
HR strategy is dominated by
the need to survive in an
environment where labor costs
are in competition.
Prediction: firms seek out
low-wage sites where output
is high and quality is
acceptable. Firms will pay
the going rate in the local
labor market but avoid
paying premium conditions or
over-investing in training.
Cost
leadership
High
technology or
highly capital
intensive; often
low staff
numbers but
key specialist
skills very
important to
operations
If organized into unions,
workers may extract more of a
wage premium but this is not
likely to affect the economics
of the firm unless work
practices are inefficient
or unduly inflexible. Regulation
by the state is not likely to have
much relevance because wages
and conditions are high in the
sector.
HR strategy is based on
developing and motivating
workers to maximize the
benefits of the technology
(which will help to achieve
the cost leadership strategy).
Prediction: high-wage,
high-skill models of labor
management are cost effective.
Investments in creating
‘high-performance work
systems’ are likely to be justified.
Source: Adapted from Boxall and Purcell 2003: 59.
the goals of hrm
55
Purcell 2003). On the other hand, when a Wrm has expensive investments in
advanced technology, which requires highly skilled and careful handling, managers
are likely to adopt high-commitment HR models for core workers, even if their
competitive goal is to achieve the lowest unit costs in the industry (Godard 1991;
Steedman and Wagner 1989) (Table 3.1, second row). In eVect, where there are high
‘interaction risks’ between specialized capital assets (in which the Wrm has major
‘sunk costs’) and the behavior of workers, managers are likely to adopt employment models that foster greater expertise and buy greater loyalty and care. As a
result, two Wrms which notionally have the same competitive strategy (in this case,
lowest unit costs) may move in diVerent directions in HR strategy once the
inXuence of technology factors and cost dynamics in their sector is considered.
There is potential for a similar kind of interaction in services where the appropriate question concerns how management chooses to handle the balance between
tangibles and intangibles in the service oVer (Lashley 1998; Lloyd 2005). Haynes
and Fryer (2000) illustrate this in their study of Wve-star hotels in Auckland. The
hotels all have excellent facilities, without which they cannot be Wve-star hotels, but
this neutralizes tangibles as a form of competitive advantage and makes competition through intangible elements (service quality) the main way in which managers
of the hotels can try to outperform others in their market segment. Performance is
improved through better investment in human resources: through better systems
for employee appraisal, development, and two-way communication, which improve
service quality and customer loyalty. On the other hand, it needn’t operate this way
in services. In Lloyd’s (2005) study of British Wtness centers, managers in the
more highly priced Wtness centers typically decided not to compete through the
quality of employee skills and, thus, the ability of their employees to advise
customers intelligently on appropriate Wtness regimes. Tolerating high rates of
labor turnover, managers opted to compete through the quality of their facilities
(more luxurious and spacious premises with a greater range of Wtness devices and
free grooming products) and not through people. Thus, in this case, a premium
service oVer did not translate into high investment in human resources. While high
service prices are often associated with high-commitment models of HRM, as we
will note later in this chapter, managers in service Wrms may opt instead to compete
through the tangible elements of the service oVer. As in manufacturing, then, we
must be careful with deductions directly from competitive strategy to HR strategy
or with models that suggest the former is the only key inXuence on the latter.
Besides the impact of technology or tangibles, reviews of ‘best Wt’ models in
HRM have noted how employer goals vary with the characteristics of employees
and the state of labor markets (e.g. Boxall 1992, 1996; Lees 1997). Large Wrms often
adopt one set of goals for managing their management cadres (particularly senior
managers) and another set for the rest of the workforce (e.g. PinWeld and
Berner 1994; Purcell 1987). In terms of managers, models of HRM typically involve
much greater investments—either in building the clanlike, long-term loyalty that
56
peter boxall
Beer et al. (1984) describe or, alternatively, in oVering their short-term, ‘market’
model with large bonuses for reaching key targets or a severance package for failing
to do so. Within large Wrms, there may also be major variations among nonmanagerial workforce groups that reXect diVerent union contracts, diVerent labor
market pressures and diVerences in the degree to which the type of labor is critical
to production (e.g. Godard 1991; Osterman 1987). When labor markets are tight or
workers control critical know-how, managers tend to respond with more generous
employment oVers and more motivating conditions.
Furthermore, as noted in Table 3.1, state regulation has an impact on the process
of adaptation to context that takes place in a Wrm’s HRM. Labor laws and labor
market institutions vary from country to country, as do cultural norms. There are
fundamental diVerences, for example, between US employment systems and those
that prevail in the ‘Rhineland countries’ of Germany, France, and the Netherlands
where ‘social partnership’ models accord a strong role to trade unions and works
councils (Paauwe and Boselie 2003; this Handbook, Ch. 9). This argument can be
linked to the observation that capital markets and the governance systems of Wrms
vary across ‘varieties of capitalism’ (Hall and Soskice 2001). Anglo-American stock
markets are seen as according high priority to shareholder returns and encouraging
shorter time horizons in management thinking, implying more Xexible employment regimes and less investment in human resource development than is typically
found in countries like Germany and Japan with more patient capital providers
(e.g. Gospel and Pendleton 2003).
At a minimum, then, we observe employers adapting their goals to a context in
which their own competitive choices, the technologies or service tangibles they
adopt, the characteristics of their employees, the state of labor markets, and the
societal regulations and national cultures they encounter are all playing a signiWcant,
interactive role. On top of this, the personal values, internal politics, and cognitive
limitations of management inevitably exert some inXuence. Adaptation to economic realities is clearly a fundamental driver of employer behavior, but so too is
adaptation to the socio-political climate of work, both inside and outside the Wrm.
3.4 The Goals of HRM: A Synthesis
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The purpose of this section is to draw on the frameworks and research insights we
have discussed to present a synthesis of what we presently understand about the
fundamental goals of employers. As suggested immediately above, it helps if
we analyze the goals of HRM in terms of two broad categories: economic and
socio-political objectives.
the goals of hrm
57
3.4.1 The Economic Objectives of HRM
The job for Wrms in what economists call the ‘short run’ is to secure their economic
viability in the industry or industries in which they have chosen to compete. In
order to support economic viability, Wrms are naturally concerned with labor
productivity, with the problem of how to establish a cost-eVective system of
labor management (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Geare 1977; Godard 2001; Osterman
1987). Cost eVectiveness can be understood as the need for every Wrm to stabilize a
production system that enables it to compete in its chosen market (Rubery 1994;
Rubery and Grimshaw 2003). The economics of production systems, involving
what is possible with certain types of technology and work organization, varies very
signiWcantly across industries (Batt and Doellgast 2005). In other words, there are a
limited number of viable ways of producing products or services (sometimes called
‘dominant designs’) in each industry segment and the Wrm’s HR strategy needs to
support them or the Wrm will fail. The process of forming a pattern of HRM that
will underpin business viability takes place at founding and during the early growth
of successful Wrms (Boxall and Purcell 2003). Founding leaders play a key role in
this process: they either establish the basic HR strategy needed for viability or the
Wrm fails. This allows for their personal values and philosophies to have an impact
(as, for example, in Wrms such as the John Lewis Partnership in the UK and Hewlett
Packard in the USA) but only in a way that supports the need to be economically
viable or does not undermine it.
The fundamental need to adapt HR strategy to the economics of production
introduces major variation into HRM. Very expensive, high-skill models of labor
management, incorporating rigorous selection, high pay, and extensive internal
development, are unusual among Wrms in those services, such as fast food, gas
stations, and supermarkets, which are characterized by intense, margin-based
competition (Boxall 2003). In such circumstances, Wrms typically adopt a lowcommitment model of labor management, oVering adequate rather than excellent
service standards because customers are more price than quality sensitive. On the
other hand, as Godard and Delaney (2000) argue, costly, high-commitment HR
practices are more often found where the production system is capital intensive or
where high technology is involved. In these conditions, the absolute level of labor
cost may be quite low but workers have a major eVect on how well the technology is
utilized. It is thus economically ‘eYcient’ to remunerate and train them very well,
making better use of their skills, and ensuring their motivation is kept high. In fact,
high-commitment models of HRM of this kind are now frequently a ‘table stake’
in certain types of advanced manufacturing and in many knowledge-intensive
professional service industries in the high-wage countries (Boxall and Purcell
2003). Firms either adopt these systems or they won’t survive in the business.
Identifying cost eVectiveness as the most basic economic driver in HRM helps to
explain why employers do not, however, adopt high-commitment models of HRM
58
peter boxall
across the board. To do so would ignore the impact of industry diVerences in
productive technologies and customer attitudes on which models of HRM are
economically sustainable. The emphasis on cost within cost eVectiveness also helps
to indicate that ‘strategic tensions’ between employer and employee are inevitable in
any model of HRM, no matter how superWcially appealing it is (Evans 1986; Boxall
1999; Evans and Genadry 1999). Boxall and Purcell (2003) argue that coping with the
twin tensions of labor scarcity and labor motivation within the economic resources
of the Wrm poses serious dilemmas for most, if not all, Wrms. Many small Wrms fail
because they cannot aVord the labor they need or they survive but remain fragile,
tenuous organizations with high labor turnover and ongoing recruitment problems
(Hendry et al. 1995; Hornsby and Kuratko 2003; Marchington et al. 2003; Rubery
1994; Storey 1985). Furthermore, assuming an adequate labor supply, questions of
employee motivation, once workers are hired, are so central to the problem of cost
eVectiveness that they have often been argued to be the primary problem itself.
Research in industrial relations, including the labor process literature (this Handbook, Ch. 8), typically grounds its understanding of management’s goals in an
analysis of the employment relationship as an open-ended, indeterminate contract.
In this view, the winning of workforce cooperation is seen as an ‘inherently fragile’
process and ‘continuing preoccupation’ for management (Keenoy 1992: 93). Another
way of saying this is that management is concerned with a critical, ongoing problem
of employee motivation because the impact of HRM is inevitably mediated through
line-manager and employee responses and interactions (e.g. Bartel 2004; CoyleShapiro and Kessler 2000; Guest and Peccei 2001; Purcell et al. 2003).
The picture is further complicated by the reality of change in the environments
of Wrms. Labor productivity or cost eVectiveness is aimed for in a given context. In
other words, given a particular market and a certain type of technology (among
other things), it is about making the Wrm’s labor resources productive at competitive cost. The thrust is naturally towards stabilizing production regimes and the
work and employment systems that are central to them, enhancing predictability
and certainty in the management process (Osterman 1987; Rubery 1994). However,
some element of Xexibility must be embedded in the Wrm’s approach to HRM if it is
to survive given the fact that industries, including their viable production systems
and costs structures, evolve. Theoretical reviews in labor economics and industrial
relations in the 1980s (Osterman 1987; Streeck 1987) underlined the need to bring
capacity to change or ‘organizational Xexibility’ more Wrmly into our understanding of employer goals and the same kind of concern has permeated the HRM
literature (e.g. Evans 1986; Wright and Snell 1998).
As with cost eVectiveness, the Xexibility dimension inevitably implies the need to
manage strategic tensions, including trade-oVs with the interests of workers. Even
high-commitment Wrms will periodically need lay-oVs: employer commitment to
employees is always conditional (Hyman 1987). Boxall and Purcell (2003) distinguish between ‘short-run responsiveness’—in which Wrms build a capacity to make
the goals of hrm
59
marginal adjustments to staYng levels or labor costs when conditions change—
and ‘long-run agility’ (Dyer and Shafer 1999), a much more powerful ability to
learn in an environment that can change radically. At a minimum, organizations
need some degree of short-run responsiveness and this form of Xexibility must now
be considered an employer goal alongside cost eVectiveness. While some Wrms
aspire to long-run agility, organizational ecologists such as Carroll and Hannan
(1995), who study patterns of Wrm birth, growth, and decline in industries, observe
that this is very hard to achieve because core features of organizations are hard to
change once laid down in the early stages of establishment and growth. In other
words, there is a strategic tension between stabilizing a cost-eVective work and
employment system and creating the capacity for radical change.
This discussion has outlined employer goals in relation to the viability problem
of the Wrm. A key question in the literature concerns the conditions under which
Wrms can, and do, pursue ‘sustained competitive advantage’ through HRM
(e.g. Boxall and Steeneveld 1999; Mueller 1996; Wright et al. 1994; this Handbook,
Chapter 5). In thinking about this question, it is helpful to distinguish between
labor cost advantages and labor diVerentiation advantages and to consider the
extent to which either form of advantage can be sustained. There is abundant
evidence that Wrms engaged in basic manufacturing industries such as clothing and
footwear have relocated plants to low-wage countries to take advantage of lower
labor costs (Boxall and Purcell 2003: 100–2). This, however, might simply be a
viability strategy, not one that brings sustained advantage: the Wrms that do it Wrst
enjoy some temporary advantages but then these are competed away as others
follow suit. DiVerentiation in labor quality, through better-quality human capital
and smarter organizational processes (Boxall 1996), is much more what people
have in mind when they think of sustained human resource advantage. When do
Wrms embrace this goal? Boxall (2003) reviews existing studies on service sector HR
strategy, including Batt’s (2000) study of call centers and Hunter’s (2000) study of
rest homes, and develops a framework and set of propositions which argues that
Wrms rarely adopt this goal when they are locked into the cost-based competition
that occurs in mass services (Table 3.2). In mass services, customers are price
sensitive and will typically take part in self-service if the price is right. However,
the goal of HR advantage is envisaged as a possibility in more diVerentiated service
markets (‘Type 2’ and ‘Type 3’) where a group of more aZuent customers will pay a
premium for better service. In these conditions, Wrms may pursue a goal of
sustained HR advantage through diVerentiating the quality of what people do.
This does not necessarily mean that they will do so: management may not see the
value or may choose to compete in other ways (Boxall 2003: 16–17). As noted above,
Lloyd’s (2005) study of UK Wtness centers demonstrates that Wrms at the high end
of the market may simply seek to compete through better-quality facilities and not
employee skills (the tangibles rather than the intangibles). On the other hand, a
study by Skaggs and Youndt (2004) on a sample of 234 US service Wrms provides
60
peter boxall
Table 3.2 Market characteristics, competitive dynamics, and HR strategy in
services
Service
market type
Knowledge
content of
service
Typical
work design
Competitive dynamics Predictions for HR
in the sector
strategy in firms
Type One: Mass
service markets
(e.g. gas
stations,
fast food,
supermarkets)
Low: key
managers or
franchisees
have critical
knowledge but
general labor
uses limited,
mostly generic
know-how
Low discretion;
may be highly
‘Taylorized’ in
international
franchises or
major chains;
otherwise
unrationalized,
low-skill work
Cost-based competition
except to the extent
limited by unions and
state regulation;
substitution of labor
for technology and
self-service; some
branding strategies
possible
Firms typically fit
HR strategy to
their cost-driven
competitive
strategies through
paying only the
market-clearing
wage and complying
minimally with labor
laws; very limited
prospects for ‘HR
advantage’ except
where premium
brands can be
created and
sustained
Type Two: A
mix of mass
markets and
higher
value-added
segments
(e.g. elder care,
hotels, call
centers)
Low to
moderate
knowledge
levels; mix of
skill levels
needed in the
workforce
Traditionally low
to moderate
discretion
but potential
for job
enrichment and
HPWSs
A mix of cost and
quality-based
competition; greater
profit opportunities for
firms that identify
higher value-added
segments
In mass markets, HR
strategies are
Type One but
possibilities exist for
‘HR advantage’ in
higher value-added
segments; potential
problems with
imitability and
appropriability
High
Type Three:
knowledge
Very
significantly, intensity
if not totally,
differentiated
markets (e.g.
high-level
professional
services)
Source: Boxall 2003.
High discretion; Expertise and
the natural home quality-based
of HPWSs
competition but
with some anchors on
relative pricing; some
services may be
routinized and
migrate back to
Type Two competition
Extensive
opportunities for
‘HR advantage’ in
expertise-driven
niches; potential
problems with
imitability and
appropriability; use
of lower-cost HR
strategies where
expertise is
routinized
the goals of hrm
61
some of the best evidence available at this point. It shows that Wrms that match
high-quality human capital to a strategy of high-service customization outperform
those that do not. This implies that for the time being, at least, these Wrms are
enjoying competitive advantage through HRM.
3.4.2 The Socio-Political Objectives of HRM
As intimated earlier in the discussion of the process of adaptation in HRM, the
goals of HRM are best understood as plural (Evans 1986). There is no such thing as
a single ‘bottom line’ in HRM: viability has more than an economic meaning.
Employers are concerned with some degree of social legitimacy while simultaneously pursuing labor productivity (Boxall and Purcell 2003). If Wrms want to be
seen as legitimate and have ready access to society’s resources, then their employment practices must be seen to comply with labor laws and strongly held social
norms (Lees 1997). The need for social legitimacy means that variation in HRM
based on responses to diVerent national institutional environments is strong
(Gooderham et al. 1999). This is emphasized in all the broad analytical frameworks
in HRM. Without denying that some multinationals wield considerable power
(Rubery and Grimshaw 2003), individual Wrms rarely have opportunities to inXuence social standards and generally take the established ethical framework in
relation to labor management as a given. Doing so helps to secure good order
within the workplace and institutional support outside it.
In this connection, it is useful to make a comment about the oft-advocated
objective of ‘internal Wt.’ Because social legitimacy is a necessary goal (for all Wrms
that wish to avoid social sanctions, legal, moral, and economic), the notion of
‘internal Wt’ must be treated with some caution (Boxall and Purcell 2003: 56–8,
243–5). It is clearly impossible to make all HR policies reXective of a chosen competitive or economic mission. Some of a Wrm’s employment policies are there simply
to ensure compliance with labor laws and social conventions and have no necessary
connection to its competitive strategies. Here, then, is another strategic tension
associated with the goals of HRM: if Wrms cannot aVord to meet baseline regulatory
requirements in a particular country, they cannot do legitimate business there.
As with economic motives, it is useful to subject socio-political motives to
dynamic analysis. This suggests a fourth fundamental motive concerned with
enhancing, if not maximizing, managerial autonomy. In a classic study of management ideology, Reinhard Bendix (1956: p. xxiii) argued that ‘ideologies of
management are attempts by leaders of enterprises to justify the privilege of
voluntary action and association for themselves, while imposing upon all subordinates the duty of obedience and of service to the best of their ability.’ Gospel
(1973) refers to management as having a less openly acknowledged ‘security
objective’ alongside its proWt (cost eVectiveness) motive, a goal to maximize its
62
peter boxall
control over an uncertain environment including threats to its power from work
groups and trade unions. In situations where the problem of employee motivation
escalates to levels where employment relations become unstable and managerial
authority is threatened, securing the power to govern becomes the pressing management objective. Even where such dramatic threats are rare, the natural tendency
of management is to act, over time, to enhance its room to manoeuver. We see this
in the way multinational Wrms tend to favor investment in countries with less
demanding labor market regulations (e.g. Cooke 2001; this Handbook, Ch. 24).
We also see it at industry and societal levels, in the tendency of employer federations to lobby, over time, for greater freedom to manage and to resist new
employment regulations seen to be diminishing management prerogative.
As with the tension between short-run productivity and long-run Xexibility,
there is a tension between the need to secure social legitimacy and the desire to
enhance managerial autonomy. SuYcient levels of managerial autonomy are needed
if management is going to tackle the problems of building productive and Xexible
enterprises in sensible ways that win support from investors and the community at
large. Rational management needs space for action. However, excessive degrees of
management autonomy come at the expense of worker rights and can escalate
income dispersion, making society more fragile and less cohesive. Similarly, as is
widely noted, management control of key information can be used to enhance
management rewards to the detriment of both shareholders and workers.
By way of summary, Fig. 3.2 depicts the major motives that this chapter argues
underpin management’s HR activities. The arrows indicate the presence of strategic
tensions: there are tensions between economic and socio-political objectives as well as
within each of these goal domains. Space constraints limit any discussion of patterns
that arise across these four motives but the framework opens up important lines of
analysis. For example, one can readily identify Wrms in which management is seeking
to maximize autonomy and productivity (for example, through locating all production in low-cost and loosely regulated countries). This is likely, however, to come at the
cost of some forms of agility and is likely, in time, to be met with legitimacy challenges.
The goals of HRM
Economic
Static
Dynamic
Socio-political
Cost
effectiveness
Legitimacy
Flexibility
Autonomy
Fig. 3.2. The goals of HRM: a synthesis
the goals of hrm
63
3.5 Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Management’s motives in HRM are both economic and social-political. Issues of
cost eVectiveness, organizational Xexibility, social legitimacy, and managerial
autonomy are all involved. At the most basic level, the mission of HRM is to
support the viability of the Wrm through stabilizing a cost-eVective and socially
legitimate system of labor management. This is a critical task in the founding and
early growth stages of Wrms, just like the need to establish satisfactory marketing
and Wnancial systems. If management cannot achieve this balance, the Wrm will fail
because an adequate set of human resources—a capable group of people with
suYcient motivation to work together productively and economically—is a necessary condition of business survival. And if an element of Xexibility is not built
into its HRM regime, the Wrm will fail at some subsequent point even if its initial
model of HRM is cost eVective and legitimate.
As this makes clear, any serious analysis of the goals of HRM throws the spotlight
on the management of ‘strategic tensions.’ Among the most important of these are
the tensions between employer control and employee motivation, between shortrun productivity and long-run adaptability, between corporate survival and
employee security, and between managerial autonomy and social legitimacy. The
management of these dilemmas is so important that it is useful to understand the
goals of HRM as fundamentally about the management of strategic tensions.
We need to advance our understanding of the goals of HRM in respect of both
viability and sustained advantage. Progress has been made in a variety of ways,
including multivariate analysis of survey data to identify key associations and
eVects, and in-depth case studies. Both approaches should be encouraged but, in
the study of HRM goals, it is clear that we need greater methodological emphasis
on dynamics, as has long been advocated (e.g. Dyer 1984). In other words, we need
to study goals at major transition or crisis points such as founding, growth spurts,
and restructuring (Purcell 1999) when we have a chance to uncover how particular
models of HRM get there and how they link to broader economic and sociopolitical considerations. Longitudinal studies of ‘strategic groups’ of Wrms, competing in the same market segment, looking at what makes them similar and what
diVerentiates them in HRM, would be especially helpful.
References
Baird, L., and Meshoulam, I. (1988). ‘Managing Two Fits of Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Academy of Management Review, 13/1: 116 28.
Barbash, J. (1987). ‘Like Nature, Industrial Relations Abhors a Vacuum: The Case of the
Union Free Strategy.’ Relations industrielles, 42: 168 79.
64
peter boxall
Baron, R., and Kreps, D. (1999). Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General
Managers. New York: Wiley.
Bartel, A. (2004). ‘Human Resource Management and Organizational Performance:
Evidence from Retail Banking.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 57/2: 181 203.
Batt, R. (2000). ‘Strategic Segmentation in Front Line Services: Matching Customers,
Employees and Human Resource Systems.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 11/3: 540 61.
and Doellgast, V. (2005). ‘Groups, Teams, and the Division of Labor,’ In S. Ackroyd,
R. Batt, P. Thompson, and P. Tolbert (eds.), Oxford University Press Handbook of Work
and Organization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Beer, M., Spector, B., Lawrence, P., Quinn Mills, D., and Walton, R. (1984). Managing
Human Assets. New York: Free Press.
Bendix, R. (1956). Work and Authority in Industry. Berkeley and Los Angeles: UCLA Press.
Boxall, P. (1992). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Beginnings of a New
Theoretical Sophistication?’ Human Resource Management Journal, 2/3: 60 79.
(1996). ‘The Strategic HRM Debate and the Resource Based View of the Firm.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 6/3: 59 75.
(1999). ‘Human Resource Strategy and Industry Based Competition: A Conceptual
Framework and Agenda for Theoretical Development.’ In P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau,
and G. Milkovich (eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management,
Supplement 4: Strategic Human Resources Management in the Twenty First Century.
Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.
(2003). ‘HR Strategy and Competitive Advantage in the Service Sector.’ Human
Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 5 20.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
and Steeneveld, M. (1999). ‘Human Resource Strategy and Competitive Advantage:
A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Consultancies.’ Journal of Management Studies,
36/4: 443 63.
Carroll, G. R., and Hannan, M. T. (eds.) (1995). Organizations in Industry: Strategy,
Structure and Selection. New York: Oxford University Press.
Colling, T. (1995). ‘Experiencing Turbulence: Competition, Strategic Choice and the
Management of Human Resources in British Airways.’ Human Resource Management
Journal, 5/5: 18 32.
Cooke, W. N. (2001). ‘The EVects of Labor Costs and Workplace Constraints on Foreign
Direct Investment among Highly Industrialised Countries.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 12/5: 697 716.
Coyle Shapiro, J., and Kessler, I. (2000). ‘Consequences of the Psychological Contract
for the Employment Relationship.’ Journal of Management Studies, 35/4: 439 56.
Delery, J., and Doty, D. (1996). ‘Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and ConWgurational Performance
Predictions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4: 802 35.
Dyer, L. (1984). ‘Studying Human Resource Strategy.’ Industrial Relations, 23/2: 156 69.
and Holder, G. (1988). ‘A Strategic Perspective of Human Resource Management.’
In L. Dyer (ed.), Human Resource Management: Evolving Roles & Responsibilities. Washing
ton: BNA.
and Shafer, R. (1999). ‘Creating Organizational Agility: Implications for Strategic
Human Resource Management.’ In P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau, and G. Milkovich
the goals of hrm
65
(eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management, Supplement 4: Strategic
Human Resources Management in the Twenty First Century. Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.
Evans, P. (1986). ‘The Strategic Outcomes of Human Resource Management.’ Human
Resource Management, 25/1: 149 67.
and Genadry, N. (1999). ‘A Duality Based Perspective for Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ In P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau, and G. Milkovich (eds.), Research in
Personnel and Human Resources Management, Supplement 4: Strategic Human Resources
Management in the Twenty First Century. Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.
Geare, A. J. (1977). ‘The Field of Study of Industrial Relations.’ Journal of Industrial
Relations, 19/3: 274 85.
Giddens, A. (1979). Central Problems in Social Theory. London: Macmillan.
Gittleman, M., Horrigan, M., and Joyce, M. (1998). ‘ ‘‘Flexible’’ Workplace Practices:
Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review,
52/1: 99 115.
Godard, J. (1991). ‘The Progessive HRM Paradigm: A Theoretical and Empirical Re exam
ination.’ Relations industrielles, 46/2: 378 400.
(2001) ‘Beyond the High Performance Paradigm? An Analysis of Variation in
Canadian Managerial Perceptions of Reform Programme EVectiveness.’ British Journal
of Industrial Relations, 39/1: 25 52.
and Delaney, J. (2000) ‘ReXections on the ‘‘High Performance’’ Paradigm’s
Implications for Industrial Relations as a Field.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review,
53/3: 482 502.
Gooderham, P., Nordhaug, O., and Ringdal, K. (1999). ‘Institutional and Rational
Determinants of Organizational Practices: Human Resource Management in European
Firms.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 44: 507 31.
Gospel, H. (1973). ‘An Approach to a Theory of the Firm in Industrial Relations.’ British
Journal of Industrial Relations, 11/2: 211 28.
(1992). Markets, Firms, and the Management of Labour in Modern Britain. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
and Pendleton, A. (2003). ‘Finance, Corporate Governance and the Management of
Labour: A Conceptual and Comparative Analysis.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations,
42/3: 557 82.
Gratton, L., Hope Hailey, V., Stiles, P., and Truss, C. (1999). Strategic Human Resource
Management: Corporate Rhetoric and Human Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Guest, D. (1987). ‘Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.’ Journal of
Management Studies, 24/5: 503 21.
(1997). ‘Human Resource Management and Performance: A Review and Research
Agenda.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8: 263 76.
and Peccei, R. (2001). ‘Partnership at Work: Mutuality and the Balance of Advantage.’
British Journal of Industrial Relations, 39/2: 207 36.
Guthrie, J., Spell, C., and Nyamori, R. (2002). ‘Correlates and Consequences of High
Involvement Work Practices: The Role of Competitive Strategy.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 13/1: 183 97.
Hall, P., and Soskice, D. (2001). ‘An Introduction to Varieties of Capitalism.’ in P. Hall and
D. Soskice (eds.), Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative
Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Haynes, P., and Fryer, G. (2000) ‘Human Resources, Service Quality and Performance: A
Case Study.’ International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12/4: 240 8.
66
peter boxall
Hendry, C., Arthur, M., and Jones, A. (1995). Strategy through People. London: Routledge.
Hornsby, J., and Kuratko, D. (2003). ‘Human Resource Management in US Small Busi
nesses: A Replication and Extension.’ Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 8/1: 73 92.
Hunter, L. (2000). ‘What Determines Job Quality in Nursing Homes?’ Industrial and
Labor Relations Review, 53/3: 463 81.
Hyman, R. (1987). ‘Strategy or Structure? Capital, Labour and Control.’ Work, Employment
& Society, 1/1: 25 55.
Jackson, S., Schuler, R., and Rivero, J. (1989). ‘Organizational Characteristics as
Predictors of Personnel Practices.’ Personnel Psychology, 42/4: 727 86.
Katz, H. (2005). ‘Industrial Relations and Work.’ In S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson, and
P. Tolbert (eds.), Oxford Handbook of Work and Organization. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Keenoy, T. (1992). ‘Constructing Control.’ In J. Hartley and G. Stephenson (eds.), Employ
ment Relations: The Psychology of InXuence and Control at Work. Oxford: Blackwell.
Lashley, C. (1998). ‘Matching the Management of Human Resources to Service
Operations.’ International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 10/1: 24 33.
Lees, S. (1997). ‘HRM and the Legitimacy Market.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 8/3: 226 43.
Legge, K. (2005). Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Lloyd, C. (2005). ‘Competitive Strategy and Skills: Working out the Fit in the Fitness
Industry.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 15/2: 15 34.
Marchington, M., and Grugulis, I. (2000). ‘ ‘‘Best Practice’’ Human Resource Manage
ment: Perfect Opportunity or Dangerous Illusion?’ International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 11/6: 1104 24.
and Parker, P. (1990). Changing Patterns of Employee Relations. London: Harvester
Wheatsheaf.
Carroll, M., and Boxall, P. (2003). ‘Labour Scarcity and the Survival of Small
Firms: A Resource Based View of the Road Haulage Industry.’ Human Resource Manage
ment Journal, 13/4: 3 22.
Mueller, F. (1996). ‘Human Resources as Strategic Assets: An Evolutionary Resource
Based Theory.’ Journal of Management Studies, 33/6: 757 85.
Osterman, P. (1987). ‘Choice of Employment Systems in Internal Labor Markets.’ Indus
trial Relations, 26/1: 46 67.
Ouchi, W. (1980). ‘Markets, Bureaucracies and Clans.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 25:
129 41.
Paauwe, J., and Boselie, P. (2003). ‘Challenging ‘‘Strategic HRM’’ and the Relevance of the
Institutional Setting.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 56 70.
Pinfield, L., and Berner, M. (1994) ‘Employment Systems: Toward a Coherent Concep
tualisation of Internal Labour Markets.’ Research in Personnel and Human Resources
Management, 12: 41 78.
Poole, M. (1986). Industrial Relations: Origins and Patterns of National Diversity. London:
Routledge.
1990. ‘Editorial: Human Resource Management in an International Perspective.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1/1: 1 15.
Purcell, J. (1987). ‘Mapping Management Styles in Employee Relations.’ Journal of
Management Studies, 24/5: 533 48.
the goals of hrm
67
(1999). ‘The Search for ‘‘Best Practice’’ and ‘‘Best Fit:’’ Chimera or Cul De Sac?’
Human Resource Management Journal, 9/3: 26 41.
and Ahlstrand, B. (1994). Human Resource Management in the Multidivisional
Company. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kinnie, N., Hutchinson, S., Rayton, B., and Swart, J. (2003). Understanding the
People and Performance Link: Unlocking the Black Box. London: CIPD.
Rubery, J. (1994). ‘Internal and External Labour Markets: Towards an Integrated Analysis.’
In J. Rubery and F. Wilkinson (eds.), Employer Strategy and the Labour Market. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
and Grimshaw, D. (2003). The Organization of Employment. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Sanz Valle, R., Sabater Sanchez, R., and Aragon Sanchez, A. (1999). ‘Human
Resource Management and Business Strategy Links: An Empirical Study.’ International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 10/4: 655 71.
Schuler, R., and Jackson, S. (1987). ‘Linking Competitive Strategies and Human Resource
Management Practices.’ Academy of Management Executive, 1/3: 207 19.
Skaggs, B., and Youndt, M. (2004). ‘Strategic Positioning, Human Capital, and Perform
ance in Service Organizations: A Customer Interaction Approach.’ Strategic Management
Journal, 25: 85 99.
Snape, E., Redman, T., and Wilkinson, A. 1993. ‘Human Resource Management in
Building Societies: Making the Transformation?’ Human Resource Management Journal,
3/3: 44 61.
Snell, S., and Dean, J. (1992). ‘Integrated Manufacturing and Human Resources
Management: A Human Capital Perspective.’ Academy of Management Journal, 35/3:
467 504.
Steedman, H., and Wagner, K. (1989). ‘Productivity, Machinery and Skills: Clothing
Manufacture in Britain and Germany.’ National Institute Economic Review, May: 40 57.
Storey, D. J. (1985). ‘The Problems Facing New Firms.’ Journal of Management Studies, 22/3:
327 45.
Storey, J. (1995). Human Resource Management: A Critical Text. London: Routledge.
Streeck, W. (1987). ‘The Uncertainties of Management in the Management of Uncertainty:
Employers, Labour Relations and Industrial Adjustment in the 1980s.’ Work, Employment
& Society, 1/3: 281 308.
Wright, P., and Snell, S. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and
Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review,
23/4: 756 72.
McMahan, G., and McWilliams, A. (1994). ‘Human Resources and Sustained
Competitive Advantage: A Resource Based Perspective’. International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 5/2: 301 26.
Dunford, B., and Snell, S. (2003). ‘Human Resources and the Resource Based View
of the Firm.’ Journal of Management, 27: 701 21.
Youndt, M., Snell, S., Dean, J., and Lepak, D. (1996). ‘Human Resource Management,
Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4:
836 66.
chapter 4
....................................................................................................................................................
ECONOMICS
AND HRM
....................................................................................................................................
damian grimshaw
jill rubery
4.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
There is another class of questions which have been brought to the
forefront by recent theoretical work. One of these concerns the objectives
of Wrms, the reasons for their existence and the manner of their decision
taking. Each of these questions will require modes of analysis quite
diVerent from those which have dominated this century . . . When we
ask why Wrms exist we think of transaction costs and of increasing returns.
Neither is well understood and both, except for trivial cases, resist incorp
oration in traditional modes of analysis . . . As to a Wrm’s organisation, we
know that ‘the entrepreneur’ will not do and the understanding will
require not only organisation, information and team theory but almost
surely social psychology and an account of historical development.
(Hahn 1991: 49 50)
One of the leading protagonists of neoclassical economic theory, Frank Hahn, in
setting out his stall as to where economic theory and economics theorizing needs to
develop over the next century, prioritizes the theory of the Wrm as the subject matter
and the development of interdisciplinary and historical perspectives as the
methodological challenge. Human resource management (HRM) is a core part of
the theory of the Wrm; it is concerned primarily with how organizations manage the
economics and hrm
69
workforce, once decisions relating to the existence of the Wrm and the boundaries of
the Wrm have eVectively been taken. Traditionally, economics has had little to say
about the management of organizations. The association of economics with an
individualized methodology and with the operation of the market, without due
attention to the institutions that structure and shape the market, make it a discipline peculiarly unsuited to the study of organizations and their workforces. As
Herbert Simon (1979) remarked, the key characteristic of the modern economy is
the amount of coordination, activity, and transactions taking place within organizations; even in deregulated societies, there is still a tendency to form long-term
employment relationships, with most job changes occurring early on in careers.
Moreover, although a decision to ‘buy’—that is to outsource—is treated as a market
transaction, in most cases the result is a contract between organizations and not
with individual self-employed sole traders. These subcontract organizations still
have to ‘manage’ their own workforces, so that the internal organization of labor is
much more dominant than the market versus hierarchy analysis implies.1
In order for economics to have much to say about HRM it is essential, as Hahn
implies, to identify a role for organizations and indeed for actors within organizations. Most of the theoretical work on the importance of Wrm strategy is found
outside the core mainstream, associated more with heterodox economists researching innovation and varieties of capitalism. It is here that one Wnds various models
or approaches to economics that have resonances with the HRM literature; in
particular the work of Penrose (1995) on the growth of the Wrm and March and
Simon (1958) in developing notions of bounded rationality and the internal
management of labor.2 The resource-based view of the Wrm that underpins much
of HRM is based on a methodology that is quite distinct from mainstream
economics. The focus is on the internal development of the organization—on its
path dependency that determines its access to unique resources—rather than on
the organization’s predictable and rational responses to external market forces. For
Penrose, ‘It is the heterogeneity, and not the homogeneity, of the productive
services available or potentially available from its resources that gives each Wrm
its unique character. Not only can the personnel of a Wrm render a heterogeneous
variety of unique services, but also the material resources of the Wrm can be used in
diVerent ways’ (1995: 75).
1
At a macro level, the market versus hierarchy analysis is used to explain the existence of Wrms but
at an organization level, decisions to source products or processes from the market are treated as if
they were simple market contracts with sole traders, unless the notion of hybrid forms or relational
contracting is introduced.
2
There are also important antecedents of the study of HRM in the institutionalist economics
traditions associated with Commons and others, as reviewed by Kaufman (2004: 335 6). However,
this more open approach to economic analysis gave way to the hegemonic neoclassical theory of the
Wrm.
70
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
The economics profession’s preference for methodological individualism3
inhibits its contribution to the understanding of collective actions within institutional or organizational structures. Problems such as principal–agent diVerences,
application of game theory, and modelling decision-making in households may
have been the stuV of recent economic debate and advances, but for those working
within other disciplines that explicitly focus on group dynamics, internal politics
and power relations, and complex motivation theory (rather than simple proWt or
utility maximization models), such developments may appear at best to be well
overdue and at worst to be trivial and partial. Furthermore, the dominant focus of
mainstream economics is on issues of static allocation of resources. As Hahn (1991)
further points out, economic theory has not been able eVectively to incorporate
‘learning’—let alone innovation—into its theoretical frameworks. There is a need
to return to more evolutionary approaches to the theory of the Wrm where
diVerences in the management and development of resources, including human
resources, may impact upon the likelihood of being and remaining among the
survivors.
A methodological diVerence between HRM and economics is the use of normative language, the focus on what should be rather than simply on what is happening
(Kaufman 2004). This can be partly explained by the greater interest in the
management literature in how organizations not only become but also remain
competitive. The embedding of knowledge and capacities for innovation in the
workforce provides scope for arguing that HRM policies should be designed not
just to meet current needs but also to ensure future competitive success
(Wright and Snell 1998). Purcell argues for the development of a strategic approach
where the overriding motivation in shaping HRM policies is to ensure the
achievement of ‘organisational Xexibility and longevity’ (Purcell 1999: 8). This
requires not only adaptation to, but also management of, the external environment
of the Wrm. Mainstream economics is peculiarly unsuited to the development of
what Purcell terms ‘transition management’. Managers need to do more than
respond to current or predicted price incentives: creating a high-performing
environment, characterized by the capacity to incorporate new knowledge, may
be a means of anticipating obsolescence rather then waiting until the market
provides appropriate signals.
These diVerences in HRM methodology allow new questions to be asked outside
of the core of economic analysis. However, the analytical separation from economics
also results in much of the specialist HR literature failing seriously to address issues
of markets and costs (exceptions include Boxall and Purcell 2003; Baron and Kreps
1999). The strategic HR literature’s focus on labour as an asset obscures its continuing role as a cost. While the rhetoric succeeds in highlighting the positive and
3
Methodological individualism was Wrst articulated by Hobbes and asserts that explanations for
social phenomena must be presented wholly in terms of facts about individuals.
economics and hrm
71
productive elements of the employment relationship, it deXects attention from the
most interesting aspect of employment—that employers want labor to be ‘both
dependable and disposable’ (Hyman 1987: 43). As a consequence, even the secure and
protected employment for the core labor force is not guaranteed, but is contingent,
inter alia, upon markets and cost conditions inside and outside the organization.
An analogous problem is found in the resource-based theory of the Wrm where
the value of the Wrm’s resources is treated as independent of the structuring of the
external market, a position challenged by Priem and Butler (2001), Porter (1990),
and others on the grounds that changes in markets can both undermine and even
create the value. Barney (1991) acknowledges the potential for ‘creative destruction’
of value through Schumpeterian-type changes to competitive conditions, but
Boxall and Purcell (2003) also advise against taking too literally the notion that
the resources which provide the sustained competitive advantage of the Wrm must
be inimitable and non-substitutable. Distinctive characteristics may grant an
organization competitive advantage for a while but eventually other organizations
will imitate and catch up, such that the distinctive characteristic becomes an
industry standard—or an enabling rather than a distinctive capability (ibid.: 82).
In the next stage, new distinctive characteristics will be developed, endowing either
the same organization or new organizations with competitive advantage. In short,
the focus in HRM on the organization as the unit of analysis is both a strength and
a weakness: it reveals the important issue of path dependency but a more fully
integrated analysis of the interplay between the internal environment and resources
and the external environment in which the organisation operates is still lacking.
The embedding of HRM in the market, political, institutional, and social
environment should provide insights into why HR strategies vary in form and
outcome over time and space. At a minimum, the degree of tightness in the labor
market could shed light on variations in retention and recruitment strategies and
outcomes. But, as Kaufman (2004) points out, such external ‘economic’ conditions tend to be ignored in the HRM literature. Even less attention is paid to the
institutional environment within which the organization is functioning. The
outcome is a neglect not only of the changing dynamics of the market environment, but also of the more deeply rooted institutional structures associated with
the varieties of capitalism literature. Theories of best practice management of
work may make little sense if there are systematic variations both in governance
and in the operation of markets to which these practices should and indeed do
adjust.
The chapter is organized in three parts. In the Wrst, we consider the development
of personnel economics and argue that there are shortcomings that reXect the onesided integration of economics into HRM. The second considers a selection of
studies that provide a more integrated attempt to span the economics and HRM
boundaries. In the third, we turn to the neglect of variations in national institutions and business systems in the analyses of HRM policies within organizations.
72
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
4.2 One-Sided Integration: The Case
of Personnel Economics
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
For the HRM scholar, economics provides several potentially interesting points of
departure. It has a long-standing theory of how markets allocate labor between
Wrms and how wage levels derive from prices set through product market competition, on the one hand, and the price at which workers are willing to sell their
labor, given the opportunity cost of working, on the other. It has a theory for how
risk aversion and incentives shape investment in human capital; a theory of the
Wrm, which purports to deWne the conditions under which allocation of labor by
command is more eYcient than its allocation through market exchange; and a
theory of international trade, from which can be derived explanations of the
international division of labor. And it has a tradition of theorizing growth, beginning
with Adam Smith, which has sought to understand how factor inputs (land, labor,
and capital) contribute to a country’s economic growth and productivity.
Compared to the disciplinary weight of economics, with its roots in classical
political economy of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, HRM falls into the
category of small fry. It was established in the USA as an academic discipline during
the early 1980s (see this Handbook, Chapter 2) and is still searching for a theoretical
framework (single or multiple) to lend rigor to a fast-growing body of empirical
research. However, while HRM scholars have largely developed their approach
separate to the discipline of economics, since the early 1980s economists have
turned their eyes to problems addressed within HRM. Our argument here is that
this largely one-sided integration has not been fruitful since (a) many of the
analytical tools from the economists’ bag of tricks are inappropriate for understanding the management of labor and (b) with some notable exceptions, the eVort
has been led by mainstream economists, rather than heterodox economists, thus
establishing a too narrow view of how economics might be applied to HRM.
The one-sided integration has been inspired by a perceived need to toughen up
the analytical approach to HRM. The new Weld of ‘personnel economics’ purports
to remove the ‘fuzziness’ from HRM discussions, as one of its founders, Edward
Lazear, claims:
Until recently, there has been no systematic discipline on which to base human resources
decisions. Personnel matters were always regarded as too soft and too human to be dealt
with rigorously. . . . There is nothing more frustrating to a professional, or a student for that
matter, then hearing a question answered, ‘it all depends,’ or, ‘one cannot generalise about
emotions.’ If one cannot generalise or provide answers that can be proven right or wrong,
then the Weld is vacuous and, unsurprisingly, of little value to practitioners. Fortunately,
things have changed during the past two decades. Personnel is now a science that provides
detailed unambiguous answers to the issues that trouble managers today. (Lazear 1998: 1)
economics and hrm
73
The approach applies notions from economics, such as incentives, opportunity
costs, and diminishing returns, to HRM issues such as recruitment and selection,
payment systems, training, lay-oVs, job ladders, teamworking, and outsourcing.
DiVusion of new ideas about agency and contracts among economists were
perhaps a catalyst for the founding of this new Weld (Lazear 2000). As the above
quote suggests, the claims are ambitious and include providing answers to questions such as, ‘when is it optimal to lay oV workers?,’ ‘what ratio of beneWts to
wages maximizes the interests of both workers and Wrms?,’ ‘how much authority
ought a worker be given?,’ and ‘what monetary incentives produce high levels of
teamwork?’ Also, a measure of its success is its backwards integration into conventional labor economics textbooks (e.g. Bosworth et al. 1996: chs. 18–21).
The application of incentives is illustrated by the worker eVort/productivity
problem. Drawing on the principal–agent paradigm, Wrst elaborated to analyze
the incentives for managers to act in the shareholders’ interests (Jensen and
Meckling 1976), personnel economics deWnes the employer as the principal and
the worker as agent. The root of the problem is the conXicting, self-interested
objectives of principal and agent; the principal aims to maximize returns to labor
costs and the agent wishes to maximize utility, where wage is a good and eVort a
bad. As in HRM, personnel economics recognizes that eVort is rarely observable.
Conditions of uncertainty and imperfect information (modeled variously as asymmetric information or as symmetric ignorance) make the contract incomplete,
generating risks for both parties. Incentive theory, in this context, aims to devise
contracts that maximize worker eVort at the least cost to the Wrm. Several prescriptions for HRM policy follow. For example, a Wrm may use expensive systems
of screening where eVort is hard to determine to identify employees whose
individual output is less than their cost (if the scale of losses associated with less
productive workers warrants the practice). Or, a Wrm may use output-based pay,
which both induces workers who are ineYcient to quit (because pay is low) and
provides direct incentives to productive workers to produce more. Another option
presented is to widen the spread of the internal wage structure, creating higher
eVort levels due to the so-called tournament model, which states that the
higher the spread the more a given worker exerts eVort to obtain promotion to
the higher-paid position. Finally, where eVort is diYcult to observe (or to deWne),
and screening is prohibitively costly, steep seniority wage proWles can be designed
that create higher incentives for workers not to shirk, particularly if combined with
relatively large penalties for substandard worker performance.
Certain assumptions underpin this application of incentive theory. First, the
worker and the employer are rational, self-interested, maximizing agents. Second,
equilibrium conditions prevail. And thirdly, constrained maximizing behavior by
workers and Wrms generates eYciency (Lazear 2000). Given these assumptions,
HRM scholars drawn from the softer social sciences may be forgiven for suspecting
economists to have a profoundly unsophisticated approach to human motivation.
74
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
Amartya Sen, arguably the most inXuential current non-mainstream thinker in
economics, has attributed this to the increasing dominance of the ‘engineering’
approach in economics, namely the focus on logistic issues based on a given set of
simple human motives, and the associated decline of the ethics-related view of
social achievement (‘how should one live?’) (Sen 1988). While Smith, Mill, and
Marx embraced both ethical and engineering issues in their writings, twentiethcentury economics increasingly eschewed ethical, or normative, considerations in a
collective eVort to advance a ‘positive economics’. But the historical disjuncture
from moral philosophy has weakened the usefulness of economics. In particular,
the simpliWed assumption of self-interested maximizing behavior is problematic
(Hirschman 1970; Simon 1979). It is not clear, as Sen argues (1988: 15–22), why it is
assumed all behavior other than self-interested maximizing behaviour is irrational.
Developments in game theory oVer a potentially more interesting approach but
these have not yet found their way into mainstream approaches to personnel
economics. For example, behavioral game theory assumes a ‘social utility’ function, where individuals care about what other players get as well as themselves.
Experimental tests of a range of games Wnd evidence that players do care about the
social allocation of rewards (Camerer 1997), providing several possible linkages
with HRM issues concerning employee consultation and negotiation: players
cooperate because of expectations founded on the reciprocal nature of social
values; and players are more willing to accept unfair oVers when generated by a
chance device (Blount 1995).
HRM scholars may be less inclined than mainstream economists to assume
incentives have to be devised to correct workers’ ‘natural’ impulse to shirk. This
‘neo-Hobbesian’ approach (Bowles 1985) has drawn strong criticism from organizational theorists:
In the economists’ view, people are assumed to be lazy, dishonest, and at odds with the goals
of managers. Although each of these assumptions may be valid in a speciWc situation, or for
a particular individual (for instance, when managing economists themselves), none is likely
to be right in most settings with normal human beings. (O’Reilly and PfeVer 2000, cited in
Lazear 2000)
The reply from economists would be that such assumptions are only applied at the
margin—that up to a certain level workers are happy to exert eVort for a given
wage, but beyond this level eVort becomes a bad and incentive measures are
required. Similarly, monitoring mechanisms are only needed for a speciWc part of
worker behavior that is at odds with management interests (Lazear 2000). However, the narrow view of human behavior, coupled with simplifying assumptions
of perfect implementation of policies, directs attention away from many of the
more interesting consequences of incentive-led HRM policies.4 For example,
4
There are instances within the personnel economics approach where more of the complexity of
the world of work is acknowledged. For example, Lazear (1998) notes that output based pay shifts the
economics and hrm
75
studies of output-based pay have highlighted several problems: where performance
is diYcult to specify, notions of acceptable behavior may be targeted instead;
subjectivity in the appraisal process may lead to favoritism and bias; emphasis on
easily quantiWable outputs may lead to a decline in quality; emphasis on material
incentives may conXict with other norms of job satisfaction or work ethos; and
payments may be skewed because of their link with overall Wrm performance
(Grimshaw 2000; Marsden and Richardson 1994; Rubery 1995). Such studies
suggest those HRM policies that do focus on problems at ‘the margin’ can do
severe damage by alienating the many workers for whom rational behavior does
not solely involve self-interested maximization.
While incentive theory is at the heart of the personnel economics approach,
other tricks from the economists’ toolbox are also routinely applied to HRM issues.
For example, the Cobb–Douglas production function (where Wrm output depends
on a quantiWable matrix of inputs, including capital and labor) is applied to
calculate, using information on wage rates and productivity levels, the optimum
mix of high-skill and low-skill workers such that, in equlibirium, the ratios of
respective salaries and outputs deliver the maximum output (Lazear 1998). The
modeling can be adapted for diVerences in work organization, including situations
where each worker’s output is independent of others, as well as situations where
there is interdependency—with the output of skilled workers shaping that of
unskilled workers, or vice versa—or where worker output is contingent upon the
level and quality of capital. One problem is the assumption that data on the output
eVects of teamworking and worker–capital complementarities can be easily collected. Moreover, the skill mix is taken to determine output, holding all other
factors constant. But many studies in HRM, from the Hawthorne experiments to
the recent studies of high-commitment work systems (HCWSs), indicate that
HRM policies themselves may have an impact on output (Huselid 1995; MacDuYe
1995). This is consistent with economists’ notion of ‘eYciency wages’ where the
wage paid inXuences output through promoting eVort. Cross-national comparative studies also highlight the role of institutions such as training systems in
shaping skill mix, systems of work organization, and utilization of technology, all
of which interact to impact upon output levels (Steedman and Wagner 1989;
Mason 2000).
Another applied economists’ trick is the use of transaction costs to prescribe
when a Wrm ought to outsource or internalize a business activity. For Lazear, the
outsourcing decision depends upon a balancing of data on a subcontractor Wrm’s
risk of changing business conditions to the worker, despite the fact that Wrms are better able to bear
risk (since they can diversify risk by pooling across projects or spreading investments across Wnancial
markets). And this risk is especially diYcult for low wage workers for whom variations in income
impact upon their ability to pay for basic needs (food, housing, clothing). But, it is argued, the
personnel economist must balance this against the fact that eVort is typically easier to observe among
those with less complex tasks, making output based pay an eYcient choice (Lazear 1998: 119 20).
76
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
cost per unit output compared to the Wrm’s cost per unit output, adjusting for the
opportunity cost of altering workforce size (1998: 346–50). Coase (1937) argued,
however, that the costs of using the market price mechanism to organize production often remain hidden. Such costs include those of Wnding out market information (e.g. the wage and output data pulled from the air in examples provided in
personnel economics textbooks) and those of establishing repeated market
exchanges (e.g. the costs of managing, negotiating, and respecifying contracts).
Again, qualitative evidence from HRM studies reveals the range of costs associated
with outsourcing, but some, such as those related to worker morale and commitment (e.g. George 2003; Logan et al. 2004), do not lend themselves to inclusion in
neat models. A deeper problem is that the practice of comparing internal and
external Wrm data on cost per unit output presumes it is possible and desirable to
assess Wrm performance using narrow market-based yardsticks. Studies rooted in a
‘dynamic capabilities’ approach (Teece 2002) argue instead that the use of market
benchmarks and incentives in determining the strategy of the Wrm may have the
unintended consequence of reducing the value attached to those Wrm-speciWc
activities which cannot be organized using markets, especially learning and
cooperative activity. As Teece argues, ‘the properties of [Wrm] organization cannot
be replicated by a portfolio of business units amalgamated just through formal
contracts, as many distinct elements of internal organization simply cannot be
replicated in the market’ (2002: 158).
4.3 Towards More Integrated
Approaches
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
While the integration of economics reasoning into human resource management
or vice versa has been limited, we can Wnd several examples of serious eVorts to
integrate the two approaches from both directions. Rather than attempt a comprehensive review, we pick out two sets of examples: Wrst, explanations of the
choice of HR practices; and second, internal labor market theory.
4.3.1 Selection of HR Practices
The selection of HR practices presupposes a prior choice between market and
hierarchy, or make and buy. Kaufman (2004) argues for a more rigorous economic analysis both of the make and buy decision and of the precise choice of HR
policies, on the grounds that HR policies carry costs that must be covered by
economics and hrm
77
improvements in output at the margin. These practices may have direct and
indirect impacts on productivity or output—direct by, for example, improving
the selection and thus the quality of labor, indirect by changing worker morale
and thereby eVort levels. A standard economic framework (the Cobb–Douglas
production function, see above), whereby additional units of an HR practice are
adopted provided the marginal revenue exceeds the marginal cost, is then used to
explain why not all organizations are interested in developing high-commitment
systems and to move beyond the assertion of the existence of synergies between
the diVerent elements of the HR package in the HPWS literature into an empirically testable hypothesis. This approach serves to introduce a healthy note of
scepticism as to the eYcacy of universal HR best practice bundles, but the
framework assumes that the costs and beneWts of HR practices are known and
calculable. Nor is it able to deal with the issues of long-term and strategic
Xexibility (Wright and Snell 1998; Purcell 1999) which may require the building
in of a capability to respond to future needs.
A second example of an integrated approach to choice of HR strategy is the HR
architecture model provided by two HR theorists, Lepak and Snell (1999), who
‘draw on the resource-based view of the Wrm, human capital theory, and transaction cost economics to develop a HR architecture of four diVerent employment
modes: internal development, acquisition, contracting and alliance’ (1999: 31). Two
variables explain the choice of HR practice—the value of skill and the speciWcity
(or uniqueness) of skill. The market versus hierarchy interface between HRM and
economics is expanded into a richer, more multilayered approach that distinguishes usefully between the value and the speciWcity of skill and between relational
and transactional contracting.
Following the personnel economics and HRM traditions, the focus is on describing practices within the organization and not on the interactions between HR
policy and the operation of the labor market. For example, in deciding between
making or buying skilled labor (internal development or acquisition), the institutional arrangements that produce a supply of ready skilled labor are not considered. As economists have demonstrated (Marsden 1986), an eVectively functioning
occupational labor market (where a ready supply of skilled labor can transfer
between organizations) requires that there is an institutionalization of systems of
training, skill-based job titles, and occupational structures. DiVerences in make/
buy decisions between organizations, sectors, and countries may therefore depend
more on the availability of ready trained labor than on the importance of the
uniqueness of skill. Another problem with the HR architecture approach is its focus
on the value of skill and not on the interactions between diVerent job categories.
According to Boxall (1998), the strategic HRM literature has focused on the
contribution HR makes to strategic goals rather than operational eYciency. In
Lepak and Snell (1999), external contracting is proposed where human capital ‘is
generic and of limited strategic value’ and can therefore be ‘treated essentially as
78
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
a commodity’ (ibid.: 39). The reliance on labor for operational eYciency, with all
its reputational eVects, is ignored. While low-skilled labor may or may not be
readily replaced—dependent on the state of the external labor market—there is a
constant need on a daily basis to ensure that incumbent staV are motivated and
working in the interests of the client organization and cooperating in many cases
with other parts of the production chain. These requirements often go beyond the
compliance with rules and regulations speciWed by Lepak and Snell (Marchington
et al. 2005). There is thus a danger that by incorporating mainstream economic
reasoning into the HR area, the insights into the complexity of managing human
resources that derive from the traditions of industrial relations or personnel
management may be discarded.
These problems are perhaps more successfully avoided in Baron and Krep’s
(1999) textbook on strategic HRM, a collaboration between an economist and an
HR specialist. Baron and Kreps accept a high level of indeterminacy in HR
outcomes as ‘the employment transaction will be incomplete a priori to be Wlled
in as contingencies arise; and when the Wlling in takes place subsequently, the
discipline of the market will be dulled’ (ibid.: 81). They move beyond the notion of
economic rationality and self-interest as the only issue motivating behavior and
assert:
that the management of human resources is complex because the basic element is the
behaviour of people, whose perceptions and expectations are coloured by their perceptual
abilities and by their social experiences, and whose objectives mix (to varying degrees) pure
self interest, comparisons with others, and social obligation. Moreover, because the issues
involved are so important to individuals, society has an enormous stake in the outcome,
and society will express its interests in the outcome thorough social and legal constraints on
organisations and their relationship with employees. (Baron and Kreps 1999: 8)
This more complex approach is evidenced in their identiWcation of six factors
associated with outsourcing, including the strategic nature of the task and the
degree of speciWc human capital required, cited by Lepak and Snell, but adding the
degree of interdependency with the core tasks, the need for staV to internalize the
Wrm’s welfare, the open-endedness of the task requirement, and the social distance
between the internal workforce and the type of workers who are to be outsourced.
Thus, this list is expanded to include complexities in production organization, the
scope for even low-skilled workers to disrupt or damage production systems if they
do not ‘internalize the Wrm’s welfare’, and the role of social or labor market
segmentation in promoting outsourcing and fragmentation of production systems.
The consequence of this broader interdisciplinary approach is, from an economics
perspective, a loss of theoretical elegance and explanatory power. But the force of
this criticism depends upon whether the purpose, or indeed likely outcome, of
social science is to explain complex behavior and social organization by one uniWed
theory.
economics and hrm
79
4.3.2 Internal Labor Markets and Dual Labor Market Theory
Without internalized labor and continuous employment contracts, there would be
little substance to the subject of HRM. The existence of internalized labor and the
development of internalized rules for the management of labor has been explained
within mainstream economics through the transaction costs or new institutional
economics literature, associated with the work of Williamson (1975) from the 1970s
onwards. The use of open-ended and incomplete contracts is explained by the costs
of spot contracting, while the presence of Wrm-speciWc skills provides the rationale
for operating internalized labor markets designed to provide incentives to labor
with Wrm-speciWc skills to remain with the organization and cooperate in its
objectives.
Doeringer and Piore’s (1971) famous institutional analysis of internal labor
markets was not only published eVectively contemporaneously with transaction
costs explanations of similar phenomena but the two approaches also shared some
conceptual similarities, with the identiWcation of Wrm-speciWc skills as a core
rationale for the emergence of structured internal labor markets in both accounts
of hierarchy. However, in objectives and in methodologies the accounts diverge.
Doeringer and Piore’s motivation for the book was to escape from ‘reliance upon
market imperfections or non market institutions to explain deviations from the
results predicted by conventional economic theory’ (1971: 1). Instead they started
the analysis with the core institutional structures that shape the operation of the
labor market—Wrms’ internal labor markets—and asserted administrative rules to
be not only present, but also relatively rigid, leading to quantity rather than price
adjustments. Job evaluation and custom and practice took precedence over market
information in shaping internal wage structures. This analysis thus rejects the
notion that institutions and customs in the labor market are dependent upon
their continued compatibility with market needs.
The novelty of their work was in the linkage of the emergence of internal labor
markets with the processes that create social exclusion and disadvantage. Failure to
gain entry to internal labor markets resulted in long-term and often increasing
inequalities as those in the primary market gained access to training and advancement and those in the secondary sector were regarded increasingly as inappropriate
recruits for the primary market, even at times of labor shortage. Thus Doeringer
and Piore did what few HR theorists have done and considered the implications of
organizational HR strategies for the overall functioning of the labor market. They
also broke ranks with mainstream economic theory by pointing to the possibility of
economic or market-based structures contributing to labor market segmentation
and disadvantage. Most economics accounts attribute any segmentation or disadvantage to pre-market factors. To some extent, the Doeringer and Piore model
stands unsatisfactorily between the pure transaction costs accounts of the development of internal labor markets and more fully developed social and historical
80
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
accounts (Jacoby 1984; Rubery 1978; Wilkinson 1981) of the processes by which
labor markets have come to be structured or ‘balkanised’ (Kerr 1954). Two main
critiques have been made: Wrst, they overemphasized the importance of WrmspeciWc skills as the main explanatory factor and failed suYciently to consider
the development and utilization of worker bargaining power; second, they presented a general theoretical approach, but in practice this reXected the institutional
characteristics of the US labor market. However, as we discuss below, Doeringer
and Piore are not alone in the HR Weld in failing to consider diVerent societal
approaches to the management of human resources.
4.4 The Lessons of Comparative
Analysis: Understanding How National
Institutions Shape Firm Behavior
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this Wnal section, we argue there are lessons to learn for HRM from comparative
studies by scholars who have adapted economists’ analytical techniques to understand how country diVerences in institutions impact upon HRM practices. We
focus on two approaches, Marsden’s (1999) micro-founded theory of employment
systems and the ‘varieties of capitalism’ Weld of studies associated with Hall and
Soskice (2001).
These two approaches share several principles of theory and method. Both use a
deductive approach to establish possible varieties of employment practices and
thus argue for the testing of an exhaustive typology of diverse systems. Both
explore the mutual interplay between Wrm-level practices and strategic decisionmaking, but extend this to include the interplay between Wrm strategies and
practices and national-level institutions as operationalized through social actors.
And both explore the eVects of multiple, mutually reinforcing institutions, with the
argument that it is the particular societal bundle of institutions that matters rather
than an easily quantiWable institutional measure to be examined in abstract.
Finally, both are based upon what economists refer to as micro-foundations—a
rational choice incentive theory of behavior that is responsive to institutionalized
rules of the game (both approaches deploy game-theoretic terminology), which
reduce uncertainty and facilitate coordination of productive activity. For many,
this theoretical foundation is a strength as it demonstrates the importance of
institutions without reliance on ‘non-economic’ reasoning. For others, however,
the insights of the theories are limited by the adoption of a narrow conception of
the motivations for human behavior.
economics and hrm
81
Marsden’s work straddles the HRM–economics divide as is evident in his
research on incentive-based payment systems (e.g. Marsden and French 1998)
and on vocational training (e.g. Marsden and Ryan 1990). His 1986 book—The
End of Economic Man—further establishes his credentials as a non-mainstream
economist. As such, his application of microeconomic principles and concepts
such as transaction costs is unorthodox and owes more to the work of Herbert
Simon than to Coase or Williamson. Moreover, Marsden’s analytical framework
is enriched by a historical perspective gleaned from industrial relations
research. Nevertheless, the questions he poses follow the mainstream focus on
opportunism—e.g. Is it possible to specify a viable form of transaction that gives
suYcient protection to worker and employer against possible opportunism by the
other? Moreover, Marsden’s method Wts neatly within the economics discipline
since it is deductive, not inductive as is much of the HRM literature.
Marsden establishes a typology of four national varieties of work organization
based on employment rules derived from alternative options for satisfying two
contractual constraints: (a) to align job demands with worker competences (Wrms
can emphasize complementarities either among production tasks or among
worker skills); and (b) to design an easily enforceable and transparent system of
task assignment (Wrms can choose a task-centered approach or a function/
procedure approach) (1999: ch. 2). The four identiWed types of transaction rules
for the employment relationship are said to be ‘constitutive,’ ‘in the sense that
without them there would be no lasting agreement between employers and
workers to cooperate in this way’ (ibid.: 61). Moreover, applying economic
reasoning from game theory models (which Wts neatly as an application of
methodological individualism reasoning), Marsden seeks to show how each rule
can emerge in a world of uncoordinated, decentralized decision-making with
repeated interactions between workers and employers and is then diVused
throughout the major sectors of an economy. Importantly, he does not rule out
the supportive role of labor market institutions in this process (especially through
the state, unions and employers—ibid.: 107–9), but warns against the use of labor
market institutions to impose a particular rule as this may conXict with norms at
a workplace level (ibid.: 83–4). Marsden also shows how transaction rules have a
mutually supporting relationship with institutional features of labor markets—a
production approach to task allocation Wts with patterns of employment mobility
associated with internal labor markets, and a training approach similarly Wts with
occupational labor markets. The argument incorporates a relatively detailed,
historical account of labor market institutions, including, for example, the role
of the tripartite system of dual apprenticeship in Germany in propping up its
‘qualiWcation rule’ approach to employment organization, the problems of
declining coordination among British employers for preserving a ‘tools of the
trade’ approach, and the importance of inter-Wrm support for job classiWcation
systems in France.
82
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
The analysis illuminates how Wrm-level HR practices interact with, and are
reinforced by, societal institutions as evidenced through the roles of social actors.
Also, unlike many comparative studies of HRM, it seeks to test an interesting set
of theoretical principles, extending our knowledge of the functioning of the openended employment relationship to a cross-national setting. However, by accepting
a rational choice framework, where worker and employer exercise free choice,
Marsden has very little to say about situations where a worker is not free to reject
a situation where the risk of employer opportunism is high. Very little is oVered to
explain patterns of labor market inequality, the undervaluation of women’s work,
or the poor conditions associated with secondary labor markets.5 There may be
an opportunity, therefore, for adapting Marsden’s theoretical framework to
incorporate notions of power imbalance between worker and employer, although
this would then clearly depart from the equilibrium notions at the core of
his work.
Like Marsden, Hall and Soskice’s varieties of capitalism approach begins with a
consideration of the incentive structures of the Wrm and the employment relationship (mainly following Milgrom and Roberts 1992). They identify two ideal types
of institutional arrangements, in which Wrms resolve coordination problems in
alternative ways—termed liberal and coordinated market economies. But where
Marsden emphasizes institutions as providing a supporting role to the strategic
decisions of Wrms, for Hall and Soskice institutions act as an interlocking system of
collective rules and networks (‘socialising agencies’): in their words, ‘In any
national economy, Wrms will gravitate toward the mode of coordination for
which there is institutional support’ (2001: 9) and, similarly, ‘institutions oVer
Wrms a particular set of opportunities; and companies can be expected to gravitate
toward strategies that take advantage of these opportunities’ (ibid.: 15). As such,
their approach is radically diVerent from the Weld of HRM, where Wrm strategy is
typically viewed as relatively unconstrained by national institutions. In particular,
as Culpepper has noted, the varieties of capitalism approach can make ‘grim
reading’ for public policy makers since it implies that where certain preferred
Wrm strategies are not compatible with a given institutional framework, it is better
to stick with alternative strategies that are compatible, ‘even if that means abandoning goals that could improve both the competitiveness of Wrms and the wages
of workers’ (2001: 275).
But by granting stronger agency to institutions, the varieties of capitalism
approach can illuminate Wrm strategy with regard to HRM. For example, with
respect to training decisions, the varieties of capitalism approach argues that Wrms
5
Marsden does recognize this limitation and points to the work of economists in specifying the
way employers in low wage labor markets act with a degree of monopsony in setting wage rates and,
perhaps more importantly, opting to run with high levels of vacancies, thus generating higher
workloads for employees (1999: 231 2).
economics and hrm
83
will only collaborate eVectively in vocational training schemes if institutions
(operationalized through the state, employer associations, and unions) can provide
the necessary coordinating functions of information circulation, deliberation
(where collective discussions among social actors are encouraged), monitoring,
and sanctioning. In their absence, whatever its intentions and objectives, an
individual Wrm will not commit to large investments in transferable worker skills
for fear of poaching by Wrms that do not make such investments, and workers will
not participate unless they have a credible assurance that new skills will be
appropriately remunerated. Moreover, because this approach stresses institutional
complementarities—where a given type of coordination in one institutional sphere
is complemented by coordination rules in other spheres (Aoki 1994; see, also,
Amable 2003)—the analysis can be extended to include the character of corporate
governance (especially regarding the types of Wnance of the Wrm, the exercise of
control, and the objectives of Wnance providers), the legal conditions for employment protection, and the institutions of industrial relations (especially the content
and coverage of collective bargaining and the roles of works councils, unions, and
employer associations). The approach thus presents a considerable challenge to the
Weld of HRM to recast the Wrm through the lens of how an interlocking web of
institutions enables or constrains particular strategic choices. Prescriptions for
Wrms to implement an HCWS bundle of HRM policies would be contingent
upon whether or not this Wts with the character of a country’s corporate governance system (can Wrms access capital with terms independent of short-term
Xuctuations in proWtability?), the system of vocational training (can employees
be certain of highly reputable, certiWed training?), and the industrial relations
system (can social actors discourage poaching through monitoring and sanctioning devices?).
The approach has nevertheless been criticized for an overly functionalist and
static view of a country’s interlocking set of institutions—a weakness that to a great
extent reXects the incorporation of mainstream economists’ notions of rational
choice and equilibrium into the analysis. With a focus on ‘rules of the game,’
country institutions are presented as establishing equilibrium ‘solutions’ to coordination problems. Such an approach contrasts with that of historical institutionalists where the focus is on the shifting balances of power and resources and on how
the multiple institutional processes at various levels interact in ways that often do
not Wt together in a coherent whole, creating opportunities for actors to trigger
changes (Pierson and Skocpol 2002). Also, while a country systems approach is
useful for highlighting broad country diVerences, it glosses over important
diVerences within countries, especially concerning the extent to which the major
institutional framework covers the diversity of forms of employment relationships
and all groups of workers across labor market segments.
84
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
4.5 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this chapter we have explored the suitability of an economics framework for the
study of HRM, considered the value of selected approaches that go some way
towards integrating the two worlds of economics and HRM, and argued for the
need to incorporate some of the rich empirical and theoretical insights derived
from comparative institutional analysis of employment organization. The starting
position of the mainstream economist is a set of assumptions that derive from
methodological individualism, which do not immediately marry with the concerns
of HRM and its focus on organizations and workforces. However, economists have
a capacity to adapt and develop their methodology to move into fresh areas of
research, and their entry into the world of HRM is no exception. With advances in
ideas about incentive theory, several economists have presented new ideas about
the workings of the Wrm, recasting it as ‘an incentive system’, drawing on a fastgrowing literature on principal–agent problems of coordination and game theory
(Alchian and Demsetz 1972; Holmstrom 1982; Holmstrom and Milgrom 1994).
Such ideas form the bedrock of studies in the Weld of personnel economics, but
while they may add a rich analytical Xavor in addressing HRM issues, this Weld has
developed through a one-sided integration and it is the Weld of HRM proper where
the complex realities of the employment relationship are better recognized.
Various scholars have sought to develop a more integrated approach, but it is the
studies by those starting from a non-mainstream economics background that
appear most convincing. The lesson is that while economics is dominated by a
so-called mainstream approach, it is large enough to be home to an important
minority of economists who are sensitive to the limits of conventional analytical
tools, and it is perhaps within the non-mainstream camp where future integration
of HRM with economists’ analytical techniques ought to begin.
We ended our chapter with a review of the contributions of the comparative
study of employment organization to the understanding of HRM. It is through a
comparative perspective that the importance of institutions becomes clear, not
simply in shaping some fuzzy context to the workings of organizations, but in
generating ‘institutional signals’ (to adapt the economists’ terminology) to which
Wrm strategy gravitates. Moreover, a focus on coordination problems enables these
approaches to consider both the micro and macro consequences of alternative
HRM practices; as we have argued in this chapter, the Weld of HRM has not
adequately incorporated issues of national policy and national goals into an
analysis of the organization. Within the Weld of HRM, an embracing of a comparative approach could take these types of analysis further. For example, it might
consider how and under what institutional conditions varieties of HRM practices
are possible. What are the potential disjunctures among national institutions and
economics and hrm
85
the spaces made available for progressive (or destructive) HRM practices? And how
and in what ways do institutions shape the power relations between social actors in
the redeWning of HRM and working conditions?
References
Alchian, A., and Demsetz, H. (1972). ‘Production, Information Costs, and Economic
Organisation.’ American Economic Review, 62/5: 777 95.
Amable, B. (2003). The Diversity of Modern Capitalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Aoki, M. (1994). ‘The Contingent Governance of Teams: Analysis of Institutional
Complementarity.’ International Economic Review, 35/3: 657 76.
Barney, J. B. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Comparative Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17/ 1: 99 120.
Baron, J. N., and Kreps, D. M. (1999) Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General
Managers. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Blount, S. (1995). ‘When Social Outcomes aren’t Fair: The EVect of Causal Attributions on
Preferences.’ Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 63/2: 131 44.
Bosworth, D., Dawkins, P., and Stromback, T. (1996). The Economics of the Labour
Market. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman Ltd.
Bowles, S. (1985). ‘The Production Process in a Competitive Economy: Walrasian, Marxian
and Neo Hobbesian Models.’ American Economic Review, 75/1: 16 36.
Boxall, P. (1998). ‘Achieving Competitive Advantage through Human Resource Strategy:
Towards a Theory of Industry Dynamics.’ Human Resource Management Review, 8/3:
265 88.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basingstoke:
Palgrave.
Camerer, C. F. (1997). ‘Progress in Behavioural Game Theory.’ Journal of Economic
Perspectives, 11/4: 167 088.
Coase, R. (1937). ‘The Nature of the Firm.’ Economica, November: 386 405.
Culpepper, P. D. (2001). ‘Employers, Public Policy and the Politics of Decentralised
Cooperation in Germany and France.’ In Hall and Soskice (2001).
Doeringer, P. B., and Piore, M. J. (1971). Internal Labour Markets and Manpower Analysis.
Lexington, Mass.: Heath.
George, E. (2003). ‘External Solutions and Internal Problems: The EVects of Employment
Externalisation on Internal Workers’ Attitudes.’ Organization Science, 14/4: 386 402.
Grimshaw, D. (2000). ‘The Problem with Pay Flexibility: Changing Pay Practices in the UK
Health Sector.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11/5: 943 66.
Hahn, F. (1991). ‘The Next Hundred Years.’ Economic Journal, 101/404/January: 47 50.
Hall, P., and Soskice, D. (eds.) (2001). Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Founda
tions of Comparative Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hirschman, A. O. (1970). Exit, Voice and Loyalty. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press.
Holmstrom, B. (1982). ‘Moral Hazard in Teams.’ Bell Journal of Economics, 13/2: 324 40.
86
damian grimshaw and jill rubery
Holmstrom, B., and Milgrom, P. (1994). ‘The Firm as an Incentive System.’ American
Economic Review, 84/4: 972 91.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38/3: 635 72.
Hyman, R. (1987). ‘Strategy or Structure? Capital, Labour and Control.’ Work, Employment
and Society, 1/1: 25 55.
Jacoby, S. M. (1984). ‘The Development of Internal Labour Markets in American Manu
facturing Wrms.’ In P. Osterman (ed.), Internal Labour Markets. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT
Press.
Jensen, M. C., and Meckling, W. H. (1976). ‘Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behavior,
Agency Costs, and Capital Structure.’ Journal of Financial Economics, 3/4: 305 60.
Kaufman, B. E. (2004). ‘Toward an Integrative Theory of Human Resource Management.’
In B. E. Kaufman (ed.), Theoretical Perspectives on Work and the Employment Relation
ship. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Kerr, C. (1954). ‘The Balkanisation of Labor Markets.’ In E. W. Bakke (ed.), Labor Mobility
and Economic Opportunity. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Lazear, E. (1998). Personnel Economics for Managers. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
(2000). ‘The Future of Personnel Economics.’ Economic Journal, 110/467: F611 39.
Lepak, D., and Snell, S. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Towards a Theory of
Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Management Review, 24/1:
31 48.
Logan, M. S., Faught, K., and Ganster, D. C. (2004). ‘Outsourcing a SatisWed and
Committed Workforce: A Trucking Industry Case Study.’ International Journal of HRM,
15/1: 147 62.
MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48: 197 221.
March, J., and Simon, H. (1958). Organizations. New York: Wiley.
Marchington, M., Grimshaw, D., Rubery, J., and Willmott, H. (eds.) (2005). Frag
menting Work: Blurring Organisational Boundaries and Disordering Hierarchies. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Marsden, D. (1986). The End of Economic Man? Custom and Competition in Labour
Markets. Brighton, Wheatsheaf Books.
(1999). A Theory of Employment Systems: Micro foundations of Societal Diversity.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
and French, S. (1998). What a Performance: Performance Related Pay in the Public
Services. London: Centre for Economic Performance Special Report, London School of
Economics.
and Richardson, R. (1994). ‘Performing for Pay? The EVects of ‘‘Merit Pay’’ on
Motivation in a Public Service.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 32/2: 243 62.
and Ryan, P. (1990). ‘Institutional Aspects of Youth Employment and Training Policy
in Britain.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 28/3: 351 70.
Mason, G. (2000). ‘Production Supervisors in Britain, Germany and the United States:
Back from the Dead Again?’ Work, Employment and Society, 14/4: 625 45.
Milgrom, P., and Roberts, J. (1992). Economics, Organization and Management. Engle
wood CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
economics and hrm
87
O’Reilly, C. A., and Pfeffer, J. (2000). Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve
Extraordinary Results with Extraordinary People. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Penrose, E. (1995). The Theory of the Growth of the Firm, 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Pierson, P., and Skocpol, T. (2002). ‘Historical Institutionalism in Contemporary Political
Science.’ In I. Katznelson and H. Milner (eds.), Political Science: The State of the
Discipline. New York: Norton.
Porter, M. (1990). The Competitive Advantage of Nations. New York: Free Press.
Priem, R., and Butler, J. (2001). ‘Is the Resource Based ‘‘View’’ a Useful Perspective for
Strategic Management Research?’ Academy of Management Review, 26/1: 22 40.
Purcell, J. (1999). ‘The Search for ‘‘Best Practice’’ and ‘‘Best Fit’’: Chimera or Cul de sac?’
Human Resource Management Journal, 9/3: 26 41.
Rubery, J. (1978). ‘Structured Labour Markets, Worker Organisation and Low Pay.’
Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2/1: 17 36.
(1995). ‘Performance Related Pay and the Prospects for Gender Pay Equity.’ Journal of
Management Studies, 32/5: 637 54.
Sen, A. (1988). On Ethics and Economics. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Simon, H. (1979). Models of Thought. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Steedman, H., and Wagner, K. (1989). ‘Productivity, Machinery and Skills: Clothing
Manufacture in Britain and Germany.’ National Institute Economic Review, May: 40 57.
Teece, D. J. (2002). ‘Dynamic Capabilities.’ In W. Lazonick (ed.), The Handbook of
Economics. London: Thomson.
Wilkinson, F. (1981). The Dynamics of Labour Market Segmentation. London: Academic
Press.
Williamson, O. (1975). Markets and Hierarchies. New York: Free Press.
Wright, P., and Brewster, C. (2003). ‘Learning from Diversity: HRM is not Lycra.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14/8: 1299 307.
and Snell, S. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and Flexibility
in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review, 23/4:
756 72.
chapter 5
....................................................................................................................................................
S T R AT E G I C
M A NAG E M E N T
AND HRM
....................................................................................................................................
mathew r. allen
patrick wright
5.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
It has been said that the most important assets of any business walk out the door at
the end of each day. Indeed, people and the management of people are increasingly
seen as key elements of competitive advantage (Boxall and Purcell 2003; PfeVer
1998; Gratton et al. 2000). Spurred on by increasing competition, fast-paced
technological change, globalization, and other factors, businesses are seeking to
understand how one of the last truly competitive resources, their human resources,
can be managed for competitive advantage.
This idea that the human resources of a Wrm can play a strategic role in the
success of an organization has led to the formation of a Weld of research often
referred to as strategic human resource management (SHRM). This relatively
young Weld represents an intersection of the strategic management and human
resource management (HRM) literatures (Boxall 1998; Boxall and Purcell 2000).
Wright and McMahan (1992) deWned strategic human resource management as
‘the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to
enable the Wrm to achieve its goals’ (1992: 298).
strategic management and hrm
89
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss this intersection between Strategic
Management and HRM, what we know, and future directions for SHRM research.
We will begin by brieXy discussing the concept of strategy and the popularization of
the resource-based view (RBV) of the Wrm. Next we will address its role in creating
the link between HRM and Strategic Management including key questions that the
RBV has raised in relation to SHRM. We will then examine the current state of
aVairs in SHRM; the progress made, and key questions and concerns occupying the
attention of SHRM researchers. Finally, we will conclude with our views on future
directions for SHRM research.
5.2 Strategy and the Resource-Based
View of the Firm
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The Weld of strategy focuses on how Wrms can position themselves to compete, and
its popularity began increasing exponentially in the mid-1980s with two books.
First, Peters and Waterman’s (1982) In Search of Excellence provided a practitioneroriented analysis of excellent companies and the common threads that united
them. However, Porter’s (1980) Competitive Strategy presented a more academically
based analysis of strategy, but in a way that practitioners/executives quickly gravitated toward. This Industrial/Organization Economics-based analysis primarily
focused on industry characteristics, in particular the Wve forces of barriers to
entry, power of buyers, power of suppliers, substitutes, and competitive rivalry as
the determinants of industry proWtability. While this analysis did propose four
generic strategies (cost, diVerentiation, focus, and ‘stuck in the middle’), the bulk
of the analysis focused on external factors that determined company proWtability.
This framework seemed to dominate strategic management thinking of the early
1980s.
However, with the advent of the resource-based view of the Wrm (Barney 1991;
Wernerfelt 1984), strategic management research moved to a more internal focus.
Rather than simply developing competitive strategies to address the environment,
the resource-based view suggested that Wrms should look inward to their resources,
both physical and intellectual, for sources of competitive advantage. Though others
had addressed the concept of the RBV previously, Barney (1991) speciWcally explicated how Wrm resources contribute to the sustained competitive advantage of the
Wrm. He suggested that resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and nonsubstitutable will lead to competitive advantage.
90
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
Value in this context is deWned as resources either exploiting opportunities or
neutralizing threats to the organization and rarity is deWned as being a resource
that is not currently available to a large number of the organization’s current or
future competitors (Barney 1991). Inimitability refers to the fact it is diYcult for
other Wrms to copy or otherwise reproduce the resources for their own use. Finally,
non-substitutability means that other resources cannot be used by competitors in
order to replicate the beneWt (Barney 1991). When all four of these conditions are
met, it is said that the Wrm or organization possess resources which can potentially
lead to a sustained competitive advantage over time.
The resource-based view has become almost the assumed paradigm within
strategic management research (Barney and Wright 2001). It has been the basic
theoretical foundation from which much of the current strategic management
research regarding knowledge-based views of the Wrm (Grant 1996), human capital
(Hitt et al. 2001), and dynamic capabilities (Teece et al. 1997) are derived. In fact,
Priem and Butler (2001a) mapped RBV studies against eighteen strategy research
topics, demonstrating the breadth of its diVusion within the strategic management
domain. More importantly from the standpoint of this chapter, the resource-based
view has become the guiding paradigm on which virtually all strategic HRM
research is based (Wright et al. 2001).
In spite of the wide acceptance of the RBV, it is not without criticism. Priem and
Butler (2001a, 2001b) have leveled the most cogent critique to date suggesting that
the RBV does not truly constitute a theory. Their argument focuses primarily on two
basic issues. First, they suggest that the RBV is basically tautological in its deWnition
of key constructs. They note that Barney’s statement that ‘if a Wrm’s valuable
resources are absolutely unique among a set of competing and potentially competing Wrms, those resources will generate at least a competitive advantage (Barney
2001: 102)’ essentially requires deWnitional dependence. In other words, without
deWnitional dependence (i.e. ‘valuable resources’) the diametrical statement—that
unique Wrms possess competitive advantages—does not logically follow.
Their second major criticism of the RBV as a ‘theory’ focuses on the inability to
test it (Priem and Butler 2001b). They note the necessity condition of ‘falsiWability’
for a theory. In other words, in order for a set of stated relationships to constitute a
theory, the relationships must be able to be measured and tested in a way that
allows for the theory to be found to be false. This relates directly to the tautology
criticism, but brings the debate into the empirical realm.
In spite of these criticisms, even the critics agree that the impact of the RBV on
strategic management research has been signiWcant and that the eVort to focus on
the internal aspects of the organization in explaining competitive advantage has
been a useful one (Priem and Butler 2001b). While the debate might continue as to
the theoretical implications of the RBV for strategic management research, it is
clear that it has made a signiWcant contribution to Strategic Management and,
more speciWcally, SHRM research (Wright et al. 2001).
strategic management and hrm
91
5.3 A Brief History of Strategic HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Wright and McMahan’s (1992) deWnition of strategic human resource management
illustrates that the major focus of the Weld should be on aligning HR with Wrm
strategies. Jim Walker’s (1980) classic book Human Resource Planning was one of
the Wrst to directly suggest considering a Wrm’s business strategy when developing a
human resource plan. Devanna et al.’s (1981) article ‘Human Resources Management: A Strategic Perspective’ added to the foundation. These attempts tended to
take an existing strategy typology (e.g. Miles et al.’s (1978) prospectors, analysts,
and defenders) and delineate the kinds of HRM practices that should be associated
with each strategy. These attempts to tie HRM to strategy have been referred to as
‘vertical alignment’ (Wright and McMahan 1992).
Beer et al. (1984) introduced an alternative to the individual HR subfunction
framework for HR strategy. They argued that viewing HRM as separate HR
subfunctions was a product of the historical development of HRM and current
views of HR departments. They proposed a more generalist approach to viewing
HRM with the focus on the entire HR system rather than single HR practices.
This led to a focus on how the diVerent HR subfunctions could be aligned and
work together to accomplish the goals of HRM and a more macro view of HRM
as whole rather than individual functions. This alignment of HR functions with
each other is often referred to as ‘horizontal alignment’ (see this Handbook,
Chapter 19).
The combination of both vertical and horizontal alignment was a signiWcant
step in explaining how HRM could contribute to the accomplishment of strategic goals. However, given the external focus of the strategic management
literature at that time, HR was seen to play only a secondary role in the
accomplishment of strategy with an emphasis on the role that HRM played in
strategy implementation, but not strategy formulation. Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall (1988) stated, ‘strategic human resource management models emphasize implementation over strategy formulation. Human resources are considered
means, not part of generating or selecting strategic objectives. Rarely are human
resources seen as a strategic capacity from which competitive choices should be
derived’ (1988: 456). A shift in strategic management thinking would be required
to change that perception and open the door for further development of the
SHRM literature.
The diVusion of the resource-based view into the Strategic HRM literature
spurred this paradigmatic shift in the view of the link between strategy and
HRM. Because the resource-based view proposes that Wrm competitive advantage comes from the internal resources that it possesses (Wernerfelt 1984;
Barney 1991), the RBV provided a legitimate foundation upon which HRM
92
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
researchers could argue that people and the human resources of a Wrm could in fact
contribute to Wrm-level performance and inXuence strategy formulation.
This resulted in a number of eVorts to conceptually or theoretically tie strategic
HRM to the resource-based view. For instance, Wright et al. (1994) suggested that
while HR practices might be easily imitated, the human capital pool of an
organization might constitute a source of sustainable competitive advantage.
Lado and Wilson (1994) argued that HR practices combined into an overall HR
system can be valuable, unique, and diYcult to imitate, thus constituting a
resource meeting the conditions necessary for sustained competitive advantage.
Boxall (1996, 1998) proposed a distinction between human resource advantage
(advantage stemming from a superior human capital pool) and organizational
process advantage (advantage stemming from superior processes for managing
human capital).
The resource-based view also provided the theoretical rationale for empirical
studies of how HR practices might impact Wrm success. One of the early
empirical studies of this relationship was carried out by Arthur (1994). Using a
sample of steel mini-mills, he found that a speciWc set of HR practices was
signiWcantly related to Wrm performance in the form of lower scrap rates and
lower turnover. Huselid (1995), in his landmark study, demonstrated that the
use of a set of thirteen HRM practices representing a ‘high-performance work
system’ was signiWcantly and positively related to lower turnover, and higher
proWts, sales, and market value for the Wrms studied. In a similar study,
MacDuYe (1995), using data from automobile manufacturing plants, demonstrated that diVerent bundles of HR practices led to higher performance,
furthering the argument that the integrated HR system, rather than individual
HR practices, leads to higher performance. Delery and Doty (1996) similarly
demonstrated the impact of HR practices on Wrm performance among a sample
of banks.
This vein of research quickly expanded in the USA (e.g. Batt 1999; Huselid et al.
1997; Youndt et al. 1996), the UK (e.g. Brewster 1999; Guest 2001; Guest et al. 2003;
Tyson 1997), elsewhere in Europe (e.g. d’Arcimoles 1997; Lahteenmaki et al. 1998;
Rodriguez and Ventura 2003), and Asia (e.g. Bae and Lawler 2000; Lee and Chee
1996; Lee and Miller 1999), as well as in multinational corporations operating in
multiple international environments (Brewster et al. 2005).
In sum, the RBV, with its focus on the internal resources possessed by a Wrm, has
given the Weld a theoretical understanding of why human resources systems might
lead to sustainable competitive advantage and provided the spark to generate
empirical research in this vein (Guest 2001; Paauwe and Boselie 2005; Wright
et al. 2005).
strategic management and hrm
93
5.4 Key Questions Raised by the
Application of RBV to SHRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In spite of the signiWcant amount of research demonstrating a link between HRM
practices and Wrm performance, there are several key questions regarding the RBV
and its implications for SHRM research that remain unanswered. First, there is
some question as to whether current research on HRM and performance is truly
testing the RBV. Second, there is still a general lack of understanding around the
concept of Wt, and its role in the link between strategy and HRM. Third, there are
still unanswered questions regarding HRM and whether or not HRM deWned as
systems of HR practices truly constitutes a resource under the conditions outlined
by Barney (1991) and, speciWcally, whether those resources are truly sustainable
over time. Finally, there are several measurement and methodological issues that,
while not within the direct scope of this chapter, are worth mentioning as they are
pertinent to our discussion of this intersection between Strategic Management and
HRM research.
5.4.1 Testing of the RBV within SHRM
While the SHRM research just discussed has used the RBV as a basis for the
assertion that HRM contributes to performance, it has not actually tested the
theory that was presented in Barney’s (1991) article (Wright et al. 2001). Most of
this research has taken a similar view on how HR practices can lead to Wrm
performance. The model generally argues that HRM in the form of HR practices
directly impacts the employees either by increasing human capital or motivation or
both. This in turn will have an impact on operational outcomes such as quality,
customer service, turnover, or other operational-level outcomes. These operational
outcomes will in turn impact Wrm-level outcomes such as Wnancial performance
in the form of revenues, proWts or other Wrm-level measures of performance
(Dyer 1984).
In a similar vein, Wright et al. (2001) point out that there are three important
components of HRM that constitute a resource for the Wrm which are inXuenced
by the HR practices or HR system. First, there is the human capital pool comprised
of the stock of employee knowledge, skills, motivation, and behaviors. HR practices
can help build the knowledge and skill base as well as elicit relevant behavior.
Second, there is the Xow of human capital through the Wrm. This reXects the
movement of people (with their individual knowledge, skills, and abilities) as well
94
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
as knowledge itself. HR practices can certainly inXuence the movement of people.
However, more importantly, the types of reward systems, culture, and other aspects
of HRM inXuence the extent to which employees are willing to create, share, and
apply knowledge internally.
Third, the dynamic processes through which organizations change and/or renew
themselves constitute the third area illustrating the link between HRM and the
resource-based view of the Wrm. HR practices are the primary levers through which
the Wrm can change the pool of human capital as well as attempt to change the
employee behaviors that lead to organizational success.
There appears to be a general consensus among SHRM researchers around the
general model of the HR to performance relationship and the role of HR practices,
the human capital pool, and employee motivation and behaviors as discussed by
Dyer (1984) and others. The implications of this for RBV and SHRM research is
that while separate components of the full HRM to performance model have been
tested such as HR practices (Huselid 1995; MacDuYe 1995) and human capital
(Richard 2001; Wright et al. 1995), a full test of the causal model through which
HRM impacts performance has not (Wright et al. 2005; Wright et al. 2001; Boxall
1998). Current research has established an empirical relationship between HR
practices and Wrm performance, but more remains to be done. By testing the full
model, including the additional components of the human capital pool and
employee relationships and behaviors, a more complete test of the underlying
assumptions of the RBV could be established, thus adding credibility to the
theoretical model of the relationship between HRM and performance.
5.4.2 Fit and the Resource-based View of the Firm
In the Priem and Butler (2001a) critique of the RBV, one of the points brought up
as a theoretical weakness of the RBV is lack of deWnition around the boundaries or
contexts in which it will hold. They point out that ‘relative to other strategy
theories . . . little eVort to establish the appropriate contexts for the RBV has
been apparent’ (2001a: 32). The notion of context has been an important issue in
the study of SHRM (Delery and Doty 1996; Boxall and Purcell 2000). Most often
referred to as contingencies (or the idea of Wt), contextual arguments center on
the idea that the role that HRM plays in Wrm performance is contingent on some
other variable. We break our discussion of Wt into the role of human capital and HR
practices.
5.4.2.1 Human Capital and Fit
The most often cited perspective for explaining contingency relationships in
SHRM is the behavioral perspective (Jackson et al. 1989) which posits that diVerent
Wrm strategies (other contingencies could be inserted as well) require diVerent
strategic management and hrm
95
kinds of behaviors from employees. Consequently, the success of these strategies is
dependent at least in part on the ability of the Wrm to elicit these behaviors from its
employees (Cappelli and Singh 1992; Wright and Snell 1998).
Going back to the distinction between human capital skills and employee
behavior, Wright and Snell (1998) noted that skills and abilities tend to be necessary
but not suYcient conditions for employee behavior. Consequently, any Wt to Wrm
strategy must Wrst consider the kinds of employee behavior (e.g. experimentation
and discovery) required to successfully execute the strategy (e.g. focused on oVering innovative products), and the kinds of skills necessary to exhibit those behaviors (e.g. scientiWc knowledge). Obviously, the workforce at Nordstrom’s (an
upscale retailer) is quite diVerent from the workforce at Wal-Mart (a discount
retailer). Thus, the resource-based application to SHRM requires focusing on a Wt
between the skills and behaviors of employees that are best suited to the Wrm’s
strategy (Wright et al. 1995).
While this idea of Wt focuses on across-Wrm variance in the workforce, Lepak and
Snell (1999) developed a framework that simultaneously addresses variation across
Wrms and variations in HR systems within Wrms (see this Handbook, Chapter 11).
Their model of ‘human resource architecture’ posits that the skills of individuals or
jobs within a Wrm can be placed along two dimensions: value (to the Wrm’s strategy)
and uniqueness. Their framework demonstrates how diVerent jobs within Wrms
may need to be managed diVerently, but it also helps to explain diVerences across
Wrms. For instance, within Wal-Mart, those in charge of logistics have extremely
valuable and unique skills, much more so than the average sales associate. On the
other hand, at Nordstrom’s, because customer service is important, sales associate
skills are more critical to the strategy than those of the logistics employees.
5.4.2.2 HR Practices and Fit
The theoretical assumption that the skills and behaviors of employees must Wt the
strategic needs of the Wrm in order for the workforce to be a source of competitive
advantage leads to the exploration of how HR practices might also need to achieve
some form of Wt. With regard to vertical Wt, as noted previously, business strategies
require diVerent skills and behaviors from employees. Because HR practices are
generally the levers through which the Wrm manages these diVerent skills and
behaviors, one would expect to see diVerent practices associated with diVerent
strategies. For instance, one would expect that Wrms focused on low cost might not
pay the same level of wages and beneWts as Wrms focused on innovation or
customer service.
Horizontal Wt refers to a Wt between HR practices to ensure that the individual
HR practices are set up in such a way that they support each other (Boxall and
Purcell 2003; Baird and Meshoulam 1988; Delery 1998). An example of this would be
a selection process that focuses on Wnding team players and a compensation system
that focuses on team-based rewards. Theoretically, the rationale for horizontal Wt
96
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
suggests that (a) complementary bundles of HR practices can be redundantly
reinforcing the development of certain skills and behaviors resulting in a higher
likelihood that they will occur and (b) conXicting practices can send mixed signals
to employees regarding necessary skills and behaviors that reduce the probability
that they will be exhibited (Becker and Huselid 1998). There appears to be some
agreement in the literature that both types of Wt are necessary for optimal impact of
HRM on performance (Baird and Meshoulam 1988; Delery 1998; Delery and Doty
1996; Boxall and Purcell 2003), but not necessarily empirical support for these types
of Wt (see this Handbook, Chapter 27; Wright and Sherman 1999).
5.4.2.3 Potential Pitfalls of Fit
The idea of Wt, whether it be vertical or horizontal, raises two important questions
for SHRM researchers. The Wrst question focuses on empirical support for the idea
of Wt. Second, even if Wt has positive consequences in the short term, does Wtting
HRM practices with strategy or other contingent variables universally lead to
positive results? That is, are there negative implications of Wt?
As previously discussed, numerous researchers have argued for Wtting HRM to
contingent variables. However, the eYcacy of Wt has not received much empirical
support (Paauwe 2004; Wright and Sherman 1999). Huselid’s (1995) landmark
study sought to test the Wt hypothesis using a variety of conceptualizations of Wt,
yet found little support. Similarly, Delery and Doty (1996) only found limited
support across a number of Wt tests. The lack of empirical support may largely be
due to focusing only on a Wt between generic HRM practices and strategy, rather
than the outcomes, or products (Wright 1998), of the HRM practices (skills,
behaviors, etc.). Thus, it seems that it may be too early to draw any deWnite
conclusions about the validity of the Wt hypothesis.
However, while Wt between HRM practices and various contingency variables
might enhance the ability of HRM to contribute to Wrm performance, there is also
the possibility that a tight Wt between HRM and strategy may inhibit the ability of
the Wrm to remain Xexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. Firms are
increasingly required to adapt to environments that are constantly changing, both
within and outside the Wrm. A tight Wt may appear to be desirable but during times
of transition and/or change a lack of Wt might make adaptation and change more
eYcient (Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall 1988). Wright and Snell (1998) developed a framework in which HRM contributes to Wt and Xexibility simultaneously
without conXict between the two, but this framework has yet to be tested and the
question remains as to when and where Wt might be more or less appropriate.
The second question raised by contextual issues surrounding SHRM and the
idea of Wt is related to the eYcacy of Wt. Regardless of whether or not Wt can have
a positive eVect on organizational outcomes, there is still some question as to
whether or not true Wt with key contingencies is feasible. Large organizations
operate in complex environments, often across multiple products, industries, and
strategic management and hrm
97
geographies. This complexity leads to questions regarding the ability of the Wrm to
Wt HRM practices to all of these diverse and complex circumstances (Boxall and
Purcell 2003).
In addition, Boxall and Purcell (2003) argue that there are competing ideals
within a business that require trade-oVs in Wt. They describe Wt as ‘a process that
involves some tension among competing objectives in management and inevitably
implies tensions among competing interests’ (2003: 188). A simple example of these
tensions can be seen in attempting to Wt a strategy of commitment to employees
with a hostile or extremely competitive operating environment. A Wrm with a
strategic commitment to the well-being of employees operating in an economic
downturn or time of increased competition may be forced to make choices
between commitment to employees and a need for restructuring, lay-oVs, or
other non-friendly actions toward employees in order to stay solvent. In these
situations, compromises will have to be made on either the Wt with the strategy or
the Wt with the environment or both, raising the question again as to whether or
not a true Wt with contingencies is feasible.
These questions regarding the ability to achieve Wt and the desirability of
achieving Wt do not diminish the importance of understanding contextual issues
in SHRM research. Understanding the contextual issues surrounding HRM and its
impact on performance remains critical. In spite of the interest in the role of
contextual issues and Wt in SHRM, Wndings in support of contingency relationships
have been mixed (Wright and Sherman 1999). Much of this criticism could be due
to ineVective methods used in the measurement of HRM or the contingency and
performance variables studied or that the correct contingencies have not yet been
studied (Becker and Gerhart 1996; Rogers and Wright 1998; Wright and Sherman
1999). In addition, Boxall and Purcell (2000) have argued that more complex and
comprehensive models of contingency relationships are needed in order to understand the impact of context on the HRM to performance relationship. Regardless
of the reasoning, it is clear that the impact of context on this important relationship is not yet completely understood and more research is needed to understand
the role of context, as well as questions surrounding models of Wt in SHRM
research.
5.4.3 HRM Practices and Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Another issue that has been raised by the RBV and its application to SHRM
research is the sustainability of HRM as a competitive advantage. Whether one
focuses on bundles of HR practices as an HR system, the human capital pool, or
employee relationships and behaviors, there remains the question as to whether
HRM as a resource meets the inimitability and non-substitutability conditions
that are required in the RBV for sustained competitive advantage (Barney 1991).
98
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
According to Barney (1991), there are three general reasons why Wrm resources
would be diYcult to imitate: the resources are created and formed under unique
historical conditions, the resources are causally ambiguous, or the resources are
socially complex.
Labeled as path dependency by Becker and Gerhart (1996), the unique historical
conditions under which HRM is formed in individual Wrms may make its understanding and replication extremely diYcult, if not impossible. HR systems are
developed over time and the complex history involved in their development makes
them diYcult to replicate. The development and implementation of a single HR
practice such as a variable pay system takes place over time including time to solicit
management input and buy-in, work out discrepancies, and align the practice with
current strategies as well as Wrm culture and needs. The end result is a practice that
reXects the philosophies and culture of the Wrm and its management, created to
solve the speciWc needs of the company. Compound that single HR practice with a
whole system of practices each with its own history and evolution speciWc to a
particular Wrm, its philosophies, and current situation and you have an HR system
that cannot be bought or easily replicated without a signiWcant investment of both
time and Wnancial resources.
Causal ambiguity implies that the exact manner in which human resource
management contributes to the competitive advantage of the Wrm is either unknown or suYciently ambiguous so as to be diYcult or impossible to imitate.
According to Becker and Gerhart (1996), the ability to replicate a successful HR
system would require an understanding of how all of the elements of this complex
system interact and in turn impact the performance of an organization. Given the
previous discussion of the basic HRM to performance model and the manner in
which it is expected that HRM contributes to Wrm performance, it is diYcult to
imagine how the intricate interplay among various HR practices, human capital
and employee behaviors, employee outcomes, operational outcomes and Wrm-level
outcomes, could be understood by a competitor in a meaningful way.
Finally, Barney (1991) points out that competitors will Wnd it diYcult to replicate a
competitive advantage based on complex social phenomena. Given the nature of
HRM and its direct relation to employees, almost every aspect of the HR system, the
human capital, and especially the employee behavior and relationships has a social
component. The way in which HR practices are communicated and implemented
among diVerent departments and parts of the organization is inXuenced by the
various social relationships involved; top management to general managers, general
managers to department heads or managers, and those managers to employees as
well as interactions between departments and employees. The complexity of the
social relationships in the case of HRM makes it diYcult for competitors to imitate it.
Finally, for a resource to constitute a source of sustainable competitive advantage
it must be non-substitutable. This implies that competitors should not be able to
use a diVerent set of resources in order to achieve similar results (Barney 1991). This
strategic management and hrm
99
concept has not yet been tested, but could provide for interesting research in the
area of contextual factors and SHRM.
If, in fact, it is found that a particular set of HR practices is positively related to
performance in a given context, then a follow-on question to that which would get
at the substitutability question might be whether or not there is another set of HR
practices for which the results are similar. This could lead to discussions about
strategic conWgurations of HR practices rather than universal high-performance
work systems that have dominated past research (Delery and Doty 1996). Regardless of whether there is one or many ways to achieve similar results in diVerent
contextual situations, the testing of these possibilities would lead to an increased
understanding of the relationship between the RBV and SHRM research and the
sustainability of HRM as a strategic resource.
5.4.4 Measurement and Methodological Issues
In addition to key questions surrounding the RBV and SHRM research, there are
also several measurement and methodological issues which have hindered our
ability to better understand the relationship between strategy and HRM. Measurement issues relating to the HRM, competitive advantage and key control variables
have made the comparison of results across studies and interpretation of Wndings
diYcult (Rogers and Wright 1998; Dyer and Reeves 1995). In addition, there are
questions around the appropriate level of analysis within the Wrm at which to test
these relationships as well as issues related to the mixing of variables measured at
diVerent levels of analysis (Rogers and Wright 1998; Becker and Gerhart 1996).
Finally, as was pointed out, the majority of research to date has focused on the
relationship between HR systems and Wrm-level performance and, while the
Wndings indicate a positive relationship, there is insuYcient evidence at this
point to be able to infer that the relationship is causal (Wright et al. 2005). A full
discussion of these issues is beyond the scope of this chapter and a more thorough
discussion may be found in other chapters in this text (see particularly Chapters 26
and 27), but it is important to note in discussing key questions in SHRM that they
exist and need to be addressed or at least considered in future research.
5.5 Future Directions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Research on SHRM management over the past decade has made signiWcant
progress in developing our understanding of the role that HRM plays in Wrm
performance. The Weld now has a signiWcant foundation upon which to build
100
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
future research. In our opinion, future research should focus on both answering
key questions that remain in understanding the relationship between HRM and
performance and expanding or broadening what is considered SHRM. Such
extension would encompass both other resources and other theories currently
studied in strategic management research.
5.5.1 Key Unanswered Questions
The previous portion of the chapter pointed out several key questions that have
been raised as a result of the application of the RBV to SHRM research that are not
yet answered. First, research that directly tests the concepts outlined in the RBV has
not been done (Priem and Butler 2001a). Thus future research should focus on
testing the concepts of the RBV by testing the full model through which HRM leads
to competitive advantage or Wrm performance. Do HR practices impact the human
capital pool and the relationships and behaviors of the employees and do those
outcomes in turn impact both operational and Wrm-level performance? Answering
these questions by testing the full causal model would be a signiWcant contribution
to our understanding of the strategic nature of HRM. In essence, this reXects the
‘black box process’ that Priem and Butler (2001a) argued must be addressed by
RBV theorists and researchers.
Second, future research should focus on understanding the contextual questions
surrounding the HRM to performance relationship. Mixed results in past contextual research are not reason enough to abandon the question all together. It is highly
likely that HRM matters more or less in certain situations or under certain
conditions. EVorts should be made to continue to test established models of
HRM in new and unique situations. In addition, more thorough tests of moderating variables in the HRM to performance relationship should be tested. Given the
complexity involved in the measurement and testing of these relationships and the
mixed results of past research in this area it is likely that researchers will need to
seek out contexts with reduced complexity such as departments within large
organizations or small businesses where reduced complexity will provide more
meaningful measures of potential moderating variables and more meaningful tests
of the moderating relationships can be performed.
Another step that needs to be taken in understanding the role of context in the
HRM to performance relationship is to move away from universal-type models of
HRM such as high-performance work systems and high-involvement work systems
and develop and test diVerent conWgurations of HR practices that might apply to
speciWc situations. In doing this, researchers will be able to better understand the
speciWc bundles or HR practices that are applicable or Wt with diVerent types of
organizations or situations, thus making a signiWcant contribution to our understanding of the types of HRM that will matter in a given situation.
strategic management and hrm
101
5.5.2 Expanding the Role of SHRM
Future research in SHRM should focus on conceptually expanding what is considered to be the role of SHRM. Historically, SHRM has been viewed as the
interface between HRM and strategic management (Boxall 1996) with the focus
of much research being on understanding how the HRM function (namely HRM
practices) can be strategically aligned so as to contribute directly to competitive
advantage. This implies a concern with how HR practices can contribute to strategy
implementation without addressing the larger question of how HRM can contribute or play a role in strategy formulation (Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall 1988).
Wright et al. (2001) argued that it is the human capital (the knowledge skills and
abilities of the human resources) as well as the relationships and motivation of the
employees that leads to competitive advantage. The purpose of HR practices is to
develop or acquire this human capital and inXuence the relationships and behaviors of the employees so that they can contribute to the strategic goals of the Wrm.
Future research should examine human capital and the social interactions and
motivations of the human element within a Wrm (Snell et al. 2001), not only as
independent variables but also as mediating and dependent variables. A focus in
this area will bring the Weld more in line with contemporary views in strategic
management. Research in this area will also help us to get beyond questions
regarding how HR practices can facilitate the strategic goals of a Wrm and begin
to understand how organizations can understand the resources found in their
human element and use that understanding to inXuence or even drive their
decisions about their strategic direction. For instance, IBM’s strong HR processes/competencies led it into the business of oVering outsourced HR services.
This was an internal resource that was extended into a new product line, and
illustrates how an understanding of such resources can inXuence strategic
direction.
Along these same lines, another way to break away from this notion of HRM as a
facilitator of the strategic direction of the Wrm is by focusing on some of the
resources currently salient to strategic management researchers. In their review of
the RBV and SHRM relationship, Wright et al. (2001) argue that the RBV created a
link between HRM and strategic management research and that as a result of this
link the two Welds were converging. Because of this convergence, the potential
impact of SHRM research on mainstream strategy issues is tremendous. Increasingly, strategy researchers are focusing on knowledge and knowledge-based resources (Argote et al. 2000; Grant 1996), human capital (Hitt et al. 2001), social
capital (Inkpen and Tsang 2005; McFadyen and Cannella 2004), capabilities
(Dutta et al. 2005), and dynamic capabilities (Teece et al. 1997), as critical resources
that lead to organizational success. While HRM practices strongly inXuence these
resources, the SHRM literature seems almost devoid of empirical attention to
them. Only recently have researchers begun to explore these issues (Kinnie et al.
102
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
2005; Thompson and Heron 2005). Additional research in these areas would
provide tremendous synergy between HRM and strategy.
In addition, alternative theories such as ‘learning organizations’ (Fiol and Lyles
1985; Fisher and White 2000), real options theory (McGrath 1997; Trigeorgis 1996),
and institutional theory (Meyer and Rowan 1977) can be combined with SHRM
research to enhance our understanding of the strategic nature of HRM. For
instance, Bhattacharya and Wright (2005) showed how real options theory can
be applied to understanding Xexibility in SHRM. In addition, Paauwe and Boselie
(Chapter 9) provide a detailed analysis of how institutional theory can better
inform SHRM research. The use of these in addressing questions in SHRM research
will provide new lenses through which researchers are able to view the HRM to
performance relationship, potentially providing new insights and ideas that will
further our understanding of SHRM.
5.6 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
While the Weld of strategic HRM is relatively young, signiWcant progress has been
made at a rapid pace. Researchers have provided great theoretical and empirical
advancements in a period of just over twenty-Wve years. Much of this progress is
the result of the RBV and its emphasis on the internal resources of the Wrm as
a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The RBV and its application to
SHRM research created an important link between strategic management and
HRM research. Its application has been followed by a signiWcant amount of
research using the RBV as a basis for assertions about the strategic nature of HRM.
However, the link between HRM and strategic management can be strengthened
by breaking away from the focus on HR practices. Other key resources currently
being researched in strategic management have the potential to be directly
inXuenced by HRM, but their coverage by SHRM researchers has been minimal,
leaving a tremendous opportunity for future research in this area. In addition to
this, new theories relevant to strategic management have yet to be combined with
SHRM research, leaving potential for additional contributions to our understanding of the intersection between strategic management and HRM.
References
Argote, L., Ingram, P., Levine, J. M., and Moreland, R. L. (2000). ‘Knowledge Transfer
in Organizations: Learning from the Experience of Others.’ Organizational Behavior &
Human Decision Processes, 82/1: 1 8.
strategic management and hrm
103
Arthur, J. B. (1994). ‘EVects of Human Resource Systems on Manufacturing Performance
and Turnover.’ Academy of Management Journal, 37/3: 670 87.
Bae, J., and Lawler, J. J. (2000). ‘Organizational and HRM Strategies in Korea: Impact on
Firm Performance in an Emerging Economy.’ Academy of Management Journal, 43/3:
502 17.
Baird, L., and Meshoulam, I. (1988). ‘Managing Two Fits of Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Academy of Management Review, 13/1: 116 28.
Barney, J. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17/1: 99 120.
and Wright, P. (1998). ‘On Becoming a Strategic Partner: Examming the Role of
Human Resources in Gaining Competitive Advantage.’ Human Resource Management
Journal, 37/1: 31 46.
(2001). ‘Is the Resource Based ‘‘View’’ a Useful Perspective for Strategic Management
Research? Yes.’ Academy of Management Review, 26/1: 41.
Batt, R. (1999). ‘Work Organization, Technology, and Performance in Customer Service
and Sales.’ Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 52/4: 539 64.
Becker, B., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.’ Academy of Management Journal,
39/4: 779 801.
and Huselid, M. A. (1998). ‘High Performance Work Systems and Firm Performance:
A Synthesis of Research and Managerial Applications.’ Research in Personnel and Human
Resources Management, 16:53 101.
Beer, M., Spector, M., Lawrence, P. R., Mills, D. Q., and Walton, R. E. (1984).
Managing Human Assets. New York: Free Press.
Bhattacharya, M., and Wright, P. (2005). ‘Managing Human Assets in an Uncertain
World: Applying Real Options Theory to HRM.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management 16: 929 48.
Boxall, P. (1996). ‘The Strategic HRM Debate and the Resource Based View of the Firm.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 6: 59 75.
(1998). ‘Achieving Competitive Advantage through Human Resource Strategy: Towards
a Theory of Industry Dynamics.’ Human Resource Management Review, 8/3: 265 88.
and Purcell, J. (2000). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Where have we
Come from and Where should we be Going?’ International Journal of Management
Reviews, 2/2: 183 203.
(2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Brewster, C. (1999). ‘DiVerent Paradigms in Strategic HRM: Questions Raised by Com
parative Research.’ In P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau, and G. Milkovich (eds.), Research
in Personnel and Human Resource Management: Strategic HRM in the 21st Century,
Supplement 4. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Sparrow, P., and Harris, H. (2005). ‘Towards a New Model of Globalizing HRM.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16: 953 74.
Capelli, P., and Singh, H. (1992). ‘Integrating Strategic Human Resources and Strategic
Management.’ In D. Lewin, O. S. Mitchell, and P. D. Sherer (eds.), Research Frontiers in
Industrial Relations and Human Resources. Madison: IRRA.
Collins, C. J., and Clark, K. D. (2003). ‘Strategic Human Resource Practices, Top
Management Team Social Networks, and Firm Performance: The Role of Human
104
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
Resource Practices in Creating Organizational Competitive Advantage.’ Academy of
Management Journal, 46/6: 740 51.
d’Arcimoles, C. (1997). ‘Human Resource Policies and Company Performance: A Quan
titative Approach Using Longitudinal Data.’ Organization Studies (Walter De Gruyter
GmbH & Co.KG.), 18/5: 857 74.
Delery, J. E. (1998). ‘Issues of Fit in Strategic Human Resource Management: Implications
for Research.’ Human Resource Management Review, 8/3: 289 309.
and Doty, D. H. (1996). ‘Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource Man
agement: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and ConWgurational Performance Predic
tions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4: 802 35.
Devanna, M. A., Fombrun, C., and Tichy, N. (1981). ‘Human Resources Management:
A Strategic Perspective.’ Organizational Dynamics, 9/3: 51 67.
Dutta, S., Narasimhan, O., and Rajiv, S. (2005). ‘Conceptualizing and Measuring
Capabilities: Methodology and Empirical Application.’ Strategic Management Journal,
26/3: 277 85.
Dyer, L. (1984). ‘Studying Human Resource Strategy.’ Industrial Relations, 23/2: 156 69.
and Reeves, T. (1995). ‘Human Resource Strategies and Firm Performance: What do
we Know and Where do we Need to Go?’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 6/3: 656 70.
Fiol, C. M., and Lyles, M. A. (1985). ‘Organizational Learning.’ Academy of Management
Review, 10/4: 803 13.
Fisher, S. R., and White, M. A. (2000). ‘Downsizing in a Learning Organization: Are
There Hidden Costs?’ Academy of Management Review, 25/1: 244 51.
Grant, R. M. 1. (1996). ‘Toward a Knowledge Based Theory of the Firm.’ Strategic Man
agement Journal, 17: 109 22.
Gratton, L., Hailey, V. H., and Truss, C. (2000). Strategic Human Resource Management.
New York: Oxford University Press.
Guest, D. E. (2001). ‘Human Resource Management: When Research Confronts Theory.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12/7: 1092 106.
Michie, J., Conway, N., and Sheehan, M. (2003). ‘Human Resource Management
and Corporate Performance in the UK.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41/2:
291 314.
Hitt, M., Bierman, L., Shimizu, K. and Kochar, R. (2001). ‘Direct and Moderating EVects
of Human Capital on the Strategy and Performance in Professional Service Firms:
A Resource Based Perspective.’ Academy of Management Journal, 44: 13 28.
Ireland, R. D., and Hoskisson, R. E. (2005). Strategic Management Competitiveness
and Globalization, 6th edn. Mason, Oh.: Thompson South Western.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 635 72.
Jackson, S. E., and Schuler, R. S. (1997). ‘Technical and Strategic Human Resources
Management EVectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance.’ Academy of Manage
ment Journal, 40/1: 171 88.
Inkpen, A. C., and Tsang, E. W. K. (2005). ‘Social Capital, Networks, and Knowledge
Transfer.’ Academy of Management Review, 30/1: 146 65.
Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S., and Carlos Rivero, J. (1989). ‘Organizational Character
istics as Predictors of Personnel Practices.’ Personnel Psychology, 42/4: 727 86.
strategic management and hrm
105
Kinnie, N., Swart, J., and Purcell, J. (2005). ‘InXuences on the Choice of HR Systems:
The Network Organization Perspective.’ International Journal of Human Resource Man
agement, 16: 949 70.
Kogut, B., and Zander, U. (1992). ‘Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and
the Replication of Technology.’ Organization Science: A Journal of the Institute of Man
agement Sciences, 3/3: 383 97.
Lado, A. A., and Wilson, M. C. (1994). ‘Human Resource Systems and Sustained Com
petitive Advantage: A Competency Based Perspective.’ Academy of Management Review,
19/4: 699 727.
LahteenmAki, S., Storey, J., and Vanhala, S. (1998). ‘HRM and Company Performance:
The Use of Measurement and the InXuence of Economic Cycles.’ Human Resource
Management Journal, 8/2: 51 65.
Lee, J. and Miller, D. (1999). ‘People Matter: Commitment to Employees, Strategy and
Performance in Korean Firms.’ Strategic Management Journal, 20/6: 579 93.
Lee, M. B., and Chee, Y. (1996). ‘Business Strategy, Participative Human Resource Man
agement and Organizational Performance: The Case of South Korea.’ Asia PaciWc Journal
of Human Resources, 34: 77 94.
Lengnick Hall, C. A., and Lengnick Hall, M. L. (1988). ‘Strategic Human Resources
Management: A Review of the Literature and a Proposed Typology.’ Academy of
Management Review, 13/3: 454 70.
Lepak, D. P., and Snell, S. A. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory
of Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Managemen Review, 24:
31 48.
MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 197 221.
McFadyen, M. A., and Cannella Jr., A. A. (2004). ‘Social Capital and Knowledge
Creation: Diminishing Returns of the Number and Strength of Exchange Relationships.’
academy of Management Journal, 47/5: 735 46.
McGrath, R. G. (1997). ‘A Real Options Logic for Initiating Technology Positioning
Investments.’ Academy of Management Review, 22/4: 974 96.
Mahoney, J., and Pandian, J. (1992). ‘Resource Based View within the Conversation of
Strategic Management.’ Strategic Management Journal, 13: 363 80.
Meyer, J., and Rowan, E. (1977). ‘Institutionalize Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth
and Ceremony.’ American Journal of Sociology, 83: 340 63.
Miles, R. E., Snow, C. C., and Meyer, A. D. (1978). ‘Organizational Strategy, Structure,
and Process.’ Academy of Management Review, 3/3: 546 62.
Paauwe, J. (2004). HRM and Performance: Achieving Long Term Viability. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
and Boselie, P. (2003). ‘Challenging ‘‘Strategic HRM’’ and the Relevance of the
Institutional Setting.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 56 70.
Boselie, P. (2005). ‘Best Practices . . . in Spite of Performance: Just a Matter of
Imitation?’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16/6: 987 1003.
Peters, T. J., and Waterman, R. (1982). In Search of Excellence. New York: Harper and Row.
Pfeffer, J. (1998). The Human Equation: Building ProWts by Putting People First. Boston:
Harvard Business School Press.
Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive Strategy. New York: New York Free Press.
106
mathew r. allen and patrick wright
Porter, M. E. (1985). Competitive Advantage. New York: New York Free Press.
Priem, R., and Butler, J. (2001a). ‘Is the Resource Based ‘‘View’’ a Useful Perspective for
Strategic Management Research?’ Academy of Management Review, 26: 22 41.
(2001b). ‘Tautology in the Resource Based View and the Implications of Exter
nally Determined Resource Value: Further Comments.’ Academy of Management Review,
26: 57 67.
Richard, O. (2001). ‘Racial Diversity, Business Strategy, and Firm Performance: A
Resource Based View.’ Academy of Management Journal, 43: 164 77.
RodrÍguez, J. M., and Ventura, J. (2003). ‘Human Resource Management Systems and
Organizational Performance: An Analysis of the Spanish Manufacturing Industry.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14/7: 1206 26.
Rogers, E. W., and Wright, P. M. (1998). ‘Measuring Organizational Performance in
Strategic Human Resource Management: Problems, Prospects, and Performance Infor
mation Markets.’ Human Resource Management Review, 8/3: 311 31.
Schuler, R. S., and Jackson, S. E. (1987). ‘Linking Competitive Strategies with Human
Resource Management Practices.’ Academy of Management Executive, 1/3: 207 19.
Snell, S. A., Shadur, M. A., and Wright, P. M. (2001). ‘Human Resources Strategy: The
Era of our Ways.’ In Blackwell Handbook of Strategic Management. Oxford: Blackwell.
Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., and Shuen, A. (1997). ‘Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic
Management.’ Strategic Management Journal, 18/7: 509 33.
Thompson, M., and Heron, P. (2005). ‘Management Capability and High Performance
Work Organization.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16: 1029 48.
Trigeorgis, L. (1996). Real Options: Managerial Flexibility and Strategy in Resource Allo
cation. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Truss, C., and Gratton, L. (1994). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: A Concep
tual Approach.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 5/3: 663 86.
Tyson, S. (1997). ‘Human Resource Strategy: A Process for Managing the Contribution
of HRM to Organizational Performance.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 8/3: 277 90.
Walker, J. (1980). Human Resource Planning. New York: McGraw Hill.
Wan, D., Ong, C. H., and Kok, V. (2002). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management and
Organizational Performance in Singapore.’ Compensation & BeneWts Review, 34/4: 33 42.
Wernerfelt, B. (1984). ‘A Resource Based View of the Firm.’ Strategic Management
Journal, 5/2: 171 80.
Wright, P. (1998). ‘Strategy HR Fit: Does it Really Matter?’ Human Resource Planning, 21/4:
56 7.
and Gardner, T. M. (2003). ‘Theoretical and Empirical Challenges in Studying the
HR Practice Firm Performance Relationship.’ In D. Holman, T. D. Wall, C. Clegg,
P. Sparrow, and A. Howard (eds.), The New Workplace: People Technology, and Organ
isation. Bnghton: Wiley.
McMahan, G. C. (1992). ‘Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Journal of Management, 18/2: 295 320.
Sherman, S. (1999). ‘Failing to Find Fit in Strategic Human Resource Management:
Theoretical and Empirical Problems.’ In P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau, and G. Milk
ovich (eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management, Supplement 4.
Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
strategic management and hrm
107
and Snell, S. A. (1991). ‘Toward an Integrative View of Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Human Resource Management Review, 1/3: 203 25.
(1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and Flexibility in Strategic
Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review, 23/4: 756 72.
McMahan, G. C., and McWilliams, A. (1994). ‘Human Resources and Sustained
Competitive Advantage: A Resource Based Perspective.’ International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 5/2: 301 26.
and Smart, D. L. (1995). ‘Matches between Human Resources and Strategy
among NCAA Basketball Teams.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38/4: 1052 74.
Dunford, B. B., and Snell, S. A. (2001). ‘Human Resources and the Resource Based
View of the Firm.’ Journal of Management, 27/6: 701 21.
Gardner, T. M., Moynihan, L. M., and Allen, M. R. (2005). ‘The Relationship
between HR Practices and Firm Performance: Examining Causal Order.’ Personnel
Psychology, 58/2: 409 46.
Youndt, M. A., Snell, S. A., Dean, J. W., Jr, and Lepak, D. P. (1996). ‘Human Resource
Management, Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 39/4: 836 66.
chapter 6
....................................................................................................................................................
O RG A N I Z AT I O N
T H E O RY A N D H R M
....................................................................................................................................
tony watson
6.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Human Resource Management is an activity that occurs in work organizations
across the industrialized world. HRM is also an academic ‘subject’ that is taught
and researched, primarily in higher education in those same industrialized
societies. However, this latter ‘HRM’ is not an academic activity which has a
clear body of theoretical ideas of its own. There is almost no literature on the
‘the theory of HRM.’ This is not to say, however, that theories are absent from
academic HRM. Use is made of theoretical concepts from areas such as psychology,
sociology, employee relations, economics, and strategic management. And, to
some degree, use is made of ideas from organization theory. The purpose of
the present chapter is to identify the contributions that have been made by ideas
from organization theory to our understanding of the organizational activity
of human resource management—and its earlier ‘personnel management’ manifestation. Attention will also be given to ways in which greater use might be
made of organization theory in the analysis of HRM activities and processes in
the future.
HRM processes are organizational processes. They occur within all work organizations and they cannot be understood separately from the way in which we
understand organizations themselves. The same can be argued about management
more broadly. In eVect, any ‘theory of management,’ like any ‘theory of HRM,’ has
organization theory and hrm
109
to be grounded in a ‘theory of organization.’ Managerial work generally and human
resourcing work speciWcally is ‘organizing work.’ And it occurs in formally
structured enterprises which utilize human labor. These work organizations constitute the topic of organization theory.
6.2 Organizations and
Organization Theory
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Organization theory can be characterized as an intellectual activity which utilizes
methodological and conceptual resources from social science disciplines such as sociology, social psychology, and anthropology in order to provide explanations of how
things happen in the sphere of authoritatively co-coordinated human enterprises.
The wording ‘authoritatively coordinated human enterprises’ is a more sociologically sophisticated way of referring to work organizations. It recognizes that the
social arrangements under consideration—companies, schools, churches, armies,
public administrations, and so on—are all characterized by their use of bureaucratic ways of coordinating task-based activities. And Max Weber’s classic characterization of bureaucracy emphasized the centrality of ‘authority’ (legitimized
power) in these organizing processes (Weber 1978). Bureaucracy, in the seminal
Weberian formulation, involves the control and coordination of work tasks
through a hierarchy of appropriately qualiWed oYce holders, whose authority
derives from their expertise and who rationally devise a system of rules and
procedures that are calculated to provide the most appropriate means of achieving
speciWed ends. This characterization comes from Weber’s ‘ideal type’ of bureaucracy (a construct of what a bureaucracy would look like if it existed in a pure
form—not a description of what an bureaucracy ideally should be). Managers in
work organizations are ‘appropriately qualiWed oYce holders’ in this sense. An HR
manager is thus appointed, in principle, on the grounds of their experience and
qualiWcations as the best person available to do the HR tasks speciWed in a formal
organizational ‘job description.’ Their ‘right’ or their authority to appoint people,
instruct staV, or make workers redundant derives from their technical HR expertise
and its linking, through their formal role in the managerial hierarchy, to speciWc
organizational tasks.
Whilst recognizing the necessity of organization theory’s attending to the formal
aspects of organizational life, we must remember that the formal or ‘oYcial’
aspects are always in interplay with the informal or unoYcial within the ‘negotiated
order’ of every organization (Strauss et al. 1963; Strauss 1978; Day and Day 1997;
Watson 2001a). And we must also remember that organizations are ‘sites of
110
tony watson
situated social action’ which are inXuenced not only by ‘explicitly organized and
formal disciplinary knowledges’ such as marketing, production, or HRM but also
by ‘practices embedded in the broad social fabric, such as gender, ethnic and other
culturally deWned social relations’ (Clegg and Hardy 1999: 4). The fact, for example,
that HR managers occupy a diVerent class position from those occupied by many
of the workers with whom they deal inevitably inXuences manager–worker interactions. And it has been observed that gender factors can signiWcantly color the
interactions between HR and other managers (Miller and Coghill 1964; Watson
1977; Gooch and Ledwith 1996).
6.3 The Emergence of
Organization Theory
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Although bureaucracy has existed for a long time, the prevalence of bureaucratized
organizations across both public administrative and industrial spheres has been a
more recent phenomenon, coming about over the last two centuries of human
history. Over this period, various writers made contributions which might be seen
as attempts to theorize these organizational developments, most notably Adam
Smith (1776), Charles Babbage (1832), Andrew Ure (1835), Karl Marx (1867),
Frederick W. Taylor (1911), Max Weber (1922), Elton Mayo (1933), Chester Barnard
(1938), and F. J Roethlisberger and W. J Dickson (1939). Although these writers
cannot all be directly identiWed with a growing social scientiWc way of thinking and
writing about organizations they are all people who have been taken up as sources
of ideas or as inspirations by social scientists over the last half-century or so—the
period in which the recognized academic subject of organization theory has existed
(sometimes as ‘organization studies,’ sometimes as ‘organization science’). But
there were other very signiWcant and previously neglected strands of organizational
thinking that went into the subject which emerged as organization theory in the
USA in the middle of the twentieth century. These were produced by the mechanical engineers who moved beyond an interest in solving technological problems to
an interest in solving organizational dilemmas (Jacques 1996; Shenhav 1994, 1995,
1999; Shenhav and Weitz 2000). At Wrst sight, we might not expect these engineers
to have a great deal of relevance to what we these days call HR issues. But as we shall
see later (pp. 113–14) this is anything but the case.
For present purposes, we simply need to note that engineers had a signiWcant
inXuence on the ‘new’ subject of organization theory. Their contributions Wt into
one of the two themes which Starbuck identiWes as ‘motivating’ the birth of
organization theory: the theme of Wnding ways in which ‘organizations can operate
organization theory and hrm
111
more eVectively’ (Starbuck 2003: 171–4). This theme can be identiWed with the
‘opportunities’ that organizations were perceived to be oVering mankind. The
second theme, however, was one identiWed with perceived ‘threats’ presented by
bureaucratic organization. This was the theme of ‘bureaucracy and its defects’
(Starbuck 2003: 162). A key role in bringing these two themes into a single
organization theory was played by Selznick (1948) who, inXuenced by various
managerial writers like Chester Barnard, ‘departed from the sociological focus on
‘‘bureaucracy’’ and framed his discussions in more general language about ‘‘organizations’’ and ‘‘formal organizations’’ ’ (Starbuck 2003: 170). And, says Starbuck, by
the 1960s organization theory had ‘arrived’—but with that arrival and the subsequent ‘expansion and aZuence’ of the subject (coming about with the massive
expansion of degree programs in business) there has been signiWcant fragmentation
(2003: 174). This is a matter with which we must now come to terms. Organization
theory is anything but a uniWed subject and, in examining its relevance to
and connection with HRM, we have deal with the fact that, in eVect, there is more
than one organization theory that HRM has or to which HRM might relate.
6.4 Varieties of Organization Theory
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Anyone wishing to turn to organization theory as a resource for the analysis of
activities like HRM faces the diYculty that there is no single coherent OT framework readily available to them. Instead they Wnd themselves presented with a
variety of theoretical perspectives. One recent overview of organization theories
covers over thirty of these (Vibert 2004) whilst another assembles the variety of
approaches into three main perspectives: the modern, the symbolic, and the
postmodern (Hatch 2006). And things have perhaps been made even more daunting by the arguments among organization theorists themselves about the extent to
which the main paradigms (the clusters of assumptions about the world and about
scientiWc knowledge adopted by diVerent theorists) allegedly underlying these
various approaches are compatible with each other. Some argue, for example,
that the diVerent theoretical, methodological, and political orientations of the
various sets of theorists are fundamentally incompatible with each other. Thus, it
is argued that any given researcher needs to locate themselves within one particular
paradigm—a functionalist, an interpretative, a radical humanist, or a radical
structuralist paradigm, say (Burrell and Morgan 1979; Jackson and Carter 2000).
An alternative approach is to switch back and forth between these various paradigms to Wnd insights pertinent to the area being analyzed. Hassard (1993) has
demonstrated the advantages of this strategy for organizations generally and
112
tony watson
Kamoche (2000) for HRM—analyzing recruitment and training within the functionalist paradigm before looking at HRM generally within the terms, Wrst, of a
radical paradigm and, second, an interpretative paradigm. Other writers, however,
argue for the development of a single frame of reference for studying organizations
(PfeVer 1993; Donaldson 2001).
The organization theory paradigm debate continues in the organization theory
literature (Burrell 2002; Keleman and Hassard 2003). Tsoukas and Knudsen try to
cut through all of this, however, by observing that when it comes to investigating
‘particular topics, in particular sites,’ organizational researchers do not so much
‘apply’ or ‘follow’ paradigms as ‘explore’ what is available to them and, ‘having to
cope coherently with all the puzzles and tensions stemming from the complexity of
the phenomena they investigate, they extend, synthesize, and/or invent concepts
(cf. Rorty 1991: 93–110)’ (Tsoukas and Knudsen 2003: 13). This corresponds to a
strategy of pragmatic pluralism (Watson 1997) which similarly follows the basic
principle of Philosophical Pragmatism (Putnam 1995; Mounce 1997; Rorty 1982) in
which knowledge is assessed in terms of how eVectively it informs the projects of
the human beings who make use of it, as opposed to judging it in terms of how
closely it ‘mirrors’ or represents objectively existing realities (Rorty 1980). The
pragmatic pluralist investigator, in producing an analysis of a particular aspect of
social life, such as HRM, or of a particular set of social events or circumstances,
draws upon elements from various disciplines or perspectives to produce an
analytical framework which can stand as the conceptual foundation for that
particular investigation. Concepts are selected on the criterion of relevance to the
issues arising in the investigation. The framework which emerges must, nevertheless, have its own ontological, epistemological, and methodological integrity. It
cannot, for example, jump from an ontological assumption at one stage of the
analysis that organizations are pluralistic patterns of interaction involving varying
goals of a multiplicity of organizational actors to an assumption, at another stage of
the analysis, that organizations are entities possessing ‘organizational goals’ of their
own (Watson 2006).
6.5 Four Strands of Organization
Theory Relevant to HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Having established how we might bring together for purposes such as analyzing
HRM practices ideas from diVerent ‘approaches’ within organization theory, we
need brieXy to map out some examples from this variety of perspectives and note
brieXy how they have played a part in the emergence of HRM so far. To do this, it is
organization theory and hrm
113
helpful to identify several ‘strands’ of thinking. This mapping, it must be stressed,
is produced, once again, in the spirit of Philosophical Pragmatist thinking. It has
been devised in order to help the traveler proceed on their journey, as opposed to
producing a totally ‘correct’ or accurate representation of the nature of the ground
over which that journey is to occur.
6.5.1 The Functionalist/Systems and Contingency Strand
In this strand of thinking, organizations are viewed as systems: as social entities
which function as self-regulating bodies which exchange energy and matter with
their environment in order to survive. They ingest ‘inputs’ which they convert
into ‘outputs.’ The approach has some of its roots deep in historical social
thought and, at a level nearer the surface of the soil in which it grew, in the
‘structural functional’ style of sociological thinking which set out to explain
various social institutions and aspects of social institutions in terms of the
functions that they fulWll for the overall social ‘whole’ (or ‘system’) of which
they are a part (Abrahamson 2001; Colomy 1990). Thus, to take a very simple
example, one would explain the high rewards paid to senior managers, relative to
the wages paid to ordinary workers, by arguing that the organizational system in
which these people are employed, in order to continue in existence, needs the
expertise that can only be obtained if those relatively higher incomes are provided. Relative diVerences of class or organizational power are not considered and
neither are the deliberate eVorts of managers to give themselves a relative
material advantage in the organizations which they run. In spite of the danger
of removing human initiative or agency from explanations of what happens in
organizations, systems analyses have the advantage of making us constantly aware
that organizations are more than the sums of the parts from which they are
made: they are patterns of relations which need constantly to be adapted to allow
the organization to continue in existence. It also stresses that what happens in
one part of an organization (in one ‘subsystem’) tends to have implications for
what happens in other parts or ‘subsystems.’
Systems approaches to organizations have roots other than those in social
thought and social science. They have also been inXuenced by biological thinking
and by ‘general systems thinking,’ a cross-disciplinary scientiWc way of thinking
about a whole range of diVerent phenomena (Boulding 1956; Von BertalanVy 1972;
Emery 1969). But systems thinking in the organizational sphere has also been
signiWcantly inXuenced by the contributions made by engineers (above p. 110).
The outcome of this is that a powerful metaphor in management thought, which
has been of immense attractiveness to managers, has been that of the organization
as a system, as a big social machine which takes in raw material, knowledge, and
human eVort and outputs various goods and services, with this whole apparatus
114
tony watson
being designed and controlled by the expert ‘human engineer’ managers who are
appointed to fulWll the organization’s ‘goals’ (Watson 2006). Such a conception
inevitably has a powerful attraction for people trying both to explain and give
legitimacy to the personnel management or HR ‘function’ in an organization: its
role is portrayed as one of dealing with the human ‘input’ to the organizational
system, not just recruiting the labor that the system needs but also administering
and developing it so that it most eVectively plays its role in producing the system’s
outputs. Personnel matters played a central part in the work of the engineering
‘systematizers’ who were, in eVect, the proto-organization theorists who did so
much to shape both organization theory and management practices in the twentieth century. These people, Shenhav tells us, applied mechanical engineering
methods, not just to the administrative restructuring of Wrms and their accounting
procedures but also to the determination of wages and the selection criteria in
employment (2003: 187). Among the magazines that helped disseminate this
systems ideology was the periodical Personnel and, as Shenhav notes, ‘many of
the subsequent scholars of organizations were readers and writers for these magazines’ and the articles, often collected in book form, provided ‘the seedbed from
which discourse on rational organizations grew’ (2003: 191).
The discourse on rational organization and personnel management that
emerged and is most clearly made manifest in the textbooks used across the
English-speaking world was not just rooted in a systems view of organizations, it
was also normative and prescriptive, as Legge’s (1978) analysis of those texts shows.
In reaction to this tendency, Legge took a signiWcant step forward by arguing for a
non-prescriptive organization theory approach to personnel management. The
prescriptive approach, she argued, led to confusions about organizational goals
and personnel objectives which, in turn, led to further confusions ‘about the nature
of the personnel function itself ’ (1978: 16). Also, the ‘prescriptive intention of these
books’ succumbed to ‘stilted generalizations that neglect both the complexities and
dynamism of real organizations’ (1978: 16). This move is signiWcant because it
marks the point—alongside the present author’s sociological study of the personnel occupation (Watson 1977 and below, p. 117)—where personnel/HR matters
began to be studied in a social scientiWc style where the priority is given to analysis,
explanation, and understanding of employment management phenomena as
opposed to seeking ‘best practices’ that managers might adopt. Legge’s research
focused on the tensions and ambiguities with which personnel managers have to
deal and she pointed to contingency theory as a resource which personnel managers, acting as applied social scientists within their own organizations, might use
to overcome some of these tensions and conXicts. The contingency theory version
of systems thinking (Donaldson 2001) is concerned with how the contingent
circumstances of organizations (their size, technology, business environment,
and so on) ‘inXuence the organization’s internal structures and processes’ (Legge
1978: 97). The ‘contingency insight,’ as we might call it, has been brought forward
organization theory and hrm
115
into a non-functionalist style of analysis (i.e. one in which contingencies are given
no ‘determining’ role) by Child (1972, 1997), who links contingent circumstances to
strategic managerial choices, an insight that can valuably inform how we understand the ways in which diVerent HR strategies are chosen in diVerent circumstances (Watson 2004, 2005).
In the 1980s, the employment management aspects of organizations began to
be examined in a new way, one which saw a relabeling of the activity as HRM
rather than as personnel management or personnel administration. The factors
behind this and the key characteristics of the ‘new’ HRM are discussed in Chapter 2.
The renewal of scholarly interest in employment management processes and
practices might have been a point at which organization theory resources were
turned to. But this did not happen. And HRM has continued to ‘follow a
diVerent lead’ theoretically (Morgan 2000: 860). Why was this the case? On the
one hand, there was the fact that organization theory had moved Wrmly away
from its earlier managerial origins, with its re-engagement with the more critical
version of Weberian sociology that was now available (below pp. 116–17), the
revisiting of Marxian labor process thinking (below pp. 117–19) and the growing
‘interpretativist’ interest in human agency, language, and meanings which followed from the broad sociological rejection of functionalist theorizing (this
clearly signaled by Silverman 1970; see also Reed 1996). This meant that organization theory was moving quickly away from its earlier systems-thinking base.
But, on the other hand, systems ideas were too valuable to the HRM project for
them to be abandoned in the way organization theory had largely done. Systems
thinking had what might almost be seen as a natural aYnity with the new HRM.
‘HRM’ thinking therefore tended to follow its own direction. This was one more
consistent with the earlier, more managerially engaged, systems-based, organization theory. As Jacques observes, the three themes of the new thinking—‘comprehensive as opposed to patchwork direction of the human function in
organizations; linking operational HR issues to the Wrm’s strategy and structure;
learning to regard expenditures on labor and worker-embodied knowledge as an
investment rather than an expense’—represented a clear continuity with earlier
managerially oriented American social science (1995: 202). The message of the
new HRM, to put it at its simplest, was ‘integrate, integrate, integrate’ and,
theoretically, this tends to mean in the social sciences ‘systems, systems, systems.’
What Greenwood calls a ‘mainstream HRM’ thus takes a ‘systems maintenance or
functionalist approach, viewing HRM as a mechanism for the attainment of
organizational goals’ (2002: 262).
The main theoretical thrust within HRM research and writing is clearly in the
area of the relationship between HRM practice and corporate strategies (Tichy et al.
1982; Schuler et al. 2001). This work is covered in Chapters 3, 5, 26, and 27. There is a
considerable input here from economics, a discipline which, as Guest notes, is very
much ‘theory-led,’ and therefore has the potential to help overcome the general
116
tony watson
theoretical inadequacies of HRM (2001: 1093). But a systems emphasis plays a
signiWcant role in this work (Sanchez-Runde 2001) and systems ideas are advocated,
beyond this, as a means to better integrated management performance (Broedling
1999), as a means for analyzing diVerent national models of HRM (Hendry 2003),
and as a means for linking HRM to general management (Ghorpade 2004).
6.5.2 The Weberian Strand
As has already been implied, Max Weber is a key Wgure, if not the key Wgure, in
organization theory. It has often been commented that much of the six-or-so
decades of the history of organization theory has been a debate with Weber’s
ideas on bureaucracy. But the ‘Weberian’ ideas that were brought into early
organization theory in mid-twentieth-century America were a particular version
of those ideas that were selected and ‘framed’ in a way that resonated with the
dominant managerial interests of the time in overcoming the problems inherent
in bureaucracy and Wnding ways of improving the eVectiveness of organizations.
In this early organization theory writing, scholars such as Blau (1955), Gouldner
(1954), and Thompson (1967) ‘assumed that Weber equated rationality with
eYciency’ (Shenhav 2003: 196), with the eVect that ‘bureaucracy was reiWed and
was used as an ahistorical framework for eVective functioning implying a performative intent in his scheme’ (Shenhav 2003: 197). This strand of thinking in
organization theory, which we might cheekily label the ‘counterfeit-Weberian’
strand, has to be contrasted with a much more sociological, critical, and theoretically sophisticated version of Weber’s contribution to the Weld which scholars
subsequently found themselves able to make in the light of newer translations and
readings of his work (Albrow 1970; Beetham 1996; Eldridge 1971; Kalberg 2005; Ray
and Reed 1994; Ritzer and Goodman 2003: ch. 4; Turner 1996).
The newer appreciation of Weber’s work recognizes that his key contribution is
to locate bureaucratized organizations in their historical and political context and
to acknowledge that, alongside whatever signiWcant advantages they oVer human
beings, they also present problems for human freedom and expression. The
contemporary, non-managerialist, Weberian strand of thinking in organization
theory, then, is one that recognizes that organizations are sites of rivalries, conXicts
of interest, and power in which a ‘paradox of consequence’ typically comes into
play: a tendency for the means chosen to achieve ends in the social world to
undermine or defeat those ends. A simple example of this, in practice, might be
the well-known tendency for performance indicators or metrics (often introduced
by HR managers to monitor certain organizational behaviors with a view to
encouraging people to perform better) to set minimum standards of performance
in practice, thus actually discouraging improved performances (‘We have fulWlled
our quota of job upgradings for this month, why should we do any more?’).
organization theory and hrm
117
The means chosen to achieve a certain end has become an end it itself—thus
undermining the achieving of the purpose for which it was designed.
The present author’s study of the personnel management occupation (Watson
1977) set the work of personnel managers Wrmly in this context of handling conXicts
and contradictions in social life, at the societal, organizational, and departmental
level. The personnel occupation was shown to have come about, not because of the
‘system needs’ which required it (which would be a functionalist analysis) but—
following Weber’s focus upon the interaction of ideas and interests in processes of
social change (Bendix 1966)—because particular historical actors came forward and
created an occupation to handle some of the unintended consequences of processes
of rationalization. Personnel management is thus shown to be both an outcome
of the rationalization process of social life and employment and a reactor to it—in
the sense that it takes on many of the tensions, conXicts, contradictions, and
ambiguities that come about in the modern bureaucratized enterprise.
New institutionalism is a development of broadly Weberian thinking. It is
increasingly being applied to HRM (Purcell 1999), in part to counter an overemphasis on economic rationality of the ‘resource-based view’ of the Wrm which
plays a key role in economic/strategic management analyses (Boxall 1996). The new
institutionalism follows Weber in putting alongside economic rationality factors
(zweckrationalität), normative or value-based (wertrationalität) factors. It puts
particular emphasis on the various pressures on organizations to become similar
to each other. Paauwe and Boselie (2003 and this Handbook, Chapter 9), for
example, suggest ways in which the three institutional mechanisms inXuencing
organizational decision-making identiWed in DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) seminal
article can be related to HRM. Coercive mechanisms include trade unions and
government legislation; mimetic mechanisms include the imitating of the strategies
of competitors and the various management fads and fashions; normative mechanisms include such things as occupational HR training and links through HR
managers’ professional bodies (Paauwe and Boselie 2003: 60). And Boxall and
Purcell point to the pursuit of ‘social legitimacy’ (one of the ‘three key goals for
HRM’, 2003: 33; cf. Lees 1997) as a signiWcant factor pressing organizations to
become similar to each other.
6.5.3 The Marxian Strand
The notion of unintended consequences of deliberate human actions that plays a
key role in the Weberian strand of thinking also arises in Marxian thinking in the
notion of the contradictions within capitalism. Modern institutions of employment, of which ‘HRM’ is a part, are central to the capitalist mode of production.
But these institutions are part and parcel of a class system, given that they are based
on a logic in which a capital-owning class, through a managed ‘labor process,’
118
tony watson
extracts surplus value from members of an employee class. And within this set of
relations lie the seeds of the capitalist political economy’s eventual destruction. The
people working for a wage or salary eventually come to realize that they share the
objective position of being exploited. They reject the ideologies that misled them
into accepting their situation and they abandon a ‘falsely conscious’ appreciation of
their place in society. They consequently ‘rise up’ and throw oV their oppressors.
This may seem so unlikely to any observer of the contemporary scene that they are
tempted to dismiss out of hand such a way of looking at organizational structures
and class processes. However, the underlying insight may still be valid: just because
contradictions do not seem likely to lead to capitalist failure in any foreseeable
future, it does not mean that the underlying fault lines are not there and do not
need to be taken account of in any realistic organization theory. And as Desai
(2002) has pointed out, there are characteristics in the dominant forms that
capitalism is coming to take in the twenty-Wrst century that are far from inconsistent with the long-term analysis in Marx’s writing.
Marxian thinking has perhaps had its greatest impact on organization theory in
the analysis of trends in the shaping of labor processes in modern organizations
(Grugulis et al. 2000–1; Spencer 2000; see also Chapter 8 below). This analysis of
trends in the design, control, and monitoring of work activities by managers
(acting as agents of the capital-owning class to extract surplus value from the
labor activity of employees) was stimulated by Braverman’s (1974) argument that
the logic of capitalist employment relations has led to a general trend towards the
deskilling, routinizing, and mechanizing of jobs across the employment spectrum.
In his inXuential book, he wrote of the role of people like personnel managers as
‘the maintenance crew for the human machinery:’ ‘personnel departments and
academics have busied themselves with the selection, training, manipulation,
paciWcation and adjustment of ‘‘manpower’’ to suit the work processes’ (1974: 87).
Subsequent thinking, however, whilst working within the same radical tradition as
Braverman, has recognized that capitalist interests are better served by upgrading
work in some circumstances and by downgrading it in others (Friedmann 1977;
Edwards 1979). This insight can be incorporated into broader critical thinking
about HRM by considering ways in which HR strategists will tend to lean towards
‘low commitment, direct control, human resourcing practices when employee
constituencies are perceived as creating low strategic uncertainty’ and towards
‘high commitment, indirect control, human resourcing practices when employee
constituencies are perceived as creating high strategic uncertainty’ (Watson 2004: 458).
Marxist thinking has perhaps not had as signiWcant a direct impact on theorizing
about HRM as it has had on academic industrial relations (Hyman 1989). But its
indirect inXuence is there in all those approaches which pay attention to the
indeterminacy of employment relationships and to the structural conXicts of
interest which pervade them (e.g. Boxall 1992; CoV 1997; Evans and Genadry 1999;
Purcell and Ahlstrand 1994). Marxist thinking also informs the ‘currently popular
organization theory and hrm
119
distinction between the rhetoric and reality of HRM in contemporary debates’
which ‘essentially replays an identical relationship between ideological practice and
the truth’ to that seen in Marxist discourse (Barratt 2003: 1071). Legge illustrates
this Marxian tendency when she analyzes HRM rhetoric, for example, as ‘masking
the intensiWcation and commodiWcation of labor’ (1995: 325). Although it was
recast in Weberian terms as an example of the paradox of consequences,
there was an echo of Marx in the Watson (1977) account of the societal role of
personnel management as one caught up in managing some of the ‘contradictions
of capitalism.’
6.5.4 The Post-Structuralist and Discursive Strand
The post-structuralist element of social thought, closely connected to ‘postmodern’
thinking, treats human and social reality as if it were a text—a set of signs which are
not tied into any kind of pre-existing reality. The implication of this is that there is
no basic truth outside language and that there is no reality separate from the ways
in which we write and talk about the world. Thus, as Westwood and Linstead put it
with regard to organizations, ‘Organization has no autonomous, stable or structural status outside the text that constitutes it’ (2001: 4). This means, Reed observes,
that any ‘quest for universal, scientiWc generalizations or principles of organization
and management, that has played a dominant role in organization theory’s historical and intellectual development, is Wrmly rejected in favor of a much more
relativist and political conception of knowledge production and diVusion’ (2005:
1623). The post-structuralist theorist who has had the greatest impact on organization theory has been Foucault, and central to the parts of his work that have
been taken up by writers on work and organization has been his emphasis on
‘decentring the human subject.’ This entails rejecting any concept of an autonomous thinking and feeling human subject with an essential and unique personality
or ‘self.’ The human being’s notion of ‘who and what they are’ is shaped by the
discourses which surround them. These discourses exert power over people by
creating the categories into which they are Wtted: ‘the homosexual,’ ‘the criminal,’
the ‘mentally ill,’ for example (Foucault 1980). Such categories not only deWne for
people ‘who they are’ but lay down the ways in which people are to be treated by
others.
The relevance of these insights to issues of human resourcing is fairly obvious.
Discourses are society’s statements of ‘truth and knowledge’ and, as McKinlay and
Starkey (1998) put it, these are the means whereby ‘society manages itself.’ There is
a potential, then, for theorizing HRM in these terms: as a set of statements of truth
and knowledge through which people’s subjectivities are managed in modern
societies. This has been taken up by Townley who analyzes HRM as a ‘discourse
and technology of power that aims to resolve the gap inherent in the contract of
120
tony watson
employment between the capacity to work and its exercise and, thereby, organize
workers into a collective, productive power or force’ (1994: 138). Findlay and
Newton (1998) focus on appraisal practices to demonstrate the insights that
Foucauldian thinking has to oVer and Barratt (2003) puts forward a spirited defense
of Foucauldian perspectives on HRM and HRM-related issues in response to its
critics. Legge (1995) looks at the discourse of HRM in a similar manner and has also
utilized post-structuralist ideas of deconstruction (Derrida 1978) to enable readers
of HRM to ‘take apart the texts and stories of the advocates of human resource
management’ to bring out their paradoxes, contradictions, and absences (2001: 53).
Discourse analysis, it should be noted, is not only used by organization theorists
following a post-structuralist line of argument (see Alvesson and Karreman 2000;
Grant et al. 1998, 2004). Watson (2001b) used a concept of discourse to identify two
rival ways in which human resourcing issues were understood and acted upon in a
large business organization and Francis and Sinclair have applied it to cases of
‘HRM-based change’ (2003).
6.6 Conclusions: Theorizing HRM with
Resources from Organization Theory
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
It was suggested earlier that the way forward in the relationship between organization theory and HRM might be one in which pragmatic pluralist principles are
followed. This would mean that, within an ontologically and epistemologically
consistent framework, concepts are drawn from the various theoretical traditions
or ‘strands’ to deepen our understanding of HRM practices. Table 6.1 summarizes
the above analysis of the various strands of organization theory which have had an
impact on HRM. And, in its right-hand column, the table identiWes some of the
ideas that can be brought together from the four strands to analyze HRM practices
and events.
The theoretical resources set out in the right-hand column of Table 6.1 do not
constitute a complete ‘theory of HRM.’ What is provided here is nevertheless
inevitably informed by the broader theorizing of personnel and HR institutions
developed by the present author. That theorizing has occurred in the context of
attempting to make sense of and explain events observed in detailed case-study
research on the shaping of HR strategies in ‘real life’ (as opposed to textbook
idealizations) practices of employing organizations. The analysis of strategic
changes in a case study business (Watson 2004, 2005) attempts to go beyond
what is typically produced in the mainstream HRM literature and handles—and
relates to each other—both the ‘micro’ and the ‘macro’ aspects of HRM processes.
organization theory and hrm
121
Table 6.1 The contributions of four strands of organization theory to HRM
Role of protoOT in the
emergence of
personnel
practices
Role of OT in the Role of OT in
academic HRM
social scientific
study of personnel
management
The potential role of OT
in the future analysis of
HRM: contributions from
four OT strands which
might be utilized within
a ‘pragmatic pluralist’
framework
Functionalist/ Mechanical
engineers
systems
and the
strand
‘systematizing’
of employment
practices
Contingency theory
identified as an
expert resource
which personnel
managers might
use to deal with
the ambiguities
and tensions
inherent in their
roles (Legge 1978)
Preference for a
systems (and often
prescriptive) style
of thinking which
OT had largely
abandoned; greater
influence of strategic
management and
economics in more
formal theorizing
than OT
Acceptance of the notion
of the organization as a
recognizable pattern
of actions and
commitments but
without retaining a
conception of the
organization as an entity
with goals or purposes of
its own; contingent
circumstances
understood as matters
interpreted by managers
and taken into account
in strategic choices
Weberian
strand
Personnel
management
seen as both a
manifestation
of societal
rationalization
processes and a
handler of its
unintended
consequences in
the sphere of
employment;
interaction of
human ‘interests
and ideas’ in
context of rival
priorities among
personnel and
other managers
(Watson 1977)
Emerging attention
to the institutional
pressures towards
organizational
‘isomorphism’ which
make HR practices
more similar across
different employing
organizations and
disseminate HRM
thinking generally
(Paauwe and Boselie
2003; Boxall and
Purcell 2003)
HRM experts understood
as employed by owning/
dominant interests to
work within a
bureaucratic logic of
authority based on
expertise; the division
of labor within that
bureaucracy leading to
(unintended) tensions
and rivalries between HR
and other managers who,
at the same time as
working to bring about
the continuation of the
enterprise, act to further
their personal and career
interests—all of this
occurring in the context
of (a) the ambiguities,
conflicts, and
uncertainties inherent in
work organizations and
(continued)
122
tony watson
Table 6.1 (continued )
Role of
proto-OT
in the
emergence of
personnel
practices
Role of OT in the Role of OT in
academic HRM
social scientific
study of personnel
management
The potential role of OT
in the future analysis of
HRM: contributions from
four OT strands which
might be utilized within
a ‘pragmatic pluralist’
framework
employment
relationships and (b) the
continuous danger of
chosen means coming to
subvert the ends which
they were designed to
fulfill
Marxian
strand
Poststructuralist
and discursive
strand
Marxist industrial
relations (Hyman
1989)
Conflict management seen as a vital
part of HRM; labor
process analysis;
ideology unmasking
in ‘critical HRM’
(Legge 1995)
HRM activities set in the
context of the
reproduction of
patterns of advantage
and disadvantage,
globally as well as
nationally
Post-structuralist
‘critical HRM’
(Townley 1994)
HRM discourse
understood as shaping
working assumptions of
HR actors and providing
sense-making resources
for their use in
sense-making and
initiatives
Attention is paid to the detailed roles played by speciWc organizational actors with
their particular personal values, career interests, and organizational situations. But
these issues in the case study business are analytically located within and related
to a global political economy and a broader societal culture in which matters like
class, gender, and occupation are shown to play an important part. Similarly, the
theorizing pays attention to the interplay between material interests and structures
of domination, on the one hand, and matters of language and discursive practice
on the other. And, further, the theorizing is sensitive to the interplay between
constraining/enabling circumstances and contingencies, on the one hand, and
managerial and personal choices on the other.
The style of organizational theorizing advocated here is a critical and a social
scientiWc one. This Wts with the general trend whereby organization theory has
organization theory and hrm
123
broken free from its earlier managerialist anchor and its concern with making
organizations more competitive or eVective. HRM writers, it would seem, have
been reluctant to sever these ropes (Watson 2004). Hence, it can be argued that
there needs to be more utilizing of critical social science thinking generally and
non-managerialist organization theory speciWcally in the study of HRM. But in no
way whatsoever is this to argue for HRM research and writing which lacks
relevance for people with a practical involvement in HRM. Nobody at all is helped
by analyses that confuse the ‘is’ and the ‘ought’ of HR practices. In the Wnal
analysis, good theory tells us about ‘how things work in the world.’ And if
organization theory can help us produce ‘good theories’ about how HRM processes
‘work’ in practice then it will be of equal relevance and value to everyone involved
with HRM. It will equally inform the thinking and the actions of people who want
to develop HRM skills, people who want to challenge HRM institutions, and
people who simply want to reXect in a detached and scholarly manner upon
HRM institutions and practices.
References
Abrahamson, M. (2001). ‘Functional, ConXict and Neofunctional Theories.’ In G. Ritzer
and B. Smart (eds.), Handbook of Social Theory. London: Sage.
Albrow, M. (1970). Bureaucracy. London: Macmillan.
Alvesson, M., and Karreman, D. (2000). ‘Varieties of Discourse: On the Study of
Organization through Discourse Analysis.’ Human Relations, 53/9: 1125 49.
Babbage, C. (1832). On the Economy of Machinery and Manufacture. London: Charles Knight.
Barnard, C. I. (1938). The Functions of the Executive. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univer
sity Press.
Barratt, E. (2003). ‘Foucault, HRM and the Ethos of the Critical Management Scholar.’
Journal of Management Studies, 40/5: 1069 87.
Beetham, D. (1996). Bureaucracy. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Bendix, R. (1966). Max Weber: An Intellectual Portrait. London: Methuen.
Blau, P. M. (1955). The Dynamics of Bureaucracy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Boulding, K. E. (1956). ‘General Systems Theory: The Skeleton of Science.’ Management
Science, 2: 197 208.
Boxall, P. (1992). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Beginnings of a New Theor
etical Sophistication?’ Human Resource Management Journal, 2: 60 79.
(1996). ‘The Strategic Human Resource Debate and the Resource Based View of the
Firm.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 6/3: 59 75.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Braverman, H. (1974). Labor and Monopoly Capital. New York: Monthly Review Press.
Broedling, L. A. (1999). ‘Applying a Systems Approach to Human Resource Management.’
Human Resource Management, 38/3: 269 78.
124
tony watson
Burrell, G. (2002). ‘Organizational Paradigms.’ In A. Sorge (ed.), Organization. London:
Thomson Learning.
and Morgan, G. (1979). Sociological Paradigms and Sociological Analysis. London:
Heinemann.
Child, J. (1972). ‘Organizational Structure, Environment and Performance.’ Sociology, 6/1:
2 22.
(1997). ‘Strategic Choice in the Analysis of Action, Structure, Organizations and
Environment: Retrospect and Prospect.’ Organization Studies, 18/1: 43 76.
Clegg, S. R., and Hardy, C. (1999). ‘Introduction.’ In C. Clegg and C. Hardy (eds.),
Studying Organizations: Theory and Method. London: Sage.
Coff, R. (1997). ‘Human Assets and Management Dilemmas: Coping with Hazards on the
Road to Resource Based Theory.’ Academy of Management Review, 22: 374 402.
Colomy, P. (ed.) (1990). Functionalist Sociology. BrookWeld, Vt.: Elgar.
Day, R. A., and Day, J. (1997). ‘A Review of the Current State of Negotiated Order Theory:
An Appreciation and Critique.’ Sociological Quarterly, 18:126 42.
Derrida, J. (1978). Writing and DiVerence. London: Routledge.
Desai, M. (2002). Marx’s Revenge. London: Verso.
DiMaggio, P., and Powell, W. (1983). ‘The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism
and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields.’ American Sociological Review, 48/2:
147 60.
Donaldson, L. (2001). The Contingency Theory of Organizations. London: Sage.
Edwards, R. (1979). Contested Terrain. London: Heinemann.
Eldridge, J. E. T. (1971). ‘Weber’s Approach to the Study of Industrial Workers.’ In A. Sahay
(ed.), Max Weber and Modern Sociology. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Emery, F. E. (ed.) (1969). Systems Thinking. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Evans, P., and Genadry, N. (1999). ‘A Duality Based Perspective for Strategic Human
Resource Management.’ in P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau, and G. Milkovich (eds.),
Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management. Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.
Findlay, P., and Newton, T. (1998). ‘Reframing Foucault: The Case of Performance
Appraisal.’ In A. McKinlay and K. Starkey (eds.), Foucault, Management and Organiza
tion Theory. London: Sage.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings. Brighton:
Harvester.
Francis, H., and Sinclair, J. (2003). ‘A Processual Analysis of HRM Based Change.’
Organization, 10/4: 687 707.
Friedman, A. L. (1977). Industry and Labor. London: Macmillan.
Ghorpade, J. (2004). ‘Management and the Human Resource Function: A Model Based on
Social Systems Theory.’ International Journal of Human Resources Development and
Management, 4/3: 235 51.
Gooch, L., and Ledwith, S. (1996). ‘Women in Personnel Management.’ In S. Ledwith and
F. Colgan (eds.), Women in Organizations. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Gouldner, A. W. (1954). Patterns of Industrial Bureaucracy. Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press.
Grant, D., Keenoy, T., and Oswick, C. (eds.) (1998). Discourse and Organization. London:
Sage.
Hardy, C., Oswick, C., and Putnam, L. (2004) The Sage Handbook of Organizational
Discourse. London: Sage.
organization theory and hrm
125
Greenwood, M. R. (2002). ‘Ethics and HRM: A Review and Conceptual Analysis.’ Journal
of Business Ethics, 36/3: 261 78.
Grugulis, I., Willmott, H., and Knights, D. (2000 1). The Labor Process Debate:
International Studies of Management and Organization, 30/4.
Guest, D. E. (2001). ‘Human Resource Management: When Theory Confronts Research.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12/7: 1092 106.
Hassard, J. (1993). Sociology and Organization Theory: Positivism, Paradigms and Postmod
ernity. London: Sage.
Hatch, M. J. with Cunliffe, A. (2006). Organization Theory: Modern, Symbolic and
Postmodern Perspectives, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hendry, C. (2003). ‘Applying Employment Systems Theory to the Analysis of National
Models of HRM.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14/8: 1430 42.
Hyman, R. (1989). The Political Economy of Industrial Relations. London: Macmillan.
Jackson, N., and Carter, P. (2000). Rethinking Organizational Behaviour. Harlow: FT
Prentice Hall.
Jacques, R. (1995). Manufacturing the Employee: Management Knowledge from the 19th to
the 21st Centuries. London: Sage.
Kalberg, S. (ed.) (2005). Max Weber: Readings and Commentary on Modernity. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Kamoche, K. (2000). Sociological Paradigms and Human Resources: An African Context.
Aldershot: Ashgate.
Keleman, M., and Hassard, J. (2003). ‘Paradigm Plurality: Exploring Past Present
and Future Trends.’ In R. Westwood and S. Clegg (eds.), Debating Organization: Point
Counterpoint in Organization Studies. Oxford: Blackwell.
Lees, S. (1997). ‘HRM and the Legitimacy Market.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 8: 226 43.
Legge, K. (1978). Power, Innovation and Problem Solving in Personnel Management. London:
McGraw Hill.
(1995). Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities. Basingstoke:
Macmillan.
(2001). ‘Deconstruction Analysis and Management.’ In M. Poole and M. Warner
(eds.), The IEBM Handbook of Human Resource Management. London: Thomson
Learning.
McKinlay, A., and Starkey, K. (eds.) (1998). Foucault, Management and Organization
Theory: From Panopticon to Technologies of Self. London: Sage.
Marx, K. (1867). Das Capital: Kritik der politischen Oekonomie. Hamburg: Meissner.
Mayo, E. (1933). The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilisation. New York: Macmillan.
Miller, F. B., and Coghill, M. A. (1964). ‘Sex and the Personnel Manager.’ Industrial and
Labor Relations Review, 18/1: 32 44.
Morgan, P. (2000). ‘Paradigms Lost and Paradigms Regained? Recent Developments and
New Directions for HRM/OB in the UK and USA.’ International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 11/4: 853 66.
Mounce, H. O. (1997). The Two Pragmatisms. London: Routledge.
Paauwe, J., and Boselie, P. (2003). ‘Challenging ‘‘Strategic HRM’’ and the Relevance of the
Institutional Setting.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 56 70.
Pfeffer, J. (1993). ‘Barriers to the Advance of Organizational Science: Paradigm Develop
ment as a Dependent Variable.’ Academy of Management Review, 18: 599 620.
126
tony watson
Purcell, J. (1999). ‘Best Practice and Best Fit: Chimera or Cul de Sac?’ Human Resource
Management Journal, 93: 26 41.
and Ahlstrand, B. (1994). Human Resource Management in the Multidivisional
Company. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Putnam, H. (1995). Pragmatism. Oxford: Blackwell.
Ray, L. J., and Reed, M. (eds.) (1994). Organizing Modernity: New Weberian Perspectives on
Work. London: Routledge.
Reed, M. (1996). ‘Organization Theorizing: A Historically Contested Terrain.’ In S. R. Clegg,
C. Hardy, and W. Nord (eds.), Handbook of Organization Studies. London: Sage.
(2005). ‘ReXections on the ‘‘Realist Turn’’ in Organization and Management Studies.’
Journal of Management Studies, 42: 1621 44.
Ritzer, G., and Goodman, D. J (2003). Sociological Theory. New York: McGraw Hill.
Roethlisberger, F. J., and Dickson, W. J. (1939). Management and the Worker. Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Rorty, R. (1980). Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. Oxford: Blackwell.
(1982). Consequences of Pragmatism. Brighton: Harvester.
(1991). Objectivity, Relativism and Truth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sanchez Runde, C. (2001). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management and the New
Employment Relationship: A Research Review and Agenda.’ In J. Gual and J. E. Ricart
(eds.), Strategy, Organization and the Changing Nature of Work. Cheltenham: Elgar.
Schuler, R. S., Jackson, S. E., and Storey, J. (2001). ‘HRM and its Link with Strategic
Management.’ In J. Storey (ed.), Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, 2nd edn.
London: Thomson Learning.
Selznick, P. (1948). ‘Foundations of the Theory of Organization.’ American Sociological
Review, 13: 25 35.
Shenhav, Y. (1994). ‘Manufacturing Uncertainty or Uncertainty in Manufacturing:
Managerial Discourse and the Rhetoric of Organizational Theory.’ Science in Context,
7: 275 305.
(1995). ‘From ‘‘Chaos’’ to Systems: The Engineering Foundations of Organization
Theory 1877 1932.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 40: 557 85.
(1999). Manufacturing Rationality: The Engineering Foundations of the Managerial
Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(2003). ‘The Historical and Epistemological Foundations of Organization Theory:
Fusing Sociological Theory with Engineering Discourse.’ In H. Tsoukas and C. Knudsen
(eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
and Weitz, E. (2000). ‘The Roots of Uncertainty in Organization Theory: A Histor
ical Constructivist Analysis.’ Organization, 7: 373 85.
Silverman, D. (1970). The Theory of Organizations. London: Heinemann.
Smith, A. (1974). The Wealth of Nations. Harmondsworth: Penguin (1st pub. 1776).
Spencer, D. A. (2000). ‘Braverman and the Contribution of Labor Process Analysis to the
Critique of Capitalist Production: Twenty Five Years on.’ Work, Employment and Society,
14: 223 43.
Starbuck, W. H. (2003). ‘The Origins of Organization Theory.’ In H. Tsoukas and
C. Knudsen (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Strauss, A. (1978). Negotiations. New York: Wiley.
organization theory and hrm
127
Schatzman, L., Erlich, D., Bucher, R., and Sabsin, M. (1963). ‘The Hospital and its
Negotiated Order.’ In E. Friedson (ed.), The Hospital in Modern Society. New York:
Macmillan.
Taylor, F. W. (1911). The Principles of ScientiWc Management. New York: Harper.
Thompson, J. D. (1967). Organizations in Action. New York: McGraw Hill.
Tichy, N. M., Fombrun, C. J. and Devanna, M. A. (1982). ‘Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Sloan Management Review, 23/2: 47 61.
Townley, B. (1994). Reframing Human Resource Management. London: Sage.
Tsoukas, H., and Knudsen, C. (2003). ‘Introduction.’ In H. Tsoukas and C. Knudsen
(eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Turner, B. S. (1996). For Max Weber: Essays in the Sociology of Fate. London: Sage.
Ure, A. (1835). The Philosophy of Manufactures. London: Charles Knight.
Vibert, C. (2004). Theories of Macro Organizational Behavior. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1972). ‘The History and Status of General Systems Theory.’ Academy
of Management Journal, 15: 407 26.
Watson, T. J. (1977). The Personnel Managers. London: Routledge.
(1997). ‘Theorising Managerial Work: A Pragmatic Pluralist Approach to Interdiscip
linary Research.’ British Journal of Management, 8: 3 8.
(2001a). ‘Negotiated Orders, in Organizations.’ In N. J. Smelser and P. B. Baltes (eds.),
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behaviour Sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
(2001b). In Search of Management, rev. edn. London: Thomson.
(2004). ‘Human Resource Management and Critical Social Science Analysis.’ Journal
of Management Studies, 41/3: 447 67.
(2005). ‘Organizations, Strategies and Human Resourcing.’ In J. Leopold, L. Harris,
and T. J. Watson (eds.), The Strategic Management of Human Resources. London: FT
Prentice Hall.
(2006). Organizing and Managing Work, 2nd edn. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Weber, M. (1922). Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Tübingen: Paul Siebeck.
(1978). Economy and Society. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Weick, K. E. (1979). The Social Psychology of Organizing. Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley.
Westwood, R., and Linstead, S. (2001) ‘Language/Organization: Introduction.’ In
R. Westwood and S. Linstead, The Language of Organization. London: Sage.
chapter 7
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM AND THE
WO R K E R
T O WA R D S A N E W
P S YC H O L O G I C A L
C O N T R AC T ?
....................................................................................................................................
david e. guest
7.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
For managers who accept the argument that eVective management of human
resources provides a distinctive basis for competitive advantage (Barney and
Wright 1998), the case for taking human resource management seriously is
compelling. But terms sometimes associated with advocacy of strategic human
resource management such as a ‘full utilization of the workforce’ or ‘exploiting
your assets’ do not bode well for the workers who constitute those human
resources. So what’s in it for the workers? Does human resource management
(HRM) oVer them a positive deal or is it, as Keenoy (1990) once suggested, ‘a
wolf in sheep’s clothing?’ This chapter will explore HRM from a worker’s
perspective. It will build on an analytic framework proposed by Wright and
Boswell (2002) and utilize the concept of the psychological contract to consider
how HRM helps to shape workers’ attitudes and behavior and in particular their
satisfaction and well-being.
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
129
Some of the language of strategic HRM has provided ammunition for critics who
might see it as little more than a diVerent system of management control designed to
enmesh the worker more deeply in the organization while oVering little in return.
This means that we must Wrst consider what we mean by HRM and how it relates to
the long-standing issue of managerial control. This is important because it helps to
provide a context for some of the debates on the role of HRM and in particular some
of the more critical writing about HRM as a potential form of exploitation of
workers. The analysis of the shifting basis for control can also be linked to debates
about a ‘new deal’ that have helped to stimulate interest in the psychological contract.
7.2 HRM, Managerial Control, and the
New Psychological Contract
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In highlighting the role of HRM as a potential source of competitive advantage,
Barney was pointing to an opportunity but not providing a solution, since he did
not advocate a form of HRM most likely to provide competitive advantage. His
background in strategic management meant that he leant towards a contingency
approach whereby HRM should be designed to Wt with the wider strategic thrust of
the organization. However, this still leaves open the question of whether it is
possible to identify dominant approaches to HRM that might be adopted in
speciWc contexts. Writers from Miles and Snow (1984) to Boxall and Purcell
(2003) have tried to provide answers.
Not everyone agreed that a contingency approach was appropriate. Walton
(1985), an early and inXuential voice in the debates on HRM, argued that we needed
to move from what he termed ‘control’ to ‘commitment’ as the basis for managing
the workforce. Walton’s essential case was that the traditional model of tight
managerial control over the workforce was no longer eVective, largely because it
was based on the wrong set of assumptions about the nature of contemporary work
and the contemporary workforce and therefore about how best to manage it.
Furthermore, he argued that there were eYciencies in a high-commitment model
since it meant that workers exercised self-control, obviating the need for
external control over behavior and performance, and research on organizational
commitment (e.g. Meyer and Allen 1997) reveals a consistent association with lower
labor turnover. Therefore, there are likely to be gains for the organization through
improved performance and improved retention and gains for the workforce
through greater autonomy, control, and intrinsic job satisfaction. More controversially, Walton implied that the commitment model was likely to be more eVective in
all contexts. He was therefore an early advocate of a universalist model of HRM.
130
david e. guest
High-commitment management, as a distinctive approach to HRM, challenged
the traditional basis for management control by suggesting that what was required
was a move from external control through management systems, technology, and
supervision to self-control by workers or teams of workers who, because of their
commitment to the organization, would exercise responsible autonomy and control in the interests of the organization. Another way of describing it is to suggest
that the way in which managers and professionals have traditionally been managed,
based on assumptions about their motivation and commitment, should be
extended throughout the workforce. To many managers, this might appear to be
a high risk.
The contrast between control and commitment has been used to describe
diVerent approaches to HRM. The distinction has also been described as topdown versus bottom-up management (Appelbaum and Batt 1994), a ‘low road’ and
a ‘high road’ approach (Milkman 1997), and ‘hard’ versus ‘soft’ HRM (Storey 1992).
InXuenced partly by the vogue for process re-engineering and partly by research
in organizational psychology and labor economics, another approach to HRM is
often manifested through an emphasis on performance management. The eVective
adoption of best HR practices remains as the heart of this approach; but it diVers
from the high-commitment model in the important respect that management
retains much of its control. The focus is on the adoption of practices designed to
maximize high performance by ensuring high levels of competence and motivation. The relevant HR practices, which have their roots in goal-setting theory
(Locke and Latham 1990) and, to a lesser extent, expectancy theory (Lawler 1971),
oVer an approach to fully utilizing employees. If the focus remains exclusively on
high performance, it displays little concern for worker well-being.
This short analysis reveals two ‘ideal type’ approaches to HRM that address the
issue of control of workers in rather diVerent ways. The ‘high-commitment’ model
appears to cede control to employees by emphasizing self-control alongside but
also as a means of generating high commitment. The ‘performance management’
model allows managers to retain control and uses HR practices as a means
of directing workers’ eVorts more eVectively. The former emphasizes intrinsic
control and intrinsic rewards; the latter emphasizes external control and extrinsic
rewards.
Attempts have been made to integrate elements of these two contrasting
approaches. At a strategic level, this might be achieved through the concept of
Xexibility. In the UK, the initial idea of the Xexible Wrm was based on a distinction
between a core group of key workers and a peripheral group who were less central
to the success of the organization (Atkinson 1984). The implication was that most
key workers could be managed using a high-commitment model while peripheral
workers required tighter performance management. Indeed, this second group
could either be managed diVerently or possibly oVered diVerent kinds of contract
or subcontracted to other Wrms.
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
131
A somewhat diVerent perspective on Xexibility has been presented by Lepak and
Snell (1999) who argue that it is appropriate to recognize diVerent categories of
worker and to develop distinctive HR practices to reXect these diVerences. In their
model, they outline four categories based on the value and uniqueness of human
capital. Where both are high, they suggest that a high-commitment approach to
HRM will be most appropriate; where both are low, a more contractual relationship with a narrower focus on performance will be more eVective. The core of the
Xexibility argument is that the approach to HRM should be determined by
strategically identiWed characteristics of the workforce. It implies that HRM is
likely to be diVerentiated across organizations but also within organizations and
therefore, potentially, to aVect diVerent categories of worker in diVerent ways.
A second attempt to reconcile these contrasting approaches to HRM and control
of the workforce is oVered by advocates of what has come to be described as ‘high
performance’ or ‘high involvement’ (Batt 2002) work systems. Building on expectancy theory, Becker et al. (1997) and Guest (1997) suggested that high performance
depends on adopting HR practices that lead to workers having high ability/
competence, high motivation, and an opportunity to contribute through jobs
that provide the discretion, autonomy, and control to use the knowledge and skills
and to exercise motivation. A key feature of this approach is that it places
employees at the centre of HRM. Furthermore, with its elements of internal and
external control and intrinsic and extrinsic incentives, it perhaps oVers a pragmatic
approach to high performance. Nevertheless, its focus is on performance, and
despite taking account of issues such as trust and job security, it has little explicit
to say about workers’ satisfaction and well-being. The key challenge for HRM
within the framework being adopted here, which places the worker at the centre of
the agenda, is to identify the circumstances under which HR policy and practice
can result in both high performance and high levels of employee satisfaction and
well-being.
While the diVering approaches to HRM and management control imply rather
diVerent views about workers and may appear to show diVerent degrees of concern
about workers’ well-being, they are all invariably presented essentially as routes to
better performance. Walton implies that, like it or not, in the contemporary
workplace there is no choice but to manage with the commitment rather than
the compliance of the workforce. Yet this is still an argument about organizational
performance rather than worker well-being and leaves open questions about the
association between organizational performance and worker well-being.
Although there has been a continuing, albeit often low-key dimension in the
debate on the relationship between HRM and performance about the need to take
more seriously the role of employees, in practice, most of the research on HRM and
performance has neglected what has been termed the ‘black box’ or the process
whereby HRM aVects performance. However, it is generally acknowledged that it
must be partly through its impact on the attitudes and behavior of the workforce.
132
david e. guest
There is therefore a strong case for exploring the impact of HRM on employees or,
to put it another way, how employees react to HRM. There is an even stronger case
for incorporating this into the study of any link between HRM and performance to
test for any full or partial mediation eVect of employee attitudes and behavior.
These issues are explored in some detail elsewhere in the book and we will therefore
not pursue them further here. Instead we will focus more directly on outcomes of
primary concern to employees. These include intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, job
satisfaction, well-being, and the wider issues of work–life balance, health, and life
satisfaction. The framework of the psychological contract, which is introduced in
the next section, implies that a positive deal may result in beneWts for both the
employer and the employees; in other words, while the focus is on employeecentered outcomes, they may be linked to employer-relevant outcomes as well.
Before moving on, it is important to clarify two central terms used in the
remainder of this chapter. First, a distinction has been drawn between approaches
to HRM. As other chapters highlight, there is no clear consensus in research and
writing about either the conceptual or operational deWnition of HRM. Reference
will be made to studies that address ‘high-involvement,’ ‘high-commitment’ and
‘high-performance work systems.’ As implied above, these overlap considerably.
Irrespective of the term used, the focus will be on their association with employee
attitudes, behavior, and well-being.
The second term that is extensively used in this chapter is ‘worker well-being.’
This goes beyond job satisfaction to cover the mental and physical health of
workers. Therefore, while it includes job satisfaction, it also covers work-related
stress and in the context of current debates, and insofar as there is spillover, can
also be extended to include work–life balance and satisfaction with life as a whole.
These are issues of central concern to many workers but of more marginal interest
to organizations. They have not been a typical focus of studies of the impact of
HRM.
7.3 The Role of the Psychological
Contract
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The aim of achieving both organizational and individual goals—of gaining both
high performance and high employee satisfaction—implies some form of exchange,
a deal in which both sides can win. It is in this context that the psychological
contract may help to provide some insights. There have been three main reasons
for the growth of interest in the psychological contract as a potentially useful
analytic framework. The Wrst is the belief that the core of the deal is changing
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
133
(Rousseau 1995; Herriot and Pemberton 1995). The second is that organizational
change is now so pervasive that sooner or later any deal is in trouble, creating scope
for breach and violation (Morrison and Robinson 1997), and making the retention
of employee commitment, even with the best of HR practices, more diYcult to
achieve. The third is the argument that the nature of deal-making is changing from
general deals to more idiosyncratic deals, putting more pressure on local management to make and manage them (Rousseau 2001).
Before exploring these issues in more detail, we need to deWne the psychological
contract. There are various deWnitions but the one that we will use deWnes the
psychological contract as ‘the perceptions of both parties to the employment relationship, organization and individual, of the reciprocal promises and obligations
implied in that relationship’ (Herriot and Pemberton 1997; Guest and Conway
2002b). These promises and obligations can range from those that are clear and
explicit and close to components of the formal employment contract, such as more
pay in exchange for better performance; to others that are more informal and
implicit such as a boss–subordinate agreement about Xexible working hours to
accommodate domestic circumstances. While both parties should be aware of the
exchange, there is scope, particularly in the more informal deals, for misunderstanding and disagreement. It has been suggested elsewhere (Guest 2004) that to fully
understand the potential consequences of the psychological contract, it is important
additionally to take into account issues of fairness and trust. This is because the ‘deal’
may have been agreed by a worker but may be judged partly in the context of the deals
made with others. Also, it is possible that promises are being met at present but a
continuing contribution is likely to be based partly on an assessment of whether the
other party to the deal can be trusted to continue to deliver in the future.
The argument about the changing nature of the psychological contract is
sometimes presented in terms of an old and a new deal (Herriot and Pemberton
1995). In the context of managerial and professional workers, this can be described
as a shift from an upwardly mobile long-term career with the same organization in
return for loyalty and good performance, to provision of challenging work and
development opportunities in exchange for high performance. The distinctive
changes concern a reduced focus on loyalty and commitment in return for security,
with greater emphasis instead on notions of employability (Bridges 1995) and
boundaryless careers (Arthur and Rousseau 1996). For non-managerial workers,
the change is away from the old idea of a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay towards
a greater emphasis on pay related to contribution and an expectation of Xexibility
that can Xy in the face of traditional approaches to deWning roles and rewards based
on job analysis and job evaluation. All this implies a more challenging environment
for workers at all levels.
These changes have been deWned within the psychological contract literature
along a number of dimensions of which the best known is the distinction between
transactional and relational contracts. Transactional contracts are those that are
134
david e. guest
clearly deWned, time bound, and easy to monitor. Relational contracts are more
implicit and informal and less easy to tie down and monitor. Some of the literature,
focusing on change in psychological contracts, and mindful of the claimed growth
in numerical Xexibility reXected in portfolio workers and boundaryless careers, has
suggested a move towards transactional contracts. A contrasting literature, focusing more on functional Xexibility, has suggested a move to relational contracts. An
example of this would be a blurring of what constitutes organizational citizenship
behavior and a concern that extra-role activities such as staying late at work as a
matter of course, and reXecting a long hours culture, becomes an informal norm.
The transactional–relational distinction was initially brought to the analysis of
psychological contracts by Rousseau, who found support for it in some of her early
empirical work (Rousseau 1990). However, Coyle-Shapiro and Kessler (2000)
found three factors and Hui et al. (2004) also found three, adding a ‘balanced’
factor to the Wrst two. Furthermore, the boundary between transactional and
relational elements is, in some cases, far from clear. There is therefore some
doubt about the validity of the distinction, doubt about the direction of any
change, and, more fundamentally, doubt about whether it makes sense to consider
a move in one direction or another. If two or three relatively independent dimensions are identiWed, then it should be possible to be simultaneously high or low on
each or all of them.
Nevertheless, the argument about the changing nature of the psychological
contract poses distinctive challenges for the human resource function. First, it is
important to have policies and practices that can keep up with a rapidly changing
context and also tap in to changing employee expectations. In recent years, the
growing interest in work–life balance provides a good example of this. Second, it is
probably wise to expect that some people are going to believe that their psychological contract has been breached. Indeed, Conway and Briner (2002a) found that
psychological contracts are breached on an almost daily basis. However, they also
indicate that if breach of the psychological contract is an everyday occurrence, then
it may not be too serious. Morrison and Robinson (1997) have drawn a distinction
between breach and violation. The step up to violation occurs when there is an
emotional reaction and the worker feels aVronted and upset by the experience. The
challenge for the HR profession is to ensure that this rarely happens since it is
invariably associated with negative outcomes for both individual and employer
(Conway and Briner 2005).
A related challenge for the HR function is a shift from general to idiosyncratic
contracts. General deals are relatively easy to monitor and manage from the centre.
The case made by Rousseau (2001, 2003) is that the growth in Xexibility, concerns for
work–life balance, and the reducing size of many workplaces means that key
elements of the psychological contract are negotiated at the local level between
the employee and her line manager. The kind of social exchange that has long
been recognized in the context of leader—member exchange (LMX) theory
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
135
(Yukl 2005) will become more pervasive. As a result, they may be out of the control
of the HR department, which needs to ensure that line managers fully understand
their obligations as agents of the organization in making informal arrangements
with employees.
One way in which this might be achieved has been suggested by Bowen and
OstroV (2004). They argue that to understand how HRM has an impact, we need to
look not only at the system of practices but also at supporting processes. They
highlight in particular the role of organizational climate as a powerful mediating
variable, a view supported in the research of Gelade and Ivery (2003). More
speciWcally, they acknowledge, in line with the conventional analysis of the psychological contract, that on the basis of their experiences, individuals will perceive
psychological climates; they argue that the key is to turn these into collective
climates and thereby enhance the strength of the HR system. Social exchange theory
has been used extensively within organizational behavior to explain how this might
be achieved, notably through the concepts of perceived organizational support
(Eisenberger et al. 1986). By providing a degree of consistency in supporting a strong
organizational climate, these additional elements of the environment should provide an important complement to the system of human resource practices.
Wright and Boswell (2002: 261) argue that the psychological contract is important for the analysis of the relationship between HRM and workers because ‘psychological contracts and related perceptions are perhaps best viewed as linking
mechanisms between HR practices and individual attitudes and behavior.’ This
view is reinforced by Rousseau (Rousseau 1995; Rousseau and Greller 1994) who
suggests that experience of HR practices helps to shape workers’ perceptions of the
exchange relationship. In other words, the psychological contract provides an
important linking mechanism that can help to explain how HRM might inXuence
employee attitudes and behavior and, if the further link can be demonstrated,
organizational performance. One advantage of utilizing the psychological contract,
also noted by Wright and Boswell, is that it focuses on workers’ perceptions of
HR practices. The emphasis therefore shifts from the organizational level and
managers’ statements about practices to the individual level and accounts of how
workers experience HRM (Mabey et al. 1998).
7.4 HRM, the Psychological Contract,
and Worker Well-Being
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Conway and Briner (2005) suggest there are three ways in which the psychological
contract might aVect behavior. Each in turn can be related to human resource
136
david e. guest
practices. First, psychological contracts, more particularly the promises and commitments made by the organization and its agents, provide a goal structure that can
help to motivate and direct behavior. Second, psychological contracts might
operate through a system of social exchange, based on what Gouldner (1960)
termed the norm of reciprocity. Third, they may operate through a form of equity
theory, reXected in a balanced psychological contract. Where there is a balance
between the promises and obligations of employer and employee, it would be
predicted that the outcomes will be more positive than when there is imbalance.
Conway and Briner note that the evidence relating to each of these explanations
about how the psychological contract inXuences outcomes is relatively limited.
However, there is an extensive literature in support of the positive impact of goalsetting (Locke and Latham 1990). There is rather more psychological contract
research relating to social exchange. The results are somewhat mixed but generally
support the view that a positive oVer, manifested in promises from the employer,
will be reciprocated by more promises on the part of the employee as well as
commitment and motivation to meet the promises and obligations (Conway and
Coyle-Shapiro 2004). The one key study that addresses issues of equity or balance
(Shore and Barksdale 1998), albeit conducted within an explicitly social exchange
framework, does show that where there is a balance, whether it is based on high or
low levels of reciprocal promises and commitments, then the outcomes for employees are more positive.
The promises and obligations that form the core of the psychological contract
are likely to be shaped by a variety of factors, including the organization’s human
resource practices. These will be communicated initially though the information
provided during the recruitment and selection process, including, in some cases,
more or less realistic job previews. They will be reinforced and perhaps modiWed
through further processes of socialization (de Vos et al. 2003), social informationprocessing (Salancik and PfeVer 1978), and various forms of communication
(Guest and Conway 2002b). Guest and Conway explored the ways in which
organizations sought to communicate the psychological contract and which processes were rated most eVective by HR managers. They found three broad types of
communication, covering communication around the process of recruitment,
communication from the top of the organization, including mission statements
and broad general promises, and local communication that was more job and
person related. Perhaps not surprisingly, communication and promises associated
with local communication of the psychological contract were rated most eVective
and those coming from the top of the organization were least eVective in managing
the psychological contract and the employment relationship.
We noted earlier that the impact of HR practices and the way in which the
organization seeks to communicate the deal are likely to be at least partly a
function of the characteristics of the workers who form part of the exchange.
Conway and Briner (2005) review the evidence about individual characteristics
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
137
that might help to shape the deal and perceptions of it. They report Coyle-Shapiro
and Neumann’s (2004) research concerning diVerent ideologies of exchange which
suggests that these are relatively stable personality characteristics. They found
variations between those they labeled ‘entitleds’ who generally expect to receive
more than they give in exchange, ‘equity sensitives’ who are concerned to achieve a
balance, and ‘benevolents’ with a creditor ideology who are happy to give more
than they receive. These diVerent orientations to the exchange are likely to shape
perceptions of the deal and reactions to it. Raja et al. (2004) found that diVerences
in personality characteristics such as neuroticism aVected preferences for relational
and transactional contracts. These individual diVerences may strengthen the case
for promoting idiosyncratic deals. They also support the need for a consistent
context, which, as Bowen and OstroV (2004) suggest, might be reinforced by a
supportive climate, providing a strong HR system and encouraging a positive
exchange between employee and employer. HR practices applied at the organization or establishment level thus set a framework but the ‘deal’ will often be
elaborated at the local level between the line manager and each of her staV.
Despite the assumption of Rousseau (1995) that HRM will help to shape the
psychological contract, there is little published evidence that explicitly considers
either this or any subsequent link to employee attitudes, behavior, and well-being.
One exception is a series of surveys in the UK by Guest and Conway. Guest and
Conway’s (2002b) study of 1,306 employers found that more promises are likely to
be made and more are likely to be kept by the organization where more ‘highinvolvement’ HR practices are in place. Surveys of UK workers report similar
Wndings (see, for example, Guest and Conway 2002a, 2004a). Workers reporting
that they experience more HR practices also report that more promises are made by
the organization and that they are more likely to be kept. These results from both
employers and employees suggest that the presence of HR practices may help to
make the promises more visible and explicit or, in the language of the psychological
contract, more transactional. Transactional psychological contracts may be easier
to monitor and attract stronger obligations on the part of management to keep
them. In summary, greater numbers of HR practices are associated with a more
extensive psychological contract and with a greater likelihood that the promises
and obligations will be met.
The next step is therefore to determine the consequences of meeting the promises and obligations in the psychological contract. This has been the major focus of
research on the psychological contract, although most attention has been paid to
the consequences of non-fulWllment or breach of the psychological contract.
Studies (e.g. Conway and Briner 2002a; Robinson 1995; Robinson and Rousseau
1994; Turnley and Feldman 1999) have conWrmed that breach of the psychological
contract is commonplace and that when it escalates to violation (Robinson
and Morrison 2000) it has more serious negative consequences. It has consistently
been associated with reduced commitment to the organization, lower job
138
david e. guest
satisfaction, reduced organizational citizenship behavior, and an increased turnover intention and actual staV turnover (see Conway and Briner 2005 for a review).
It is important to bear in mind that if breach is associated with negative outcomes,
then fulWllment of promises, which, as we have seen, is associated with greater
numbers of HR practices, leads to positive outcomes (see, for example, Turnley et al.
2003).
While these outcomes are of interest from a worker’s perspective, with the
exception of job satisfaction, they are likely to be of more concern to the organization. Very few studies have actually considered outcomes associated with workers’ well-being. In their review of all the published studies concerned with breach
and violation of the psychological contract, Conway and Briner (2005) could Wnd
only two concerned with well-being, both by themselves (Conway and Briner
2002a, 2002b). These found that violation of the psychological contract was
associated with poorer moods and feelings of reduced well-being. However, there
is relevant data in the surveys by Guest and Conway (2002a, 2004a) using the
analytic framework set out in Fig. 7.1. Based each year on a sample of 1,000 workers
broadly representative of the UK working population with respect to age, gender,
and occupational status, a core set of questions covered experience of human
resource practices, the psychological contract, and outcomes such as satisfaction,
stress at work, and aspects of well-being, life satisfaction, and work–life balance.
After controlling for other factors, greater experience of human resource practices is associated with a greater number of reported promises and a higher level of
reported fulWllment of promises in the psychological contract. There is a direct
Contextual and
background
factors
Individual:
Age
Gender
Education
Level in organization
Type of work
Hours worked
Employment contract
Ethnicity
Tenure
Income
Organizational:
Sector
Size
Ownership
Business strategy
Union recognition
Policy and
practice
HR policy
and
practices
Direct
participation
Employment
relations
Psychological
contract
Reciprocal
promises,
inducements,
and obligations
State of the
psychological
contract
Delivery of
the deal
Fairness
Trust
Outcomes
Attitudinal
consequences:
Organizational
commitment
Work satisfaction
Work-life balance
Job security
Motivation
Stress
Behavioral consequences:
Attendance
Intention to stay/quit
Job performance
Organizational citizenship behaviors
Fig. 7.1. A framework for the analysis of the psychological contract
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
139
association between HRM and the range of attitudinal outcomes including work
satisfaction, life satisfaction, and satisfaction with work–life balance but this
association is either fully or partially mediated by the measure of the state of the
psychological contract. There is a small positive association between greater
experience of HR practices and stress. However, there is a strong negative association between a positive state of the psychological contract and stress and evidence
that the state of the psychological contract moderates the relationship between
HRM and stress. With respect to other aspects of well-being, a positive state of the
psychological contract is associated with fewer reports of harmful experiences at
work and with a much lower likelihood that the demands of work will be perceived
as harmful. On a more positive note, those reporting a positive state of the
psychological contract are also likely to report that they Wnd their work more
exciting. The 2004 survey explored the concept of a ‘healthy workplace’ as deWned
by the UK Health and Safety Executive (Cousins et al. 2004) following concern
about the rapid growth in long-term absence due to non-physical ill health. The
survey found a strong association between greater experience of HR practices and
worker reports of a ‘healthier workplace.’ Both a ‘healthier workplace’ and a more
positive state of the psychological contract were associated with much lower levels
of work-related stress.
While this section has focused on the role of the psychological contract, it is
important to note that there have been other studies linking HRM and employee
attitudes. There is evidence from both the USA (see, for example, Appelbaum et al.
2000; Batt 2002) and from the UK (Guest 2002; Patterson et al. 1997) linking more
extensive experience of HR practices and greater satisfaction, motivation, and
commitment.
In summary, what these studies reveal is that, based on employee reports of their
experiences of ‘high-involvement’ HR practices, an approach recommended by
Gerhart et al. (2000) to ensure that data is collected on actual practices, there is an
association between greater current experience of these practices and a range of
outcomes associated with employee well-being. SpeciWcally, they are associated
with higher levels of work and life satisfaction and better work–life balance. They
are also associated with greater job security and a better quality of workplace. All of
these outcomes are partially or fully mediated by the measure of the state of the
psychological contract which includes as its central component a measure of
fulWllment of promises by the organization. This measure is also strongly associated with lower levels of stress at work and serves to moderate the small positive
association between HRM and stress at work. These surveys also show a positive
association between both greater experience of HR practices and a positive state of
the psychological contract and a range of organizationally relevant outcomes such
as greater commitment, motivation, and intention to stay. Since there is also
evidence, elsewhere in the book, that greater use of HR practices is associated
with positive organizational outcomes and some evidence that these are mediated
140
david e. guest
by employee attitudes and behavior, there is support for a provisional conclusion
that through greater use of ‘high-commitment’ HRM, everyone wins. It would
seem that we are getting closer to Wnding the conditions under which it is possible
to have high performance and high worker well-being.
7.5 Worker Well-Being or Worker
Exploitation?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The evidence presented above consistently reveals a positive association between
the greater use of high-commitment HRM and various indicators of workers’
well-being. It also conWrms that the psychological contract acts as a mediator
between HRM and employee attitudes. Despite this, there have been critical voices
raised against HRM, partly because of its potentially negative consequences for
workers.
A major concern is that HRM is likely to be associated with the intensiWcation of
work. One of the aims of HRM is to raise performance; the issue is how this is
raised. There is empirical evidence that in the UK work has become more intensive
(Green 2001) with longer hours for some workers but also more time spent in
productive activity, leaving less space in the working day for recovery or reXection.
However, since there is also evidence that there has at the same time been only a
relatively modest implementation of HR practices (Cully et al. 1999), it is diYcult
to support a claim that intensiWcation can be attributed to HRM. Insofar as there is
any substance to the claim, it might be attributable to the greater focus on
performance management which falls within the ‘hard’ or ‘low-road’ version of
HRM, designed to direct worker eVort to increasing performance.
One of the indications of externally imposed demands is higher work-related
stress (Karasek and Theorell 1990). Appelbaum et al. (2000) found that workers
reported less stress in US organizations with high-performance work practices. In
contrast, the study by Ramsay et al. (2000) using the UK WERS data found an
association between their measure of HRM and higher reported stress among
workers. This Wnding must be viewed with some caution since their measure of
HRM does not conform to any standard model. However, it does suggest there may
be some substance in the claims that HRM might have negative consequences. The
two studies by Guest and Conway (2002a, 2004a) found a modest but signiWcant
association between greater experience of HRM and work-related stress. However,
in both surveys, the association was moderated by the state of the psychological
contract. In other words, HRM is only associated with stress where management
fails to meet its promises and obligations.
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
141
The second major concern expressed by critics of HRM is that it promotes a
unitarist system which reduces workers’ collective voice. Evidence from the UK
Workplace Employee Relations Survey (Guest and Conway 2004b) and from the
annual surveys of the psychological contract (Guest and Conway 1999) shows that
trade union membership and trade union recognition is associated with lower
levels of satisfaction with work, after controlling for a range of individual and
organizational factors. Guest and Conway (1999) compared the impact of union
membership and a set of high-commitment HR practices on work satisfaction and
other outcomes and found that the positive impact on outcomes such as satisfaction was derived from the HR practices rather than the union presence. The most
positive workers were those reporting high levels of HR practices and no union
membership while the most negative workers were those with low levels of HR
practices and trade union membership rather than those without both. This
suggests that a union presence may provide voice but often this voice will not be
associated with work satisfaction.
Despite the absence in these surveys of any association between a union presence
and positive worker satisfaction and well-being, there is evidence from other
sources that a mutual-gains (Kochan and Osterman 1995) or partnership model
(Guest and Peccei 2001) may beneWt both the organization and its employees.
Where there is an established trade union presence and a climate of cooperation,
this may be an appropriate means of promoting the link between HRM and worker
satisfaction and well-being while also providing the kind of safeguards that are
sometimes necessary to ensure that individual managers do not seek to bypass the
spirit of trust that partnership can help to promote. If the psychological contract
operates at the individual level, then the mutual-gains or partnership model oVers
a more collective equivalent. In terms of Bowen and OstroV ’s (2004) analysis, it
helps to promote the strength of the HR system. To date, there are few reported
cases of the eVective implementation of this kind of working arrangement.
The third broad criticism of HRM is that it is a form of deceit, promising one
thing and delivering another, using subtle approaches to incorporate workers into
an organizational way of thinking and in eVect brainwashing them to become
‘willing slaves’ (Scott 1994). This concern has been voiced in the UK by Legge (1995,
2000) and Keenoy (1990) and has been addressed in some detail elsewhere (Guest
1999). Essentially, it boils down to the issue of whether we take workers’ accounts of
their experiences seriously. The case for taking workers’ accounts seriously is
compelling; and as the workforce becomes increasingly well educated and well
informed, it becomes even stronger. The available accounts generally do not
support the view that they feel deceived or exploited by HRM.
In summary, there is some evidence that HRM, in whatever form, increases the
demands of the job, either by providing greater autonomy or through externally
shaped controls, and can be associated with slightly higher stress. However,
there are powerful mediating and moderating factors, including the psychological
142
david e. guest
contract, suggesting that this need not be a major concern. There is no evidence
that a trade union presence serves to alleviate stress or improve worker well-being
more generally. Nevertheless, where a union is well established, a case can be made
for pursuing a mutual-gains model that might serve to protect and enhance worker
well-being, reinforcing the positive impact of HRM.
7.6 Summary and Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This chapter has explored human resource management from the perspective of
the worker. We have been concerned primarily with the non-managerial workers,
but, as noted above, it is important to recognize that the workforce is increasingly
well qualiWed and the proportion of what can be described as ‘knowledge workers’
is growing. This aVects the balance of workers’ orientations and priorities in work
and life outside work. It also gives more credence to the view of HRM as a process
of extending policies and practices directed to managerial and professional workers
to the rest of the workforce.
The chapter has given some emphasis to the question of management control
and the implication of how the challenge to control is resolved through the
approach to HRM that is adopted. This matters because the ‘hard,’ top-down
perspective is more management centered and management controlled while the
‘soft’ bottom-up approach is more likely to result in the high-involvement HR
practices that take some account of workers’ concerns and place employee attitudes
and behavior closer to the heart of the policy framework.
The psychological contract has been used to help to explain how HRM has an
impact on employee attitudes and behavior. Building on social exchange theory, it is
suggested that when the employer oVers promises and makes commitments, these
will be reciprocated by the employee. The evidence presented conWrms that greater
use of HR practices is associated with a greater number of promises in the psychological contract, a greater level of fulWllment of these, and better levels of perceived
fairness of the deal and trust in management. Fairness and trust are strongly
implicated in the traditional employment relationship and these Wndings,
reinforced by ratings of the state of employer–employee relations, conWrm that a
positive state of the psychological contract is associated with better employment
relations as well as a whole range of additional positive outcomes. This suggests that
even in the absence of a trade union and traditional pluralist industrial relations,
policies and practices designed to ensure a fair exchange within the psychological
contract can promote eVective employment relations. This helps to counter some of
the concerns about exploitation in the absence of a union presence.
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
143
There is still a case to be made and a battle to be won to promote greater
adoption of the high-commitment/high-performance work system approach to
HRM. In those organizations that do adopt it, the beneWts to the organization and,
in this context, more particularly to the workers are apparent. It is likely to lead to a
more secure and better quality of working life, a better work–life balance, and
greater overall life satisfaction. These are outcomes that are well worth pursuing.
References
Appelbaum, E., and Batt, R. (1994). The New American Workplace. Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press.
Bailey, T., Berg. P., and Kalleberg, A. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage: Ithaca,
NY: Cornell University Press.
Arthur, M., and Rousseau, D. (1996). The Boundaryless Career. Oxford: Oxford Univer
sity Press.
Atkinson, J. (1984). ‘Manpower Strategies for Flexible Organizations.’ Personnel Manage
ment, August: 28 31.
Barney, J., and Wright, P. (1998). ‘On Becoming a Strategic Partner: The Role of Human
Resources in Gaining Competitive Advantage.’ Human Resource Management, 37: 31 46.
Batt, R. (2002). ‘Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and
Sales Growth.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45: 587 98.
Becker, B., Huselid, M., Pickus, P., and Spratt, M. (1997). ‘HR as a Source of Share
holder Value: Research and Recommendations.’ Human Resource Management, 36: 39 47.
Bowen, D., and Ostroff, C. (2004). ‘Understanding HRM Firm Performance Linkages: The
Role of the ‘‘Strength’’ of the HRM System.’ Academy of Management Review, 29: 203 21.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basing
stoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bridges, W. (1995). Job Shift: How to Prosper in a Workplace without Jobs. London: Nicholas
Brearley.
Conway, N., and Briner, R. (2002a). ‘A Daily Diary Study of AVective Responses to
Psychological Contract Breach and Exceeded Promises.’ Journal of Organizational
Behavior, 23: 287 302.
(2002b). ‘Full Time Versus Part Time Employees: Understanding the Links
between Work Status, Psychological Contract and Attitudes.’ Journal of Vocational
Behavior, 61: 279 301.
(2005). Understanding Psychological Contracts at Work. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
and Coyle Shapiro, J. (2004). ‘The Employment Relationship through the Lens of
Social Exchange.’ In J. Coyle Shapiro, L. Shore, M. S. Taylor, and L. Tetrick (eds.), The
Employment Relationship: Examining Psychological and Contextual Perspectives. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Cousins, R., Mackay, C., Clarke, S., Kelly, C., Kelly, P., and McHaig, R. (2004).
‘ ‘‘Management Standards’’ and Work Related Stress in the UK: Practical Development.’
Work and Stress, 18: 113 36.
144
david e. guest
Coyle Shapiro, J., and Kessler, I. (2000). ‘Consequences of the Psychological Contract
for the Employment Relationship: A Large Scale Survey.’ Journal of Management Studies,
37: 903 30.
and Neumann, J. (2004). ‘Individual Dispositions and the Psychological Contract:
The Moderating EVects of Exchange and Creditor Ideologies.’ Journal of Vocational
Behavior, 64: 150 64.
Cully, M., Woodland, S., O’Reilly, A., and Dix, S. (1999). Britain at Work. London:
Routledge.
de Vos, A., Buyens, D., and Schalk, R. (2003). ‘Psychological Contract Development
during Organizational Socialization: Adaptation to Reality and the Role of Reciprocity.’
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24: 537 58.
Eisenberger, R., Huntingdon, R., Hutchison, S., and Sowa, D. (1986). ‘Perceived
Organizational Support.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 71: 500 7.
Gelade, G., and Ivery, M. (2003). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management and
Work Climate on Organizational Performance.’ Personnel Psychology, 56: 383 404.
Gerhart, B., Wright, P., MaMahan, G., and Snell, S. (2000). ‘Measurement Error in
Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: How Much Error is there and
How does it InXuence Size EVect Estimates?’ Personnel Psychology, 53: 805 34.
Gouldner, A. (1960). ‘The Norm of Reciprocity: A Preliminary Statement.’ American
Sociological Review, 25: 161 78.
Green, F. (2001). ‘It’s been a Hard Day’s Night: The Concentration and IntensiWcation of
Work in Late Twentieth Century Britain.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 39: 53 80.
Guest, D. (1997). ‘Human Resource Management and Performance: A Review and
Research Agenda.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8: 263 76.
(1999). ‘Human Resource Management: The Workers’ Verdict.’ Human Resource
Management Journal, 9/3: 5 25.
(2002). ‘Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee
Well Being: Building the Worker into HRM.’ Journal of Industrial Relations, 44: 335 58.
(2004). ‘The Psychology of the Employment Relationship: An Analysis Based on the
Psychological Contract.’ Applied Psychology: An International Review, 53: 541 55.
and Conway, N. (1999). ‘Peering into the Black Hole: The Downside of the New
Employment Relations in the UK.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 37: 367 89.
(2002a). Pressure at Work and the Psychological Contract. London: CIPD.
(2002b). ‘Communicating the Psychological Contract: An Employer Perspec
tive.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 12: 22 39.
(2004a). Employee Well Being and the Psychological Contract. London: CIPD.
(2004b). ‘Exploring the Paradox of Unionised Worker Dissatisfaction.’
Industrial Relations Journal, 35: 102 21.
and Peccei, R. (2001). ‘Partnership at Work: Mutuality and the Balance of Advan
tage.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 39: 207 36.
Herriot, P., and Pemberton, C. (1995). New Deals: The Revolution in Managerial Careers.
Chichester: Wiley.
(1997). ‘Facilitating New Deals.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 7: 45 56.
Hui, C., Lee, C., and Rousseau, D. (2004). ‘Psychological Contracts in China: Investigating
Instrumentality and Generalisability.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89: 311 21.
Karasek, R., and Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy Work. New York: Basic Books.
hrm: towards a new psychological contract?
145
Keenoy, T., (1990). ‘HRM: A Case of the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?’ Personnel Review, 19/2:
3 9.
Kochan, T., and Osterman, P. (1995). The Mutual Gains Enterprise. Cambridge, Mass.:
Harvard University Press.
Lawler, E. (1971). Pay and Organizational EVectiveness. New York: McGraw Hill.
Legge, K. (1995). Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities. London:
Macmillan.
(2000). ‘Silver Bullet or Spent Round? Assessing the Meaning of the ‘‘High Commit
ment/Performance’’ Relationship.’ In J. Storey (ed.), Human Resource Management:
A Critical Text., 2nd ed. London: Thomson Learning.
Lepak, D., and Snell, S. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory of
Human Capital Allocation.’ Academy of Management Review, 24: 31 48.
Locke, E., and Latham, G. (1990). A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. Engle
wood CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Mabey, C., Skinner, D., and Clark, T. (eds.) (1998). Experiencing Human Resource
Management. London: Sage.
Meyer, J., and Allen, N. (1997). Commitment in the Workplace. London: Sage.
Miles, R., and Snow, C. (1984). ‘Designing Strategic Human Resource Systems.’ Organ
izational Dynamics, 12/2: 36 52.
Milkman, R. (1997). Farewell to the Factory: Auto Workers in the Twentieth Century. Berkeley
and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Morrison, E., and Robinson, S. (1997). ‘When Employees Feel Betrayed: A Model of how
Psychological Contract Violation Develops.’ Academy of Management Review, 22: 226 56.
Patterson, M., West, M., Lawthom, R., and Nickell, S. (1997). Impact of People
Management Practices on Business Performance. London: IPD.
Raja, U., Johns, G., and Ntalianis, F. (2004). ‘The Impact of Personality on Psychological
Contracts.’ Academy of Management Journal, 47: 350 67.
Ramsay, H., Scholarios, D., and Harley, B. (2000). ‘Employees and High Performance
Work Systems: Testing Inside the Black Box.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38:
501 31.
Robinson, S. (1995). ‘Violations of Psychological Contracts: Impact on Employee Atti
tudes.’ In L. Tetrick and J. Barling (eds.), Changing Employment Relations: Behavioral and
Social Perspectives. Washington: American Psychological Association.
and Morrison, E. (2000). ‘The Development of Psychological Contract Breach and
Violation: A Longitudinal Study.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21: 525 46.
and Rousseau, D. (1994). ‘Violating the Psychological Contract: Not the Exception
but the Norm.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15: 245 59.
Rousseau, D. (1990). ‘New Hire Perceptions of their Own and their Employer’s Obligations:
A Study of Psychological Contracts.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 11: 389 400.
(1995). Psychological Contracts in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
(2001). ‘The Idiosyncratic Deal: Flexibility Versus Fairness.’ Organizational Dynamics,
29: 260 73.
(2003). ‘Under the Table Deals: Preferential, Authorised or Idiosyncratic?’ In
A. O’Leary Kelly and R. Griffin (eds.), The Darkside of Organizational Life. San
Francisco: Jossey Bass.
and Greller, M. (1994). ‘Human Resource Practices: Administrative Contract
Makers.’ Human Resource Management, 33: 385 401.
146
david e. guest
Salancik, G., and Pfeffer, J. (1978). ‘A Social Information Processing Approach to Job
Attitude and Task Design.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 23: 224 53.
Scott, A. (1994). Willing Slaves? British Workers under Human Resource Management.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Shore, L., and Barksdale, K. (1998). ‘Examining Degree of Balance and Level of Obliga
tion in the Employment Relationship: A Social Exchange Approach.’ Journal of Organ
izational Behavior, 19: 731 45.
Storey, J. (1992). Developments in the Management of Human Resources. Oxford: Blackwell.
Turnley, W., and Feldman, D. (1999). ‘The Impact of Psychological Contract Violations
on Exit, Voice, Loyalty and Neglect.’ Human Relations, 52: 895 922.
Bolino, M., Lester, S., and Bloodgood, J. (2003). ‘The Impact of Psychological
Contract FulWlment on the Performance of In Role and Organizational Citizenship
Behavior.’ Journal of Management, 29: 187 206.
Walton, R. (1985). ‘From Control to Commitment.’ Harvard Business Review, 63: 77 84.
Wright, P., and Boswell, W. (2002). ‘Desegregating HRM: A Review and Synthesis of
Micro and Macro Human Resource Management Research.’ Journal of Management, 28:
247 76.
Yukl, G. (2005). Leadership in Organizations, 6th edn. Englewood CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
chapter 8
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM AND THE
WO R K E R
LABOR PROCESS
PERSPECTIVES
....................................................................................................................................
paul thompson
bill harley
8.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Our starting point for this discussion is that HRM and LPT, as bodies of theory
and research, have some fundamental commonalities of purpose. That is, both are
concerned with the dynamics and regulation of work and employment relations.
Rather than target a straw man or pop management versions of HRM, we aim to
focus on the growing body of work which utilizes empirical and theoretical
analyses to develop an informed understanding of key issues such as what HRM
means in terms of concrete practices, their drivers, and implications for workers,
managers, and organizations. As will become clear in the course of the chapter, we
take issue with a number of the key claims made by scholars of HRM, but we
nonetheless recognize that there is a growing body of work which deserves serious
consideration if we are to continue to develop and reWne our understanding of the
regulation of work and employment.
148
paul thompson and bill harley
One problem with such engagement is that HRM is not a homogeneous body of
scholarship. The most obvious distinction is between those who see HRM itself as a
distinctive approach to managing the employment relationship based on a highskill, high-commitment workforce and a central role for human capital in Wrm
strategy (Guest 1987; Storey 1985); and those who take a more contingent perspective and seek to identify ‘what HR practices are proWt-rational in which contexts’
(Boxall and Purcell 2003: 10). To the extent that the Wrst group is more likely to
make distinctive, contrastable claims, our engagement is more with them than the
second. However, the diVerence is not as substantial as it may appear. For the latter
group, HRM is not merely a territory (e.g. work, employment, and industrial
relations) to write about. Its prime purpose is still normative—to derive general,
though context-dependent rules that guide and enhance the quality of labor
management in the Wrm. So, Boxall and Purcell (2003) utilize a framework in
which the critical HR goals of cost eVectiveness (through labor productivity),
organizational Xexibility, and social legitimacy create multiple bottom lines
whose tensions can and must be managed by successful Wrms. There is, in our
view, suYcient commonality to refer to ‘core propositions.’
8.2 Core Propositions of HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
We argue that there are at least three core claims to which most scholars of HRM
subscribe. The Wrst is that major changes in the nature of the environment in which
organizations operate have placed pressure on organizations to be more strategic in
their management of employees. This is the familiar view that most organizations
are now operating in increasingly global, competitive, and volatile markets in
which they must be Xexible and able to develop unique products and services
which are not easily imitable. Whilst some sector diVerentiation is made, according
to most of the HRM literature it is through employees that such competitiveness
can best be developed, because employees possess the kinds of skills that allow
Xexibility and which are diYcult to imitate.
Second, largely as a result of changes mapped out above, there has been a shift
away from management practices that involve the attempt to control employees
towards those which seek to win employee commitment and generate motivation.
The essence of this argument is that Taylorist labor management practices, with their
emphasis on squeezing eVort from employees, simply do not work in an environment where organizations must harness the skills and creativity of their workforces.
The third, and closely related, claim is that in the context of these changes and
contra the arguments of radical or conXict theories of the employment relationship,
both workers and managers can increasingly be beneWciaries of the new approaches
hrm: labor process perspectives
149
to work and employment. This is because in an environment where employee skills
and commitment are central to organizational success, it is precisely by giving
employees more that organizations will gain more. HRM is based explicitly or
implicitly on a pluralist perspective of competing, but containable interests among
stakeholders. Successful strategies therefore rely on the ‘principle of aligning
employer and employee interests’ (Boxall and Purcell 2003: 245).
8.3 Labor Process Theory:
Core Propositions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
What equivalent observations can be made with respect to the key claims of LPT?
Since the publication of Braverman’s (1974) Labor and Monopoly Capital, considerable conceptual and geographic diversity means that, like HRM, LPT does not
speak with one voice. Nevertheless, we would argue that there is a core theory—
indeed from the Labor Process Theory volume onwards (Knights and Willmott
1990), considerable discussion has taken place on what this is (see Jaros 2005 for a
detailed review). The core claims of LPT tend to be abstract rather than contingent.
Or put it another way, whereas HRM claims focus on speciWc changes to, for
example, skill or control, LPT proceeds from higher-order statements about the
structural properties of the capitalist labor process that shape skills and control
(Thompson 1990). This is important because many observers wrongly associate
LPT with contingent claims (in this case made by Braverman) such as the deskilling
thesis or the ubiquity of Taylorism as a control system.
So what are these core propositions? The starting point is the indeterminacy of
labor—the unique character of labor as a commodity requires its conversion from
labor power (the potential for work) into labor (actual work eVort) in order for the
accumulation of capital to take place. Incomplete labor contracts are a commonplace observation from a variety of perspectives, but the diVerence is in cause and
consequences. This struggle over ‘conversion’ is located in the constant renewal of
the forces of production under the impact of the competitive accumulation of
capital. Amongst the central consequences is the control imperative. As market
mechanisms alone cannot regulate the labor process, systems of management are
utilized to reduce the indeterminacy gap between labor power and actual labor.
Given divergent positions in the social relations of production and therefore
potentially conXicting interests, that imperative does not go unchallenged. The
notion of the workplace as a contested terrain is a central motif of LPT, which is
often described as a ‘control and resistance model’ of workplace relations. This is
not wholly accurate. It has long been recognized that although the workplace
150
paul thompson and bill harley
relations between capital and labor are ones of ‘structured antagonism’ (Edwards
1990), capital, in order to constantly revolutionize the work process, must seek
some level of creativity and cooperation from labor. LPT has therefore long
recognized that there is a continuum of possible, situationally driven, and overlapping worker responses to relations of ownership and control in the workplace—
from resistance to accommodation, compliance, and consent.
Despite the fact that this approach does not seek to explain or predict speciWc
outcomes (such as deskilling) from more general imperatives, it has still left many
writers more sympathetic to HRM unhappy. In essence, core LPT is still seen as a
structuralist straitjacket. Particular objection is made to the control imperative and
the idea of managers as ‘agents of capital’ (Storey 1985: Watson 1994). However, this
confuses a James Bond notion of agent—people given orders and sent out into the
world to execute them—with a more general notion of particular groups of
managers who must interpret and enact their agency role on behalf of capital
within speciWc institutional, market, and workplace conditions. As Elger (2001)
observes, post-Braverman LPT came to accept a ‘relative autonomy’ of the workplace within capitalism. Whilst some on the more Marxist wing demur, most
contributors accept that though there is an inherent struggle between capital and
labor at work, this has no necessary links with any wider class struggle.
HRM theory, unlike LPT, does not appear to conceptualize capitalism as setting
structural limits to the degree to which the interests of labor and capital can
converge. The latter is inherently more skeptical about managerial ideology, pessimistic about the progressive character of workplace change and the capacity to
reconcile competing interests. However, the two ‘sides’ should be capable of
debating and attempting to resolve the status of empirical claims about trends in
the workplace and the wider economy.
There are no signiWcant methodological barriers. It is true that LPT writers have
a preference for qualitative approaches that can reach beneath the surface of
managerial rhetoric and conventional survey evidence on worker attitudes and
dominant narratives of workplace change to identify the reality of practices on the
ground and uncover worker voice and action. However, though most LPT research
has been based on case studies or ethnographies, it is not in principle hostile to
quantitative approaches. Indeed, the core propositions of LPT cannot be addressed
through qualitative case studies alone. Survey and related methods can also be used
to test dominant rhetorics against worker voice and management practice (e.g.
Harley 1999). As ThursWeld and Hamblett note, because of its realist epistemology,
LPT thus diVers from the inXuential idealist critique that focuses on HRM as ‘a
cultural construction that is made up of a number of metaphors and myths’ (2004:
114). LPT and HRM can therefore Wsh in the same waters, testing diVerent
propositions through identical datasets.
In sum, LPT ‘has tried to account for the variations and complexity of workplace
relations and identify key trends across sectors, companies and nation states, whilst
hrm: labor process perspectives
151
setting out the systemic features of the capitalist labor process that shape and
constrain those relations’ (Thompson and Newsome 2004: 135). While LPT only
has indirect interest in some areas of concern to HRM, notably labor market issues,
its research programs have incrementally generated some key propositions and
Wndings and the rest of the chapter sets those out in relation to parallel claims made
within HRM literatures.
8.4 Interrogating HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
We now move to consider what insights LPT can provide into the core propositions of HRM through examining three sets of closely related issues which LPT can
elucidate and challenge. Each of the issues is addressed by considering empirical
studies which have been undertaken, informed by a LPT perspective, showing how
these studies have generated conclusions which are diVerent from those which the
core propositions of HRM would suggest.
8.4.1 Control
As we indicated earlier, HRM claims have been made that there has been from the
1980s onwards a move from control to commitment. InXuential articles from Walton
(1985) and Bowen and Lawler (1992) sought to locate these changes in new
competitive pressures and the enhanced demands of a service-oriented, knowledge-based economy. As a result, ‘command and control’ was no longer seen as an
option for successful businesses, and coercion and rules were displaced by values,
trust, and self-direction as a means of coordination.
It has to be said that such conceptualizations of control are very weak. Walton
refers to the control strategy as if there were a single disposition of management or
context within which to operate. Explicitly or implicitly, control is treated as
coterminous with Taylorism, bureaucracy, and adversarial industrial relations
systems. In his view, new strategic contingencies (take your pick from post-Fordism
to the knowledge economy) mean that control is not required. A more credible
proposition oVered by some HRM writers is that there has been a shift towards soft
controls: in other words, towards practices intended to generate commitment
through a combination of culture-led changes and delegation of authority. Soft
controls tend to be presented as part of a package of high-commitment practices
sustained by a strategic orientation and a high level of integration between
corporate, functional, and operational levels of the business (Kochan et al. 1986).
152
paul thompson and bill harley
LPT had already anticipated the idea of a shift to soft(er) controls. Burawoy
(1985) argued that modern production regimes combined coercive mechanisms
with those directed at consent and limited forms of workplace citizenship. This was
followed by an inXuential paper by Ray (1986) that presented corporate culture as
the last frontier of control, enabling organizations to internalize controls and
generate emotional identiWcation—though she qualiWed this by admitting that
new controls operated alongside traditional ones, were internally contradictory,
and may not work or work outside particular contexts.
HRM propositions on changing controls have had wider resonance because they
share some characteristics with overlapping claims about the intent and outcomes
of new management practices made by some critical researchers with links to LPT
such as Willmott (1993) and Sewell (1998). Associated with ‘post-structuralist’ or
Foucauldian perspectives, the main argument sees corporate culture as an eVective
means of extending managerial control more congruent with postmodern times
and their emphasis on consumption and identity. Though the language of governance of the employee’s soul is critical, the HRM claim is repeated that modern
management focuses on the ‘insides’ or subjectivity of workers rather than their
manifest behaviors (Deetz 1992). Such arguments countered the optimistic gloss of
HRM notions of empowerment and teamwork, but reinforced the view that new
normative controls were seen to work. Whilst, from Burawoy (1979, 1985) onwards,
LPT recognized that consent can be generated from both worker and managerial
practices, what is implicitly shared across some HRM and post-structuralist commentators is an assumption that management can shape identities in a way that
overcomes traditional bases of interest formation. Yet without an acknowledgement of structured antagonism and divergent interests one is left only with consent
and accommodation, and not control and resistance.
A double critique—of claims made on behalf of HRM and by post-structuralists—
was the explicit starting point of Thompson and Ackroyd’s (1995) inXuential
article. But this critique developed into a more ambitious attempt to systematically
map contemporary worker actions across the domains of time, eVort, product, and
identity (Ackroyd and Thompson 1999). The concept of employee misbehavior,
though not without dispute within LPT, meant that LPT was better equipped to
address and move beyond the partial decline of formal organization and collectivist
industrial relations. Issues of culture and identity are not denied, but are seen as
new contested terrains, as illustrated in Taylor and Bain’s (2003) account of how
call center workers use humor and other informal action as a tool of resistance.
The conceptual weaknesses of soft control arguments have often been compounded by a tendency to draw evidence primarily from managerial sources and to
confuse the formal capacities of technological and managerial systems with their
actual usage and eVectiveness. Such observations have been shared by a wide range
of more mainstream commentators on HRM. Survey and case study evidence
demonstrates limited attitudinal transformation and a predominance of behavioral
hrm: labor process perspectives
153
compliance in the face of adverse conditions for employees created by corporate
restructuring and change programs (Cooper 1995; Hope and Hendry 1995;
Korczynski et al. 1995; Rosenthal et al. 1997). We will return to the broader issue
of the sustainability of soft controls in the last section.
8.4.1.1 LPT: Key Propositions on Control
One of the key propositions of LPT with respect to contemporary trends in
managerial control is the persistence of worker resistance, even to new normative
forms of control that focus on worker attitudes and emotions. In part this is an a
priori theoretical argument—given the indeterminacy of labor, control can never
be complete and is always contestable. But it is also derived from the evidence
discussed in the last section: of continued informal misbehavior by employees
(revealed in qualitative case studies) and of limited buy-in to managerial norms (as
revealed in surveys and case studies).
Three other propositions can be identiWed. First, there is a claim concerning
continuity, in combination. In other words, LPT research has sought to challenge the
displacement argument of HRM writers—that when new practices expand, others
by deWnition contract or disappear. It accepted that the normative sphere has
been an expanding area of managerial practice, without endorsing the view
that these have replaced or even marginalized the more traditional mechanisms
of bureaucratic rationalization, work intensiWcation, and aspects of scientiWc
management.
Much of the continuity evidence comes from European and North American
critiques of claims about lean production. The rhetoric of devolved decisionmaking and ‘working smarter not harder’ was countered by qualitative research
showing work intensiWcation and multi-tasking under modiWed traditional
methods, dubbed variously democratic Taylorism or participative rationalization
(see for example Delbridge 2000; Parker and Slaughter 1995). At the same time, it
was recognized that under lean production regimes, management focuses more on
the normative sphere in order to bypass trade union representation and secure
worker identiWcation with broader organizational norms (Danford 1998).
New practices such as control through customers were identiWed by labor
process writers as ‘borrowing heavily from and extending traditional management
paradigms’ (Fuller and Smith 1991). A later generation of researchers have been in
the forefront of studies of the expanded realm of call center work, noting how
surveillance and monitoring is intended to create an ‘assembly line in the head’
(Taylor and Bain 1999). To gain competitive advantage through interactive service
work, companies frequently seek to generate high commitment and shared identity, but these interventions are built on top of traditional controls. Korczynski et al.
(1995) refer to the continuing rationalizing logics that management seek to reconcile with service quality, producing a form of customer-oriented bureaucracy. Nor
are such tendencies conWned to routine work.
154
paul thompson and bill harley
Within these studies we can identify a second proposition—the extension of
controls into new territories. Not only are new controls being added to old ones, old
forms of control are being applied to new territories. The classic example is the
scripting of service interactions, originally popularized by Ritzer (1993), but linked
to the development of a variety of feelings’ rules for the mobilization of emotional
labor by writers working within a labor process tradition such as Bolton (2004).
LPT sees knowledge management as, in part, an extension of controls into what
were hitherto areas of limited regulation. Companies employing expert labor are
under increased competitive pressure to speed up the product development cycle,
prompting management to try to identify, monitor, and standardize the tacit
knowledge of such workers (McKinlay 2005).
We would also identify an emergent Wnal proposition. As has been noted, LPT
has long pointed to the existence of combinations of controls, but a clear trend
seems to be evident—towards the increased hybridity of control structures as
environments and organizational structures become more complex (Alvesson
and Thompson 2005). In call centers that trend is towards integrated systems of
technical, bureaucratic, and normative controls (Callaghan and Thompson 2001).
The signiWcance of such developments is highlighted by Houlihan (2002), who
shows that whilst work and markets vary in the industry, there is a characteristic
high-commitment, low-discretion model of call center work and management.
LPT needs to specify the drivers in a more credible way, but hybridity of this
kind—where conventional soft HRM practices coexist alongside neo-Taylorist
work organization—poses a signiWcant challenge to HRM. Whether with respect
to call centers (Batt and Moynihan 2002) or more generally (Watson 2004), HRM
writers tend to rely on contrasting ideal types of high-commitment and lowcommitment HRM strategies, In other words, even where HRM writers argue for
the existence of contingent strategies, they are conceived as coherent packages—
high or low trust, high or low skill and so on. This is not a stable hybrid. Capital still
has to manage the tensions and trade-oVs, resulting in shifting and precarious sets
of choices and adjustments across diVerent sectors, but this is a long way from
control or commitment.
8.4.2 Work Organization
Claims of a move to non-Taylorist or humanistic work organization are hardly new
(Harley 2005). Nevertheless, HRM literatures make a number of claims about these
approaches to work organization. First, it is argued that they are increasingly
common. Second, organizations that employ such approaches to work organization, particularly in a systematic and strategic fashion, can foster high levels of
satisfaction, commitment, and mutual gains among their employees (Guest 2002).
Finally, largely as a result of their impact on employees, these approaches to work
hrm: labor process perspectives
155
organization contribute to superior organizational performance in terms of measures such as labor productivity and turnover (Huselid 1995). Thus, if we wish to
assess the strength of LPT as a means to interrogate key claims of HRM, we should
look to existing empirical studies and ask what they tell us about these claims.
Most labor process literature in this area has sought to assess the impact of work
organization, and particularly work teams, on employees utilizing qualitative data
(see for example: Danford 1998; Parker and Slaughter 1995; Sewell 1998). Detailed
case studies that access employee voice have tended to emphasize the ‘dark side of
Xexibility’ and added ‘mean’ to lean production. In particular, this research
indicates that new forms of work organization not only fail to enhance employee
discretion, but lead to enhanced, though modiWed managerial control through
peer- and self-monitoring, thereby contributing to work intensiWcation (e.g.
Findlay et al. 2000). As we have discussed this body of research in the previous
section, albeit brieXy, we will not dwell on it here (see also Thompson and Newsome 2004 for more detail). However, implicitly or explicitly, most of these studies
assume that new forms of work organization do indeed lead to performance gains,
albeit through negative impacts on employees.
If LPT has questioned the assumptions of a new ‘high road’ in the workplace
through qualitative studies, there is broader support for a skeptical view. The
evidence concerning the diVusion of participative work practices is limited and
fragmentary, but it is possible to piece together evidence and assess their prevalence. In the United States, a number of nationally based studies have reported
substantial take-up of such practices (Appelbaum et al. 2000: 11; Osterman 2000).
Analysis of data from the British 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey
(WERS98) shows that use of individual practices is widespread, but varies considerably across industry (Harley et al. 1999). Geary’s (1999) research in Ireland shows
a high take-up of teamwork. Edwards et al. review the evidence in France, Italy,
Germany, and Sweden and report that the level of participative work practices is
signiWcant, limitations of the data notwithstanding (2002: 88–92). Evidence from
the 1995 Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey suggests that participative practices tend to be taken up unevenly across workplaces, industries, and
sectors (Harley et al. 1999). It is clear that Taylorist or neo-Taylorist approaches
to work remain widespread and that new forms of work organization have not
necessarily displaced traditional approaches. Just as there has been hybridization of
control strategies, there may well have been hybridization in work organization.
Given the volume of evidence it seems diYcult to dispute the proposition that
new forms of work organization are associated with superior performance (see for
example Appelbaum et al. 2000). Indeed, one of the few British studies which
explicitly adopts a LPT perspective found such positive associations (Ramsay et al.
2000). As we indicated above, the central concern of LPT is not whether such
associations exist. Rather, the concern of LPT is primarily with why, and it is here
that LPT and HRM part company in theoretical terms.
156
paul thompson and bill harley
As noted earlier, it is common in HRM literature to assume that performance
gains from new forms of work organization accrue by virtue of their positive
impact on employees. It is noteworthy that, unlike LPT, there have been few
HRM studies which have sought to test this assumption (for an exception see
Guest 2002). A small body of work explicitly draws on LPT and has utilized survey
data to test associations between work organization and employee outcomes. A
series of papers by Harley (1999, 2001), utilizing the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey (AWIRS) and the British WERS98 survey, examines links
between work organization and employee outcomes including discretion, satisfaction, commitment, stress, and work intensity. These analyses, which seek to assess
both LPT and HRM claims, consistently fail to Wnd associations between ‘empowering’ forms of work and team-based work on one hand and employee outcomes,
either positive or negative, on the other. Ramsay et al. (2000) also explicitly adopt a
LPT perspective and seek to test both LPT-inspired and HRM-inspired models of
the impact of work organization on employees. This study, utilizing the WERS98
dataset, found that while some progressive labor management practices were
associated with positive employee outcomes (supporting the conventional HRM
view), some were also associated with negative employee outcomes (supporting the
LPT view).
8.4.2.1 Insights from Labor Process Theory
To summarize LPT-informed research on work organization—the qualitative
studies have generally found negative impacts on employees, while the quantitative
studies have found either no eVect or mixed eVects. From a methodological
perspective, the diVerences between the results of qualitative and quantitative
studies are not diYcult to square. In terms of making generalizations about the
impact of work organization, we must fall back on the large-scale quantitative
studies. The fact that the quantitative studies show that there are sometimes
positive outcomes as well as negative outcomes, and sometimes none at all,
suggests that the impact of new forms of work organization varies. The strength
of qualitative studies is that they allow us to understand how work organization has
an impact on employees. We cannot generalize as far from the results, but these
studies provide us with a way of understanding the potential for and nature of
negative outcomes. There is nothing in LPT which says that there will necessarily be
a simple logic of opposition in which anything management does will necessarily
have a negative impact on employees, although it does suggest that while production takes place within capitalism, there are constraints on the extent to which
work organization can lead to ‘win-win’ outcomes. The concept of ‘structured
antagonism’ (Edwards 1990), discussed earlier, recognizes that in the employment
relationship there will always be (actual or potential) conXict, but simultaneously
there may be shared interests. If we accept this, then there is no inconsistency
between the Wndings of quantitative and qualitative studies—the latter simply
hrm: labor process perspectives
157
illustrate causal processes in some of the instances which have been identiWed by
the former.
It may also be the case that in some instances there are simultaneously positive
and negative impacts on employees. Work reform may, for example, increase
employee discretion while simultaneously increasing stress by shifting responsibility for decisions to employees. How does LPT account for these patterns? In the
case of ‘no impact’, a plausible argument is that new forms of work organization
simply do not replace existing hierarchical management structures and thus do not
challenge managerial prerogative (see Harley 1999). For example, a ‘foreman’ may
become a ‘team leader’ and a shift in a plant be redesignated a ‘team’, without any
change to actual practice. From an LPT perspective, in many cases management
will be unwilling to undertake genuine changes to management structures, precisely because this would be seen as compromising managerial prerogative. In
other instances, new forms of work organization are likely to have negative impacts
because they are used as new control mechanisms, in which peer- and self-monitoring intensify work (Sewell 1998). In such cases, it may also be that employees
experience a mixture of positive and negative impacts. For example, an increase in
employee discretion may also involve an increase in responsibility for meeting
production targets, thereby contributing to work intensiWcation and heightened
levels of stress.
LPT has sought to challenge a naive optimism which expects new forms of work
always or mainly to have positive outcomes. Nevertheless, it recognizes that within
the constraints of capitalist production, there is room for struggle and negotiation
over the organization of work and its outcomes. The extent to which new forms of
work organization lead to win–lose or win–win, or some combination, will depend
largely on struggles between management and employees or their trade unions,
within broader market constraints.
8.4.3 Skill Formation and Human Capital
The formation of skills occupies a central role in HRM and LPT. As we argued
earlier, the latter does not claim that deskilling is an inherent law of capitalism.
However, if skill is ‘knowledgeable practice within elements of (job) control’
(Thompson 1989: 92), LPT sees cost and control imperatives as placing constraints
on the development of workforce skills and is inherently skeptical of claims for
long-term upskilling. HRM tends to be sympathetic to, but not dependent on, such
claims. Human Capital theory had already shifted the terms of debate about
competitive advantage by emphasizing that the quality and skills of the workforce
can have a signiWcant eVect on productivity (Becker 1964). HRM theorists emphasize a more contingent argument that changes in the external environment have
made the internal assets of the Wrm more signiWcant and strategic. In particular,
158
paul thompson and bill harley
human assets—the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of employees—become the
crucial competitive advantage.
In this context, the dominant HRM model is a human capital/high-involvement
one (Kaufman 2004: 324–5). We would expect a strategic approach to HRM to be
marked, above all, by investment in the workforce and this would be associated with
enhanced skills, training, career structures, and skill- and knowledge-based reward
systems. Indeed, such an approach was the underlying basis of the ‘bargain’ for
employees to buy into high-performance work systems or new transactional psychological contracts (Herriot and Pemberton 1995). As one of the most authoritative
studies supporting HPWSs argued, workers need incentives to acquire new skills and
engage in discretionary eVort, whilst for employers, ‘increasing training, employment
security, and pay incentives for non-managerial employees has the greatest eVect on
plant performance’ (Appelbaum et al. 2000: 8).
Such arguments have been augmented by claims from two other sources.
Resource-based views of the Wrm see human capital as a key invisible asset that is
increasingly valuable and hard to imitate (Barney 1991). At a more popular level,
academic and policy discourse is now dominated by reference to the growth of a
knowledge economy in which the (thinking) skills and knowledge of the employee
are displacing the traditional factors of production as the key asset for Wrms.
Research undertaken within LPT and related perspectives, however, demonstrates that this is a hugely Xawed account of the dynamics of skill formation.
First, there is the inconvenient fact that the largest actual and projected job growth
in the USA and UK is at the lower end of the labor market. Most are in routine jobs
in hospitality and retail, or in personal services in the private and public sectors,
and few have any relation to high-tech employment (Brown et al. 2001, Thompson
2004). Where does that leave high-skill or knowledge work? Despite repeated
optimistic claims that the majority of jobs fall into this category, more rigorous
analysis of oYcial occupational data indicates that those that could be classiWed as
knowledge workers with substantial ‘thinking skills’ are a relatively small minority
in the USA and UK (Brown and Hesketh 2004), and Australia (Fleming et al. 2004).
Second, there is limited evidence that employers, at least in Anglo-Saxon economies, are delivering on the commitment to invest in other aspects of human
capital. Even the mainstream business literature frequently bemoans the violation
of the traditional psychological contract as employees are exhorted to take over
responsibility for skill and career development and abandon any hope of stable,
long-term employment (Deal and Kennedy 1999). Whilst the outcomes of studies
are sometimes contradictory, there is evidence of long-term decline in traditional
career structures and internal labor markets, and falling investment in training
(Cappelli 2001). Some of this is a result of fear that such investment will be
lost through redundancy or exit from their Wrm, or lack of incentives to invest
due to greater permeability in organizational boundaries as a result of perpetual
restructuring and outsourcing (Rubery et al. 2000). The outcome, however, is,
hrm: labor process perspectives
159
contrary to HRM forecasts, an emergent ‘de-knowledging’ of the Wrm (Littler and
Innes 2003).
8.4.3.1 Alternative Propositions
Though the above critique has been produced by writers of varying perspectives,
contemporary LPT has made a distinctive contribution to explaining what has
happened to skill formation and why. The most common conclusion of critics of
human capital and knowledge economy arguments is to return to the concept of a
polarization of high-skill ‘knowledge work’ and low-skill ‘routine’ jobs—perhaps
an ‘hourglass economy’ (Fleming et al. 2004: 733). Whilst this is useful, it doesn’t
adequately address the dynamics in the content of skills. Three key trends can be
identiWed from recent LPT research. First, that a partial break with Taylorism and
Fordism from the mid–1980s onwards relied primarily on a qualitative intensiWcation of labor (Thompson 2003: 362–4). Initially, LPT developed a critique of
Xexibility models by highlighting employer moves to multi-tasking rather than
multi-skilling. This was linked to work intensiWcation through lean production
(Parker and Slaughter 1995) and teamworking (Danford 1998; Findlay et al. 2000).
There is now a considerable body of wider evidence supporting a work intensiWcation thesis (e.g. Green 2001). But this intensiWcation required the mobilization of
something new, whether described as ‘knowledgeability’ (Thompson et al. 2000),
knowledge worked (Brown and Hesketh 2004), or the ‘extra-functional skills’
of the ‘new model worker’ (Flecker and Hofbauer 1998). It can be seen that
these arguments do not lead back to a simple notion of deskilling. In fact, such
observations critically recast the HRM insight that contemporary work systems are
dependent on the ‘full utilization of labor.’
Second, that there has been a decisive shift in the skill requirements of employers, but one that rests more on ‘capitalizing on humanity’ than investing in human
capital (Thompson et al. 2000). As the introduction to a recent volume from the
labor process book series sets out, paralleling the shift from explicit to tacit
knowledge has been one from technical to social skills (Warhurst et al. 2004). Whilst
employers may have in the past thought ‘positive attitudes’ were desirable, they
were not regarded as skills integral to the job. Today, in much service and other
work, ‘person-to-person’ social competencies are prized above all. This has been
conWrmed in wider research in France and the USA which has found that attitudes,
dispositions, and appearance are frequently more important than level of education and training (Mounier 2001). With respect to appearance, LPT has been at the
forefront of developing the concept of ‘aesthetic labor’ to describe how more
employers are drawing on the embodied capacities of employees in the service
encounter. Such trends are reXected in the language of social policy and vocational
training such as ‘transferable skills,’ ‘generic skills,’ and ‘employability.’ The
latter marks the transfer of responsibility for investment in human capital from
employers to employees.
160
paul thompson and bill harley
It might be argued that these trends conWrm an upskilling trajectory, albeit by a
diVerent, non-technological route. But an expanded conception of skill is not the
same as a deepening. The palette of skills has been widening, but it has not been
accompanied for most workers by the two other crucial ingredients—task autonomy and knowledgeable practice. More and more jobs depend on IT-driven expert
systems and scripted encounters. And whilst the cognitive, emotional, and cultural
demands of the ‘new’ soft skill currencies will diVer across the range of jobs,
competencies such as positive attitudes, ability to work as a team, and communication are generic and therefore hard to connect to any notion of high skills/
knowledge (Brown et al. 2001: 40).
Third, we have to reconsider the locus of the ‘investment’ made through HRM
practices. Increasingly managerial practice is to identify the social and personal
capital held by the actual or potential employee. As a result, employers may be
choosing to invest more in recruitment and selection processes that can identify
workers with the appropriate personal characteristics, than in skill development
and learning (Brown and Hesketh 2004; Callaghan and Thompson 2001).
Overall, the message of this section has been that whilst investment in human
capital is important, it is not as important as and is more diVerent in character than
one would expect from the core HRM assumptions outlined earlier. No existing
society has attained the modest target of at least 50 percent of occupations
categorized as technical, managerial, and professional. Moreover, an increasingly
attractive alternative to investment in training as a means of raising productivity is
to increase the use of immigrant labor (Brown et al. 2001: 50). The continued
dominance of a ‘low-skills equilibrium’ can partly be explained through a contingency or comparative capitalisms approach. In other words, that either the wrong
strategic choices are being made by employers in low-road Anglo-Saxon economies—or that large parts of the service sector do not require a human capital/
high-involvement approach in any type of economy. Whilst there is some truth in
both of these observations, an attention to political economy directs us to the
signiWcance of other contextual changes that we discuss in our Wnal section.
8.5 Taking Stock and Moving On
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
When the evidence is examined for the core optimistic claims on control, work
organization, and skills, it is patchy at best and absent at worst. It is commonly held
that, particularly at the populist end, HRM scholars have tended to mix up their
predictions and their prescriptions. Our concern, however, is with another kind of
confusion. Of particular note is that the core claims are largely contingent on
hrm: labor process perspectives
161
particular changes in economic and social context. These consist of either the
general argument of a paradigm break from some species of Fordist capitalism or a
more diVuse idea that market expansion, volatility, and speed of technical change
have decisively altered the rules of the game.
Whilst mainstream perspectives have never exactly been realistic about the
nature of capitalism, it seems to us that, if anything, recent years have seen global
political economy shift away from, rather than towards, the conWguration predicted by HRM theorists. There is a growing body of evidence that in Wnancialized
economies capital markets rather than product or labor markets are the dominant
drivers of Wrm behavior (Thompson 2003). In circumstances where downsizing
and perpetual restructuring are the norm in many sectors, progressive objectives in
work and employment spheres are diYcult to sustain and increasingly disconnected from wider trends in corporate governance. Crucially, those Wrms that have
achieved gains in productivity and market share through the appropriate HPWS
measures are not immune from destructive eVects of enhanced demands for
shareholder value.
HR managers may want to pursue higher performance and high-commitment
policies, at least in some sectors, but the levers they are pulling are often outweighed or countermanded by corporate decision makers in thrall to Wnancial
markets. As Kunda and Ailon-Souday (2005) demonstrate, the dominant form of
market rationalism has little time for culture and is more interested in reducing
than transforming the workforce. One crucial conclusion to be drawn from these
observations is that the 1990s are a more signiWcant decade for transformative
change than the 1980s that shaped the assumptions of HRM. In this context, whilst
many of the prescriptions of HRM are laudable, they are increasingly out of step
with reality.
HRM not only needs to reconsider some of its core concepts, it needs to address
some methodological limitations. To date, research has been characterized by a
narrow focus on the individual Wrm, largely separate from analysis of any bigger
picture (Thompson 2003: 372). At the same time as ignoring the ‘big picture,’ HRM
can also be criticized for overlooking the experiences of employees within workplaces. Whilst LPT has been guilty of too many qualitative case studies, it is
theoretically predisposed to locate work relations within the broader political
economy. We are not for a moment suggesting that if such an approach were
adopted HRM and LPT would converge—clearly the theoretical diVerences remain
signiWcant—but there would be much greater scope for fruitful engagement
between the two approaches.
The Wnal question which our chapter raises is why, in the face of compelling
counter-evidence, core propositions of HRM continue to hold sway in signiWcant
sections of the academic community, as well as among practitioners. As Harley and
Hardy (2004: 393) argue, mainstream HRM scholarship is characterized by an
increasing convergence of meaning among researchers as to what HRM is and
162
paul thompson and bill harley
how it should be researched, while at the same time the practice of HRM remains
ambiguous and variable. This means that managers can use the language of HRM
to establish the legitimacy of their practices, even if the latter bear little resemblance
to the former. Less cynically, perhaps the key appeal of HRM lies in its optimism
about the capacity of capitalism to become more humanistic. We share many of the
goals, but part company on analysis and agency. Gramsci’s nostrum—pessimism of
the intellect, optimism of the will—remains the best starting point for confronting
the possibilities of workplace reform.
References
Ackroyd, S., and Thompson, P. (1999). Organizational Misbehaviour. London: Sage.
Alvesson, M., and Thompson, P. (2005). ‘Post Bureaucracy?’ In S. Ackroyd, R. Batt,
P. Thompson, and P. Tolbert (eds.), A Handbook of Work and Organization. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., and Kalleberg, A. I. (2000). Manufacturing Advan
tage: Why High Performance Work Systems Pay oV. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.
Barney, G. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17/11: 99 120.
Batt, R., and Moynihan, L. (2002). ‘The Viability of Alternative Call Centre Production
Models.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 12/4: 14 34.
Becker, G. (1964). Human Capital. New York: Columbia University Press.
Bolton, S. (2004). Emotion Management. London: Palgrave.
Bowen, D. E., and Lawler, E. E., III (1992). ‘The Empowerment of Service Workers: What,
Why, How, and When.’ Sloan Management Review, 33/3: 31 9.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. London:
Palgrave.
Braverman, H. (1974). Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the
Twentieth Century. New York: Monthly Review Press.
Brown, P., and Hesketh, A. (2004). Playing to Win: Managing Employability in the
Knowledge Based Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Green, A., and Lauder, H. (2001). High Skills: Globalization, Competitiveness, and
Skill Formation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Burawoy, M. (1979). Manufacturing Consent: Changes in the Labor Process under Monopoly
Capitalism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
(1985). The Politics of Production. London: Verso.
Callaghan, G., and Thompson, P. (2001). ‘Edwards Revisited: Technical Control in Call
Centers.’ Economic and Industrial Democracy, 22/1: 13 37.
Cappelli, P. (2001). ‘Assessing the Decline of Internal Labor Markets.’ In I. Berg and
A. Kalleberg (eds.), Sourcebook of Labor Markets: Evolving Structures and Processes. New
York: Plenum.
Cooper, J. (1995). ‘Managerial Culture and the Stillbirth of Organizational Commitment.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 5/3: 56 76.
hrm: labor process perspectives
163
Danford, A. (1998). Japanese Management Techniques and British Workers. London: Mansell.
Deal, T., and Kennedy, A. (1999). The New Corporate Cultures: Revitalizing the Workplace
after Downsizing, Mergers and Reengineering. New York: Texere.
Deetz, S. (1992). ‘Disciplinary Power in the Modern Corporation.’ In M. Alvesson and
H. Willmott (eds.), Critical Management Studies. London: Sage.
Delbridge, R. (2000). Life on the Line in Contemporary Manufacturing. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Edwards, P. K. (1990). ‘Understanding ConXict in the Labor Process: The Logic and
Autonomy of Struggle.’ In D. Knights and H. Willmott (eds.), Labor Process Theory.
London: Macmillan.
Edwards, P. K., BÉlanger, J., and Wright, M. R. (2002). ‘The Social Relations of
Productivity: A Longitudinal and Comparative Study of Aluminum Smelters.’ Relations
industrielles/Industrial Relations, 57: 309 30.
Edwards, R. (1979). Contested Terrain: The Transformation of the Workplace in the Twen
tieth Century. London: Heinemann.
Elger, T. (2001). ‘Critical Materialist Analyses of Work and Employment: A Third Way?’
Paper prepared for the International Workshop ‘Between Sociology of Work and
Organisation Studies: The State of the Debate in Italy and in the United Kingdom’
(Bologna, 16 17 November).
Findlay, P., Hine, J. A., McKinlay, A., Marks, A., and Thompson, P. (2000). ‘ ‘‘Flexible
When it Suits Them’’: The Use and Abuse of Teamwork Skills.’ In S. Proctor and F.
Mueller (eds.), Teamworking. London: Macmillan.
Flecker, J., and Hofbauer, J. (1998). ‘Capitalizing on Subjectivity: The ‘‘New Model
Worker’’ and the Importance of Being Useful.’ In P. Thompson and C. Warhurst (eds.),
Workplaces of the Future. London: Macmillan.
Fleming, P., Harley, B., and Sewell, G. (2004). ‘A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing:
Getting below the Surface of the Growth of ‘‘Knowledge Work’’ in Australia.’ Work,
Employment and Society, 18/4: 725 47.
Fuller, L., and Smith L. (1991). ‘Consumers’ Reports: Management by Customers in a
Changing Economy.’ Work, Employment and Society, 5/1: 1 16.
Geary, J. (1999). ‘The New Workplace: Change at Work in Ireland.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 10/5: 870 90.
Green, F. (2001). ‘It’s Been a Hard Day’s Night: The Concentration and IntensiWcation of
Work in Late Twentieth Century Britain.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 39/1:
53 80.
Guest, D. (1987). ‘Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.’ Journal of
Management Studies, 8/3: 503 21.
(2002). ‘Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee
Well Being: Building the Worker into HRM.’ Journal of Industrial Relations, 44/3: 335 58.
Harley, B. (1999). ‘The Myth of Empowerment: Work Organization, Hierarchy and
Employee Autonomy in Contemporary Australian Workplaces.’ Work Employment and
Society, March/13/1: 41 66.
(2001). ‘Team Membership and the Experience of Work in Britain: An Analysis of the
WERS98 Data.’ Work, Employment and Society, 15/4: 721 42.
(2005). ‘Hope or Hype? High Performance Work Systems.’ In B. Harley, J. Hyman,
and P. Thompson (eds.), Participation and Democracy at Work. London: Palgrave
Publishing.
164
paul thompson and bill harley
Harley, B., and Hardy, C. (2004). ‘Firing Blanks? An Analysis of Discursive Struggle in
HRM.’ Journal of Management Studies, 41/3: 377 400.
Ramsay, H., and Scholarios, D. (1999). High Tide and Green Grass: Employee
Experience in High Commitment Work Systems. Critical Management Studies Workshop,
Academy of Management Conference, 7 August, Chicago.
Herriot, P., and Pemberton, C. (1995). New Deals. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.
Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling.
London: University of California Press.
Hope, V., and Hendry, J. (1995). ‘Corporate Culture: Is it Relevant for the Organizations of
the 1990s.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 5/4: 61 73.
Houlihan, M. (2002). ‘Tensions and Variations in Call Centre Management Strategies.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 12/4: 67 85.
Huselid, M. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover,
Production and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38:
635 72.
Jaros, J. (2005). ‘Marxian Critiques of Thompson’s (1990) ‘‘Core’’ Labor Process Theory:
An Evaluation and Extension.’ ephemera, 5/1: 5 25.
Kaufman, B. E. (2004). ‘Toward an Integrative Theory of Human Resource Management.’
In B. E. Kaufman (ed.), Theoretical Perspectives on Work and the Employment Relation
ship. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Knights, D., and Willmott, H. (eds.) (1990). Labor Process Theory. London: Macmillan.
Kochan, T. A., Katz, H. C., and McKersie, R. B. (1986). The Transformation of American
Industrial Relations. New York: Basic Books.
Korczynski, M., Shire, K., Frenkel, S., and Tam, M. (1995). ‘Service Work in Consumer
Capitalism: Customers, Control and Contradictions.’ Work, Employment & Society, 14/4:
669 87.
Kunda, G., and Ailon Souday, G. (2005). ‘New Designs: Design and Devotion Revisited.’
In S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson, and P. Tolbert (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Work
and Organization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Littler, C. R., and Innes, P. (2003). ‘Downsizing and Deknowledging the Firm.’ Work,
Employment and Society, 17/1: 73 100.
McKinlay, A. (2005). ‘Knowledge Management.’ In S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson, and
P. Tolbert (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Work and Organization. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Mounier, A. (2001). The Three Logics of Skill in French Literature. Sydney: NSW Board of
Vocational Education and Training.
Osterman, P. (2000). ‘Work Reorganization in an Era of Restructuring: Trends in DiVusion
and EVects on Employee Welfare.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 53/2: 179 96.
Parker, M., and Slaughter, J. (1995). ‘Unions and Management by Stress.’ In S. Babson
(ed.), Lean Work: Empowerment and Exploitation in the Global Auto Industry. Detroit:
Wayne State University Press.
Ramsay, H., Harley, B., and Scholarios, D. (2000). ‘Employees and High Performance
Work Systems: Testing inside the Black Box.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38/4:
501 32.
Ray, C. A. (1986). ‘Corporate Culture: The Last Frontier of Control?’ Journal of Manage
ment Studies, 23/3: 287 97.
Ritzer, G. (1993). The McDonaldization of Society. London: Pine Forge Press.
hrm: labor process perspectives
165
Rosenthal, P., Hill, S., and Peccei, R. (1997). ‘Checking out Service: Evaluating Excel
lence, HRM and TQM in Retailing.’ Work, Employment and Society, 11/3: 481 503.
Rubery, J., Earnshaw, J., Marchington, M., and Cooke, F. L. (2000). ‘Changing
Organisational Forms and the Employment Relationship.’ Manchester Business School
Working Paper 14.
Sewell, G. (1998). ‘The Discipline of Teams: The Control of Team Based Industrial Work
through Electronic and Peer Surveillance.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 43/2: 406 69.
Storey, J. (1985). ‘The Means of Management Control.’ Sociology, 19/2: 193 211.
Taylor, P., and Bain, P. (1999). ‘ ‘‘An Assembly Line in the Head’’: Work and Employee
Relations in the Call Centre.’ Industrial Relations Journal, 30/2: 101 17.
(2003). ‘Subterranean Worksick Blues: Humor as Subversion in Two Call
Centers.’ Organization Studies, 24/9: 1487 509.
Thompson, P. (1989). The Nature of Work, 2nd edn. London: Macmillan.
(1990). ‘Crawling from the Wreckage: The Labor Process and the Politics of Produc
tion.’ In D. Knights and H. Willmott (eds.), Labor Process Theory. London: Macmillan.
(2003). ‘Disconnected Capitalism: or Why Employers Can’t Keep their Side of the
Bargain.’ Work, Employment and Society, 17/2: 359 78.
(2004). The Knowledge Economy Myth. Glasgow: Big Thinking.
and Ackroyd, S. (1995). ‘All Quiet on the Workplace Front?’ Sociology, 29/4: 19 33.
and Newsome, K. (2004). ‘Labor Process Theory, Work and the Employment Rela
tion.’ In B. E. Kaufman (ed.), Theoretical Perspectives on Work and the Employment
Relationship. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Warhurst, C., and Callaghan, G. (2000). ‘Human Capital or Capitalising on
Humanity? Knowledge, Skills and Competencies in Interactive Service Work.’ In
C. Prichard, R. Hull, M. Chumer, and H. Willmott (eds.), Managing Knowledge. London:
Palgrave.
Thursfield, D., and Hamblett, J. (2004). ‘Human Resource Management and Realism:
A Morphogenetic Approach.’ In S. Fleetwood and S. Ackroyd (eds.), Critical Realism in
Action in Organization and Management Studies. London: Routledge.
Walton, R. E. (1985). ‘Towards a Strategy of Eliciting Employee Commitment Based on
Policies of Mutuality.’ In R. E. Walton and P. R. Lawrence (eds.), Human Resource
Management: Trends and Challenges. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Warhurst, C., Grugulis, I., and Keep, E. (eds.) (2004). The Skills that Matter. London:
Palgrave.
Watson, T. J. (1994). In Search of Management: Culture, Chaos and Control in Managerial
Work. London: Routledge.
(2004). ‘Human Resource Management and Critical Social Science Analysis.’ Journal
of Management Studies, 41/3: 447 67.
Willmott, H. (1993). ‘Strength is Ignorance; Slavery is Freedom: Managing Culture in
Modern Organization.’ Journal of Management Studies, 30/5: 515 52.
chapter 9
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM AND SOCIETAL
EMBEDDEDNESS
....................................................................................................................................
jaap paauwe
paul boselie
9.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
One of the more fundamental aspects of the ongoing debate about the added
value of HRM relates to ‘best practice’ versus ‘best Wt.’ ‘Best practice’ argues for
the universal success of certain HR practices while ‘best Wt’ acknowledges the
relevance of contextual factors. We argue that diVerences in institutional settings
(for example, across countries) aVect the nature of HRM. To understand this
phenomenon, HRM needs additional theory. In this chapter, we use ‘new institutionalism’ (DiMaggio and Powell 1983) and the theoretical notions of organizational justice (Greenberg 1990) and organizational legitimacy (Suchman 1995) as a
better way to understand the shaping of HR policies and practices in diVerent
settings.
Strategic HRM has gained both credibility and popularity over the last decade,
especially with respect to the impact of HRM on organizational performance (see
Paauwe 2004 and Boselie et al. 2005 for overviews). More than 100 papers have been
published in the last decade on this topic. However, these papers have often
neglected the importance of the societal embeddedness of HRM. In contrast, in
the 1980s, a much greater emphasis on social context in explaining HR practices
was evident.
hrm and societal embeddedness
167
The starting point for most HRM approaches in the 1980s was the external
environment: models typically had an ‘outside-in’ character (see, for example,
the work of Beer et al. 1984 and Schuler and Jackson 1987). These works appeared
to have been heavily inXuenced by industrial relations (IR) perspectives (e.g.
Dunlop 1958; Kochan et al. 1984) or by ‘strategic contingency’ models
(e.g. Woodward 1965; Lawrence and Lorsch 1967). A radical change from outsidein approaches to ‘inside-out’ models was introduced during the late 1980s and
early 1990s as a result of the increased popularity of the resource-based view of
the Wrm (e.g. Wernerfelt 1984; Barney 1991). This radical change resulted in less
attention to the organizational context and the external environment, simply
because the implicit assumption was made that the context mattered less than valuable, scarce, inimitable, and diYcult-to-substitute internal resources (e.g. unique
human resources) for creating sustained competitive advantage (Paauwe and
Boselie 2003).
Moreover, in the 1980s, the academic disciplines of HRM and industrial relations
were more closely aligned with many academics being active in both Welds (for
example, authors like Kochan, Katz, Boudreau, Keenoy, Guest, Poole, Sisson, and
Purcell). Nowadays, consideration of context is mainly limited to ‘control variables’ like age, sector, technology, and rate of unionization.
This chapter aims to restore the balance by oVering a more explicit account of
the importance of societal embeddedness in HRM. As an independent variable,
societal embeddedness can have an important inXuence on the shaping of HR
policies and practices and their subsequent eVect on performance. As Karen Legge
remarks: ‘Just at the time when the key ideas of resource-based value theory
penetrate the thinking (if not necessarily, the practice) of practitioners, I would
predict that the academic debates, while not abandoning the RBV perspective, will
tend to refocus outward to explore more fully the institutionalist approaches’
(Legge 2005: 40).
The chapter starts with a short overview of the diVerent institutional settings in
which the shaping of HR policies and practices takes place (section 9.2). We next
take a closer look at the Weld of HRM itself (section 9.3), especially focusing on
strategic contingency approaches in HRM. Do diVerent HRM models take
the importance of the societal context into account? In section 9.4, we explain
how researchers in the Weld of IR have much to oVer the contextual analysis of
HRM. This motivates us to use institutional theory (section 9.5) to build
a theoretical base that can encompass context in the study of HRM. Finally,
in section 9.6, we pay attention to the need to achieve a balance between
market and institutional pressures if Wrms are to simultaneously pursue
competitive advantage, legitimacy, and long-term viability (Boxall and Purcell
2003; Paauwe 2004).
168
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
9.2 Different Institutional Settings
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Organizations worldwide are confronted with diVerent environmental constraints. These may be the result of fundamental diVerences between countries
(Gospel and Pendleton 2003) or between regions. ‘Anglo-Saxon’ countries such as
the USA are less institutionalized with respect to employment relationships,
including industrial relations and HR issues, than ‘Rhineland’ countries such as
Germany, France, and the Netherlands. For example, in the Netherlands, institutional mechanisms include the inXuence of the ‘social partners’ (including the
trade unions and works councils) and of labor legislation relating to works
councils, conditions of employment, collective bargaining, Xexible employment,
and security. At national level, the social partners and government reach agreements on how to Wght unemployment, how to reduce the number of people
entitled to disability beneWts, and so on (e.g. Paauwe and Boselie 2003). Several
items in PfeVer’s (1994) well-known list of ‘best practices’ are institutionalized in
Rhineland settings. For example, employee beneWts—one can think of health care
insurance, pension schemes, and security with respect to unemployment and
disability—are almost completely collectively determined in the Netherlands
(Visser and Hemerijck 1997). DiVerences between the environmental constraints
that companies face can also be a consequence of sectoral diVerences (Peccei
et al. 2005): for example, diVerences between traditional manufacturing and
knowledge-intensive services.
Within Europe, there are diVerences between regional groupings (for example
the ‘Nordic cluster’ of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, the ‘Germanic
cluster’ of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and the ‘Latin European cluster’
of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and Belgium) as well as diVerences among
nations (Brewster 2004: 365). This has led a number of European academics to
make a plea for a more contextual perspective on HRM models in order to
correct for, and counteract, the universalistic nature of US-based HRM
approaches (e.g. Brewster 2004). Those subscribing to this stream of analysis
assume that US approaches cannot be applied in European settings and that,
therefore, each institutional setting requires its own unique HRM model (Brewster 2004: 367). However, we strongly believe it is more useful to develop an
approach, as in the Weld of comparative IR (e.g. Kochan et al. 1984; Poole 1986),
that suits, and can be adapted to, diVerent institutional settings. This approach
implies that we need to reWne the analysis of HRM in order to take account of
the shaping of HR practices in diVerent institutional settings. This reWnement
can be built on new institutionalism (DiMaggio and Powell 1983; Scott and
Meyer 1994). But before we elaborate this point, we will discuss traditional
strategic HRM approaches.
hrm and societal embeddedness
169
9.3 HRM and Strategic Contingency
Approaches
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Looking back at the classic HRM models of Beer et al. (1984) and Fombrun et al.
(1984), we see that they paid attention to how context has an impact on HRM
policies and practices. Fombrun’s model (the so-called ‘Michigan approach’) refers
to context in terms of economic, political, and cultural forces. Beer et al.’s model
(the so-called ‘Harvard model’) is more explicit in that it recognizes a wide range
of contextual factors ranging from stakeholder interests to situational factors. Next
to shareholders and management, Beer et al. (1984) take stakeholders such as
employees, government, community, and unions into account. Situational factors
that have an impact on the stakeholders include the labor market, task technology,
laws, and societal values. Since Fombrun et al. (1984) and Beer et al. (1984), research
has moved forward to testing the added value of human resource management: the
HRM and performance debate. Empirical studies on the added value of HRM
include contextual features such as the degree of unionization and industry or
sector as control variables but little or no attention is actually paid to how these
factors aVect HRM or how they interact (Boselie et al. 2005).
In terms of the HRM theories of the last two decades, Delery and Doty (1996)
distinguish between universalistic, conWgurational, and contingent approaches.
The last one is especially interesting for our purposes. Contingency theory1 states
that the relationship between relevant independent variables (like HRM practices)
and the dependent variable (performance) will vary according to inXuences such
as company size, age, and technology, strategy, capital intensity, the degree of
unionization, industry/sector, ownership, and location. Strategic contingency
approaches were the most popular theoretical approaches used in empirical
HRM-performance research in the period 1994–2003, exceeding the number of
studies which used either the RBV or high-performance/high-commitment HRM
approaches (Boselie et al. 2005).
Strategic contingency approaches gained popularity in HRM in the 1980s
through the work of a number of authors. Miles and Snow (1984) developed a
model for linking HR strategy to competitive strategy using three basic types of
1
The Essex studies (Woodward 1965), the famous work by Lawrence and Lorsch (1967), the Aston
Programme (e.g. Pugh and Hickson 1976), and the work of Mintzberg (1979) represent a stream in
organization theory known as strategic contingency approaches. Their empirical research Wndings
suggest that contingencies (e.g. Wrm size, branch of industry, Wrm age, capital intensity, trade union
inXuence, technology) aVect strategic decision making, organizational goals, organizational structure,
systems, and culture. Contingency approaches stress the relevance of the ‘organization environment
interface’ (Lawrence and Lorsch 1967) and the notion of situation determined problems. The con
tingency school covers a range of models, which advocate Wtting business strategy to its surrounding
(external) context.
170
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
strategic behavior (defenders, prospectors, and analyzers). Schuler and Jackson
(1987) connected Porter’s (1985) competitive strategies to desired employee behaviors and HR practices. Baird and Meshoulam (1988) aligned HR activities and the
organization’s stage of development. These early approaches provided clear and
understandable frameworks for linking the external environment or context to
supportive HR practices. In Schuler and Jackson’s (1987) model, Porter’s generic
strategies were the point of departure for a repertoire of role behaviors in each case.
HR practices were to be used to stimulate, or even enforce, the role behaviors seen
as relevant to diVerent competitive strategies. However, this model did not take
into account societal embeddedness. It dealt with the competitive marketplace and
with how diVerent strategies in combination with diVerent employee role behaviors could help to realize competitive advantage.
Boxall and Purcell (2003) provide an extensive overview of critiques of this
kind of contingency theory in HRM research. First, these models tend to overlook
employee interests in their attempts to align strategy and HRM. ‘They generally fail
to recognize the need to align employee interests with the Wrm or comply with
prevailing social norms and legal requirements’ (Boxall and Purcell 2003: 54).
Second, making a distinction between, for example, only three competitive
strategies (see Porter’s (1985) typology) lacks sophistication and does not reXect
the more varied nature of organizational strategies in practice. Large Wrms (e.g.
MNCs) apply a whole range of diVerent strategies in order to create performance
outcomes, varying from cost reduction strategies in, for example, product storage
and logistics through to high-quality diVerentiation strategies (for example, seeking
to satisfy customers through excellent services). A third criticism by Boxall and
Purcell (2003) concerns the problem that these models do not pay much attention to
dynamics. In other words, contingency approaches rarely consider change processes
and pressures, in terms of both contextual and organizational changes.
On the one hand, we conclude that strategic contingency approaches provide
understandable and insightful frameworks on strategy, HRM, and context. On the
other, these models are oversimpliWed, lacking suYcient depth to capture the
complexity and dynamics necessary for understanding the relationship between
HRM and its environment.
We need further theory to assess the relationships within a set of HRM practices
and explore how these relate to, interact with, and are inXuenced by context. How
are HRM practices embedded in society at large? Moreover, how do we deWne
‘context’? How can we develop a theory that will make it possible to generate
hypotheses about the relationships within the enormous variety of HRM practices
as well as the various contextual factors involved (Paauwe and Boselie 2003)? Poole
(1990) criticizes a number of HRM models, Beer et al.’s among others, and suggests
the need to include globalization, power, and strategic choice. Hendry and
Pettigrew (1990) want to broaden HRM models by including economic, technical
hrm and societal embeddedness
171
and socio-political topics, which incorporate a range of factors that inXuence
strategic decision-making in HRM. Of course, these authors emphasize that they
do not want to fall into the trap of contingent determinism. There is always leeway
for the actors involved to make strategic choices. The importance of context is
recognized in the Weld of IR, which has a tradition and a well-developed range of
theoretical models for carrying out internationally oriented research. Much can be
learnt from these approaches.
9.4 HRM and Industrial Relations:
Societal Embeddedness, Strategic
Choice, and Different Rationalities
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The relationship between IR and HRM received a lot of attention as HRM emerged
as an area of study (e.g. Guest 1987; Storey 1989; Poole 1986; Storey and Sisson 1993;
de Nijs 1996). We are especially interested in what we can learn from IR theory, and
IR modeling in particular, in order to shed light on the societal embeddedness of
HRM. The early models of IR theory (e.g. Dunlop 1958) focused on the process of
rule-making in the employment relationship (Clegg 1979) and emphasized the
adaptive nature of IR systems and their actors to the economic, technological
and political context. They were, however, rather deterministic. Walker (1969),
Poole (1986) and Kochan et al. (1984) were among the Wrst to recognize that
variations in IR institutions and practices had their roots in the strategic choices
(Child 1972) of the parties to the employment relationship.
Kochan et al. (1986) extensively adapted and added to Dunlop’s original framework. They saw a more active, as opposed to a merely adaptive, role for management, emphasizing the idea of strategic choice. Of course, all parties involved can
make strategic decisions but Kochan et al. (1984: 17) considered management to be
the dominant party in this respect. They also included interrelated levels of
industrial relations. Next to the functional level of collective bargaining, they
included strategic and workplace levels in their analysis. The strategic level, by
deWnition, concerns long-term, high-level planning and encompasses, from a
management point of view, the strategic role of human resources. Kochan et al.
(1984: 21) stress that theory should allow an exploration of both the content and the
process of strategy formation. The concept of strategy in industrial relations is only
useful if actors have some discretion over decisions.
Poole (1986: 13) suggests that the concept of strategy encapsulates, at a more
abstract level, the idea of overall design within social action, which is based upon
172
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
various forms of rationality. He associates the concept of strategy with the
following general categories of social action:
.
.
.
.
Instrumental-rational, which refers to the means needed to achieve utilitarian
ends (reXecting material interests and the will to power). Weber (1946) labels
this ‘Zweckrationalität’.
Value-rational, which refers to ethical, aesthetic, religious, political, or other
ideals (involving identiWcation and commitment). Weber (1946) labels this
‘Wertrationalität’.
AVectual/emotional, which refers to the actor’s speciWc aVects and feelings
(sentiments and emotions can enhance value-rational commitments).
Traditional, which refers to ingrained habits (the institutionalization of previous strategic decisions of either a utilitarian or idealistic character).
In the Weld of HRM, these four kinds of social action are particularly relevant
in shaping HR practices. From an economic and managerial perspective, it is usual
for only the instrumental-rational perspective to be taken into account. However,
especially when decisions relate to the shaping of employment relationships,
other categories of social action, based on values, emotions, and traditions, are
at stake. Kochan et al. (1986) also attach importance to the role of values, which stem
from diVerent rationalities, the role of history, and processes of institutionalization.
The framework presented in Fig. 9.1 summarizes their approach.
This brings us into the realm of new institutionalism, a strand of theorizing
which gives us a sound basis for the inclusion of context in the study of HRM and a
way to explore the societal embeddedness of HR practices.
Values
Business
strategies
External environment
Labor markets
Workforce
characteristics
and values
Product markets
Technology
Public policies
Instiutional structure
of firm-level industrial
relations
Strategic activities
Collective bargaining/
personnel functional
activities
History and
current
structures
Performance
outcomes
Employers
Workers
Labor unions
Society
Workplace activities
Fig. 9.1. General framework for analyzing industrial relations issues
Source: Kochan et al. 1986.
hrm and societal embeddedness
173
9.5 HRM and New Institutionalism
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The idea that organizations are deeply embedded in wider institutional environments suggests, according to Powell (1998: 301), that organizational practices are
often either direct reXections of, or responses to, rules and structures existing in the
wider environment (Meyer and Rowan 1977). JaVee (2001: 227) states that:
viewing organisations as institutions means that organisations have a history, a culture, a
set of values, traditions, habits, routines and interests. This contrasts with the economic or
bureaucratic view of organisations that views organisations as formally rational instru
ments for the realization of clearly deWned objectives. Calling organisations ‘institutions’
means that they are not simply black boxes that produce goods and services, but human
organisations driven by emotion and tradition.
Thus, institutional theory combines a rejection of the optimization assumptions of
the rational actor models popular in economics with an interest in institutions as
independent variables (Powell 1998: 301). Processes of institutionalization can be
deWned as those ‘by which societal expectations of appropriate organizational
action inXuence the structuring and behaviour of organizations in given ways’
(Dacin 1997: 48). Selznick (1957), one of the founders of institutional theory, used
the term institutionalization, to refer to the organizational policies and practices
that become ‘infused with value beyond the technical requirements of the task at
hand’ (JaVee 2001: 227). In general, institutional theory shows how the behavior of
organizations is not solely a response to market pressures, but also to institutional
pressures. These include those emanating from regulatory agencies such as the state
and the professions, from general social expectations, and from the actions of
leading organizations (Greenwood and Hinings 1996).
At the beginning of the 1980s, a group of US-based sociologists presented
themselves as new institutionalists. Academics such as Selznick, Meyer, Rowan,
Scott, DiMaggio, Powell, and Zucker can be considered as the founding fathers
(and in Lynne Zucker’s case, founding mother) of the new institutionalism.
According to Greenwood and Hinings (1996), the new institutionalism assumes
that organizations conform to contextual expectations in order to gain legitimacy
and to increase their probability of survival. (For an extensive treatment of the
diVerences between old and new institutionalism, we refer readers to DiMaggio
and Powell 1991).
In respect of the societal embeddedness of HRM, the contribution made by
DiMaggio and Powell (1983, 1991) is particularly important. They state that organizations become more similar with respect to practices and systems within an
organizational Weld, not only because of market mechanisms, but also as a result
of institutionalization or ‘structuration.’ The concept that best captures the
process of homogenization is isomorphism. DiMaggio and Powell (1983) deWne
174
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
isomorphism as a constraining process that forces one unit in a population
(or organizational Weld) to resemble other units that are exposed to the same set of
environmental conditions. There are two types of isomorphism: competitive and
institutional. Competitive isomorphism assumes a system of rationality emphasizing
market competition, niche change, and ‘Wt,’ and is most relevant where free and open
competition exists. However, for a more complete understanding of organizational
change, DiMaggio and Powell (1983) focus more on an alternative perspective, that of
institutional isomorphism. Three institutional mechanisms are said to inXuence
decision-making in organizations: coercive mechanisms, which stem from political
inXuence and the problem of legitimacy; mimetic mechanisms, which result
from standard responses to uncertainty; and normative mechanisms, which are
associated with professionalization. Coercive inXuence refers to the formal and
informal pressures exerted by organizations on which a Wrm is dependent, as well as
to the cultural expectations held in wider society.
According to Lammers et al. (2000), new institutionalism criticizes the ‘functionalistic contingency approaches’ of the 1960s, which assume that actors are
rational. In contrast, new institutionalists believe in the ‘non-rationality’ of
processes at all levels in society—the micro (individual and organizational),
meso (branch or industry), and macro levels (national or international). The
central theme in new institutionalist approaches is the study of processes of
cognitive and normative institutionalism, whereby people and organizations conform without thinking to social and cultural inXuences (Lammers et al. 2000).
These normative inXuences are taken-for-granted assumptions (Zucker 1977) that
actors perceive as being part of their objective reality.
Coercive mechanisms in HRM include, amongst others, the inXuence of labor
legislation and government and, in some societies, the ‘social partners’ (including
trade unions and works councils). Mimetic mechanisms refer to imitations of the
strategies and practices of competitors as a result of uncertainty or fashion in the
Weld of management. The current interest in developing and implementing HR
scorecards (e.g. Becker et al. 2001) is an example. Normative mechanisms include
the impact of professional networks on management policies. According to
DiMaggio and Powell (1991), these networks, in particular, encourage isomorphism. Professional networks are inXuenced by the way universities and professional
training institutes develop and reproduce taken-for-granted organizational norms
among professional managers and staV specialists in the diVerent functional areas
of Wnance, marketing, accounting, and HRM. To give an example, it is now very
common to assert that HRM should be business oriented and must add value.
Other aims are subservient to this dominant goal. Thirty years ago, in the Netherlands at least, one of the central purposes of HRM was the support of industrial or
organizational democracy. In Fig. 9.2, we give an overview of the way in which the
three mechanisms identiWed by DiMaggio and Powell (1991) have impacts on
HRM.
hrm and societal embeddedness
Coercive:
Implementation
as a result of
institutional
forces
HRM
Strategy/
Policy/Goals
175
Mimetic:
Imitation as a
result of
uncertainty
Imitation as a
result of
trends/hypes
Normative:
Management
control system
depending on
the professionalization of an
employee
category
Fig. 9.2. Impacts of DiMaggio and Powell’s three mechanisms on HRM
9.5.1 Institutional Theory and Change
Institutional theory has been criticized for only being able to explain the persistence and homogeneity of phenomena and being unable to deal with the role of
interests and agency in shaping action (e.g. Dacin et al. 2002: 45–7). The work
of DiMaggio and Powell (1991), just discussed, shows how organizations change
due to the inXuence of coercive mechanisms, mimetic forces, and normative
pressures. However, these processes imply that organizations, in a speciWc organizational Weld, such as a sector or industry, will become more alike. Although
DiMaggio and Powell are able to account for change, it is change in the same
direction within an organizational Weld. Their approach does not take into account
the possibility of uniqueness due to speciWc interests and human agency. Greenwood and Hinings (1996) tackle this problem by starting from the premiss that a
major source of organizational resistance to change derives from the normative
embeddedness of an organization within its institutional context. In order to be
able to account for change, they explore the interaction between context and
strategic choice, arguing that unique change can occur if an organization decouples
itself from the institutional context and reformulates its internal ‘interpretative
scheme.’ An organization’s interpretative scheme consists of assumptions about the
176
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
appropriate domain in which the organization should operate, beliefs and values
about the principles of organizing, and deWned performance criteria to assess
success.
The extent to which an organization can be decoupled from the institutional
context depends on its internal dynamics, which include the kind and degree of
commitment to change, the power structures and coalitions favoring or opposing
organizational change, and the capacity to implement change. Greenwood and
Hinings (1996) deWne this capacity as the ability to manage the transition process
from one template to another.
Oliver (1991) complements this dynamic perspective and makes it possible to
account for change in the institutional framework by showing how organizations
can respond to institutional processes. Organizations use diVerent strategies
(options) to respond to institutional processes, ranging from acquiescence to
manipulation. Oliver’s (1991) framework is shown in Table 9.1.
A problem with this framework is that the responses are formulated either in a
conforming way (‘acquiesce’ and ‘compromise’) or in a negative way (‘avoid,’ ‘defy,’
‘manipulate’). If Oliver had also formulated positive and more constructive
strategic responses such as ‘lead,’ ‘initiate,’ ‘develop,’ the scheme would provide a
more complete overview of strategic responses (Paauwe 2004: 45).
Oliver (1992: 564) went on to introduce the idea of deinstitutionalization and
deWned it as the process by which the legitimacy of an established or institutionalized
Table 9.1 Strategic responses to institutional processes
Strategies
Tactics
Examples
Habit
Following invisible, taken-for-granted norms
Acquiesce
Imitate
Comply
Balance
Mimicking institutional models
Obeying rules and accepting norms
Balancing the expectations of multiple constituents
Compromise
Pacify
Bargain
Conceal
Placating and accommodating institutional elements
Negotiating with institutional stakeholders
Disguising nonconformity
Avoid
Buffer
Escape
Dismiss
Loosening institutional attachments
Changing goals, activities, or domains
Ignoring explicit norms and values
Defy
Challenge
Attack
Co-opt
Contesting rules and requirements
Assaulting the sources of institutional pressure
Importing influential constituents
Manipulate
Influence
Control
Shaping values and criteria
Dominating institutional constituents and process
Source: Oliver 1991.
hrm and societal embeddedness
177
practice erodes or discontinues. In identifying the various factors that contribute to
this process, and thus to change, she distinguishes intra-organizational determinants
from external environmental forces:
Intra-organizational determinants. ‘Pressures may arise within the organization as
new members are recruited, performance declines, power alignments shift, goals
are more clearly deWned or the organizational structure is transformed owing to
diversiWcation or mergers. These rather common events can conceivably threaten,
or at least call into question, institutionalised patterns of organization and
behaviour and stimulate change’ (JaVee 2001: 235 based on Oliver 1992: 579).
External environmental forces. ‘These might include increasing competition or
environmental turbulence, changes in government regulations, shifts in public
opinion, dramatic events or crises and changes in task environment relationships’
(JaVee 2001: 235 based on Oliver 1992: 579). In principle, these forces will cause
change in the same direction for all organizations involved in the same organizational Weld. However, due to human agency and strategic choice, organizations can
and will diVer in their response to these kinds of forces.
In a similar way to Oliver, Colomy (1998) draws attention to the role of human
agency in transforming the normative, cognitive, and regulative aspects of institutions (see also JaVee 2001: 236). Moreover, Dacin et al. (2002) summarize a range of
studies (for example Kraatz and Moore 2002; Sherer and Lee 2002; Townley 2002;
Zilber 2002) that explicitly pay attention to the role of power, interests, and agency
in determining how organizations interpret and respond to institutions: actors are
not passive, they make choices as they interpret their environments (Dacin et al.
2002: 47). In summary, then, a range of authors have worked on building a new
institutionalist approach which recognizes both forces for sameness and forces
which stimulate idiosyncratic change.
9.6 HRM and Strategic Balancing
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In the previous section, we outlined how institutional theory can help us account
for the societal embeddedness of HR practices. New institutionalism enables us to
identify the underlying reasons why organizations in the same sector or industry
become increasingly alike, while still allowing for change on the basis of human
agency and strategic choice. Environmental determinism is thus avoided. However,
we have only dealt with one side of the coin of social embeddedness. Organizations
Wnd themselves amidst two forces in the environment. On the one hand, there are
competitive forces, based on economic rationality, which lead to decisions to
178
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
diVerentiate from competitors in an eVort to achieve or maintain sustained
competitive advantage. On the other hand, there are isomorphic pressures based
on normative rationality, which lead organizations to become increasingly alike in
order to achieve legitimacy in their organizational Weld. Legitimacy is needed
in order to acquire resources from potential exchange partners such as customers,
suppliers, and regulators. A legitimate Wrm will manage to obtain resources of
higher quality and at more favorable terms than a Wrm whose legitimacy is
challenged (Deephouse 1999: 152).
These two forces are examined in research undertaken by Deephouse (1999). In
a longitudinal study of commercial banks, he Wnds empirical support for his strategic
balance theory. This states that moderately diVerentiated Wrms, which achieve
a balance between a focus on legitimacy and a market focus, tend to have higher
performance than either highly conforming Wrms, which emphasize meeting
legitimacy requirements, or highly diVerentiated Wrms maximizing the economic/
market dimension.
Within the Weld of HRM, Paauwe (2004) uses the theory of strategic balance in
his contextually based human resource theory. Here, long-term viability can only
be achieved if a balance is realized between economic and relational rationalities.
Organizations need to pursue economic rationality with an emphasis on creating
added value, but they are also confronted with the challenge of relational or
normative rationality. This implies establishing sustainable and trustworthy relationships with all relevant stakeholders (not just customers and shareholders)
based on criteria of legitimacy and fairness as moral values (Paauwe 2004: 67).
The strategic tension in achieving a balance between sometimes competing or
conXicting forces is recognized by Boxall and Purcell (2003: 7). They distinguish
goals of labor productivity, organizational Xexibility, and social legitimacy that
need to be met, to some degree, in order to achieve organizational viability. They
emphasize the ‘harsh’ reality of strategic tensions among these three critical goals:
seen, for example, when companies transfer activities to low-cost countries to
achieve productivity/eYciency goals at the expense of societal legitimacy in the
high-wage countries where mass lay-oVs occur.
Relatively little attention has been paid to the challenge of simultaneously
achieving the goals of productivity/Xexibility and social legitimacy despite the
fact that reconciling opposing goals is extremely important for the long-term
survival of organizations. With increasing international competition, organizations
are forced to implement work systems that place increasing demands on employees
to work smarter, better, or faster. This may require the implementation of lean
manufacturing work systems or, more generally, high-performance or highinvolvement work systems. In a growing number of cases, the need is to achieve
an agile work system, which emphasizes fast and eYcient learning, encouraging
multi-skilling, empowerment, and reconWgurable teams and work designs (Dyer
and Shafer 1999; Sharp et al. 1999). If these forms of work reorganization are not
hrm and societal embeddedness
179
paralleled or balanced by a suYcient degree of trust, legitimacy, and fairness, the
enforced changes will be likely in the long run to result in dissatisfaction, burn-out,
and stress. Hence, a single-minded pursuit of economic rationality to the exclusion
of other factors carries the seeds of its own destruction. Recognition of relational
rationality means that social goals have to be considered, especially those concerning organizational justice and social legitimacy.
9.6.1 Organizational Justice/Fairness
Failing to meet objectives of legitimacy and fairness will lead to perceived injustice
by those involved (e.g. employees, managers, works council representatives, trade
union oYcers) and aVects employee behavior and social relations within an
organization (Greenberg 1990). A meta-analysis of organizational justice by
Colquitt et al. (2001) shows positive eVects of perceived justice (both procedural
and distributive) on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, employee trust,
and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), underlining the relevance of
fairness and legitimacy in organizations. Meeting the criterion of relational
rationality means that managers need to ‘treat their people well.’
The term ‘justice’ is generally used to connote ‘oughtness’ and is focused on the
way people evaluate the fairness of a decision (Boxall and Purcell 2003). Baron and
Kreps (1999) present two implicit assumptions that represent the starting point for
organizational justice approaches. First, they make the assumption that individual
employees evaluate their personal position relative to others in a process of
social comparison (encompassing upward comparison, downward comparison,
and horizontal comparison). Second, individual employees not only attend to the
absolute rewards they receive, but also to the fairness of the allocation decisions.
There are two basic forms of organizational justice: distributive and procedural.
Distributive justice concerns people’s perception of outcomes or rewards and the
way they are allocated (Baron and Kreps 1999: 107). This form of justice is relevant
for workers’ satisfaction with decisions concerning their jobs and pay. Typical
issues related to distributive justice are: ‘How am I being paid in comparison to
my colleagues?’ and ‘How much eVort do I have to put into my job in comparison
to colleagues with similar responsibilities?’ Procedural justice, on the other hand,
deals with the fairness of the procedures used to determine outcome distributions
or allocations (Colquitt et al. 2001). Procedural justice is often related to workers’
perception of the supervisor, their attachment to the organization, and their
willingness to engage in various kinds of ‘organizational citizenship behavior.’
Colquitt et al. (2001) show that perceptions of distributive justice tend to be
correlated with perceptions of procedural justice. They add two other forms of
organizational justice based on interactions: interpersonal justice and informational justice. Interpersonal justice is concerned with whether people are treated in
180
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
a polite, digniWed, and respectful way by authorities (Colquitt et al. 2001: 427).
Informational justice points to the role of information Xows and the way people
perceive these Xows: in particular, information about why certain procedures are
used and why certain outcomes are distributed (Colquitt et al. 2001: 427). All four
forms of justice aVect employee motivation.
9.6.2 Organizational Legitimacy
Organizational legitimacy relates to the organization as a whole. It can be deWned as
‘a generalized perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are desirable,
proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values,
beliefs, and deWnitions’ (Suchman 1995: 574). Suchman (1995) provides an excellent
overview of organizational legitimacy and distinguishes two overall traditions. The
Wrst tradition, seen in the work of PfeVer and Salancik (1978), among others, adopts
a managerial view and stresses the instrumental ways in which an organization can
manifest itself: for example, by using evocative symbols to gain societal support
(Suchman 1995: 572). This approach can be characterized as organizational managers ‘looking out.’ The second comes from studies in the institutional tradition like
that of DiMaggio and Powell (1983). These emphasize the sector-wide structuration
dynamics that put pressures on organizations to meet or adopt legitimacy expectations set at sectoral or societal levels. These pressures can limit the organization’s
room to maneuver in decision-making (Suchman 1995). This viewpoint reXects
society ‘looking in.’ Each tradition is further subdivided among researchers who
focus on legitimacy grounded in pragmatic assessments of stakeholder relations (a
superWcial way of looking at legitimacy), legitimacy grounded in normative evaluations of moral propriety, and legitimacy grounded in cognitive deWnitions of
appropriateness and interpretability (Suchman 1995). Pragmatic legitimacy mainly
rests on the self-interested calculations of an organization’s most immediate audiences. Moral legitimacy builds on the question of whether a given activity is the
right thing to do and not on judgements about whether a given activity beneWts the
evaluator. Cognitive legitimacy is based on acceptance of the organization as
necessary or inevitable based on some taken-for-granted cultural account. It does
not involve evaluation on moral grounds.
In summary, strategic balancing involves taking into account both market
principles (economic value) and institutional principles (moral values). In our
view, the viability of an organization can only be secured by meeting contextual
economic demands (e.g. for eYciency, Xexibility, innovativeness) and institutional
demands both at the societal level (reXected in the concept of organizational
legitimacy) and at the individual employee level (reXected in the concept of
organizational justice).
hrm and societal embeddedness
181
9.7 Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The starting point of this chapter was to explore HRM in its societal embeddedness.
Our Wrst key aim was to emphasize the value of new institutionalism as an additional
theoretical perspective explaining the shaping of HRM in diVerent environments.
Our second key aim was to develop the idea of ‘strategic balance’ theory concerned
with economic and relational rationalities—with the latter involving organizational
justice at the individual level and organizational legitimacy at the organization level.
Institutional theory has been criticized for putting too much emphasis on
stability, for being deterministic, and for placing too much emphasis on the
conservative and conserving nature of institutions. In response to these criticisms,
we showed how institutional theory is able to encompass change, the role of
agency, and processes of deinstitutionalization. The interplay between, on the
one hand, institutional factors which force an organization to comply with rules
and regulations in order to bring about legitimacy and, on the other, the competitive market place, where strategic choice and leeway will allow an organization to
position itself diVerently (in order to achieve a competitive advantage), led us
Wnally to the importance of strategic balancing (Deephouse 1999). Not only is Wt
between HR and competitive strategy a necessary condition for organizational
success, but so too is institutional Wt.
The advantage of our approach is that we can complement the present academic
interest in the linkage between HRM and performance with wider institutional
factors inXuencing the choice of HR practices. The theoretical concepts used in this
chapter shift the attention from internal organizational resources to a more
interactive level, relating the organization to its environment, and making us
more conscious of the role of taken-for-granted assumptions and mimetic, normative, and regulatory mechanisms in the wider context. Our approach can be
used in diVerent institutional settings, including regions, countries, and sectors
(see, for example, Paauwe 2004). The approach oVers a fruitful perspective for
cross-national and cross-sectoral comparative research into the eVects of various
institutional mechanisms on the shaping of HR practices and their possible
relationship with performance. HR practices should meet the demands of the
market place (e.g. for eYciency and agility) and the institutional setting (for social
legitimacy), while at the same time being perceived as fair and just by employees.
References
Baird, L., and Meshoulam, I. (1988). ‘Managing Two Fits of Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Academy of Management Review, 13/1: 116 28.
182
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
Barney, J. B. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustainable Competitive Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17: 99 120.
Baron, J. N., and Kreps, D. M. (1999). Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General
Managers. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Becker, B. E., Huselid, M. A., and Ulrich, D. (2001). The HR Scorecard: Linking People,
Strategy and Performance. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Beer, M., Spector, B., Lawrence, P. R., Mills, D. Q., and Walton, R. E. (1984).
Managing Human Assets. New York: The Free Press.
Boselie, P., Dietz , G., and Boon, C. (2005). ‘Commonalities and Contradictions in HRM
and Performance Research.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 15/3: 67 94.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Brewster, C. (2004). ‘European Perspectives on Human Resource Management.’ Human
Resource Management Review, 14: 365 82.
Child, J. (1972). ‘Organisational Structure, Environment and Performance: The Role of
Strategic Choice.’ Sociology, 6/1: 1 22.
Clegg, H. A. (1979). The Changing System of Industrial Relations in Great Britain. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Colomy, P. (1998). ‘Neofunctionalism and Neoinstitutionalism: Human Agency and Inter
est in Institutional Change.’ Sociological Forum, 13/2: 265 300.
Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O. L. H., and Ng, K. Y. (2001).
‘Justice at the Millennium: A Meta analytic Review of 25 Years of Organizational Justice
Research.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 86/3: 425 45.
Dacin, M. T. (1997). ‘Isomorphism in Context: The Power and Prescription of Institutional
Norms.’ Academy of Management Journal, 40/1: 46 81.
Goodstein, J., and Scott, W. R. (2002). ‘Institutional Theory and Institutional
Change: Introduction to Special Research Forum.’ Academy of Management Journal,
45/1: 45 57.
Deephouse, D. L. (1999). ‘To be DiVerent, or be the Same? It’s a Question (and Theory) of
Strategic Balance.’ Strategic Management Journal, 20: 147 66.
Delery, J. E., and Doty, D. H. (1996). ‘Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Tests of Universalistics, Contingency, and ConWgurational Performance
Predictions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4: 802 35.
DiMaggio, P. J., and Powell, W. W. (1983). ‘The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional
Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields.’ American Sociological
Review, 48/2: 147 60.
(eds.) (1991). The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
Dunlop, J. T. (1958). Industrial Relations Systems. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Dyer, L., and Shafer, R. A. (1999). ‘From Human Resource Strategy to Organizational
EVectiveness: Lessons from Research on Organizational Agility.’ Research in Personnel
and Human Resource Management, 4: 145 74.
Fombrun, C., Tichy, N. M., and Devanna, M. A. (eds.) (1984). Strategic Human Resource
Management. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Gospel, H., and Pendleton, A. (2003). ‘Financial Markets, Corporate Governance, and the
Management of Labour.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41/3: 557 82.
hrm and societal embeddedness
183
Greenberg, J. (1990). ‘Organizational Justice: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.’ Journal of
Management, 16: 399 432.
Greenwood, R., and Hinings, C. R. (1996). ‘Understanding Radical Organizational
Change: Bringing Together the Old and the New Institutionalism.’ Academy of Manage
ment Review, 21/4: 1022 55.
Guest, D. E. (1987). ‘Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations.’ Journal of
Management Studies, 24/5: 503 21.
Hendry, C., and Pettigrew, A. (1990). ‘Human Resource Management: An Agenda for the
1990s.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1/1: 17 43.
Jaffee, D. (2001). Organization Theory: Tension and Change. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Kochan, T. A., McKersie, R. B., and Capelli, P. (1984). ‘Strategic Choice and Industrial
Relations Theory.’ Industrial Relations, 23/1: 16 39.
Katz, H. C., and McKersie, R. B. (1986). The Transformation of American Industrial
Relations. New York: Basic Books.
Kraatz, M. S., and Moore, J. H. (2002). ‘Executive Migration and Institutional Change.’
Academy of Management Journal, 45/1: 120 43.
Lammers, C. J., Mijs, A. A., and Noort, W. J. van (2000). Organisaties vergelijkender wijs:
ontwikkeling en relevantie van het sociologisch denken over organisaties. Utrecht: Het
Spectrum.
Lawrence, J. W., and Lorsch, P. R. (1967). Organization and Environment. Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Legge, K. (2005). Human Resource Management, Rhetorics and Realities. London: Macmil
lan Business.
Meyer, J. W., and Rowan, B. (1977). ‘Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structures as
Myth and Ceremony.’ Reprinted in W. W. Powell and P. J. DiMaggio (eds.), The New
Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
Miles, R., and Snow, C. (1984). ‘Designing Strategic Human Resources Systems.’ Organ
izational Dynamics, Summer: 36 52.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). The Structuring of Organizations. London: Prentice Hall.
Nijs, W. F. de (1996). ‘Arbeidsverhoudingen en personeelsmanagement.’ In A. G. Nagelk
erke and W. F. de Nijs (eds.), Regels rond arbeid. Leiden: Stenfert Kroese.
Oliver, C. (1991). ‘Strategic Responses to Institutional Processes.’ Academy of Management
Review, 16/1: 145 79.
(1992). ‘The Antecedents of Deinstitutionalization.’ Organization Studies, 13/4: 563 88.
Paauwe, J. (2004). HRM and Performance: Unique Approaches for Achieving Long Term
Viability. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
and Boselie, P. (2003). ‘Challenging ‘‘Strategic HRM’’ and the Relevance of the
Institutional Setting.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 56 70.
Peccei, R., Boselie, P., and Paauwe, J. (2005). ‘Human Resource Practices and Isomorph
ism.’ Working paper presented at the 4th Dutch HRM Network Conference November
2005 in Enschede, the Netherlands.
Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive Advantage through People. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press.
and Salancik, G. (1978). The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Depend
ence Perspective. New York: Harper and Row.
Poole, M. (1986). Industrial Relations: Origins and Patterns of National Diversity. London:
Routledge.
184
jaap paauwe and paul boselie
Poole, M., (1990). ‘Editorial: HRM in an International Perspective.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 1/1: 1 15.
Porter, M. E. (1985). Competitive Advantage. New York: Free Press.
Powell, W. W. (1998). ‘Institutional Theory.’ In C. L. Cooper and C. Argyris (eds.),
Encyclopaedia of Management. Oxford: Blackwell Business.
Pugh, D. S. and Hickson, D. J. (1976). Organizational Structure in its Context: The Aston
Programme I. Westmead: Saxon House.
Schuler, R. S., and Jackson, S. E. (1987). ‘Linking Competitive Strategies with Human
Resource Management Practices.’ Academy of Management Executive, 1: 207 19.
Scott, W. R., and Meyer, J. W. (1994). Institutional Environments and Organizations.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Selznick, P. (1957). Leadership in Administration: A Sociological Perspective. New York:
Harper and Row.
Sharp, J. M., Irani, Z., and Desai, S. (1999). ‘Working towards Agile Manufacturing in the
UK Industry.’ International Journal of Production Economics, 62/1 2: 155 69.
Sherer, P. D., and Lee, K. (2002). ‘Institutional Change in Large Law Firms: A Resource
Dependency and Institutional Perspective.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45/1: 102 19.
Storey, J. (ed.) (1989). New Perspectives on Human Resource Management. London:
Routledge.
and Sisson, K. (1993). Managing Human Resources and Industrial Relations. Milton
Keynes: Open University Press.
Suchman, M. C. (1995). ‘Managing Legitimacy: Strategic and Institutional Approaches.’
Academy of Management Review, 20: 571 610.
Townley, B. (2002). ‘The Role of Competing Rationalities in Institutional Change.’ Acad
emy of Management Journal, 45/1: 163 79.
Visser, J., and Hemerijck, A. (1997). ‘A Dutch Miracle’: Job Growth, Welfare Reform and
Corporatism in the Netherlands. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
Walker, K. F. (1969). ‘Strategic Factors in Industrial Relations Systems: A Programme of
International Comparative Industry Studies.’ International Institute for Labour Studies
Bulletin, 6/June: 187 209.
Weber, M. (1946). From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wernerfelt, B. (1984). ‘A Resource Based View of the Firm.’ Strategic Management Journal,
5: 171 80.
Woodward, J. (1965). Industrial Organization: Theory and Practice. London: Oxford
University Press.
Zilber, T. (2002). ‘Institutionalization as an Interplay between Actions, Meanings and
Actors: The Case of a Rape Crisis Center in Israel.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45/1:
234 54.
Zucker, L. (1977). ‘The Role of Institutionalisation in Cultural Persistence.’ American
Sociological Review, 42: 726 43.
part ii
...................................................................................................................................................
CORE PROCESSES
AND FUNCTIONS
...................................................................................................................................................
chapter 10
....................................................................................................................................................
WO R K
O RG A N I Z AT I O N
....................................................................................................................................
john cordery
sharon k. parker
10.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The greatest improvement in the productive powers of labour, and the
greater part of the skill, dexterity and judgement with which it is any
where directed, or applied, seem to have been the eVects of the division
of labour.
(Adam Smith 1776, quoted in Davis and Taylor 1972: 25)
Perhaps the most prominent single element in modern scientiWc man
agement is the task idea. The work of every workman is fully planned out
by the management at least one day in advance, and each man receives in
most cases complete written instructions, describing in detail the task
which he is to accomplish, as well as the means to be used in doing the
work . . . the average workman will work with the greatest satisfaction,
both to himself and his employer, when he is given each day a deWnite
task which he is to perform in a given time.
(Taylor 1947: 297, 300)
. . . workers respond best and most creatively not when they are
tightly controlled by management, placed in narrowly deWned jobs,
and treated like an unwelcome necessity, but, instead, when they are
given broader responsibilities, encouraged to contribute, and helped to
take satisfaction in their work.
(Walton 1985: 77)
188
john cordery and sharon k. parker
. . . organizations are beginning to make the more radical move of aban
doning the concept of the job altogether. One factor contributing to the
demise of traditional jobs is the growing use of self managing teams . . .
Although management typically plays a key role in deciding which skills
the team requires and selecting the individuals who have these competen
cies, it is usually left to the team to decide how the work should be divided
among its members. As the team evolves and team members become more
multiskilled, the work that each individual performs often shifts to ac
commodate personal as well as work requirements.
(Lawler and Finegold 2000: 7 8)
As the above quotations suggest, opinions as to the best ways to organize and
manage work activities within the operating core of an organization have varied
widely over the past 250 years. The past three decades, in particular, have witnessed
major changes to organizations and the work that is performed by their members,
brought about in the main by technological changes and global competition. Terms
such as lean production, manufacturing business process re-engineering, outsourcing, team-based working, kaizen, just-in-time production, empowerment, call
centers, contingent workers, virtual teams, tele-work and the learning organization
are just some of the words that have entered the lingua franca of management,
denoting ways in which organizations have attempted to respond to such changes.
This chapter outlines a systems framework for describing the ways in which work
activities are structured and coordinated by organizations in response to technological, economic, and social imperatives. In doing so, we are particularly mindful
of the impact that evolving work conWgurations have upon an organization, its
members, and the broader environment within which that organization operates.
10.2 A Systems Perspective on Work
Organization
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The frequency with which such terms as task design, job design, work organization,
and work system are used synonymously suggests that some conceptual clariWcation might be fruitful. According to Wall and Clegg (1998: 337), job design refers
to ‘the speciWcation of the content and methods of jobs,’ while work organization
‘usually signiWes a broader perspective linking jobs more explicitly to their organizational context.’ Accordingly, we deWne work organization as the way tasks are
organized and coordinated within the context of an overarching work system. A work
system, in turn, may be viewed as a particular conWguration of interacting subsystems, including work content, technology, employee capabilities, leadership style,
work organization
Strategy
189
Culture
Work system
People
Technology
Work content
Management
policies
and practices
Leadership
Operating environment
Fig. 10.1. The organization of a work system
Source: After Beer et al. 1985: 570.
and management policies and practices (Beer et al. 1985; Sinha and Van de Ven
2005). This conceptual framework is presented in Fig. 10.1.
Adopting a systems perspective on work organization has a number of advantages. First, it provides a common framework for describing the myriad ways of
organizing and coordinating work processes that have evolved over time and in
diVerent contexts and which attract diVerent labels or terminologies. For example,
it can be used to diVerentiate, say, between diVerent approaches to teamworking
that might evolve in two diVerent call centers. It can also be used to describe the
working arrangements involved in practices as apparently diverse as lean production and empowerment.
Second, the work systems perspective recognizes that the productive work of an
enterprise arises as a result of a complex interplay between a number of work
subsystems. For example, increases in the complexity of tasks performed by
employees or in their role responsibilities are likely to be either facilitated or
190
john cordery and sharon k. parker
inhibited by the existing knowledge, skills, and abilities they already possess, their
attitudes towards such changes, and/or by the organization’s capacity to deliver
education and training. Such changes are also likely to necessitate changes to
remuneration practices, as well as requiring Wrst-line managers to delegate some
of their tasks.
Finally, as is the case with open systems perspectives on organizations generally
(e.g. Katz and Kahn 1966), the work systems approach recognizes that such a system
interacts with (imports from, exports to) an environment that is deWned, in large
part, by such factors as the organization’s overarching corporate strategy, its culture,
and the broader operating environment of the organization, one that is deWned by
societal, economic, political, and legal considerations. While work systems can have
an impact on such environments, for example by exporting skill, products, or
services, it is more likely that the eVectiveness of a given work system conWguration
will depend on the degree to which it is compatible with its operating environment.
In the sections that follow, we describe the main components (subsystems) of a
work system and their interrelationship. We then go on to discuss diVerent criteria
used to judge the eVectiveness of work systems, and to review three generic work
system conWgurations.
10.2.1 Work Content
At the core of any work system’s conWguration are the tasks and roles performed by
employees in their jobs—‘the set of activities that are undertaken to develop, produce
and deliver a product—that is, a physical and/or information good and service’
(Sinha and Van de Ven 2005). The content of that work/those jobs may be described
in terms of a number of design parameters or characteristics, the range of which is
considerable and reXects the predominant interests of those analysing or designing
the work (e.g. Campion 1988). We choose here to focus on a limited set of core features
of work content, commonly identiWed in the work design literature, which are not
encapsulated by other aspects of the work system (e.g. rewards), and which are
important from the perspective of both organizations and job incumbents
(Baron and Kreps 1999; Hackman and Oldham 1976, 1980; Parker and Wall 1998;
Parker et al. 2001; Sinha and Van de Ven 2005). These characteristics include the scope,
control, variability, demands, and feedback directly associated with tasks and duties.
Scope. The breadth and level of tasks and responsibilities exercised by an
incumbent represents a major work design parameter. Some jobs are highly
specialized horizontally, that is to say, the range of tasks they contain is very
small. This is frequently reXected in low cycle times for completion of units of
work. Jobs can also be ‘vertically’ specialized, to the extent that more complex tasks,
such as those involving planning, scheduling, and decision-making, and high-level
skills, are separated out. This is sometimes referred to as work simpliWcation.
work organization
191
Discretion. In some work systems, employees have a high degree of control over
operational aspects of work performance, such as the pace and timing of tasks or
the performance strategies adopted, whereas in others no such discretion is permitted. The level of autonomy or discretion a job aVords is generally regarded as
being of considerable psychological signiWcance to job incumbents, in respect of
their motivation and satisfaction.
Variability. This aspect of job content relates to the degree of stability that exists
in tasks and roles over time. In some work systems, for example, employees rotate
between jobs or functional task groupings, whereas in others the content of the
work remains fairly constant. Job rotation provides the employer with some
beneWts, in terms of Xexibility of labor allocation, and potentially enables employees to utilize a greater proportion of their skills and talents. However, rotation may
also interfere with the development of task proWciency and performance-relevant
mental models (Hackman 2002).
Demands. Workload is also a key factor associated with jobs. Workloads can take
the form of physical demands, though the growing prevalence of knowledge-based
work means that increasingly such demands are intellectual (or cognitive) in character. In the case of service jobs, there has been increasing recognition that work
can involve emotional labor, and that the emotional demands this creates can be
extremely stressful (Brief and Weiss 2002; Grandey 2000)—particularly in jobs that
are also cognitively demanding (Glomb et al. 2004). Demands can also arise as a
consequence of role conXict, where job incumbents are required to perform multiple
roles with conXicting objectives (e.g. Frenkel et al. 1999). Demand is also experienced
as a consequence of conXict between job and non-job roles (Raghuram and
Weisenfeld 2004), particularly where work involves long hours (MacInnes 2005).
Feedback. Some jobs and tasks automatically generate information that enables
the person performing them to judge how well he or she is performing. Performance feedback is an important determinant of the capacity to self-regulate within a
job (Locke and Latham 2002), though the performance-monitoring capabilities
provided by modern information technologies can generate both positive and
negative consequences for organizations and employees alike (Frenkel et al. 1999;
Stanton 2000).
Interdependence. Finally, work content varies according to whether tasks/roles
are performed individually or are assigned to a group (or team) of employees. It
has become increasingly common for organizations to formulate and manage work
content at the level of a team of employees, such as through the creation of selfmanaging work teams (Cordery et al. 1991), creating strong behavioral and outcome interdependencies between employees in the process (Wageman 1995).
While the content of tasks, activities, and roles is at the core of the work system,
it is critically dependent on other four other work subsystems: technology, leadership, workforce capabilities, and management policies and practices. Each of these
subsystems, and their relationship to work content, is now brieXy discussed.
192
john cordery and sharon k. parker
10.2.2 Technology
The content of work activities and responsibilities is strongly inXuenced by the
technical subsystem. In the Wrst instance, task technology may directly inXuence
the ‘locus of control’ in respect of work activities (Mintzberg 1979). In highly
regulated or automated technical systems, such as provided by some assembly
line and call center technologies, the opportunities for people to exercise discretion
in respect of the way they perform the work (e.g. pace, order) is virtually nonexistent.
Furthermore, some technologies have a degree of sophistication and complexity that automatically generates cognitive demands within an operator’s work
role, and the inherent unreliability of many complex technologies may also
generate variability and uncertainty in work tasks and role requirements (Wall
et al. 2002). Varying levels of technologically derived uncertainty means that, for
some jobs, it is possible to prescribe in great detail the manner of task execution
using rules and standard operating procedures, while in others, the nature of task
requirements and demands is not able to be speciWed in advance of their
execution.
Technical systems also aVect interdependence. Continuous process technologies,
for example, generate complex levels of interdependence between tasks that favor
the allocation of some coordination and control responsibilities to a group of
employees. In other situations (e.g. some customer service roles), an employee is
able to perform all required tasks independently of others, and the requirement to
deWne collective work content is less acute.
10.2.3 Leadership
The leadership behaviors of managers and supervisors are also likely to help shape
the content of work activities and to interact with other elements of the work
system. For example, high levels of job discretion may act as a substitute for, or
neutralize, the eVects of some aspects of transactional and transformational leader
behaviors (Whittington et al. 2004). Conversely, the direct involvement of a
manager or supervisor in the process of allocating tasks to employees, setting the
pace of work, and in decisions over the choice of work methods will invariably
reduce the level of scope and discretion experienced by job incumbents (Cordery
and Wall 1985).
Where jobs and tasks are highly specialized, there is likely to be a need for Wrstlevel management to act as the linking mechanism, coordinating activities across
individuals. However, where interdependent tasks are grouped within the one job,
or within a responsible work team, then such coordinative behaviors on the part of
Wrst-level management are likely to be less necessary.
work organization
193
10.2.4 People
The successful performance of any set of work activities is clearly dependent on
the level of commitment and capability demonstrated by the extant workforce
(Ulrich et al. 1999). The knowledge, skills, and abilities the workforce possess, are
capable of attaining, or are willing to engage create both opportunities and
constraints in respect of the specialization or enlargement of job content. Work
roles frequently fail to capitalize fully on the existing knowledge, skills, and talents
of employees (Morrison et al. 2005), employees can also diVer in the conWdence
with which they approach expanded or enriched work roles (Burr and Cordery
2001; Parker 1998), and cultural values and beliefs may also shape attitudes about
(and acceptance of) diVerent forms of work organization (Kirkman and Shapiro
1997).
10.2.5 Management Policies and Practices
Ultimately, any set of work roles and responsibilities must be supported by a set of
sympathetic and appropriate management policies and practices. It has long been
recognized that diVerent approaches to work organization are frequently associated
with diVerent ‘bundles’ of human resource management practices (e.g. Pil and
MacDuYe 1996). Models of team eVectiveness generally specify elements of a
supportive organizational context (training, information, and reward systems) as
being a key input to the eVectiveness of teamworking (e.g. Hackman 2002).
Elsewhere in the human resource management literature, the value of rigorous
selection techniques, pay contingent on collective output, intensive training and
development, job security guarantees, low status diVerentials, and widespread
information sharing in supporting ‘high-involvement’ work designs has been
strongly advocated (e.g. PfeVer 1998; O’Reilly and PfeVer 2000).
10.3 Archetypal Work System
Configurations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The eVectiveness of any given work system design needs to be assessed against
multiple criteria, given the potentially divergent interests of those associated with
it (e.g. employees, employers, customers). The following six main criteria have
been identiWed from the literature (Beer et al. 1985; Campion and Thayer 1987;
Baron and Kreps 1999; Parker et al. 2001):
194
.
.
.
.
.
.
john cordery and sharon k. parker
the work system’s capacity to generate high levels of work performance and
goal attainment on the part of those working within it;
the degree to which the work system develops, produces, and delivers its
designated product or service in an eYcient and cost-eVective manner;
the extent that work system is able to sustain and build on human capital and
performance capabilities;
the work system’s capability of eVective adaptation to changes in the organization’s strategic direction (e.g. cost leadership vs. innovation) and in operating
environment (e.g. economic and labor market changes);
the degree to which the work system generates rewards (intrinsic and extrinsic)
for those who operate it; and
its sustainability, in terms of its impact on the physical and psychological
health of employees, the degree to which it builds positive social relationships,
and eVects a healthy work–life balance.
With these criteria in mind, we now compare and contrast three archetypal work
systems. These are archetypes, in the sense that they represent idealized conWgurations of work subsystems that may be found in organizational settings. Table 10.1
summarizes the work content characteristics associated with diVerent work system
archetypes.
10.3.1 ‘Mechanistic’ Work Systems
The conWguration of work subsystems we label ‘mechanistic’ represents a longestablished tradition in work organization, and has arguably provided the dominant model for the organization of work over the past century. Its development may
be traced forward from the writings of Adam Smith (1776) and Charles Babbage
(1835) on the advantages associated with the division of labor, to the work of
Table 10.1 A taxonomy of work content characteristics associated with
different work system archetypes
Work system Scope
Discretion Variability Demands
Interdependence Feedback
Mechanistic
Low
Low
Low
Physical
demands
Low
Low
Motivational High
High
Moderate
Cognitive
Moderate
High
Concertive
High
High
Cognitive
and affective
demands
High
High
High
work organization
195
Frank Gilbreth (1911) and, more famously, Frederick Taylor (1911)’s scientiWc
management treatise (Locke 1982).
The content of work activities within the mechanistic work system is typically
characterized by high levels of horizontal and vertical job specialization (low
scope), tight constraints on the manner in which work is performed (low discretion), and little variation in the tasks performed (low variability). For these
reasons, jobs that arise within such conWgurations are frequently described using
adjectives such as ‘simpliWed,’ ‘narrow,’ ‘deskilled,’ ‘fragmented,’ or ‘standardized.’
Furthermore, work activities are invariably organised with an individual (rather
than a group) as the focus of task performance and accountability (low interdependence).
In terms of the other elements of the work system identiWed in Fig. 10.1, work
activities within mechanistic work systems are typically controlled and coordinated
by close and direct task supervision, supported by the use of formal rules and
standard operating procedures. Technology tends to be highly routinized, designed
to deliver high predictability and low variability in task requirements. The simpliWed work content tends to generate (and attract) an operating workforce whose
skill levels are highly specialized and who have limited Xexibility. Human resource
policies and practices tend to manage performance at the individual level, with pay
based on individual job evaluation and/or performance output. Training is limited
to creating proWciency in those tasks contained within a Wxed job deWnition.
A contemporary illustration of the operation of mechanistic work systems can
be found in Holman’s (2005) description of call centers that adopt a ‘mass service’
model of service management. One way for such a call center to cut costs is to
employ cheaper, low-skilled customer service representatives (CSRs). To do this, it
becomes necessary to simplify the tasks they perform, and to ‘embed’ these tasks in
the technology by means of preordained scripts and/or standard procedures
governing customer–employee interaction. The work content in these systems
can be characterized as low scope (CSRs mostly answer calls, usually of a similar
type, whilst supervisors deal with any problems), low discretion (tightly deWned
scripts specify what should be said throughout the call), low variability (CSRs
usually do not rotate jobs), low interdependence (CSRs usually work on their
own), and sometimes high demand (e.g. pressure to complete calls within certain
times).
Mechanistic work systems clearly have the primary objective of delivering
eYciency-related outcomes (Morgeson and Campion 2002). Amongst the beneWts
that they have been seen as generating (especially in the operating core of the
organization) are reductions in training costs, improvements in productivity
associated with reductions in the time taken to switch between diVerent tasks,
and increased task proWciency as job complexity is reduced. Job simpliWcation may
also mean that it becomes easier to Wnd employees with the requisite base levels of
skills in the labor market, and make it more feasible to automate some tasks.
196
john cordery and sharon k. parker
On the debit side, however, it seems clear that the low discretion combined with
high demands and low skill utilization frequently associated with job content in
such work systems may generate negative psychological and behavioral outcomes,
such as anxiety, depression, lower performance motivation, job dissatisfaction,
absenteeism, and turnover (Holman 2002; Marchand et al. 2005). For example,
Parker (2003) found that mechanistic forms of work organization associated with
lean production practices generated reduced commitment, less willingness to
accept broadened role responsibilities, and increased job depression.
10.3.2 ‘Motivational’ Work Systems
In contrast to the mechanistic archetype, ‘motivational’ work system conWgurations are founded upon prescriptions for work content that are seen as being
intrinsically motivating or psychologically empowering for those performing the
work—that is, the work involved satisWes innate psychological needs such as those
for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Ryan and Deci 2000). The origins of
‘motivational’ work system conWgurations can be found in the writings of midtwentieth-century management theorists such as Douglas McGregor and Frederick
Herzberg. McGregor, for example, argued that mechanistic work systems invariably underutilized employee capabilities, particularly in respect of the exercise of
‘imagination, ingenuity, and creativity in the solution of organizational problems’
(1960: 48), as well as their capacity to Wnd work enjoyable and satisfying in and of
itself.
McGregor’s theorizing Wnds practical application in the ‘vertical job loading’
practices advocated by Herzberg (1968), in the subsequent development of the Job
Characteristics Model of motivation (Hackman and Oldham 1976), and in the
more recent concept of employee psychological empowerment (Spreitzer 1995;
Seibert et al. 2004; Thomas and Velthouse 1990).
Over time, a set of prescriptions for enhancing the motivational properties of
jobs have been developed (see Table 10.2). Of central importance is the perceived
need to create individual work roles that contain a reasonable breadth and depth of
job tasks, as well as a fair degree of autonomy. Frequently, this approach is
described as job enrichment or empowerment (Parker and Wall 1998). To continue
our earlier illustration with respect to customer service call centers, Holman (2005:
116) described an ‘empowered’ CSR job in which, for example, CSRs have higher
scope (e.g. carry out a variety of calls, solve problems themselves, and use a range of
high-level skills), higher discretion (e.g. calls are usually unscripted), and greater
interdependence (CSRs need to share information and draw on others’ knowledge). Such empowered CSR jobs are more prevalent in high-value-added market
segments because customers demand professional attention, which is facilitated by
a motivational work design. Interestingly, however, it is in the low-value-added and
work organization
197
Table 10.2 Recommended job design strategies
‘Motivational’ strategies
1. Arrange work in a way that allows the individual employee to influence his or her own working
situation, work methods, and pace. Devise methods to eliminate or minimize pacing.
2. Where possible, combine interdependent tasks into a job.
3. Aim to group tasks into a meaningful job that allows for an overview and understanding of the
work process as a whole. Employees should be able to perceive the end product or service as
contributing to some part of the organization’s objectives.
4. Provide a sufficient variety of tasks within the job, and include tasks that offer some degree of
employee responsibility and make use of the skills and knowledge valued by the individual.
5. Arrange work in a way that makes it possible for the individual employee to satisfy time claims
from roles and obligations outside work (e.g. family commitments).
6. Provide opportunities for an employee to achieve outcomes that he or she perceives as
desirable (e.g. personal advancement in the form of increased salary, scope for development of
expertise, improved status within a work group, and a more challenging job).
7. Ensure that employees get feedback on their performance, ideally from the task as well as from
the supervisor. Provide internal and external customer feedback directly to employees.
8. Provide employees with the information they need to make decisions.
Source: Parker and Wall 1998: 20.
more cost-conscious market segments where high-involvement work practices
appear to have most impact on sales growth: they not only add value, but they
are also rarer and therefore confer competitive advantage (Batt 2002).
In terms of the four other elements of the work system, the motivational
conWguration typically seems to work best when the associated technology is
non-regulatory, providing reasonable scope and opportunity for operator discretion, and moderately complex, so that there exist meaningful opportunities for
problem-solving and a variety of tasks to be performed. In other words, there needs
to be a degree of non-routineness associated with the technical system if real
empowerment is to exist, and for motivational advantages to accrue (Wall et al.
2002). Wright and Cordery (1999) found that performance motivation and
job satisfaction were higher for wastewater treatment plant operators in highdiscretion job roles where the complexity and unpredictability (operational
uncertainty) of the technical system was high, but not where the technology was
relatively simple and predictable. In the latter situations, ‘empowered’ jobs proved
less satisfying and motivating than those designed according to more mechanistic
principles.
The sort of leadership practices that are typically advocated in association with
empowered work content are those that involve less direct supervision of task
performance, employee involvement in decision-making and ‘transformational’
198
john cordery and sharon k. parker
leadership (Avolio et al. 2004; Cordery and Wall 1985; Whittington et al. 2004).
Transformational leaders motivate employees to perform at the highest levels
through a range of supportive practices, such as inspirational communication,
role modeling, and coaching.
Workforce characteristics also play a role in supporting empowered work content. For example, individual diVerences in knowledge and ability, growth need
strength, and extrinsic satisfaction of individual employees can moderate the
strength of the relationship between empowered/enriched job content and motivational, aVective, and performance outcomes (Oldham 1996). Cultural values can
also inXuence responses to empowerment. For instance, Eylon and Au (1999)
found that individuals from a high power distance culture did not perform as
well in a simulation exercise when they were empowered relative to when they were
not empowered. High-power distance cultures are those in which inequalities
amongst people are seen as appropriate and acceptable, such as in the form of
centralized or paternal leadership. Such Wndings suggest cultural factors can shape
the relative beneWts of empowered work systems.
Finally, empowered work content is frequently ‘bundled’ with other supporting
management and human resource management practices, including Xexible or
‘fuzzy’ role descriptions, information systems that have the job holder as the
focal point for the delivery of performance information, increased investment in
training to support expanded role content, an emphasis on career development,
and skill-based pay (Oldham and Hackman 1980).
Studies of the impact of motivational work systems on a range of eVectiveness
criteria have generated mixed results. Evidence is consistently supportive that the
work content produced by such conWgurations (relative to more mechanistic
systems) generates a sustained willingness to expend eVort, positive work attitudes
(e.g. job satisfaction, commitment), and lower levels of absenteeism and turnover
on the part of employees (Parker and Wall 1998). Where such work designs aVord
the incumbent the opportunity to self-regulate in response to exposure to the
demands (physical, cognitive, emotional) associated with work, they may also
reduce the stressful eVects of demanding jobs (Terry and Jimmieson 1999).
Empowered work designs have also been associated with increased knowledge
and perspective-taking (Parker and Axtell 2001; Wall et al. 1992), the development
of greater role breadth self-eYcacy, or employees’ conWdence in their ability to
carry out proactive, interpersonal, and integrative tasks (Parker 1998), and a more
Xexible and proactive role orientation on the part of job incumbents (Parker et al.
1997; Morgeson, et al. 2005).
To the extent that task performance is potentially directly aVected by motivated
eVort, self-eYcacy, and positive work orientations, such work design conWgurations appear likely to generate high levels of both task and contextual performance
(Langfred and Moye 2004). For example, GriYn (1991) showed that a motivational
work redesign increased, over the longer term, the performance (assessed via
work organization
199
supervisory ratings) of over 500 bank tellers. Workman and Bomber (2004)
similarly found that increasing employee involvement in work process decisionmaking within a call center led to signiWcant improvements in customer satisfaction, fewer repeat calls, and better problem resolution, along with improvements in
job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Overall, however, the evidence in
respect of the impact on productivity is equivocal (Wall et al. 2002), leading to calls
for various methodological improvements in this research area (e.g. Parker and
Turner 2002), as well as the suggestion that there may be some degree of trade-oV
between work systems that are motivating and satisfying, versus ‘mechanistic’ work
systems that are productive and eYcient (Morgeson and Campion 2002).
Common criticisms of motivational work systems include the observation that
they frequently fail to deliver any real increase in autonomy to employees (Argyris
1998; Forrester 2000), and that the expanded work roles may simply translate into
more demanding work and longer hours (Yates et al. 2001). As we discuss later,
these criticisms reXect more on the implementation of motivational work systems,
rather than the eVects of work content per se.
10.3.3 ‘Concertive’ Work Systems
Concertive work systems are sometimes referred to as team-based or commitment
models of work organization, and represent a substantial component of what has
come to be known a high-commitment human resource management approach
(Boxall and Purcell 2003). The aim of the ‘concertive’ work system is to put in place
a pattern of working arrangements that maximizes the likelihood of employees
working in concert with each other, whilst expending high levels of eVort in the
eVective pursuit of organizational goals. The Wrst full and coherent expression of
the characteristics of this work system conWguration, which evolved from the work
of socio-technical systems theorists at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
(e.g. Trist and Bamforth 1951; Pasmore 1988), was provided by scholars at the
Harvard Business School (Beer et al. 1985; Walton 1985) and has since received
strong advocacy through the writings of PfeVer and colleagues at Stanford University (e.g. PfeVer 1998; O’Reilly and PfeVer 2000).
At the core of the concertive work system, work activities are assigned to selfmanaged work teams rather than individuals. This involves a group of employees
being allocated a relatively whole task to perform, where group members are (at
least partially) multi-skilled in respect of the overall set of group tasks, have
substantial discretion over decisions relating to the performance of the work, and
where performance is managed at the level of the group, rather than the individual
(Cordery 2005). The increased discretion/responsibility is extended beyond the
immediate production/service task, to aspects of the management of the broader
work role. Thus, for example, the work team as a whole might also exercise
200
john cordery and sharon k. parker
responsibility for developing performance goals and standards, allocating tasks and
workloads, performance monitoring, initiating and/or conducting training and
development activities, liaising directly with customers, and hiring new team
members (Cohen and Bailey 1997; Kirkman and Rosen 2000).
With the self-managed work team deWning the characteristic work content, the
concertive system accommodates such arrangements by virtue of a supportive
conWguration of technical, leadership, workforce, and human resource management subsystems. In the Wrst place, it has been argued that the variability and
unpredictability associated with the technology are a desirable, if not essential,
precondition for the creation of self-managing work teams (Wall et al. 2002).
Furthermore, research has shown that moderate to high levels of technological
interdependence are key determinants of the desirability both of the decision to
allocate work to teams in the Wrst place and of the level of self-management they are
aVorded (Hackman 2002; Langfred and Moye 2004). The viability of team-based
work is also aVected by leadership style. Some have argued that the key to the
maintenance of eVective self-management within teams is the absence of a formal
external leadership role (Beekun 1989), pointing out that managers often struggle
to adapt to their introduction (Douglas and Gardner 2004; Vallas 2003), while
others have advocated various forms of leader coaching (Hackman and Wageman
2005; Morgeson 2005).
Models of team eVectiveness routinely identify management practices in respect
of rewards, training, and information-sharing as being necessary to support teambased tasks and roles (e.g. Hackman 1987). Both team-based pay and skill-based
pay are strongly advocated (Bartol and Srivastava 2002; Kirkman and Rosen 2000;
Walton 1985). Training systems need to help teams develop the depth, breadth, and
Xexibility of skills needed for eVective self-managed team performance (Ellis et al.
2005; Marks et al. 2002). In addition, adequate, directed, and shared information
and feedback are critically important to a team’s capacity to exercise eVective selfdetermination (DeShon et al. 2004). Other management policies that have been
identiWed as supportive of the concertive model of work organization include job
security guarantees, the reduction of status diVerentials, and team-level work role
descriptions (PfeVer 1998; Kirkman and Rosen 2000).
Finally, it has long been recognized that the composition of work teams is a
determinant of their eVectiveness, and that the level of knowledge, skill, and ability
available within the team is critical (Hackman 2002). It appears that some individuals are better suited to working in self-managed work teams than others,
by virtue of possessing knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) related to conXict
resolution, collaborative problem-solving, communication, goal-setting and
performance management, and planning and task coordination (Stevens and
Campion 1999; Leach et al. 2005; Morgeson et al. 2005).
The apparent popularity of concertive team-based work systems over recent
decades has been well documented (Lawler et al. 1995; Staw and Epstein 2000), with
work organization
201
several potential beneWts having been identiWed (Cordery 2004, 2005). First, the use
of self-managed work teams may enable more direct forms of control to be
exercised over critical interdependencies within the work process. Second, teams
increase the range of knowledge and expertise potentially available for problemsolving. Third, they may generate administrative eYciencies and greater Xexibility
in labor allocation. Finally, to the extent that they incorporate elements of the
motivational conWguration described earlier, team-based work systems are also
seen as generating a range of socio-psychological outcomes, such as improved
opportunities for meaningful social interaction, and improvements in job characteristics (variety, autonomy, etc.). This may act as an important attractant for talent
in the external labor market (PfeVer 1998).
As with motivational work systems, research Wndings as to the eVects and success
of concertive team-based work systems are mixed. In general, as with empowered
work, the evidence seems stronger and more consistent that they generate positive
motivational and aVective outcomes (e.g. Batt 2004; Cordery et al. 1991; Hunter
et al. 2002) than that they enhance performance and productivity (Allen and Hecht
2004). This is not to say that signiWcant performance beneWts haven’t been
obtained via the introduction of such systems (e.g. Banker et al. 1996; Macy and
Izumi 1993); it’s just that the Wndings are inconsistent (e.g. Spreitzer et al. 1999).
Even when it comes to employee reactions to work within concertive systems, not
all employees are seen to react favorably, and workloads may be intensiWed leading
to increased stress (Hutchinson et al. 2000) and increased conXict between work
and non-work roles (Knights and McCabe 2003). Furthermore, the particular
nature and strength of behavioral norms developed by highly cohesive selfmanaged work teams may impact negatively on both performance and the
well-being of individual team members (Barker 1993).
In the next section, we conclude with some of the possible reasons for the
inconsistent Wndings in respect of this and other work system conWgurations.
10.4 Consistency, Fit, and Trade-Offs
in Work System Effectiveness
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Several questions arise out of our review of the mechanistic, motivational, and
concertive conWgurations. First, why is it that there are such divergent Wndings in
relation to the predicted outcomes for each work organization archetype and,
second, do these models represent points on an evolutionary scale of improvement
in the design of work systems? In other words, are concertive models better suited
202
john cordery and sharon k. parker
to contemporary organizational settings than mechanistic (and motivational)
approaches?
In answering the Wrst question, we have suggested that the eVectiveness of any
particular work system will be determined by the degree of consistency amongst its
constituent elements. If team working or empowerment is not supported by
appropriate changes to supervisory leadership, or the reward system continues to
only reward individual performance, or if the technology either overdetermines the
manner of task performance or generates few real opportunities for collective
decision and action, then concertive conWgurations are obviously less likely to
Xourish (see, for example, Sprigg et al. 2000, who showed negative eVects of
teamwork when introduced in an incompatible setting). That such internal consistency is hard to achieve and maintain may help to explain the sometimes weak
and inconsistent eVects we have noted for several work conWgurations, and is one
reason why it has been suggested that the operation of a work system, along with its
supporting human resource management architecture, can act as a source of
competitive advantage for some Wrms (Baron and Kreps 1999; PfeVer 1998).
In respect of the relative merits of the various approaches, this point is still a
matter of considerable discussion and debate. One position is that the mechanistic,
motivational, and concertive work systems are eVective to the extent that they
provide a well-integrated match with what the organization is trying to achieve, its
culture, and the broader societal context within which the organization is located.
This is analogous to the ‘best Wt’ perspective that has been advanced elsewhere in
respect of strategic human resource management (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Wright
and Snell 1998; Youndt et al. 1996). Baron and Kreps (1999), for example, question
whether or not a high-commitment model (with its embedded ‘concertive’ work
system) is likely to be as eVective in situations where the corporate strategy is
competing on cost, where process improvements are unlikely to be found, where
there are high levels of mobility in the labor market, where there is a declining
market, where the level of skill in the current workforce is very low, and where
competition exists in the form of another employer operating a similar work design
conWguration. Implicit in this view is the notion of a trade-oV between criteria
such as cost eVectiveness and eYciency on the one hand, and others such as
innovation, Xexibility, and employee motivation and commitment on the other
(Morgeson and Campion 2002).
A contrasting view to that of Baron and Kreps (1999) is that any corporate
strategy, including cost leadership, is best eVected by a motivated and committed
workforce (PfeVer 1998; O’Reilly and PfeVer 2000), and that concertive systems are
best suited to attracting and retaining talent, meeting contemporary societal
expectations in respect of the rewards work should oVer, and sustaining the high
levels of organizational performance required for success in today’s highly competitive global business environment. These contrasting views partly reXect diVerent meanings of eVectiveness (e.g. PfeVer and colleagues’ perspective incorporates
work organization
203
broader societal criteria). Nevertheless, they do diverge in their vision of how work
systems aVect organizational performance; an issue which is perhaps best served by
further empirical inquiry.
10.5 Summary and Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this chapter, we outlined a systems framework that captures the essential
characteristics of the myriad ways in which work activities can be organized. The
three major ways that work has been organized map onto the quotations that we
introduced at the outset. Both Smith and Taylor advocated as the most eYcient and
motivating the mechanistic work system, characterized by ‘simpliWed’ jobs that
are low in scope, discretion, variability, feedback, and interdependence. Walton
described the value of the motivational work system, characterized by enriched
jobs with high scope and discretion. The Wnal quotation by Lawler and Finegold
(2000) recommended the concertive work system, which particularly emphasizes
high levels of interdependence between jobs, or teamworking. All of these three
archetype work systems can be seen within today’s workplace, each oVering
advantages and disadvantages for individuals and organizations. The mechanistic
work system can oVer eYciency gains (at least in some contexts) but few motivational or humanistic beneWts. Both the motivational and concertive approach
oVer the latter, as well as potential beneWts for Xexibility, innovation, and other
such performance outcomes, but their overall eVect on organizational eVectiveness
has been less consistently demonstrated.
In large part, the inconsistent demonstration of positive organizational eVects of
motivational and concertive work systems reXects the interdependence between
work organization and other organizational subsystems. As our systems perspective suggests, work content aVects, and is aVected by, technology, leadership,
people’s skills and attributes, and management policies and practices. Aligning
these subsystems to be coherent and internally consistent is diYcult, especially
when implementing motivational and concertive work systems that often require a
quite radical departure from traditional mechanistic practices.
The systems approach to work design means that, although choices often exist in
how to organize work, one must consider and manage those choices in conjunction
with other organizational subsystems. The systems approach also has implications
for research, suggesting the need for more explicit consideration of the interrelationships between subsystems when evaluating alternative work conWgurations, as
well as the need to further assess the impact on eVectiveness of Wt between the
internal work system and the broader organizational and strategic environment.
204
john cordery and sharon k. parker
References
Allen, N. J. and Hecht, T. D. (2004). ‘The ‘‘Romance of Teams’’: Toward an Understand
ing of its Psychological Underpinnings and Implications.’ Journal of Occupational and
Organizational Psychology, 77: 439 61.
Argyris, C. (1998). ‘Empowerment: The Emperor’s New Clothes.’ Harvard Business Review,
76: 98 105.
Avolio, B. J., Zhu, W., Koh, W., and Bhatia, P. (2004). ‘Transformational Leadership and
Organizational Commitment: Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment and Mod
erating Role of Structural Distance.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25: 951 69.
Babbage, C. (1835). On the Economy of Machinery and Manufacturers. London: Charles
Knight.
Banker, R. D., Field, J. M., Schroeder, R. G., and Sinha, K. K. (1996). ‘Impact of Work
Teams on Manufacturing Performance: A Longitudinal Field Study.’ Academy of Man
agement Journal, 39: 867 90.
Barker, J. R. (1993). ‘Tightening the Iron Cage: Concertive Control in Self Managing
Teams.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 38: 408 37.
Baron, J. N., and Kreps, D. M. (1999). Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General
Managers. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Bartol, K. M., and Srivastava, A. (2002). ‘Encouraging Knowledge Sharing: The Role of
Organizational Reward Systems.’ Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, 9: 64 76.
Batt, R. (2002). ‘Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and
Sales Growth.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45: 587 97.
(2004). ‘Who BeneWts from Teams? Comparing Workers, Supervisors, and Managers.’
Industrial Relations, 43: 183 212.
Beekun, R. I. (1989). ‘Assessing the EVectiveness of Socio technical Interventions: Antidote
or Fad?’ Human Relations, 102: 877 97.
Beer, M., Spector, B., Lawrence, P. R., Mills, D. Q., and Walton, R. E. (1985). Human
Resource Management: A General Manager’s Perspective. New York: Free Press.
Boxall, P., and Purcell , J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Brief, A., and Weiss, H. M. (2002). ‘Organizational Behavior: AVect in the Workplace.’
Annual Review of Psychology, 53: 279 307.
Burr, R., and Cordery, J. L. (2001). ‘Self Management EYcacy as a Mediator of the
Relation between Job Design and Employee Motivation.’ Human Performance, 14: 27 44.
Campion, M. A. (1988). ‘Interdisciplinary Approaches to Job Design: A Constructive
Replication with Extensions.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 73: 467 81.
and Thayer, P. W. (1987). ‘Job Design: Approaches, Outcomes, and Trade oVs.’
Organizational Dynamics, 15: 66 79.
Cohen, S. G., and Bailey, D. E. (1997). ‘What Makes Teams Work: Group EVectiveness
Research from the Shop Floor to the Executive Suite.’ Journal of Management, 23: 239 90.
Cordery, J. (2004). ‘Another Case of the Emperor’s New Clothes?’ Journal of Occupational
and Organizational Psychology, 77: 481 4.
(2005). ‘Team Work.’ In D. Holman, T. D. Wall, C. W. Clegg, P. Sparrow, and
A. Howard (eds.), The Essentials of the New Workplace: A Guide to the Human Impact
of Modern Working Practices. Chichester: John Wiley.
work organization
205
and Wall , T. D. (1985). ‘Work Design and Supervisory Practices: A Model.’ Human
Relations, 38: 425 41.
Mueller, W. S., and Smith, L. M. (1991). ‘Attitudinal and Behavioral EVects of
Autonomous Group Working: A Longitudinal Field Study.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 43: 464 76.
Davis, L. E., and Taylor, J. C. (1972). Design of Jobs. Baltimore: Penguin.
DeShon, R. P., Kozlowski, S. W. J., Schmidt, A. M., Milner, K. R., and Wiechmann, D.
(2004). ‘A Multiple Goal, Multi level Model of Feedback EVects on the Regulation of
Individual and Team Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89: 1035 56.
Douglas, C., and Gardner, W. L. (2004). ‘Transition to Self Directed Work Teams:
Implications of Transition Time and Self Monitoring for Managers’ Use of InXuence
Tactics.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25: 47 65.
Ellis, A. P. J., Bell, B. S., Ployhart, R. E., Hollenbeck, J. R., and Ilgen, D. R. (2005). ‘An
Evaluation of Generic Teamwork Skills Training with Action Teams: EVects on Cognitive
and Skill Based Outcomes.’ Personnel Psychology, 58: 641 72.
Eylon, D., and Au, K. Y. (1999). ‘Exploring Empowerment Cross cultural DiVerences along
the Power Distance Dimension.’ International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23/3:
373 85.
Forrester, R. (2000). ‘Empowerment: Rejuvenating a Potent Idea.’ Academy of Manage
ment Executive, 14/3: 67 80.
Frenkel , S. J., Korczynski, M., Shire, K. A., and Tam, M. (1999). On the Front Line:
Organization of Work in the Information Economy. London: Cornell University Press.
Gilbreth, F. B. (1911). Brick Laying System. New York: Clark.
Glomb, T. M., Kammeyer Mueller, J. D., and Rotundo, M. (2004). ‘Emotional Labor
Demands and Compensating Wage DiVerentials.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89:
700 14.
Grandey, A. A. (2000). ‘Emotion Regulation in the Workplace: A New Way to Conceptu
alize Emotional Labor.’ Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5: 95 100.
Griffin, R. W. (1991). ‘EVects of Work Redesign on Employee Perceptions, Attitudes and
Behaviours: A Long Term Investigation.’ Academy of Management Journal, 34: 425 35.
Hackman, J. R. (1987). ‘The Design of Work Teams.’ In J. W. Lorsch (ed.), Handbook of
Organizational Behaviour. Englewood CliVs, NJ.: Prentice Hall.
(2002). Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press.
and Oldham, G. R. (1976). ‘Motivation through the Design of Work: Test of a
Theory.’ Organisational Behaviour and Human Performance, 15: 250 79.
(1980). Work Redesign. Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley.
and Wageman, R. (2005). ‘A Theory of Team Coaching.’ Academy of Management
Review, 30: 269 87.
Herzberg, F. (1968). ‘One More Time: How do you Motivate Employees?’ Harvard
Business Review, 46: 53 63.
Holman, D. (2002). ‘Employee Well Being in Call Centres.’ Human Resource Management
Journal, 12: 35 50.
(2005). ‘Call Centres.’ In D. Holman, T. D. Wall, C. W. Clegg, P. Sparrow, and
A. Howard (eds.), The Essentials of the New Workplace: A Guide to the Human Impact
of Modern Working Practices. Chichester: John Wiley.
206
john cordery and sharon k. parker
Hunter, L. W., MacDuffie, J. P., and Doucet, L. (2002). ‘What Makes Teams Take:
Employee Reactions to Work Reforms.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 55: 448 72.
Hutchinson, S., Purcell, J., and Kinnie, N. (2000). ‘Evolving High Commitment Man
agement and the Experience of the RAC Call Centre.’ Human Resource Management
Journal, 10: 63 78.
Katz, D., and Kahn, R. L. (1966). The Social Psychology of Organizations. New York: Wiley.
Kirkman, B. L., and Rosen, B. (2000). ‘Powering up Teams.’ Organizational Dynamics, 28:
48 66.
and Shapiro, D. L. (1997). ‘The Impact of Cultural Values on Employee Resistance to
Teams: Toward a Model of Globalized Self Managing Work Team EVectiveness.’ Academy
of Management Review, 22: 730 57.
Knights, D., and McCabe, D. (2000). ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered: The Meaning
and Experience of Teamworking for Employees in an Automobile Company.’ Human
Relations, 53: 1481 517.
(2003). ‘Governing through Teamwork: Reconstituting Subjectivity in a Call
Centre.’ Journal of Management Studies, 40: 1587 619.
Langfred, C. W., and Moye, N. A. (2004). ‘EVects of Task Autonomy on Performance: An
Extended Model Considering Motivational, Informational, and Structural Mechanisms.’
Journal of Applied Psychology, 89: 934 45.
Lawler, E. E., and Finegold, D. (2000). ‘Individualizing the Organization: Past, Present
and Future.’ Organizational Dynamics, 29: 1 15.
Mohrman, S. A., and Ledford, G. E. 1995. Employee Involvement and Total Quality
Management: Practices and Results in Fortune 1000 Companies. San Francisco: Jossey
Bass.
Leach, D. J., Wall , T. D., Rogelberg, S. G., and Jackson, P. R. (2005). ‘Team Autonomy,
Performance, and Member Job Strain: Uncovering the Teamwork KSA Link.’ Applied
Psychology: An International Review, 54/1: 1 24.
Locke, E. A. (1982). ‘The Ideas of Frederick W. Taylor: An Evaluation.’ Academy of
Management Review, 7: 14 24.
and Latham, G. P. (2002). ‘Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and
Task Motivation: A 35 Year Odyssey.’ American Psychologist, 57: 705 17.
McGregor, D. (1960). The Human Side of Enterprise. New York: McGraw Hill.
MacInnes, J. (2005). ‘Work Life Balance and the Demand for Reduction in Working
Hours: Evidence from the British Social Attitudes Survey 2002.’ British Journal of Indus
trial Relations, 43: 273 95.
Macy, B. A., and Izumi, H. (1993). ‘Organizational Change, Design, and Work Innovation:
A Meta analysis of 131 North American Field Studies 1961 1991.’ Research in Organiza
tional Change and Development, 7: 235 313.
Marchand, A., Demers, A., and Durand, P. (2005). ‘Does Work Really Cause Distress?
The Contribution of Occupational Structure and Work Organization to the Experience
of Psychological Distress.’ Social Science and Medicine, 61: 1 14.
Marks, M. A., Sabella, M. J., Burke, C. S., and Zaccaro, S. J. (2002). ‘The Impact of
Cross Training on Team EVectiveness.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 3 13.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). The Structuring of Organizations. Englewood CliVs, NJ: Prentice
Hall.
Morgeson, F. P. (2005). ‘The External Leadership of Self Managing Teams: Intervening in
the Context of Novel and Disruptive Events.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90: 497 508.
work organization
207
and Campion, M. A. (2002). ‘Minimizing TradeoVs when Redesigning Work:
Evidence From a Longitudinal Quasi experiment.’ Personnel Psychology, 55: 589 612.
Delaney Klinger, K., and Hemingway, M. A. (2005). ‘The Importance of Job
Autonomy, Cognitive Ability, and Job Related Skill for Predicting Role Breadth and Job
Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90: 399 406.
Morrison, D. L., Cordery, J. L., Girardi, A., and Payne, R. (2005). ‘Job Design,
Opportunities for Skill Utilisation and Job Related AVective Well Being.’ European
Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology, 14: 59 80.
Oldham, G. R. (1996). ‘Job Design.’ In C. L. Cooper and I. T. Robertson (eds.), Inter
national Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, vol. xi. New York: John
Wiley.
and Hackman, J. R. (1980). ‘Work Design in the Organizational Context.’ In B. M.
Staw and L. L. Cummings (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. ii. Greenwich,
Conn.: JAI Press.
O’Reilly, C. A., and Pfeffer, J. (2000). Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve
Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Parker, S. K. (1998). ‘Role Breadth Self EYcacy: Relationship with Work Enrichment and
Other Practices.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 83: 835 52.
(2003). ‘Longitudinal EVects of Lean Production on Employee Outcomes and the
Mediating Role of Work Characteristics.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 88: 620 34.
and Axtell , C. M. (2001). ‘Seeing Another Viewpoint: Antecedents and Outcomes of
Employee Perspective Taking.’ Academy of Management Journal, 44: 1085 101.
and Turner, N. (2002). ‘Work Design and Individual Job Performance: Research
Findings and an Agenda for Future Inquiry.’ In S. Sonnentag (ed.), Psychological Man
agement of Individual Performance: A Handbook in the Psychology of Management in
Organizations. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.
and Wall, T. (1998). Job and Work Design: Organizing Work to Promote Well Being
and EVectiveness. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
and Jackson, P. R. (1997). ‘ ‘‘That’s not my Job’’: Developing Flexible Employee
Work Orientations.’ Academy of Management Journal, 40: 899 929.
and Cordery, J. L. (2001). ‘Future Work Design Research and Practice: An
Elaborated Work Characteristics Model.’ Journal of Occupational and Organizational
Psychology, 73: 414 40.
Pasmore, W. A. (1988). Designing EVective Organizations: The Sociotechnical Systems
Perspective. New York: Wiley.
Pfeffer , J. (1998). The Human Equation: Building ProWts by Putting People First. Boston:
Harvard Business School Press.
Pil, F. K., and MacDuffie, J. P. (1996). ‘The Adoption of High Involvement Work
Practices.’ Industrial Relations, 35: 423 55.
Raghuram, S., and Weisenfeld, B. (2004). ‘Work Nonwork ConXict and Job Stress
among Virtual Workers.’ Human Resource Management, 43: 259 77.
Ryan, R. M., and Deci, E. L. (2000). ‘Self Determination Theory and the Facilitation of
Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well Being.’ American Psychologist, 55:
68 78.
Seibert, S. E., Silver, S. R., and Randolph, W. A. (2004). ‘Taking Empowerment to the
Next Level: A Multiple Level Model of Empowerment, Performance and Satisfaction.’
Academy of Management Journal, 47: 332 49.
208
john cordery and sharon k. parker
Sinha, K. K., and Van de Ven, A. H. (2005). ‘Designing Work within and between
Organizations.’ Organization Science, 16: 389 408.
Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). ‘Individual Empowerment in the Workplace: Dimensions, Meas
urement, Validation.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38: 1442 65.
Cohen, S. G., and Ledford, G. E., Jr. (1999). ‘Developing EVective Self Managing
Work Teams in Service Organizations.’ Group and Organization Management, 24: 340 66.
Sprigg, C. A., Jackson, P. R., and Parker, S. K. (2000). ‘Production Teamworking: The
Importance of Interdependence and Autonomy for Employee Strain and Satisfaction.’
Human Relations, 53: 1519 43.
Stanton, J. M. (2000). ‘Reactions to Employee Performance Monitoring: Framework,
Review and Research Directions.’ Human Performance, 13: 85 113.
Staw, B. M., and Epstein, L. D. (2000). ‘What Bandwagons Bring: EVects of Popular
Management Techniques on Corporate Performance, Reputation and CEO Pay.’ Admin
istrative Science Quarterly, 45: 523 56.
Stevens, M. J., and Campion, M. A. (1999). ‘StaYng Work Teams: Development and
Validation of a Selection Test for Teamwork Settings.’ Journal of Management, 25: 207 28.
Taylor, F. W. (1911). The Principles of ScientiWc Management. New York: Harper.
(1947). ‘The Principles of ScientiWc Management.’ Reprinted in V. H. Vroom and
E. L. Deci (eds.), Management and Motivation. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978.
Terry, D., and Jimmieson, N., (1999). ‘Work Control and Well Being: A Decade Review.’ In
C. L. Cooper, and I. T. Robertson (eds.), International Review of Industrial and Organ
izational Psychology, vol. xiv. Chichester: Wiley.
Thomas, K. W., and Velthouse, B. A. (1990). ‘Cognitive Elements of Empowerment: An
Interpretive Model of Intrinsic Motivation.’ Academy of Management Review, 15: 666 81.
Trist, E. L., and Bamforth, K. W. (1951). ‘Some Social and Psychological Consequences of
the Long Wall Method of Coal Getting.’ Human Relations, 4: 3 38.
Ulrich, D., Zenger, J., and Smallwood, N. (1999). Results Based Leadership. Boston:
Harvard Business School Press.
Vallas, S. P. (2003). ‘Why Teamwork Fails: Obstacles to Workplace Change in Four
Manufacturing Plants.’ American Sociological Review, 68: 223 50.
Wageman, R. (1995). ‘Interdependence and Group EVectiveness.’ Administrative Science
Quarterly, 40: 145 80.
Wall, T. D., and Clegg, C. W. (1998). ‘Job Design.’ In C. L. Cooper and C. Argyris (eds.),
The Concise Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management. Oxford: Blackwell.
Jackson, P. R., and Davids, K. (1992). ‘Operator Work Design and Robotics System
Performance: A Serendipitous Field Study.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 77: 353 62.
Cordery, J. L. and Clegg, C. W. (2002). ‘Empowerment, Performance and Oper
ational Uncertainty: A Theoretical Integration.’ Applied Psychology: An International
Review, 51: 146 69.
Walton, R. E. (1985). ‘From Control to Commitment.’ Harvard Business Review, March
April: 77 84.
Whittington, J. L., Goodwin, V. L., and Morray, B. (2004). ‘Transformational Leader
ship, Goal DiYculty, and Job Design: Independent and Interactive EVects on Employee
Outcomes.’ Leadership Quarterly, 15: 593 606.
Workman, M., and Bomber, W. (2004). ‘Redesigning Computer Call Centre Work:
A Longitudinal Field Experiment.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25: 317 37.
work organization
209
Wright, B. M., and Cordery, J. L. (1999). ‘Production Uncertainty as a Contextual
Moderator of Employee Reactions to Job Design.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 84:
456 63.
Wright, P. M., and Snell, S. A. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit
and Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management
Review, 23: 756 72.
Yates, C., Lewchuk, W., and Stewart, P. (2001). ‘Empowerment as Trojan Horse: New
Systems of Work Organization in the North American Automobile Industry.’ Economic
and Industrial Democracy, 22: 517 41.
Youndt, M. A., Snell, S. A., Dean, J. W., and Lepak, D. P. (1996). ‘Human Resource
Management, Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 39: 836 66.
chapter 11
....................................................................................................................................................
E M P LOY M E N T
SUBSYSTEMS
AND THE ‘HR
A RC H I T E C T U R E ’
....................................................................................................................................
david lepak
scott a. snell
11.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
There is an interesting tension that exists within the HRM literature with regard to
employment subsystems. On the one hand, a clear pattern is emerging in strategic
HRM research that suggests that HR systems geared toward increased commitment
and employee involvement can have a dramatic impact on organizational outcomes (Becker and Gerhart 1996). Terms such as commitment-oriented HR systems
(Arthur 1992; Lepak and Snell 2002), high-performance work systems (Huselid
1995), high-involvement HRM (Guthrie 2001), and the like exude a connotation of
extensive investment in, and reliance on, employees. In fact, many researchers
have suggested that people (human capital), more so that other organizational
resources, may be a strong potential source for achieving a sustainable competitive
advantage (PfeVer 1994).
employment subsystems and hr architecture
211
At the same time, many Wrms are increasing their use of externalized employment (e.g. temporary employees, independent contractors) as well as implementing
employment subsystems within their organizations. Proponents of externalization
suggest that relying on diVerent forms of external labor may enable Wrms to be
responsive to changes in labor demands, lower labor costs, and increase access to
skills their employees do not possess (Matusik and Hill 1998). And arguments for
establishing subsystems within organizations are based on the logic that not all
employees make equivalent strategic contributions to competitive success. As a
result, the nature of the employment arrangement and associated HR system
designs should diVerentiate core versus non-core employees (Delery and Shaw
2001) or between A players, B players, and C players (Huselid et al. 2005).
At Wrst glance, the trend of increased outsourcing of human capital and employment subsystems, and their implied economic beneWts, may be viewed as
standing in direct contrast to a high-commitment approach towards managing
people (cf. Boxall 1998; Rubery et al. 2004). If people are one of a company’s key
sources of competitive advantage, how can companies simultaneously be committed to employees and use contingent labor?
In some ways, this tension runs in parallel to—or is indicative of—the distinction between managing people and managing jobs. Organizations do both, and the
crux of this issue depends upon where critical knowledge resides. In some cases, say
extreme instances of Taylorism (Fordism), core knowledge is embedded in the
design of tasks and standard operating procedures/routines. In these situations,
discretion is neither required nor desired from employees, and the key managerial
objective would likely be Wnding suitable labor that can (reliably) perform these
tasks at the lowest possible cost. In other cases, where critical knowledge cannot be
codiWed or standardized, creativity and innovation are perhaps required. As a
consequence, the key knowledge asset shifts toward employee human capital
(rather than the job). In these instances, eVective performance requires discretionary and/or proactive behavior on the part of employees. Accordingly, the key
managerial objective would likely be fully engaging employee involvement and
commitment to organizational goals and performance.
Historically, HRM practices have been based on the management of jobs. As
much as anything, this derives from the fact that the profession matured under an
era of large-scale manufacturing. But the increasing reality is that the knowledge
that companies rely on for competitive success not only resides in the minds of
their employees but also in the minds of contractors, consultants, and other
external workers with whom they collaborate. In many ways, the trend toward a
diVerentiated workforce is a response to the increasing importance of knowledge
management. Certain employees are hired to perform a relatively standardized job
while others are sought for what they know and their potential.
In addition, the use of employment subsystems continues to evolve based on
factors related to globalization, strategic considerations, and managing both the
212
david lepak and scott a. snell
stocks and Xow of knowledge. First, companies are increasingly turning to
employment options on a global level. The trends toward oVshoring (Reich
2005) and 24/7 or ‘follow the sun’ employment strategies (Solomon 2001) exemplify
the growing trend toward a global approach to managing human capital. While
global employment subsystems may certainly be driven by cost considerations, on
the one hand, they are also driven by knowledge-based motivations on the other.
How does globalization inXuence the use of employment subsystems? Second, a
typical argument is that companies (should) internalize their core employees and
outsource peripheral work. While this general approach has received some support
(Delery and Shaw 2001; Lepak and Snell 1999), the reality is that what is peripheral
to one Wrm may be core to another (and vice versa). Companies vary in how they
compete, and variations in strategic priorities are likely to inXuence choices among
employment systems for diVerent groups of employees. Finally, a central challenge
for companies that compete based on knowledge is not only to have a clear sense of
what knowledge its employees presently hold and need in order to achieve its
business goals, it is equally important to promote exchange of knowledge, innovation, and learning to maintain competitive distinction. That is, it is not knowledge
per se that make a competitive edge possible, but rather the extent to which the
company can eVectively manage knowledge to create value over time. This distinction reXects the diVerence between managing knowledge stocks and managing the
Xow of knowledge among employees within as well as across employment subsystems (cf. Boxall 1998; Dierickx and Cool 1989; Kang et al. in press).
The rest of this chapter is structured as follows. First, we review the ‘HR
architecture’ to provide a backdrop for our discussion of employment subsystems
and changing forms of employment. Second, we examine the implications of
globalization, strategy, and managing knowledge Xows for how companies structure their portfolio of employment subsystems. Throughout our discussion we
oVer suggestions for future research.
11.2 The HR Architecture
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Researchers such as Boxall (1998), Osterman (1987), and Purcell (1999) note that
diVerent employment systems exist within Wrms. For instance, Osterman (1987)
argued that Wrms choose among diVerent HR practices when triggered by events
such as technological change, reduced labor supply, and rising wages. These forces
contribute to the creation of diVerent employment subsystems within Wrms. Boxall
(1998: 268) suggested that Wrms diVerentiate between an inner core of employees
who are ‘responsible for valuable innovations or for successful imitations’ and an
outer core of employees who are instrumental in maintaining process eYciencies
employment subsystems and hr architecture
213
and capacity. While the terms may diVer, a common theme is that Wrms may
heavily invest in a core group of employees while also maintaining a peripheral
group of employees from whom they prefer to remain relatively detached. Going
beyond internal subsystems, many organizations have increased their use of externalized employment arrangements as well. Long-term partnerships, consultancy
arrangements, and contract work represent employment subsystems that exist on
the periphery of, or completely external to, an organization’s workforce.
From a strategic HRM perspective, a key point for understanding employment
subsystems is that these work arrangements have direct implications for how
companies structure their HR systems to manage them. For example, Rousseau
(1995) as well as Tsui et al. (1995) argued not only that employment subsystems
diVer, but also that the employment relationships or psychological contracts may
diVer as well. In general, Wrms might emphasize either a long-term, relational
approach or a short-term, transactional approach for internal and external workers. These choices directly impact how employees are managed.
Lepak and Snell (1999) suggested that by juxtaposing two dimensions—strategic
value and uniqueness—it is possible to derive a matrix of four groups of human
capital (and associated types of knowledge) that diVer in terms of employment
subsystems, employment relationships, and the HR systems used to manage
employee groups. Strategic value is determined by the skill sets of employees that
enable a Wrm to enact strategies that improve eYciency and eVectiveness, exploit
market opportunities, and/or neutralize potential threats (Barney 1991; Wright and
McMahan 1992). Accordingly, value is derived from the ability of these skills to
increase the ratio of beneWts to customers relative to their associated costs (i.e.
value ¼ beneWts/costs). Uniqueness refers to the extent to which knowledge and
skills are specialized or Wrm speciWc (e.g. Williamson 1975). Unique human capital
may consist of tacit knowledge or deep experience that cannot be found in an open
labor market, thereby reducing the extent to which it may be transferred to other
Wrms. Figure 11.1 summarizes the HR architecture.
11.2.1 Core Knowledge (Knowledge-Based Employment)
Given their high strategic value and uniqueness, core knowledge workers are most
likely to contribute directly to a Wrm’s core competencies on the basis of what they
know and how they use their knowledge (Snell et al. 1999; Purcell 1999). As a result,
Wrms have Wnancial and strategic incentives to internally develop and invest in
these employees. To do so, companies tend to implement a commitment-based HR
system (e.g. Lepak and Snell 2002) that invests in the development of employee
competencies, empowers employees, and encourages participation in decisionmaking and discretion on the job. Likewise, long-term incentives (e.g. stock
ownership, extensive beneWts, or knowledge-based pay systems) may be oVered
to ensure that core employees receive continued and useful feedback and adopt
214
david lepak and scott a. snell
Uniqueness
Knowledge
employees
(core knowledge)
Alliance partners
(idiosyncratic
kinowledge)
Commitment-based
HR
Collaborative
HR
Contract
workers
(ancillary knowledge)
Job-based
Employees
(compulsory knowledge)
Compliance-based
HR
Productivity-based
HR
Low
Strategic
value
Transactional
Low
Internalized
Relational
High
Externalized
High
Fig. 11.1. HR architectural perspective
Source: Adapted from Lepak and Snell, 1999, 2002; Snell et al. 1999.
a long-term orientation (Snell and Dean 1992). Such practices are designed to help
Wrms maintain unique knowledge that leads to strategic advantage.
11.2.2 Compulsory Knowledge (Job-Based Employment)
Similar to core knowledge, compulsory knowledge is important for value creation
and strategic advantage. Given strategic value, employment for these individuals
tends to be internalized, provided there is suYcient supply of labor. However,
because this form of human capital is not unique, it is mobile and Wrms may suVer
a capital loss if their investments transfer to a competitor. As a result, organizations
tend to de-emphasize development, and the employment relationship tends to
adhere to a more traditional job-based orientation focused on immediate performance (Lepak and Snell 2002). Managers are likely to rely more on a productivitybased HR conWguration that focuses on standardized jobs and selecting people from
the external labor market who can contribute immediately (cf. Tsui et al. 1995).
Incentives for these employees tend to focus on eYciency and productivity through
employment subsystems and hr architecture
215
a results-based approach and performance appraisals are likely to emphasize a
short-term, results-oriented component (Snell 1992; Snell and Youndt 1995).
11.2.3 Ancillary Knowledge (Contract Work Arrangements)
Lepak and Snell (1999) suggested that Wrms are most likely to establish short-term
contractual arrangements for tasks that are of limited strategic value and uniqueness.
When the requisite knowledge is of limited strategic value, there is no strong incentive
to internalize employment. And because the knowledge is of limited uniqueness,
companies tend to adopt a more transactional rather than a relational employment
relationship. Similar to compulsory knowledge, managing ancillary knowledge tends
to focus on short-term productivity and eYciency for tasks of limited scope, purpose,
or duration (Lepak and Snell 2002). This is done by focusing on compliance with
preset rules, regulations, and/or procedures. For example, job descriptions are likely
to be standardized and training and performance management, if conducted, is
likely to be limited to ensuring that company policies, systems, and procedures are
carried out. In addition, compensation for these employees is likely to be based on an
hourly wage and the accomplishment of speciWc tasks or goals.
11.2.4 Idiosyncratic Knowledge (Alliances/Partnerships)
Employees with idiosyncratic knowledge possess unique know-how but their
know-how is of limited strategic value. Because their knowledge is not as central
to value creation and strategy, employees with this type of human capital may be
externalized. However, these external partners have specialized knowledge that is
not easy to Wnd in the market. As a consequence, long-term partnerships are likely
to be fostered that preserve continuity over time, ensure trust among partners, and
engender reciprocity and collaboration (Lepak and Snell 2002). While there tends
not to be investment in the human capital itself, there is substantial investment in
the relationship with these individuals. Given the need for ongoing exchange,
alliance partners are more likely to be managed by a collaborative HR conWguration characterized by group incentives, cross-functional teams, and the like. Such
practices may ensure greater integration and stronger relationships with the Wrm
and the partner employees.
Though still in its infancy, an architectural perspective of employment subsystems has received some empirical support. For example, Lepak and Snell (2002)
demonstrated that companies use diVerent HR systems to manage diVerent
employee groups, depending on their strategic value and uniqueness. Similarly, in
a study of 375 companies in Spain, Gonzales and Tacorante (2004) showed that over
70 percent of the companies in their sample relied on all four modes of employment,
216
david lepak and scott a. snell
27 percent used three of the four employment modes, and 2 percent used only two
employment modes. Like Lepak and Snell (2002), Gonzales and Tacorante (2004)
also found consistent diVerences in the HRM practices used among each employee
group. Looking beyond the extent of their use, Lepak et al. (2003) found that a more
extensive reliance on core knowledge employees and/or short-term contract workers was positively associated with Wrm performance (ROA and market-to-book
value) while an increased reliance on non-core, job-based employees and external
alliance partners was associated with diminished Wrm performance.
Interestingly, while research indicates that companies do adopt a diVerentiated
approach to their employment portfolio and there are performance implications
for how the portfolio is structured, there are potentially additional implications
(both positive and negative) related to adopting a mixed approach to employment.
For example, while a diVerentiated approach may result in improved performance
by targeting high investments in critical skills sets, it is also possible that such an
approach may trigger equity concerns among diVerent groups, depending on the
spillover of the HR systems used across employee groups. Groups that receive lower
levels of investment, though possibly justiWed in terms of their potential strategic
contributions, may experience inequity and display less than desired attitudes and
behaviors as a result. At the same time, treating all employees equally might involve
over-investing in non-critical employees and under-investing in critical employees.
While such an approach may alleviate equity concerns among non-core employees,
it may not be cost eVective for the Wrm and might actually result in expending
unnecessary costs without reaping the beneWts. These tensions may be magniWed
in situations where employees in diVerent employee groups (and exposed to
diVerent HR systems) perform tasks and activities that are highly interdependent
(Boxall 1998; Rubery et al. 2004).
To complicate matters further, researchers examining employment subsystems
in general, and the HR architecture in particular, have not focused on the three
emerging issues noted above—the globalization of employment, the importance
of strategy, and balancing both knowledge stocks and Xows within and across
employment groups—for both the use and eVectiveness of implementing alternative employment options for their workforce. In the remainder of this chapter, we
extend the HR architecture to examine these issues.
11.3 Globalization and the HR
Architecture
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
One of the most pervasive trends regarding employment subsystems is directly
related to the globalization of companies. In particular, oVshoring—sending work
employment subsystems and hr architecture
217
to other countries—has received considerable attention and raised a number of
issues for how companies structure their HR architecture. In many ways, the
increased use of international employment subsystems is a natural extension of
the HR architecture. Pressures for the continued pursuit of lower costs, increased
expertise, and Xexibility have encouraged many managers to think beyond country
boundaries for the most eYcient and/or eVective source of labor.
In the context of the HR architecture, one could imagine an extension of employment subsystems to include short-term outsourcing arrangements as well as more
long-term oVshoring arrangements and alliance partnerships. If a task or service that
is of low strategic value and limited uniqueness may be performed at a lower cost in
another country, and there is a viable organization in that country to deliver that task
or service, there is a strong incentive for companies to consider outsourcing this
work. By doing so, the company may be able to recoup those costs, access greater
eYciencies and/or expertise in the performance of the tasks by the outsourcing
provider, and divert their investments to more value-added core employees. In these
scenarios, international outsourcing is a logical extension of more traditional
domestic-based outsourcing or contractual arrangements.
Investments in oVshoring are intended to gain cost advantages from maintaining operations in another country with internal employees (rather than another
company’s employees) as part of a broader global sourcing strategy. On the one
hand, oVshoring may be pursued to achieve similar beneWts to those derived from
outsourcing; namely cost advantages. Ultimately, however, the costs advantages
may go away as wages inevitably increase in developing countries such as China,
India, and Hungary that are frequent centers of oVshoring activities (Aron and
Singh 2005). So the challenge is to oVshore initially for cost and Xexibility, but then
focus on increasing productivity/expertise faster than wages increase. On the other
hand, oVshoring is a logical extension of more long-term partnerships, although
for perhaps diVerent reasons. In China, for example, companies typically enter via
joint ventures that involve alliances (rather than, say, subsidiaries). The government requires it. And while costs may certainly be a consideration, it may also be
the case that the labor force in another country excels in certain areas of expertise
such as science or medicine or simply has a greater supply of labor for a particular
expertise (Purcell et al. 2004).
Although international partnerships present a challenge in terms of distance,
they present an opportunity for ‘24/7’ or ‘follow the sun’ workforce arrangements
that allow for work to be continuously performed around the world without any
downtime. A partner of a US Wrm in India, for example, may conceivably start their
work day just as the employees in the USA are completing their work day. By doing
so, companies may be able to decrease the time to completion of new products or
services while dramatically increasing their labor pool. Given the continual pressures for innovation and/or cost considerations, it is logical that companies are
exploring these work arrangements. However, the long-term performance beneWts
(or costs) are not well known.
218
david lepak and scott a. snell
11.3.1 Research Implications
Most of the literature focusing on international HRM has focused on managing
employees within a speciWc country or on expatriate management. Yet, managing
the portfolio of global sourcing options, including oVshoring, outsourcing, alliances, and the like, on a global level is likely to be equally challenging. The picture is
further complicated when researchers consider the implications of global markets.
Much of the controversy about outsourcing and oVshoring manufacturing jobs, for
example, needs to be couched within the context of where the work is done relative
to where the products and services are sold. Many Wrms argue that their international employees are producing for international markets. Critics charge that the
international work is too often devised to exploit low-cost labor, and then the
goods/services are shipped back to the host country. These issues have political as
well as competitive implications and much more research is needed to understand
them fully.
Relatedly, while these diVerent arrangements are typically argued to facilitate
cost savings and company Xexibility, the question remains as to how these arrangements relate to other facets of value creation. For example, faced with customer
concerns stemming from dealing with customer service representatives in India,
Dell reconsidered its sourcing strategy for its call centers. Though simplistic, this
example highlights the fact that organizations must balance tensions for cost
savings with achieving strategic objectives such as quality enhancements, operational performance, market access, innovation, customer service, and the like
(Aron and Singh 2005). Saving costs at the expense of other performance outcomes
is unlikely to prove a sustainable strategy over time. A related issue focuses directly
on which jobs or tasks and activities are most appropriate candidates for these
global sourcing options. If we shift our focus away from solely cost considerations,
the key question becomes which employee talent pools drive value creation within
organizations and how should those talent pools be employed to maximize value
creation while capitalizing on cost-saving options?
Viewing the HR architecture from a global perspective also requires greater
attention to environmental factors. Countries vary in the quality of their human
capital, the relative supply and demand of diVerent occupational skill sets, labor
costs as well as labor laws, unionization, and worker preferences. It may be the case
that the use of temporary employees, for example, reXects country regulatory and
environmental factors as much as consideration of strategic value and uniqueness.
Companies operating in countries with restrictive labor laws regarding employee
terminations may be more willing to choose externalized employment options,
rather than commit to long-term employment, even for critical or core employee
groups, compared to companies operating in environments that are more employer
friendly. Relatedly, the supply of labor in diVerent occupational groups may
inXuence which employment options are most beneWcial to pursue in diVerent
employment subsystems and hr architecture
219
regions or countries. In some countries, occupational specialists may be in such
short supply or high demand that they have considerable leverage or bargaining
power in determining which type of employment option they are willing to work
within (Purcell et al. 2004).
Finally, how does a global HR architecture impact the composition of the HR
systems used to manage these subsystems? While outsourcing or oVshoring
arrangements may be managed suYciently with a compliance-oriented HR system,
long-term alliance partners must be coordinated. Given cultural diVerences, and in
many cases considerable distance, what should be the composition of the HR
systems for these global partners? How should companies design HR systems for
these diVerent countries that simultaneously meet a company’s strategic needs
while addressing the local country’s requirements? Researchers have struggled
with the distinction between global eYciency and local responsiveness at the
strategy level. The unique challenge here is that these are often not completely
independent entities that may be managed diVerently. From an architectural
perspective, these employment subsystems must be integrated and coordinated
to prove eVective.
11.4 Strategy and the HR Architecture
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Although our discussion so far has focused on the relationships among human
capital, employment, and HR systems, it is important to explore how a company’s
strategic direction may impact how they structure their HR architecture. Much of
the strategic HRM research has focused on the direct linkage between a Wrm’s
strategy and its dominant orientation toward HR (e.g. Arthur 1992; Miles and
Snow 1984). The underlying logic for this focus is that diVerent organizational
strategies have certain behavioral requirements for their successful implementation
(Jackson et al. 1989; Miles and Snow 1984). To elicit these behaviors, organizations
design and deploy HR practices that motivate certain employee attitudes and
behaviors while discouraging others.
Building on this behavioral perspective, one might anticipate that Wrms pursuing diVerent strategic orientations would be likely to utilize diVerent HR conWgurations for their employee groups. For example, in the case of Wrms pursuing
innovation, it may be that the entire workforce needs to be more oriented toward
knowledge creation and transfer (Leonard-Barton 1995; Schuler and Jackson 1987).
As noted by Jackson and colleagues (1989), Wrms that compete in the market place
by being more innovative than their competitors must have employees that are
willing to take risks and experiment with new ideas. Achieving this requires that
220
david lepak and scott a. snell
Wrms implement HR practices that encourage employees to engage in creative
behavior, cooperate and share ideas with others, and retain a long-term focus
(Wright and McMahan 1992). Based on this, we might expect to see more pervasive
use of the commitment-based and collaborative HR systems for all employees as
these HR conWgurations focus on creating and transferring knowledge whereas
productivity-based and compliance-based HR systems do not.
In contrast, a low-cost strategy is likely to involve Wrms orienting their workforce
more toward productivity and eYciency concerns (Miles and Snow 1984; Porter
1985; Schuler 1992). As noted by Wright and McMahan (1992: 304), a cost strategy
‘requires such things as repetitive behaviors, a short-term focus, autonomous
activity, high concern for quantity, moderate concern for quality, and low risk
taking.’ If managers are focused on eYciency and productivity maximization for all
employees, they might establish more short-term performance horizons for individuals in the top two quadrants of the matrix than is normally anticipated (i.e.
managing them more like employees in the bottom quadrants). Further, managers
focused on low costs may not be willing to expend the resources necessary for
training and knowledge development (an expense that might diminish proWt
margins in the short run). In this case, we might expect to see more reliance on
productivity-based and compliance-based HR conWgurations for all employee
groups than commitment and collaborative HRM.
While organizations may adopt an overarching orientation toward managing all
employees via higher levels of commitment and collaboration or productivity and
compliance, we anticipate that adopting an HR architecture perspective adds
additional complexity to the inXuence of strategy. Rather than focusing solely on
which overarching HR orientation to adopt, an architectural perspective also
directly raises the issue of how diVerent employee groups add value. In the HR
architecture, there are two key issues that emerge that complicate this discussion.
First, diVerent strategies emphasize diVerent internal business processes for competitive advantage. Second, not all skill sets groups are equally critical for value
creation among diVerent internal business processes and, ultimately, competitive
diVerentiation.
DiVerences in the strategic objectives Wrms pursue directly inXuence the relative
role and value of diVerent business processes in the value chain. For example, Wrms
focused on product leadership (and innovation) are likely to depend most critically
on diVerent processes from Wrms focused on operational excellence (cost). And
Wrms focused on customer intimacy compete on a diVerent set of processes as well.
While there certainly may be many more strategic objectives Wrms may pursue, the
key point is that the pursuit of diVerent strategic objectives inXuences which
processes within the value chain are most critical for a competitive advantage
based on the strategic objective.
By extension, the relative employee groups oriented toward various business
processes are likely to vary in their potential contributions toward critical value
employment subsystems and hr architecture
221
creation activities. As a result, an employee group possessing certain skill sets may
be particularly critical in one company but may be less critical in another company
pursuing a diVerent source of competitive advantage, even when performing the
same job. And if the nature of the contribution varies, the HR systems that are most
eVective in leveraging their potential are likely to vary as well. For example, pursuit
of innovation does not mean everyone has to be managed with a high-commitment HR system. What it does is increase the importance of product development
and marketing skills as a core skill set for competitive advantage. Similarly, low cost
does not require that everyone be managed for eYciency and cost savings. Rather,
it requires continuous improvement to drive productivity that may potentially be
realized through more commitment-oriented or high-performance work systems
rather than solely through productivity and compliance-oriented HR systems. At
the same time, however, at the margins, low-cost Wrms probably emphasize standardized processes more than innovative Wrms.
11.4.1 Research Implications
Conceptually, an architectural perspective may provide some insights into the
mixed Wndings in the literature regarding the notion of external Wt or alignment
between strategy and HR systems. It may be the case that the external Wt hypothesis
only holds for speciWc skill sets within organizations; that is, companies may vary
their HR systems for core skill sets to realize alignment with strategic priorities but
adopt a more general or eYciency-oriented approach for other, non-critical skill
sets. As suggested by Delery and Shaw (2001), using high-performance HR systems
may be most important for an organization’s strategic core workforce. If this
reXects organizational reality, research that fails to diVerentiate the alignment
between strategy and HR systems for core employees versus the alignment between
strategy and the management of an entire workforce may provide an inappropriate
assessment of how external Wt operates.
If companies rely on diVerent skills sets for various strategic objectives, this
certainly has implications for how we conceptualize the eVectiveness of employment options and HR systems. Rather than focusing on the overall performance
beneWts related to the use of a single HR system across an entire workforce, it may
be more appropriate to more narrowly examine the use of HR systems for speciWc
employees that are instrumental for a company’s source of competitive advantage.
Moreover, if diVerent business processes are more important than others for
various sources of competitive advantage, and diVerent skill sets are emphasized
for diVerent processes, the metrics we choose to assess HR system eVectiveness
might have to be more Wne grained as well. For example, focusing on ROA or ROE
or market-based performance may fail to truly reXect how the management of sales
employees relates to sales growth or customer satisfaction. There may be a strong
222
david lepak and scott a. snell
relationship between HR system use for critical employees with more narrow
performance metrics than with organization-wide metrics that are inXuenced by
a variety of factors, many of which may have nothing to do with how employees are
managed.
A related issue emerges when we consider that diVerent skills sets within
organizations must often be combined to realize strategic priorities (Boxall 1996,
1998; Purcell et al. 2004) and these interactions may extend to employee groups
outside of organizations as well (Lepak and Snell 2003; Rubery et al. 2004). While
diVerent employee groups are likely to vary in how they add value, or the extent of
their value added, we have to also consider the technical and social interdependencies that exist between employee groups (Baron and Kreps 1999). While the
independent contributions of some employee groups toward value-creating activities may admittedly be fairly low, it is conceivable that they serve an important
supportive role that facilitates valuable and unique contributions of other
employee groups or organizational processes that are vital to a company’s strategic
objectives. This possibility highlights the importance of managing both each
individual employment subsystem as well as the coordination of employee eVorts
across employee subsystems.
One of the underlying arguments for an architectural perspective is that companies may adjust their level of investment in diVerent employee groups based on
their potential contribution toward competitive advantage. Conceptually, this
suggests that understanding the impact of HR on Wrm performance requires
examination of appropriate performance metrics to reXect how employee groups
add value as well as how multiple employee groups are managed simultaneously—
rather than focusing on the use of a particular HR system across employees or
focusing solely on one employee group.
11.5 Knowledge Flows and
the HR Architecture
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
According to the resource-based view of the Wrm, a sustained competitive advantage is created ‘when implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously
implemented by any current or potential competitor and when these other Wrms
are unable to duplicate the beneWts of this strategy’ (Barney 1991: 102). This is
achieved by basing competition on internal resources that are valuable, rare,
inimitable, and non-substitutable. While there are many diVerent resources that
may serve as a source of competitive advantage, a frequently cited source is the
knowledge embedded in their people (Jackson et al. 2003). Such knowledge
employment subsystems and hr architecture
223
(knowledge stocks) helps Wrms create competitive advantage through the eVective
use, manipulation, and transformation of various organizational resources
required to perform a task (Nonaka 1994; Kogut and Zander 1992; Grant 1996).
In addition to knowledge stocks, Dierickx and Cool (1989) noted that knowledge
Xows are vital for the creation of new knowledge, as well as recombination of
existing knowledge. While a company’s knowledge stocks provides a foundation
for competitive advantage (Grant 1996), what diVerentiates successful companies
from others may very well be how companies manage knowledge Xows; that is, how
companies eVectively leverage, integrate, and create knowledge among individuals
within and across diVerent employment modes.
Recently, several researchers have directly addressed this issue and have shifted
our attention to the broader domain of intellectual capital with a key focus on the
importance of social capital. As noted by Youndt et al. (2004: 337), intellectual
capital can be broadly conceptualized as ‘the sum of all knowledge an organization
is able to leverage in the process of conducting business to gain competitive
advantage’ and consists of human, social, and organizational capital. Human
capital refers to individual employee capabilities—their knowledge, skills, and
abilities. Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998) deWne social capital as the aggregate of
resources embedded within, available through, and derived from the network
of relationships possessed by an individual or organization (Brass et al. 2004).
Finally, organizational capital refers to ‘institutionalized knowledge and codiWed
experience stored in databases, routines, patents, manuals, structures, and the like’
(Youndt et al. 2004: 338).
Subramanian and Youndt (2005) examined the relationships between these three
types of intellectual capital and innovation, and found that organizational capital
was positively associated with incremental innovative capability and social capital
was related to both incremental and radical capabilities. Interestingly, they also
found that human and social capital interacted positively to inXuence radical
innovative capability. One direct implication of this is that it suggests that
human capital provides the most value for innovative capabilities when employee
knowledge is shared among employees. Relatedly, Collins and Clark (2003) explored
the relationships among network-building HRM practices, internal and external
social networks of top management teams, and Wrm sales growth and stock growth.
Their results provide support for a mediating eVect of top managers’ social
networks. As these Wndings suggest, knowledge stocks (human capital) are most
valuable when paired with appropriate knowledge Xow (social capital).
The importance of social capital and managing knowledge Xow highlights a
limitation of the HR architecture. While an architectural perspective helps to create
an overall picture of how an organization’s portfolio of knowledge stocks is
managed, diVerentiating employees based on their uniqueness and strategic value
does not account for how to promote knowledge Xow within and across diVerent
employment modes. Put simply, it does not take into account interactions and
224
david lepak and scott a. snell
Knowledge
employees
Alliance partners
Uniqueness
High
Knowledge flow
Job-based
employees
Low
Contract
workers
Low
Strategic
value
High
Fig. 11.2. HR architectural perspective and knowledge flows
interdependencies across employment systems. In an attempt to overcome this
limitation, Kang et al. (in press) focus directly on the implications of managing
both knowledge stocks and Xows in the HR architecture. According to Kang et al.
(in press), success in creating customer value requires that Wrms are successful in
both exploitative and exploratory innovation based on employee knowledge.
Recognizing that diVerent employee groups within the HR architecture possess
diVerent levels and types of knowledge, leveraging that knowledge requires that
organizations design HR systems in a way to encourage entrepreneurial activity
among employees for exploratory innovation as well as cooperative activity among
employees to exploit and extend existing knowledge for competitive advantage.
Two relational HR archetypes are proposed to accomplish these goals.
A cooperative relational archetype is characterized by a dense social network
with strong ties among members, generalized trust based on shared norms of
reciprocity, and a common architectural knowledge that provides the basis for
coordination and integration among diVerent sources of employee knowledge.
This tightly coordinated network structure is anticipated to allow employees to
exchange, combine, and integrate in-depth knowledge with all members of the
network to exploit and extend existing knowledge to create customer value.
The primary HR activities that support a cooperative relational archetype are
employment subsystems and hr architecture
225
interdependent work structures, clan-fostering initiatives, and broader skill
development initiatives. An entrepreneurial archetype is characterized by more
sparse and non-redundant networks, relatively weak and intermittent ties among
employees, based on dyadic trust among some members of the network. This
looser and more Xuid network structure is anticipated to allow employees to
pursue more novel and diverse knowledge exchanges necessary for exploratory
learning and innovation. The primary HR activities that support an entrepreneurial archetype are Xexible work structures, results-based incentives, and transspecialist development.
11.5.1 Research Implications
One of the underlying rationales for using diVerent employment subsystems is that
they aVord Wrms diVerent types of Xexibility (Lepak et al. 2003; Wright and Snell
1998). Core knowledge workers provide organizations with a greater degree of
resource Xexibility—the ability to perform a wide assortment of tasks—compared
to traditional employees. With regard to external or contingent workers, contract
arrangements provide organizations with more coordination Xexibility—the ability
to adjust the number and types of skills in use—as compared to more long-term
alliances. In contrast, while short-term contractual arrangement and many
oVshoring arrangements provide companies with coordination Xexibility, longterm partnerships may provide an additional beneWt—knowledge access Xexibility.
The increasing reality is that the knowledge that companies rely on for competitive success not only resides in the minds of their employees but also in the
minds of contractors, consultants, and other external workers with whom they
collaborate. Of course, realizing these beneWts requires a concerted eVort by
organizations for managing the Xow of knowledge across these subsystems, both
within and outside of the organization.
A key challenge is that employment subsystems directly impact the opportunities and patterns of interactions among internal and external employees as well as
the knowledge foundation that each group possesses (cf. Boxall 1996, 1998). By
inXuencing how diVerent employment groups interact, the structure of the HR
architecture inXuences the nature of the network structure. Some HR architectures,
with a greater reliance on internal employment and possibly long-term partnerships, may be characterized by dense network connections. In contrast, HR architectures with a greater use of external employee groups and more Xuid alliance
partnerships may be characterized by sparse networks with relative weak ties. An
important research question is if, and how, the overarching structure of employment subsystems impacts the Xow of knowledge within the HR architecture. Are
there certain structural patterns that are more appropriate for exploration of new
sources of value creation versus exploitation of current knowledge bases to leverage
226
david lepak and scott a. snell
and extend existing sources of value creation? Are there other architectural structures that are ideal for less innovative outcomes such as organizational eYciency or
customer service? If diVerent structural patterns of employment subsystems oVer
diVerent organizational beneWts, research is needed to examine which architectural
patterns are ideal to achieve these disparate objectives.
Relatedly, research is needed that examines the importance of the direction of
knowledge Xows. For example, is it more important to have knowledge Xow
equally in all directions or Xow toward critical or core employees? It is conceivable
that companies may be able to realize knowledge advantages to the extent to which
they are able to increase the Xow of knowledge from external employment arrangements across their organizational boundaries while decreasing the Xow of knowledge in the other direction (cf. Matusik and Hill 1998). Focusing on the direction
and Xow of knowledge also raises the issue of willingness to share knowledge
(Lepak and Snell 2003). Companies are only able to realize beneWts of knowledge
Xow to the extent that employees are willing to cooperate (CoV 1997). If certain
employees perceive a personal beneWt in hoarding their knowledge, or a perceived
risk of sharing what they know, what HR practices are able to encourage employees
to share their knowledge with the appropriate people?
An additional important research question focuses on relationships between
HR systems for employees within each employment system and the higher-level
relational archetypes that are expected to facilitate knowledge exchange across
employment subsystems. While implementing HR practices across employee
groups to facilitate greater knowledge Xow is viable, does it diminish the uniqueness, and perhaps the eVectiveness, of the HR systems used for managing the
knowledge stocks within each employment mode? Do some of the relational
archetype HR practices send conXicting messages to employees on their role within
the company? Also, what are the relative costs, beneWts, and challenges for implementing multiple HR practices within a company? Research that investigates the
impact of implementing higher-level relational archetypes on the eVectiveness of
HR systems for employment subsystems would provide insights into the viability
and eVectiveness of the potential value of relational archetypes for facilitating
knowledge Xow across employee groups.
11.6 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
As the outset of this chapter we raised an apparent tension within organizations.
On the one hand, researchers and practitioners continue to claim that employees
are a key source of a company’s competitive advantage. At the same time, however,
employment subsystems and hr architecture
227
many Wrms are increasing their use of both internal and external employment
subsystems among their workforce. The key question is: if people matter so much
for competitive success, how can companies continue to turn to contingent labor,
outsourcing arrangements, as well as selectively invest in subgroups of employees.
Our view on this tension is that it is a natural outgrowth of some signiWcant
changes that companies are dealing with that stem from an increasing need to
distinguish managing jobs and managing knowledge. Adopting an architectural
perspective recognizes that companies must do both. Some employees add value by
eYciently performing well-deWned tasks while others add value for their unique
role or critical contributions toward competitive advantage.
While the ultimate decision as to whether or not companies pursue one or more
of these employment subsystems is inXuenced by numerous factors, we focused on
several factors that are likely to be particularly important. First, while globalization
certainly increases the options that companies have at their disposal for employing
their workforce to pursue lower costs, increased expertise, and workforce Xexibility, countries vary signiWcantly in the quality of their human capital, the relative
supply and demand of diVerent occupational skill sets, labor costs, as well as legal
and logistical considerations that inXuence the potential beneWts of relying on
alternative employment options. Second, we considered the notion that companies
diVerentiate their employees, not based on job titles, but on the value added of
their knowledge and skill sets for internal business processes necessary to realize a
competitive advantage. By focusing on knowledge and skill sets rather than jobs,
Wrms may be in a position to focus their investments on those employees that are
most critical to their competitive success while leveraging the capabilities of
external providers, domestically or internationally, for other tasks or services
wherever they may be located around the globe. Of course, a central challenge
that companies face is to have a clear sense of what knowledge employees presently
hold and need in order to achieve business goals as well as the need to understand
how to promote the exchange of knowledge, innovation, and learning to maintain
competitive distinction; a task that is increasingly diYcult with a globalized
sourcing strategy and further diVerentiated workforce.
Clearly, there are many research questions that remain to be addressed regarding
the implications for the use of various forms of employment by organizations.
Boxall and Purcell (2003) suggested that Wrms’ choices among employment options
are not based solely on economic rationality. Echoing this sentiment, we encourage
research that explores factors such as the role of the legal, social, and institutional
environments in employment decisions. Relatedly, we still do not have a Wrm grasp
on the performance implications of diVerentiating employment systems. In particular, research is needed that examines individual reactions to working within a
company simultaneously using multiple employment subsystems as well as the role
of social and technical interdependencies between employee groups for knowledge
Xow and competitive success (Purcell et al. 2004).
228
david lepak and scott a. snell
Moving forward, a key challenge for strategic HRM research is to better understand the nature of knowledge work, the trade-oVs among employment options,
and how to develop HR systems that are appropriate for managing employees with
speciWc skills sets as well as to identify mechanisms to facilitate knowledge-sharing,
transfer, and exchange across employee groups. And while we have probably raised
more questions than we have answered, we hope this chapter has provided some
ideas to stimulate additional research in this area.
References
Aron, R., and Singh, J. V. (2005). ‘Getting OVshoring Right.’ Harvard Business Review,
December: 135 43.
Arthur, J. B. (1992). ‘The Link between Business Strategy and Industrial Relations Systems
in American Steel Minimills.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 45: 488 506.
Barney, J. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17: 99 120.
Baron, J. N., and Kreps, D. M. (1999). Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General
Managers. New York: John Wiley.
Becker, B. E., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.’ Academy of Management Journal,
39: 779 801.
Boxall, P. (1996). ‘The Strategic HRM Debate and the Resource Based View of the Firm.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 6: 59 75.
(1998). ‘Achieving Competitive Advantage through Human Resource Strategy:
Towards a Theory of Industry Dynamics.’ Human Resource Management Review, 8: 265 88.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Brass, D. J., Galaskiewicz, J., Greve, H. R., and Tsai, W. (2004). ‘Taking Stock of
Networks and Organizations: A Multilevel Perspective.’ Academy of Management Journal,
47: 795 817.
Coff, R. W. (1997). ‘Human Assets and Management Dilemmas: Coping with Hazards on
the Road to Resource Based Theory.’ Academy of Management Review, 22: 374 402.
Collins, C. J., and Clark, K. D. (2003). ‘Strategic Human Resources Practices, Top
Management Team Social Networks, and Firm Performance: The Role of HR Practices
in Creating Organizational Competitive Advantage.’ Academy of Management Journal,
46: 740 52.
Delery, J. E., and Shaw, J. D. (2001). ‘The Strategic Management of People in Work
Organizations: Review, Synthesis, and Extension.’ In G. Ferris (ed.), Research in Personnel
and Human Resource Management. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Dierickx, I., and Cool, K. (1989). ‘Asset Stock Accumulation and Sustainability of
Competitive Advantage.’ Management Science, 35: 1504 13.
Gonzalez, S. M., and Tacorante, D. V. (2004). ‘A New Approach to the Best Practices
Debate: Are Best Practices Applied to All Employees in the Same Way?’ International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 15: 56 75.
employment subsystems and hr architecture
229
Grant, R. M. (1996). ‘Toward a Knowledge Based Theory of the Firm.’ Strategic Manage
ment Journal, 17 (Winter Special Issue): 109 22.
Guthrie, J. (2001). ‘High Involvement Work Practices, Turnover, and Productivity: Evi
dence from New Zealand.’ Academy of Management Journal, 44: 180 92.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38: 635 72.
Huselid, M. A., Becker, B. E., and Beatty, D. (2005). The Workforce Scorecard: Managing
and Measuring Human Capital to Drive Strategy Execution. Boston: Harvard Business
School Press.
Jackson, S., Schuler, R., and Rivero, J. (1989). ‘Organizational Characteristics as Pre
dictors of Personnel Practices.’ Personnel Psychology, 42: 727 86.
Hitt, M. A., and DeNisi, A. S. (2003). Managing Knowledge for Sustained Competitive
Advantage: Designing Strategies for EVective Human Resource Management. San Francisco:
Jossey Bass.
Kang, S. C., Morris, S., and Snell, S. A. (in press). ‘Relational Archetypes, Organizational
Learning, and Value Creation: Extending the Human Resource Architecture.’ Academy of
Management Review.
Kogut, B., and Zander, U. (1992). ‘Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and
the Replication of Technology.’ Organization Science, 3: 383 97.
Leonard Barton, D. (1995). Wellsprings of Knowledge: Building and Sustaining the Sources
of Innovation. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Lepak, D. P., and Snell, S. A. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory of
Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Management Review, 24: 31 48.
(2002). ‘Examining the Human Resource Architecture: The Relationships
among Human Capital, Employment, and Human Resource ConWgurations.’ Journal of
Management, 28: 517 43.
(2003). ‘Managing the Human Resource Architecture for Knowledge Based
Competition.’ In S. Jackson, M. Hitt, and A. DeNisi (eds.), Managing Knowledge for
Sustained Competitive Advantage: Designing Strategies for EVective Human Resource Man
agement. Frontiers in Industrial Organizational Psychology. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Series.
Takeuchi, R., and Snell, S. A. (2003). ‘Employment Flexibility and Firm Perform
ance: Examining the Interaction EVects of Employment Mode, Environmental Dyna
mism, and Technological Intensity.’ Journal of Management, 29: 681 703.
Matusik, S. F., and Hill, C. W. L. (1998). ‘The Utilization of Contingent Work, Knowledge
Creation, and Competitive Advantage.’ Academy of Management Review, 23: 680 97.
Miles, R. E., and Snow, C. C. (1984). ‘Designing Strategic Human Resources Systems.’
Organizational Dynamics, Summer: 36 52.
Morris, S., Snell, S. A., and Lepak, D. P. (in press). ‘An Architectural Approach to
Managing Knowledge Stocks and Flows: Implications for Reinventing the HR Function.’
To appear in R. Burke and C. Cooper (eds.), Reinventing HR. London: Routledge Press.
Nahapiet, J., and Ghoshal, S. (1998). ‘Social Capital, Intellectual Capital, and the Organ
izational Advantage.’ Academy of Management Review, 23: 242 66.
Nonaka, I. (1994). ‘A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation.’ Organiza
tion Science, 5: 14 37.
Osterman, P. (1987). ‘Choice of Employment Systems in Internal Labor Markets.’
Industrial Relations, 26: 46 67.
230
david lepak and scott a. snell
Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive Advantage through People. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press.
Porter, M. (1985). Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance.
New York: Free Press.
Purcell, J. (1999). ‘High Commitment Management and the Link with Contingent
Workers: Implications for Strategic Human Resource Management.’ In P. M. Wright, L.
D. Dyer, J. W. Boudreau, and G. T. Milkovich (eds.), Research in Personnel and Human
Resource Management. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Purcell, K., and Tailby, S. (2004). ‘Temporary Work Agencies: Here Today, Gone
Tomorrow?’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 42/4: 705 25.
Reich, R. B. (2005). ‘Plenty of Knowledge Work to Go Around.’ Harvard Business Review,
April: 17.
Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological Contracts in Organizations: Understanding Written
and Unwritten Agreements. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Rubery, J., Carroll, M., Cooke, F. L., Grugulis, I., and Earnshaw, J. (2004). ‘Human
Resource Management and the Permeable Organization: The Case of the Multi Client
Call Centre.’ Journal of Management Studies, 41: 1199 222.
Schuler, R. (1992). ‘Linking the People with the Strategic Needs of the Business.’ Organ
isational Dynamics, Summer: 18 32.
and Jackson, S. E. (1987). ‘Linking Competitive Strategies with Human Resource
Management Practices.’ Academy of Management Executive, 1: 207 19.
Snell, S. A. (1992). ‘Control Theory in Strategic Human Resource Management: The
Mediating EVects of Administrative Information.’ Journal of Management, 35: 292 328.
and Dean, J., Jr. (1992). ‘Integrated Manufacturing and Human Resource Manage
ment: A Human Capital Perspective.’ Academy of Management Journal, 35: 467 504.
and Youndt, M. A. (1995). ‘Human Resource Management and Firm Performance:
Testing a Contingency Model of Executive Controls.’ Journal of Management, 21: 711 37.
Lepak, D. P., and Youndt, M. A. (1999). ‘Managing the Architecture of Intellectual
Capital: Implications for Strategic Human Resource Management.’ In P. M. Wright,
L. D. Dyer, J. W. Boudreau, and G. T. Milkovich (eds.), Research in Personnel and
Human Resource Management. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Solomon, C. M. (2001). ‘Managing Virtual Teams.’ Workforce, 80/June: 60 5.
Subramanian, M., and Youndt, M. A. (2005). ‘The InXuence of Intellectual Capital on the
Types of Innovative Capabilities.’ Academy of Management Journal, 48/3: 450 63.
Tsui, A. S., Pearce, J. L., Porter, L. W., and Hite, J. P. (1995). ‘Choice of Employee
Organization Relationship: InXuence of External and Internal Organizational factors.’ In
G. R. Ferris (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management. Greenwich,
Conn.: JAI Press.
Williamson, O. E. (1975). Markets and Hierarchies: Analysis and Antitrust Implications.
New York: Free Press.
Wright, P. M., and McMahan, G. C. (1992). ‘Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human
Resource Management.’ Journal of Management, 18: 295 320.
and Snell, S. A. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and
Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review,
23: 756 72.
Youndt, M. A., Subramanian, O., and Snell, S. A. (2004). ‘Intellectual Capital ProWles:
An Examination of Investments and Returns.’ Journal of Management Studies, 41: 335 61.
chapter 12
....................................................................................................................................................
E M P LOY E E VO I C E
SYSTEMS
....................................................................................................................................
mick marchington
12.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Employee voice appears to be the latest in a long line of terms used to describe
employment practices designed to allow workers some ‘say’ in how their
organizations are run; previous variants include worker participation, industrial
democracy, employee involvement, and empowerment. The term is rarely deWned
precisely, and voice tends to incorporate HR practices of both a direct and
an indirect form, in unionized and non-union settings, and in task-related and
oV-line teams (Millward et al. 2000; Bryson 2004). Others have used the term to
refer to grievance processes and employee complaints about management (BoroV
and Lewin 1997; Luchak 2003), and even so-called ‘silent’ forms of voice such as
sabotage, absence from work, or shirking (Benson 2000; Hyman 2005). This wide
range of uses makes it diYcult to assess whether ‘voice’ actually marks a departure
from the initiatives that have gone before or whether it is nothing more than ‘old
wine in new bottles.’
Traditionally, voice has been used primarily in relation to union-based and
broader forms of participation, rather than direct employee involvement,
because this was seen as the principal way in which workers could gain inXuence
at work (Freeman and MedoV 1984; Millward et al. 2000). More recently, analysis
has shifted to examine non-union models of indirect voice, such as through joint
consultative committees and works councils (Dundon et al. 2004; Haynes et al.
2005). Given space limitations, rather than provide yet another review of
232
mick marchington
indirect voice, this chapter focuses primarily on direct voice for several reasons.
First, union and non-union collective voice has been analyzed at length in many
other publications (for example, Osterman et al. 2001; Gospel and Wood 2003), and
it was felt impossible to develop this material without a proper analysis of diVerent
national legal systems or cultures. Second, the decline in union density in most
developed countries has meant that direct forms of voice—both through upward
problem-solving and through new forms of work organization—are likely to oVer
workers greater opportunities for inXuence than they did in the past. Indeed there
is evidence that direct forms of voice are associated, by workers, with more positive
perceptions of managerial responsiveness than either union or non-union forms of
indirect representation (Bryson 2004). Third, as direct voice mechanisms impact
more immediately on workers than indirect representation, they are seen as
more relevant to worker needs (Freeman and Rogers 1999; Osterman et al. 2001).
Changes at work group level can make a major diVerence to people’s daily lives,
and direct, personal involvement can seem more meaningful than higher-level
discussions about long-term plans (Purcell and Georgiadis 2006). Of course, it is
recognized that direct voice may oVer opportunities for change only at the margins
of managerial decision-making (Ramsay et al. 2000) because key strategic
choices are made way beyond the conWnes of the participative process (Strauss
1998). Finally, concentrating on direct voice allows a sharper focus on the processes
accompanying informal participation at the workplace, and it is acknowledged
that few surveys have captured workers’ views. If we are to understand better
how HRM impacts on workers, the so-called ‘black box’ needs to be opened up
in order to discern how workers interpret managerial practices (Wright and
Boswell 2002; Benson and Lawler 2003). This is especially important when examining the interaction eVects of a number of diVerent voice mechanisms, both direct
and indirect, and the extent to which they are embedded within the workplace
(Marchington 2005).
The focus on direct voice should not be interpreted as a sign that indirect and
union voice is unimportant for the achievement of worker inXuence in organizations; far from it. Evidence from Purcell and Georgiadis (2006) indicates that
combinations of direct and indirect voice have the strongest relationship with
worker commitment, satisfaction, and discretion. In a later section of this chapter
we return to the question of how indirect voice systems can shape the development
of direct voice, particularly in societies where strong institutional pressures or
inXuential trade unions create frameworks at national and organizational levels
within which voice can Xourish.
Three broad versions of direct voice are considered in this chapter. These are
task-based participation, such as redesigned work operations, teamworking, and
self-managed teams; upward problem-solving techniques such as oV-line teams,
employee voice systems
233
quality circles, suggestion schemes, and worker input into brieWng groups; and
complaints about fair treatment, such as grievance procedures, speak-up programs,
and whistle-blowing. The Wrst two of these typically appear within discussions of
HRM as they are explicitly aimed at ‘adding value’ within the context of organizational goals. They are designed to give workers a chance to contribute to
managerial decision-making, either in their day-to-day work or through formal
and managerially instigated processes that tap into employees’ skills and ideas.
However, this overlooks the role that voice plays in articulating employee concerns
about management style and practice beyond the relatively limited conWnes of how
their own work is organized. Whilst it may not be immediately apparent how this
contributes to organizational goals, voice can be seen as an alternative to exit and
thus, amongst other things, to reduced levels of labor turnover (Hirschmann 1970).
It may also help to weed out supervisors who treat workers badly or are poor at
communications, and so help to improve productivity through the provision of
a fairer deal at work.
This chapter does not presuppose the dominance of any single style of people
management—such as high commitment—nor does it assume that voice is likely
to operate in precisely the same way in diVerent countries or sectors. The
interplay of forces between nation states, large multinational corporations, and
product and labor markets means that forms of voice vary depending on institutional, organizational, and workplace contexts (Katz and Darbyshire 2000;
Rubery and Grimshaw 2003). Even forms of voice sharing the same title may
diVer because of the rationale for their introduction, how they have been
implemented, and the inXuence of broader social systems. Workers’ expectations
from voice also diVer depending on the legal and vocational education systems,
the state of the product and labor markets, and the type of work on which they
are employed (Marchington et al. 1994; Kessler et al. 2004). Voice is probably
the area of HRM where tensions between organizational and worker goals,
and between shareholder and stakeholder views, are most apparent because it
connects with the question of managerial prerogative and social legitimacy.
This becomes even more complex when voice operates across organizational
boundaries as workers eVectively operate under the direction of two or more
sets of employers within a culture of contracting relations (Marchington et al.
2004).
The remainder of the chapter is structured as follows. First we develop
a framework within which diVerent forms of voice can be considered. Second,
we discuss links between embedded voice and worker perceptions, focusing on
the use of multiple and ‘deep’ techniques. Third, we analyze a number of factors
promoting or impeding voice at national, organizational, and workplace levels, in
so doing noting the tensions surrounding the concept. Finally, some conclusions
are drawn.
234
mick marchington
12.2 A Framework for Analyzing Direct
Voice Systems
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Having outlined the contrasting ways in which worker voice has been used in
previous literature, in this section we construct a threefold framework for analyzing
direct voice which draws upon earlier work by the author and colleagues. The three
elements are task-based participation, upward problem-solving, and complaints
about fair treatment; the framework is presented in Table 12.1.
Interest in task-based participation has grown enormously over the last decade,
along with the emergence of the high-commitment model and high-performance
work systems (HPWS). Voice through mechanisms such as team working, selfmanaged teams, and autonomous work groups is now seen as a major component
of the HPWS model, largely because these forms of work organization provide
workers with an opportunity to use their discretion at work rather than be subject
to close supervision by managers (Appelbaum et al. 2000). Task-based participation has a long history, especially under the guise of Quality of Work Life Programs
in the USA and Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s (Heller et al. 1998).
Employee voice through task-based participation is where workers have a direct
say in how work is organized. As such it is integral to the job, forming a part of
everyday working life, rather than being bolted on in the shape of oV-line teams or
only experienced through union representatives or managers who choose to involve
workers. It can occur both horizontally and vertically. The former refers to the
number and variety of tasks which workers perform at the same skill level in an
organization. Provided workers are given greater opportunities to exercise discretion
at work and gain some control over their working lives, this enhances voice. In some
cases task-based participation may oVer little more than a way in which to alleviate
the boredom associated with repetitive routines, and at least oVer the opportunity to
do something diVerent, if only for a short period of time. In terms of voice, however,
the improvements may be minimal. Vertical task-based participation comprises two
diVerent forms. Employees may be trained to undertake tasks at a higher skill level or
they may be given some managerial and supervisory responsibilities, such as taking
over the planning and design of work as well as its execution. Teamworking combines
both horizontal and vertical task-based participation, and may even oVer workers
the chance to manage their own teams (Benders 2005). Again, these forms of work
redesign can give workers greater inXuence and control over their daily working lives,
and in the case of self-managed teams the opportunity to organize their own
activities in line with broader departmental targets.
Managers are interested in this form of voice to improve levels of quality,
productivity, and customer service through the more eVective deployment of
front-line workers. Under the high-commitment model, managements hope
Table 12.1 Framework for analyzing direct voice
Worker goals
Type of voice
system
Typical voice
mechanisms
Managerial goals
Tensions inherent in the
system
More nterest ng
work
Task-based
part c pat on
H gh-performance
work systems
Improvements n qua ty
and customer serv ce
Contested not ons of autonomy Job des gn and
organ zat ona structures
and respons b ty
Se f-managed teams
Autonomous work
groups
Enhanced worker
comm tment and
sat sfact on
Se f-contro and ncreased
manager a surve ance
Off- ne teams
Improvements n qua ty
and customer serv ce
Emp oyment secur ty and ean Commun cat on,
product on
consu tat on and
representat on
Appropr at on of worker
sk s and expert se
D str but on of rewards from
ncreased product v ty
Greater contro and
d scret on over job
performance
Opportun ty to
contr bute deas to
mprove work
Upward
prob emso v ng
Recogn t on of
worker sk s
Qua ty c rc es
Suggest ons schemes
Two-way br ef ngs
Chance to express
d ssat sfact on
about ssues
Des re to rect fy
prob ems
Comp a nts to
management
Gr evance procedures A ow ng workers to
D rect comp a nt to
et off steam
superv sor
Des re to remove
prob ems
Links with other
components of HRM
Pay and rewards
Tra n ng and sk upgrad ng
Rewards and recogn t on
Tra n ng and career
deve opment
Manager a prerogat ves and
emp oyee r ghts
Fa rness at work
D sputes procedures and
ndustr a re at ons
Equa opportun t es
Recru tment and retent on
236
mick marchington
that these forms of work organization will add value over and above more
traditional methods where workers merely responded to management instructions
(Appelbaum et al. 2000). Whilst there is substantial evidence that task-based
participation provides organizational beneWts, there are also claims that even if
workers feel they are working harder under a teamworking regime they are also more
satisWed with their jobs (Wilkinson et al. 1997; Osterman 2000). Although much
depends on the organizational and managerial context, teamwork does have the
potential to deliver autonomy and responsibility, satisfaction and control. It can also
provide more interesting work if managements are serious about making jobs larger
and more meaningful. However, some tasks oVer little opportunity for job enlargement because strict safety rules have to be followed or there are diYculties in Wnding
ways of redesigning jobs without major technical change.
Although some commentators would regard task-based participation, and
especially teamworking, as the ultimate in direct voice, others see it merely as
increasing pressure on workers to perform. For example, Barker (1993: 408)
suggests that self-managing teams produce ‘a form of control more powerful, less
apparent and more diYcult to resist than that of the former bureaucracy.’ Under
a teamworking regime, pressure for performance comes from peers rather than
from managers, and whilst some would see this as liberating and genuinely
positive, others view it as management control at its most subversive and unethical
as team members take over responsibility for peer surveillance (Sewell 2005).
Upward Problem-Solving incorporates a range of voice mechanisms which tap
into employee knowledge and ideas, typically through individual suggestions or
through ad hoc or semi-permanent groups brought together for the speciWc
purpose of resolving problems or generating ideas. These oV-line schemes tend
to be ‘bolted on’ rather than integral to the work process (Batt 2004) but they have
become much more extensive over the last decade in most developed economies
(Benson and Lawler 2003; Kessler et al. 2004). They are central to notions of highcommitment HRM because upward problem-solving is predicated on assumptions
that employees are a major source of competitive advantage. Not only are these
practices designed to increase the stock of ideas, they are also expected to increase
cooperation at work and evidence suggests that workers like being involved
(Freeman and Rogers 1999). Despite oVering a greater degree of active voice than
communications cascaded down the management hierarchy, critics view these
practices as problematic precisely because they encourage employees to collaborate
with management in helping resolve work-related problems.
There are two types of upward problem-solving scheme. First, there are suggestion schemes whereby employees receive Wnancial rewards for suggestions that are
outside the domain of their own speciWc job. These schemes have the potential to
create bad feelings as well as good, especially if the workers making suggestions feel
that their idea merits higher rewards. There is a danger, moreover, that paying for
employee voice systems
237
suggestions encourages an instrumental approach to work (Marchington and
Wilkinson 2005).
Problem-solving groups/quality circles and two-way brieWngs constitute the
second and much more extensive type of upward communications. Typically the
former comprise small groups of workers who meet on a regular basis to identify,
analyze, and solve quality and work-related problems. Members may be drawn
either from the same team or from a range of diVerent work areas, meeting under
the guidance of a leader, sometimes with assistance from one or more facilitators.
Upward problem-solving groups are designed to achieve explicit production,
quality, or service goals through the appropriation of workers’ ideas but they can
also enhance employee morale and commitment if it is felt their views have been
taken seriously. However, there are problems in sustaining problem-solving groups
beyond the initial phase of active involvement as groups question whether or not
gains will be maintained (Handel and Levine 2004). BrieWng groups which are
designed to encourage feedback from workers can also fall within this category;
evidence from the UK indicates this is now a regular feature of schemes initially
designed to foster downward communications.
Workers and trade unions have questioned managements’ motives for introducing upward problem-solving groups, fearing that they will be used merely to
achieve improvements in productivity that will result in job losses (Osterman
2000). Even if employers agree not to cut jobs, workers are criticized for acting
as management stooges, helping organizations to improve performance without
any commensurate increase in rewards. Tensions are particularly inherent with this
form of direct worker voice because upward problem-solving operates at the
interface between management and non-managerial workers, and some would
advise workers not to take part in such groups, arguing that employers should be
forced to pay for any ideas oVered by workers that are beyond their ‘normal’ job.
Similarly, employers that are subject to extensive product market pressures might
disapprove of any activity allowing workers productive time away from their work
station due to cost implications (Cappelli and Neumark 2001).
The Wnal category of direct voice is where workers complain, either directly or
through formal grievance procedures, to management about its behavior and
performance at work. This category is quite diVerent from those that have just
been discussed, but it is also the one that is most commonly associated with the
term ‘voice’ itself, largely through the work of Hirschmann (1970). He deWned
voice as ‘any attempt at all to change, rather than escape from, an objectionable
state of aVairs, whether through individual or collective petition to management’
(Hirschmann 1970: 30). It was assumed that workers would only stay to Wght for
improvements in their working lives (voice) if they were loyal enough to the
organization, otherwise they would leave (exit). From management’s perspective
therefore, voice can be seen as a useful way of letting oV steam, a safety valve, as well
as a desire to improve the situation. Workers, on the other hand, value the chance
238
mick marchington
to articulate their concerns directly to managers or through union representatives
with the hope this will lead to changes in behavior. Freeman and MedoV (1984) in
following up this idea argued that the voice option made sense for both parties,
rather than allowing things to degenerate to the point where workers decided to
leave. They felt unions oVered the best opportunity for workers to exercise their
voice because of their independence from management.
Some recent literature has examined the voice-loyalty-exit concept in relation to
grievance-raising by workers in the USA. BoroV and Lewin (1997) found that,
contrary to Hirschmann’s thesis, it was the workers who expressed lower levels of
loyalty to the organization that were more likely to complain—that is, use voice—
whilst loyal workers were more prone to ‘suVer in silence.’ Workers who complained to management were more likely to suVer adverse consequences subsequent to raising their grievance. Indeed, Lewin and Peterson (1999) found that
workers who Wled grievances had signiWcantly lower promotion rates, and there
was some evidence they had higher rates of labor turnover and lower performance
ratings. In societies where grievance-raising does not have legal backing, workers
may be anxious that raising grievances will lead to future retribution, but where
this is buttressed by legal regulations and societal support voice may oVer a more
viable option (Malos et al. 2003).
Luchak (2003) suggests we need to diVerentiate between direct and representative
voice. Whilst the latter tends to lead to more hostile reactions from management,
the former tends to be seen in a more preventive light. Accordingly, loyal employees
with a strong aVective bond with the organization are more prone to use direct and
more Xexible channels to make their complaints, with the consequence that they are
willing to ‘go the extra distance to ensure that problems are settled before they have
a chance to escalate’ (Luchak 2003: 128). However, he acknowledges the success of this
route depends largely on management’s willingness to act on employee suggestions,
as well as on the seriousness of the grievance and the extent to which it challenges
managerial prerogative. This shows the importance of locating voice within the
context of wider HR policies and industrial relations systems because some employers would probably prefer anyone with a grievance to quit the organization
rather than stay and be an irritant in the future. Alternatively, employers adopting
a pluralist perspective might be inclined to see the potential value of complaints as a
source of feedback that complements well-developed representative arrangements.
12.3 Embedding Voice at Work
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
One problem with existing studies of voice is that they focus on the Wrst two
elements in this framework, broadly under the heading of employee involvement,
employee voice systems
239
but they also tend to draw on management respondents to assess the extensiveness
of voice. Accordingly, these measure ‘intended’ practices (Wright and Boswell
2002) rather than those experienced by workers themselves. These studies lack
sensitivity to the complexities of voice, and it is apparent from case studies that
managerial claims to have implemented particular practices do not necessarily
square with organizational reality (Van den Berg et al. 1999). For example, ideas
generated by problem-solving groups may not be implemented or managers may
fail to respond to concerns raised by workers, perhaps due to pressure of work, lack
of interest, or cost. Data on coverage of voice provided by senior managers
probably overestimates the impact on workers because of failures to implement
practice eVectively at the workplace (Paauwe and Boselie 2005).
Fortunately, some studies have considered the type, quality, and combinations of
voice in evaluating its impact, and assess the opportunities workers are given to
exercise inXuence at work. For example, Batt (2004:189) argues that workers Wnd
participation in self-managed teams much more signiWcant than involvement in
problem-solving groups, commenting that ‘oV-line’ teams ‘do not suYciently
inXuence the organization of work and daily routines of employees to dramatically
aVect their attitudes and self-interests.’ Bryson (2004) analyzed the eVects of union,
non-union, and individual voice on employee perceptions of managers’ responsiveness to them. He found that some forms of voice yield a higher-quality
response from managers than others—meetings of the whole workforce being
more eVective than problem-solving groups, for example. Moreover, the eVectiveness of methods depends on whether they are used individually or in combination,
and the most eVective voice mechanisms are a combination of direct and nonunion voice (Bryson 2004). Purcell and Georgiadis (2006: 12) suggest the use of
both direct and indirect systems of voice ‘has the capacity both to limit the number
of issues or problems listed by employees as matters they want resolved, and to deal
with them when they arise.’
Much depends on how voice is implemented and sustained. For example,
whilst most organizations are likely to have in place a variety of formal and
informal mechanisms for dealing with employee grievances, workers’ willingness
to use these can vary depending on their own manager’s style and attitudes. As
we have seen, research on grievance-Wling in the USA shows workers may be
disinclined to use voice if they believe managers will respond negatively to
complaints about fair treatment (Luchak 2003). For voice to be eVective and
meaningful, it needs to operate within a climate that is seen as supportive
and ‘strong,’ utilizing principles of legitimacy, consistency, and fairness (Bowen
and OstroV 2004).
The extent to which voice is embedded within the workplace can be assessed
by its breadth and depth. Breadth can be measured by the number of voice
components operating at the workplace on the principle that several practices
operating together provide greater reinforcement than any single practice alone.
240
mick marchington
Workers may dismiss the latter as merely ‘bolted on’ to or out of line with other
elements of voice or broader HR practices, and not take them seriously. Combinations of voice provide the potential for workers to be involved in diVerent
ways: asking a team leader questions about work organization; dealing with
quality issues through problem-solving groups; and taking concerns to line
managers or union representatives if they perceive unfair treatment. Information
received in one arena can be used elsewhere, and inXuence on decision-making at
a strategic level through indirect voice can shape employment relations at the
workplace. Voice can become embedded as interaction between diVerent forms
both provides cross-fertilization of ideas to improve operations and creates
networks through which workers can gain personal support. Similarly, workers
who feel their supervisor deals with personal problems eVectively and rapidly are
more inclined to cooperate if there is pressure to achieve short-term targets
(Liden et al. 2004).
However, the evidence is not uniform. Evidence in support of bundles comes
from Bryson (2004) who found a positive relationship between the number of
direct voice practices and employee ratings of management, as well as suggesting
that combinations of direct voice and non-union representation exceed the eVects
of direct voice alone. Moreover, Cox et al. (2003) argue that combinations of direct
voice have a much stronger eVect on employee perceptions than individual practices alone, and Benson and Lawler (2003) note that research conWrms the importance of viewing voice practices as complementary. Handel and Levine (2004: 14)
summarize this argument by suggesting that ‘contributions or bundles of [voice]
practices should be more eVective than the simple sum of eVects for individual
practices.’
As ever, much depends on how voice has been implemented by line managers
and interpreted by workers, and there is a danger that multiple techniques convey
confusing and contradictory messages (Wilkinson et al. 1997). For example,
although supervisors might actively welcome suggestions from their teams, workers
may Wnd their ideas are not implemented, or worse still ignored, or that their
grievances are treated with disdain. Whilst managers may be happy to receive
ideas for improving work schedules if this provides an immediate payback to
organizational goals, voice that is perceived as critical of their behavior—and
therefore managerial prerogative—is less likely to be welcomed (Marchington
et al. 2001).
The degree to which voice is embedded in the workplace can also be assessed by
its depth; amongst other things, this includes the frequency with which meetings
take place, the opportunity workers have to raise issues with managers, the range
of subjects discussed, and the degree of inXuence workers feel they have over
decisions. The regularity and thoroughness with which practices are applied can
have a signiWcant impact on the quality of voice. For example, whilst Gill and
employee voice systems
241
Krieger (1999) note widespread direct voice across several European countries, its
depth—as indicated by the number of issues involved and level of power accorded
to workers—was much more restricted. There are two aspects to depth. First,
practices that are legitimized as valued aspects of organizational routines and
cover a wide range of workers can reXect both management and worker commitment to voice. Examples include the proportion of workers that are given signiWcant responsibility to organize their own work or have their problems resolved
satisfactorily by line managers. Second, depth can be assessed by the frequency and
regularity with which voice takes place, such as the proportion of quality circles
meeting at least monthly or the speed with which grievances are resolved. The
lifespan of voice practices may also be an indicator of how well they are embedded
at work as evidence suggests many are short-lived and faddish in character (Godard
2004).
There is support for the idea that deeply embedded voice has a positive impact
on employee perceptions. Kaufman (2003) demonstrates how a broad-ranging EI
programme at Delta Airlines improved information Xow and energized employees,
as well as opening senior management’s eyes as to the real concerns and issues at
shopXoor level. In relation to teamworking, Delbridge and WhitWeld (2001) found
that workers only perceived increased inXuence levels for the strongest—and by
some distance the rarest—version of teams, that is, where teams had the power to
appoint their own leaders. Cox et al. (2003) reported that combinations of deeply
embedded voice practices had statistically signiWcant levels of association with
commitment and satisfaction. This Wnding applied both to direct and representative voice, but it was particularly strong with combinations of direct voice. This
supports the argument that employee perceptions are more positive when
a number of practices are used in combination and when these Wgure more
prominently at the workplace.
The implication of this discussion is that voice is an important and necessary
component of HR systems, and that to be eVective—in terms of employee perceptions and performance—it has to be embedded within organizations and be visible
at workplace level. This suggests that because voice practices tend to be complementary, they should be combined in a way that is meaningful and relevant for
speciWc organizational contexts. However, this assumes employers recognize voice
can add value, and moreover that they are prepared to ensure voice is properly
embedded at the workplace. This cannot be taken for granted because employers
may be obsessed with cost reduction or restricting opportunities for workers to
express their voice, in the belief that Wnancial success can be achieved without
committing themselves to an ‘involving’ culture (Godard 2004). Moreover,
Cappelli and Neumark (2001) stress that because high-commitment HRM leads
to increased costs, the lack of any immediate Wnancial return could discourage
employers from adopting voice regimes.
242
mick marchington
12.4 Factors Shaping Voice at the
Workplace
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Much of the literature on voice, particularly on direct employee involvement,
assumes it is part of a high-commitment culture. Accordingly, this emphasizes
how voice can be developed to ensure it contributes to performance outcomes,
either directly or through mediating factors such as satisfaction or commitment.
However, we have already noted voice is absent from some workplaces and that not
all employers believe it is a key component of HRM. Whilst they might be able to
see value investing in sophisticated selection processes or employment law training
because this can be seen directly to add value (through better-quality staV) or
reduce costs (through avoidance of tribunals), the impact of voice on bottom-line
performance is less clear. Similarly, given the wide range of circumstances in which
they operate, employers have some degree of choice about whether or not to
implement voice systems; indeed, some do all they can to prevent workers from
having any independent voice at work.
Responding to the challenge set by Benson and Lawler (2003) that little is known
about why organizations adopt voice systems, Table 12.2 sets out the major factors
at a societal, organizational, and workplace level that shape voice. The table
presents two polar positions, one articulating factors that facilitate and promote
voice whilst the other outlines factors that discourage and impede voice. These are
labeled ‘promoting voice’ and ‘impeding voice’ respectively. These factors are not
assumed to be deterministic as, even in a highly regulated system, managers retain
some Xexibility in how they implement HRM. It is also acknowledged that forces
may operate in diVerent directions, with some pointing towards the adoption of
voice and others not. Although Table 12.2 inevitably oversimpliWes the situation, it
does oVer points of comparison. Furthermore, it recognizes there are Wner shades
of gradation between the two extremes, but space does not permit a full discussion
of these.
12.4.1 Policy Framework and Financial System
Debates continue about whether employment systems in diVerent countries are
converging given the degree to which multinational companies operate on a global
basis (see, for example, Katz and Darbyshire 2000; Quintanilla and Ferner 2003).
However, it is broadly acknowledged that some countries—for example, much of
Europe other than the UK and Ireland—tend towards a coordinated market
economy that is governed by the principles of stakeholder interests. In this situation,
voice is likely to be promoted by the presence of national institutions and
Table 12.2 Factors influencing the adoption of voice systems
Factor shap ng vo ce
Vo ce cu ture
Promot ng vo ce
Imped ng vo ce
Po cy framework and f nanc a
system
Coord nated market econom es
Leg s at on support ng worker r ghts and vo ce
Stakeho der perspect ve predom nant
L bera market econom es
Vo untar st approach to worker r ghts and vo ce
Shareho der perspect ve predom nant
Product markets
O gopo st c and stab e product markets
Long-term partnersh ps between organ zat ons
Emp oyer dom nates markets
H gh y compet t ve and unstab e product markets
Market dr ven by a contract ng cu ture/spot markets
Emp oyer marg na w th n markets
Techno ogy, sk , and staff ng eve s
Cap ta - ntens ve systems
H gh staff to customer rat os
Labour- ntens ve systems
Low staff to customer rat os
Labor markets and ndustr a
re at ons
H gh sk eve s/workers hard to rep ace
Strong cooperat ve management–un on re at ons
Low sk eve s/workers easy to rep ace
Host e management–un on re at ons or non-un on
organ zat on
Superv sory sk s and
management sty e
Emp oyer support for h gh-comm tment HRM
Superv sors tra ned n peop e management sk s
Emp oyer not nterested n h gh-comm tment HRM
Superv sors not tra ned n peop e management sk s
Worker nterests
H gh eve s of comm tment from workers
Ant c pat on of ong-term career n organ zat on
H gh eve s of apathy from workers
Fragmented work, tt e expectat on of ong-term career n
organ zat on
244
mick marchington
employment laws that support worker voice in the context of stakeholder needs.
This appears to impact on the take-up of voice systems (Kessler et al. 2004; Paauwe
2004). At the other extreme are countries tending towards a liberal market economy
where there is less legislation on workers’ rights and employers have greater freedom
to choose HR systems they feel are appropriate for business needs. In this latter
situation, given little societal or legal pressure to implement particular forms of
voice there might be a broader range of voice systems, but in the absence of direct
intervention it is unlikely to be promoted, and may even be impeded. Of course, the
situation is complicated by the interrelationship between multinationals, national
business systems, and models of indirect voice (Rubery and Grimshaw 2003).
12.4.2 Product Markets
A number of authors have analyzed how product markets might impact on HRM
by relating the market orientation or the strategic position of the organization to its
management style (for example, Schuler and Jackson 1987; Marchington 1990).
Broadly, voice is more likely to be promoted when employers dominate product
markets because they feel there is room for maneuver when developing HRM and
voice systems. Being engaged in long-term deals with other organizations for the
supply of a relatively rare product or being known for the high quality of their
products or service makes it easier to establish the link between voice and product
market success. Task-based participation, teamworking, and upward problemsolving can all be seen to contribute directly to improved performance. The links
are less clear for grievance processes, but line managers would probably prefer staV
to express their concerns directly rather than venting their frustration on customers. Conversely, voice is likely to be impeded if market pressures appear to
allow managers little time to make decisions, so causing them to doubt the value of
voice. Instability in product markets can mean that employers such as small
subcontractors feel at the mercy of the market and argue there is no time or need
to develop voice (Marchington et al. 2004).
12.4.3 Technology, Skill, and StaYng Levels
Similar sets of arguments apply in relation to levels of technology and skills
(Benson and Lawler 2003), especially where labor costs form a major component
of controllable costs. This can mean organizations operate with skeleton staYng
levels, allowing little opportunity for voice during working hours because of service
or production pressures. Moreover, employers may feel little incentive to develop
voice if labor turnover is high because any beneWts gained by giving employees
greater discretion or engaging in upward problem-solving are lost when they quit.
employee voice systems
245
Whilst the above factors hinder voice, it is likely to be promoted when labor costs
form a small part of overall costs, workers routinely operate in teams, and direct
worker voice is a critical part of the employment relationship. In this situation,
employers are more likely to derive beneWts from voice through greater levels of
worker commitment, whilst employees may gain from the opportunity to use their
discretion (Appelbaum et al. 2000). However, as Korczynski (2002) notes, voice in
the service sector often occurs when front-line staV are encouraged to speak-up
merely in order to convey the views of customers rather than their own concerns.
12.4.4 Labor Markets and Industrial Relations
Voice is likely to be promoted when workers have high levels of technical or other
skills because employers want to reduce ‘exit’ due to the time it takes to train new
staV. With knowledge workers in particular, the opportunity to exercise discretion
is thought to be a key factor impacting on satisfaction and retention levels (Allen et
al. 2003; Kinnie et al. 2005). Moreover, the prompt settlement of grievances might
reduce labor turnover and help to retain staV when skills are in short supply
(Osterman et al. 2001). By contrast, given the ease with which low-skilled workers
can generally be replaced, employers have less incentive to encourage voice, either
to reduce the likelihood of exit or to improve product quality.
Voice can also be shaped by employer policies towards industrial relations and
trade unions (Purcell and Ahlstrand 1994). In a non-union environment, for
example, there is little pressure on employers to ensure the adoption of eVective
voice systems unless management feels it is worthwhile for other reasons. Similarly,
if trade unions are hostile to direct voice, viewing it as a device to undermine
collective organization, it is likely to be impeded. On the other hand, organizations
with partnership deals are more likely to work together to promote direct voice as
part of a drive to increase mutuality and the promotion of trust within organizations (Kochan and Osterman 1994; Guest and Peccei 2001). Furthermore, several
authors Wnd representative and direct forms of voice interact positively with one
another, and that voice is more eVective if it is developed across dual channels
(Sako 1998; Delbridge and WhitWeld 2001; Purcell and Georgiadis 2006).
12.4.5 Management Style and Supervisory Skills
The extent to which line managers are able and willing to use people management
skills is critical in making voice meaningful at workplace level (Marchington and
Wilkinson 2005). However, their ability in this area depends crucially on the
approach taken by employers and their preparedness to recruit, develop, and
promote supervisors with the conWdence to encourage voice. Employers need to
246
mick marchington
recognize that voice can be seen as challenging to supervisors; for example, the
creation of autonomous teams can dispense with supervisors altogether (Batt 2004)
and grievances may threaten their authority (Marchington and Wilkinson 2005).
Supervisors are more likely to be positive if they are trained and developed in HR
skills rather than being blamed for failing to develop voice (Fenton-O’Creevy 2001).
As we saw in the previous section, the more that voice Wts with the rest of the HR
system the more likely it is to make a meaningful impact on organizations.
12.4.6 Worker Interests
Voice is critically dependent on workers being willing to contribute through
upward problem-solving and active membership of a team as well as choosing to
raise grievances through procedures rather than working without enthusiasm or
quitting the organization (Noon and Blyton 1997). The high-commitment model
assumes workers want to contribute to organizational success, and whilst there are
examples when this does happen it cannot be taken for granted. Workers are more
inclined to use their voice if they believe something will change as a result of their
involvement or they will remain with the organization long enough to reap the
beneWts of their eVorts. Consequently, voice is more likely to Xourish if workers are
committed to organizational goals (Allen et al. 2003). Conversely, voice is unlikely
to develop if workers see little point in putting forward ideas or raising issues with
their manager because they feel nothing will be happen or, worse still, they will be
bullied or harassed for articulating their views (Ramsay et al. 2000). When workers
are employed on short-term or insecure contracts, say through agencies or subcontracting arrangements, there may be little incentive to make their voice heard
(Marchington et al. 2004). Godard’s (2004) distinction between ‘involving’ and
‘intensifying’ cultures is critically important here. This argues that even with highcommitment HR practices in place, there are diVerences in how these are applied
by employers and how they are perceived by workers. Employers that appear to
take voice seriously and ensure managers are trained in how it should operate are
likely to be very diVerent from those where it is applied partially or uses the labels
as a device to intensify work. Worker interest in voice will soon disappear if beneWts
are not shared (Osterman 2000).
12.5 Summary and Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The main points made in this chapter can be summarized brieXy. There are two
points relating to methodology. First, whilst there are powerful arguments that
employee voice systems
247
voice can contribute to the achievement of improved performance, there is also the
alternative perspective that organizations with high levels of performance, or those
operating in favorable product market circumstances (reverse causality), are more
able to aVord the costs of implementing voice (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Schneider
et al. 2003). Second, as voice has a processual as well as a substantive component,
we need to focus on interactions between line managers and staV at workplace level
rather than on grand HR strategies or ‘counts’ of how many HR practices are
supposedly in place. If we wish to understand why workers might work harder or
smarter, it is valuable to know how voice impacts on them directly.
In relation to perspective and philosophy there are also two points. Voice is
an essential component of HRM for those who believe it should serve more than
employer goals alone. This is not just in terms of engaging employees’ contributions
and reaping the beneWts of constructive conXict—managerial goals—but also it
acknowledges mutuality in the employment relationship. Second, whilst voice may
be important to satisfy management goals, it also includes opportunities to ensure
fair treatment at work, either through direct or indirect union voice. Unless
employers accept this form of voice, it is hard to see why workers should bother
contributing their ideas to enhance organizational goals. Analysis should
therefore include the idea that voice relates to a range of stakeholder interests
(Paauwe 2004).
Finally, in relation to context there are two points. First, voice is not something
that can be prescribed in detail for every workplace irrespective of country, sector,
or organization. Further research needs to consider the forms voice might take in
quite contrasting circumstances, and the inXuence that a range of shaping factors
may have over its structures and processes. Second, however, we cannot ignore the
possibility that some employers may want HR systems without any room for voice.
Such an approach might appeal to employers that care only about exploiting
workers or believe high shareholder returns in the short term are more important
than sustained product quality or a reputation for good customer service. However, even if there might be a business case for rejecting voice, its absence raises
major questions about how organizations operate in so-called democratic societies.
In this situation, as Godard (2004: 370) argues, if employers are not prepared to
change their behavior voluntarily, legislation might be the only way to achieve
progressive employment policies, meaningful representation, and voice.
References
Allen, D. G., Shore, L. M., and Griffen, R. W. (2003). ‘The Role of Perceived Organiza
tional Support and Supportive Human Resource Practices in the Turnover Process.’
Journal of Management, 29/1: 99 118.
248
mick marchington
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., and Kalleberg, A. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage:
Why High Performance Work Systems Pay oV. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Barker, J. (1993). ‘Tightening the Iron Cage: Coercive Control in Self Managing Teams.’
Administrative Science Quarterly, 38/3: 408 37.
Batt, R. (2004). ‘Who BeneWts from Teams: Comparing Workers, Supervisors, Managers.’
Industrial Relations, 43/1: 183 212.
Benders, J. (2005). ‘Team Working: A Tale of Partial Participation.’ In B. Harley, J. Hyman,
and P. Thompson (eds.), Participation and Democracy at Work: Essays in Memory of
Harvie Ramsay. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Benson, G., and Lawler, E. (2003). ‘Employee Involvement: Utilization, Impacts and Future
Prospects.’ In D. Holman, T. Wall, C. Clegg, P. Sparrow, and A. Howard (eds.), The New
Workplace: A Guide to the Human Impact of Modern Working Practices. Chichester: Wiley.
Benson, J. (2000). ‘Employee Voice in Union and Non union Australian Workplaces.’
British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38/3: 453 59.
Boroff, K. E., and Lewin, D. (1997). ‘Loyalty, Voice and Intent to Exit a Union Firm:
A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 51/1: 50 63.
Bowen, D. E., and Ostroff, C. (2004). ‘Understanding HRM Firm Performance Linkages:
The Role of the ‘‘Strength’’ of the HRM System.’ Academy of Management Review, 29/2:
203 21.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basing
stoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bryson, A. (2004). ‘Managerial Responsiveness to Union and Nonunion Worker Voice in
Britain.’ Industrial Relations, 43/1: 213 41.
Cappelli, P., and Neumark, D. (2001). ‘Do ‘‘High Performance’’ Work Practices Improve
Establishment Level Outcomes?’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 54/4: 737 75.
Cox, A., Zagelmeyer, S., and Marchington, M. (2003). ‘The Embeddedness of Employee
Involvement and Participation and its Impact on Employee Outcomes: An Analysis of
WERS 1998.’ Paper presented to the EGOS conference, Copenhagen.
Delbridge, R., and Whitfield, K. (2001). ‘Employee Perceptions of Job InXuence and
Organizational Participation.’ Industrial Relations, 40/3: 472 89.
Dundon, T., Wilkinson, A., Marchington, M., and Ackers, P. (2004). ‘The Meanings
and Purpose of Employee Voice.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management,
15/6: 1149 70.
Fenton O’Creevy, M. (2001). ‘Employee Involvement and the Middle Manager: Saboteur
or Scapegoat?’ Human Resource Management Journal, 11/1: 24 40.
Freeman, R., and Medoff, J. (1984). What Do Unions Do? New York: Basic Books.
and Rogers, J. (1999). What Workers Want. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Gill, C., and Krieger, H. (1999). ‘Direct and Representative Participation in Europe: Recent
Survey Evidence.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 10/1: 572 91.
Godard, J. (2004). ‘A Critical Assessment of the High Performance Paradigm.’ British
Journal of Industrial Relations, 42/2: 349 78.
Gospel, H., and Wood, S. (eds.) (2003). Representing Workers: Union Recognition and
Membership in Britain. London: Routledge.
Guest, D., and Peccei, R. (2001). ‘Partnership at Work: Mutuality and the Balance of
Advantage.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 39/1: 207 36.
Handel, M., and Levine, D. (2004). ‘The EVects of New Work Practices on Workers.’
Industrial Relations, 43/1: 1 43.
employee voice systems
249
Haynes, P., Boxall, P., and Macky, K. (2005). ‘Non union Voice and the EVectiveness
of Joint Consultation in New Zealand.’ Economic and Industrial Democracy, 26/2:
225 52.
Heller, F., Pusić, E., Strauss, G., and Wilpert, B. (1998). Organizational Participation:
Myth and Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hirschmann, A. O. (1970). Exit, Voice and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organ
izations, and States. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Hyman, R. (2005). ‘Whose (Social) Partnership?’ In M. Stuart and M. Martinez Lucio
(eds.), Partnership and Modernisation in Employment Relations. London: Routledge.
Katz, H. C., and Darbishire, O. (2000). Converging Divergences: Worldwide Change in
Employment System. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Kaufman, B. E. (2003). ‘High Level Employee Involvement at Delta Air Lines.’ Human
Resource Management, 42/2: 175 90.
Kessler, I., Undy, R., and Heron, P. (2004). ‘Employee Perspectives on Communication
and Consultation: Findings from a Cross National Survey.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 15/3: 512 32.
Kinnie, N., Hutchinson, S., Purcell, J., Rayton, B., and Swart, J. (2005). ‘One Size
Does Not Fit All: Employee Satisfaction with HR Practices and the Link with Organiza
tional Commitment.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 15/4: 9 29.
Kochan, T., and Osterman, P. (1994). The Mutual Gains Enterprise. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press.
Korczynski, M. (2002). Human Resource Management in Service Work. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Lewin, D., and Peterson, R. (1999). ‘Behavioural Outcomes of Grievance Activity.’ Indus
trial Relations, 38/4: 554 76.
Liden, R., Bauer, T., and Erdogan, B. (2004). ‘The Role of Leader Member Exchange in
the Dynamic Relationship between Employer and Employee: Implications for Employee
Socialisation, Leaders and Organizations.’ In J. Coyle Shapiro, L. Shore, S. Taylor, and
L. Tetrick (eds.), The Employment Relationship: Examining Psychological and Contextual
Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Luchak, A. (2003). ‘What Kind of Voice do Loyal Employees Use?’ British Journal of
Industrial Relations, 41/1: 115 35.
Malos, S., Haynes, P., and Bowal, P. (2003). ‘A Contingency Approach to the Employ
ment Relationship: Form, Function and EVectiveness Implications.’ Employee Responsi
bilities and Rights Journal, 15/3: 149 67.
Marchington, M. (1990). ‘Analysing the Links between Product Markets and the Man
agement of Employee Relations.’ Journal of Management Studies, 27/2: 111 32.
(2005). ‘Employee Involvement: Patterns and Explanations.’ In B. Harley, J. Hyman,
and P. Thompson (eds.), Participation and Democracy at Work: Essays in Memory of
Harvie Ramsay. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
and Wilkinson, A. (2005). ‘Direct Participation and Involvement.’ In S. Bach (ed.),
Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management in Transition, 4th edn. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Ackers, P., and Goodman, J. (1994). ‘Understanding the Meaning of Partici
pation: Views from the Workplace.’ Human Relations, 47/8: 867 94.
and Dundon, T. (2001). Management Choice and Employee Voice. London:
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
250
mick marchington
Marchington, M., Grimshaw, D., Rubery, J., and Willmott, H. (eds.) (2004).
Fragmenting Work: Blurring Organizational Boundaries and Disordering Hierarchies.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Millward, N., Bryson, A., and Forth, J. (2000). All Change at Work? London: Routledge.
Noon, M., and Blyton, P. (1997). The Realities of Work. London: Macmillan Press.
Osterman, P. (2000). ‘Work Restructuring in an Era of Restructuring: Trends in DiVusion
and EVect on Employee Welfare.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 53/2: 179 96.
Kochan, T. A., Locke, R. M., and Piore, M. J. (2001). Working in America: A Blueprint
for the New Labor Market. Boston: MIT Press.
Paauwe, J. (2004). HRM and Performance: Unique Approaches for Achieving Long Term
Viability. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
and Boselie, P. (2005). ‘HRM and Performance: What’s Next?’ Human Resource
Management Journal, 15/4: 68 83.
Purcell, J., and Ahlstrand, B. (1994). Human Resource Management in the Multi
divisional Company. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
and Georgiadis, K. (2006). ‘Why Should Employers Bother with Worker Voice?’ In
R. Freeman, P. Boxall, and P. Haynes (eds.), What Workers Say: Employee Voice in the
Anglo American World. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Quintanilla, J., and Ferner, A. (2003). ‘Multinationals and Human Resource Manage
ment: Between Global Convergence and National Identity.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 14/3: 363 8.
Ramsay, H., Scholarios, D., and Harley, B. (2000). ‘Employees and High Performance
Work Systems: Testing inside the Black Box.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38/4:
501 31.
Rubery, J., and Grimshaw, D. (2003). The Organization of Employment: An International
Perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Sako, M. (1998). ‘The Nature and Meaning of Employee ‘‘Voice’’ in the European Car
Components Industry.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 8/2: 5 18.
Schneider, B., Hanges, P. J., Smith, B., and Salvaggio, A. N. (2003). ‘Which Comes
First: Employee Attitudes or Organizational Financial and Market Performance?’ Journal
of Applied Psychology, 88: 836 51.
Schuler, R., and Jackson, S. (1987). ‘Linking Competitive Strategies with Human
Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Executive, 1/3: 207 19.
Sewell, G. (2005). ‘Doing What Comes Naturally? Why We Need a Practical Ethics of
Teamwork.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16/2: 202 18.
Strauss, G. (1998). ‘An Overview.’ In F. Heller, E. Pusić, G. Strauss, and B. Wilpert (eds.),
Organizational Participation: Myth and Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Van den Berg, R. J., Richardson, H. A., and Eastman, L. J. (1999). ‘The Impact of High
Involvement Work Processes on Organizational EVectiveness.’ Group and Organization
Management, 24/3: 300 39.
Wilkinson, A, Godfrey, G., and Marchington, M. (1997). ‘Bouquets, Brickbats and
Blinkers: Total Quality Management and Employee Involvement in Practice.’ Organiza
tion Studies, 18/5: 799 819.
Wright, P. M., and Boswell, W. R. (2002). ‘Desegregating HRM: A Review and Synthesis
of Micro and Macro Human Resource Management Research.’ Journal of Management,
28/3: 247 76.
chapter 13
....................................................................................................................................................
EEO AND THE
M A NAG E M E N T
OF DIVERSITY
....................................................................................................................................
ellen ernst kossek
shaun pichler
13.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Human resource management of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and
workforce diversity involves the development and implementation of employer
policies and practices that not only create a diverse workplace, but foster a
supportive culture to enable individuals from diVerent backgrounds to be able to
productively work together to achieve organizational goals.
Ensuring EEO, and the creation of a work environment that capitalizes on the
beneWts of a diverse workforce, are of growing importance for organizational
eVectiveness. Most employees around the globe work in organizations with a
diversity and multicultural dimension to their business. They work with customers, co-workers, suppliers, and business units with many diVerent cultural
and social identities, ethnicities, and nationalities. The ‘Xattening’ of the economic
work world and growing widespread Internet access (Friedman 2005) have heightened the multiculturalism of many workplaces. New and evolving virtual work
systems are developing around the globe. Reduction of employment and national
trade barriers between nations in the European Community and among the former
252
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
Soviet states illustrate social and political changes towards increasing levels of
workplace diversity within and across continents. These external environmental
shifts have created such mega-trends as: the emergence of new and expanded roles
for women, people of color, immigrants, and oVshore workers; heightened work–
life stress from a 24/7 work day; and growing cultural clashes over workplace values.
The objective of this chapter is to discuss the HRM perspective regarding EEO
and diversity. Towards this end, we deWne core concepts, and then examine labor
force shifts and other rationales for managing EEO/diversity. We conclude by
discussing ‘how’ Wrms are managing these issues. Future research implications
are integrated at the end of relevant sections.
The HRM perspective assumes that along with Wnancial, physical, and technological resources, employees represent another set of important organizational
resources—its human resources (Tayeb 1995). Consistent with other chapters, we
see managing human resources as requiring employment policies and practices to
attract, retain, develop, and reward individuals so that they perform tasks
eYciently and eVectively to meet job objectives and organizational goals. A key
aspect of HRM is an increased focus on how to secure employees’ commitment and
dedication to the Wrm’s goals via practices that jointly enhance employee job
satisfaction and performance (Guest 1999).
Historically, HRM systems were designed to promote homogeneity such as
selecting individuals similar to those who have been successful in the past or
assuming that individuals would have similar career paths and motivations
(Jackson 1992). Emphasizing EEO and diversity management requires employers
to re-view existing practices in new ways to eVectively support a more heterogeneous population. These goals require a fundamental philosophical and practical
shift in HR strategies to account for more variance and openness to diversity in
employee characteristics and ways of working than when members’ demographic
backgrounds are highly similar. HRM policies aVect the degree of indirect and
direct employment discrimination by regulating the fairness of under-represented
groups’ (1) access to organizational opportunities and rewards, and (2) treatment as
organizational members (Gelfand et al. 2005). Fairness has two dimensions: (1)
procedural fairness (the same procedures are followed in recruitment, selection,
and development), and (2) outcome fairness (majority and minority groups
receive equal pay and promotion). Below we deWne core concepts underlying
HRM to promote fairness and equal treatment in employment.
13.2 EEO and Diversity Core Concepts
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this section, we deWne the following key concepts: discrimination, EEO,
aYrmative action, diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism.
eeo and the management of diversity
253
13.2.1 EEO Concepts
Employment discrimination is deWned as unjust actions against individuals or
groups that deny them equality of treatment in employment (Dovidio and Hebl
2005). It can involve processes of prejudice, deWned as attitudinal biases; and
stereotyping, deWned as cognitive distortions and ascription of characteristics
to persons or groups who diVer from one’s own (Dipboye and Colella 2005).
EEO activities focus on preventing job-related discrimination, prejudice, and
stereotyping.
For exemplary purposes, we draw on deWnitions from the USA, as it was one of
the earliest countries to pass comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. The
USA was also an early adopter of diversity initiatives that Wrst became widespread
in the late 1980s. The overall goal of equal employment opportunity policies and
practices is to prevent job discrimination at all stages of the employment relationship including recruitment, hiring, promotion, and lay-oVs. For example, the main
Equal Employment Opportunity Law in the USA is Title VII. Found in the 1964
Civil Rights Act, Title VII makes workplace discrimination illegal on the basis of
sex, age, race, color, religion, and national origin. Although no direct deWnition of
discrimination is actually found in Title VII, the courts have deWned it in two main
ways (Wolkinson 2000): adverse treatment and impact. Disparate or adverse treatment involves unequal treatment of a person on the basis on their race, sex,
national origin, age, or religion. Also referred to as direct discrimination, here the
employer in some way treats minority members of protected classes diVerently
from majority members. In the USA, the plaintiV has the burden of proving
intentional direct discrimination. Evidence might include statements made that
reference an individual’s demographic background as in some way being linked to
their qualiWcations to do the job. An example is job advertisements that expressly
require an applicant to be a certain gender or age, a practice that is legal in some
countries unlike the USA and UK (Lawler and Bae 1998). The 1973 US Supreme
Court ruling in McDonnell Douglas v. Green codiWed the conditions needed to
establish a prima facie case of disparate treatment. First, the individual must be a
member of a protected class and be qualiWed for the job for which she or he
applied. Second, the position must have remained open with the employer continuing to take applications from people with qualiWcations similar to the rejected
applicant.
The second main type of employment discrimination under Title VII is disparate or adverse impact. Also referred to as indirect discrimination, adverse impact
occurs when seemingly neutral organizational policies, requirements, or practices
that are not inherently job related have a disproportionately negative eVect on
employment access or outcomes of protected groups. For example, if a Wrm has a
culture of only promoting managers who are able to participate in regular early
morning golWng outings, it may Wnd fewer qualiWed working parents with young
school-age children to promote. This practice in and of itself would not be illegal,
254
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
unless the practice was shown to have adverse impact on a protected class, such as
more adversely aVecting women than men; and such a practice was shown to not
be inherently job related in order to be a good manager. There need not be
employer intent to discriminate to prove adverse impact. In the 1971 US Supreme
Court case that developed this principle, Griggs v. Duke Power, the company
required Wrst-line supervisors to have a high school diploma and pass some
additional employment tests (Wolkinson 2000). Although these selection tools
disproportionately eliminated more African Americans than other individuals, the
company did not validate these selection criteria as being predictive of supervisor
performance.
Several years after Title VII was passed, Executive Order 11246 was adopted
mandating that US government contractors take aYrmative action to hire and
promote a workforce that mirrored relevant labor markets. AYrmative action
requires employers who have contracts with the federal government to take action
to reduce historical discrimination barriers, identify job groups where members of
protected classes are underutilized or under-represented in comparison to labor
market prevalence, and to formulate timetables and goals for remedying barriers
and underutilization. Examples of practices might include designating positions to
be targeted to members of speciWc demographic groups, or giving temporary ‘plus
factors’ in hiring evaluations if certain groups have been severely under-represented in jobs compared to their representation in the labor market. Such remedies
must be temporary.
It should be noted that many other nations and NGOs have adopted legislation
and practices that are similar to US EEO concepts. For example, the UK enacted the
Equal Pay Act in 1970 and the Race Relations Act in 1976, and also established a
Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission
(Goodman et al. 1998). RatiWed in 2003, the European Union has adopted
an equal treatment directive that delineates a binding framework for prohibiting
racial and gender discrimination in employment (Diamantopoulou 2001). The
International Labor Organization’s Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention 1958 (No. 111) prohibits direct and indirect employment
discrimination similar to the EEO concepts described under Title VII. In
addition to race, color, sex, religion, and national origin, it also protects political
minorities and has been ratiWed by nearly all of the 178 countries in the ILO (Tomei
2003).
A key issue for multinationals to determine is how to implement EEO systems
that legally comply with the speciWc laws of the many countries of operation. As a
rule of thumb, employers generally should follow local laws. For example, Savage
and Wenner (2001) note that globalization has dramatically increased the number
of foreign employers operating in the USA and that, despite some exceptions, US
anti-discrimination laws generally apply to foreign companies and their subsidiaries. Similarly, Posthuma et al. (in press) develop guidelines for multinationals to
eeo and the management of diversity
255
use to help determine when US employment laws apply when operating across
national boundaries. Based on a review of federal court cases, they identify key
factors such as whether the location of work is inside or outside the USA, the
employer’s home country and number of employees, whether the employee is a US
citizen or authorized to work in the USA, and international law defenses. Overall,
US multinationals should be concerned about US anti-discrimination laws applying abroad to US citizens and foreign companies should be concerned about US
laws when operating within the boundaries of the USA. Although the USA is used
as an example here, these same types of analyses could be conducted for multinationals of other nations around the globe.
13.2.2 Creating Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural
Organizations
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, as Wrms increased global operations and national
workforces became more diverse, many leading multinationals began to realize that
complying with legal mandates was not enough; getting people of many diVerent
backgrounds in the employment door was only the Wrst step. Organizations that
had HR systems designed to manage a generally white male employee population
needed cultural change to better integrate women and racial and ethnic minorities
(Kochan et al. 2003). Management of diversity, multiculturalism, and workforce
inclusion strategies are viewed as a proactive approach to EEO management. EEO
historically has been more focused on legal compliance, or reacting to remedying
past discrimination.
The fundamental challenge employers face in implementing EEO practices is to
not only ensure legal compliance but also to foster productivity, and to eVectively
link EEO activities to environmental changes such as demographic labor market
shifts, globalization, and strategic business goals. This entails developing and
implementing HRM initiatives that not only (1) increase and retain
the numerical representation of historically excluded groups for legal compliance;
but (2) manage diversity to ensure the inclusion of a diverse workforce throughout the Wrm, and (3) create a positive multicultural social system where
members of diVerent backgrounds participate fully in decision-making (Kossek
et al. 2006).
Workforce diversity is deWned as variation of social and cultural identities among
people existing together in a deWned employment or market setting (Cox 1993). It is
important to note that a Wrm can be diverse–have numerical representation of
individuals from diVerent backgrounds–but not necessarily be inclusive or multicultural. An inclusive workplace is one that values individual and group workforce
diVerences, cooperates by addressing the needs of disadvantaged groups in the
256
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
surrounding community, and collaborates with other entities across national and
cultural boundaries (Mor Barak 2005). These attributes build on each other to
develop a higher stage of inclusion. An employer’s capability to develop EEO
strategies that foster an ‘inclusive workplace’ is the current trend in fostering
diversity eVectiveness. Kossek (2006) argues that the objective is ‘how do we enable
each employee to bring the best of themselves to work when they are there, feel like
they are included in the workplace culture, and able to focus and care about work
outcomes?’
Cox (1993, 2001) holds that there are six characteristics of a multicultural
organization that distinguish this type from Wrms that are monolithic (homogeneous) or only heterogeneous in representation, merely tolerating diversity. His
characteristics include: (1) pluralism, where socialization is a two-way process that
enables minorities to shape organizational norms and values; (2) full structural
integration, where key labor market groups are represented at all levels of the
organization; (3) integration in informal networks, where all members have access;
(4) absence of cultural bias, where discrimination and prejudice in the workplace is
eliminated; (5) widespread organizational identiWcation, which enables all to be
equally committed to and identify with the Wrm; and (6) minimal inter-group
conXict due to diVerent identity group memberships. His deWnition provides
concrete measures that scholars and employers can use to measure the eVectiveness
of HRM strategies.
Some studies have looked at Cox’s criteria separately, such as Ibarra’s (1995)
research on the degree to which minorities had equal opportunity to be integrated
into informal managerial networks, or Ely’s (1995) study on how the lower
structural integration and representation of senior women leaders negatively
aVected gender relations and climate at lower organizational levels. Future
research should not only include studies that examine these as individual criteria
in cross-sectional studies, but should examine them longitudinally in an integrative fashion. Studies should also look at eVective employer practices promoting
inclusion for emerging forms of diversity that merit protection. This might
include studies of domestic partner beneWts for individuals of varying sexual
orientations or studies of Xexibility to care for one’s family without facing
backlash or hurting job security, or promotion prospects. Like Equal Employment
Opportunity research on the adverse impact of seemingly neutral employment
practices on classes protected under Title VII and similar legislation, employers
can help foster an inclusive workplace by conducting an audit of the adverse
impact of seemingly ‘neutral’ employment policies and job conditions on these
new diversity groups.
In the next two sections, we discuss the growing importance for employers not
only to hire a diverse workforce but to develop HR systems that foster formal and
informal equal workplace opportunity.
eeo and the management of diversity
257
13.3 International Labor Force Trends
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
A critical rationale for employers to implement EEO and diversity management
strategies emanates from dramatic shifts in labor force demographics.
Across a wide majority of nations, women’s workforce participation rates continue to increase. In 2000, female labor force participation rates were 63 percent in
the USA and averaged 45 percent in Europe, although with high variation across
countries (UN 2000). In the USA, the participation rate of women is expected to
grow faster than that of men over the period from 2002 to 2012: a 1 percent increase
in the representation of women compared to a 1 percent decline for men (Labor
Force 2003). In developing nations, however, lower educational opportunities for
women remain barriers to higher labor force participation (Weichselbaumer and
Winter-Ebmer 2003).
In the USA and other developed countries, the problem of reconciling work and
family life is a growing issue aVecting both men and women’s employment
experiences. Employers will need to be able to move beyond adopting formal
work and family policies to create cultures that allow for workers with caregiving
demands to be included in mainstream corporate cultures (Kossek 2006).
Although workforce diversity will increase for employers in both developing and
developed countries, the nature and sources of diversity will generally diVer. Riche
and Mor Barak (2005) note that, overall, in developed countries, increased
workforce diversity will largely come from the ageing of the population, and the
increased hiring of minorities and immigrants. For example, in the USA from
2002 to 2012, the labor force participation of Hispanic or Latino workers is
predicted to grow by 33 percent—three times faster than the growth rate for all
non-Hispanic workers. Participation rates of Asians are also expected to increase
dramatically—by 51 percent—making them the fastest-growing labor force group.
Labor force participation rates for white non-Hispanics are expected to decrease,
while those for blacks are expected to rise slightly (BLS 2005; Toosi 2004). In
contrast, in developing countries, increased diversity will largely emanate from
foreign employers seeking to hire unemployed and under-employed native workers. Employers who can eVectively manage the distinct EEO and diversity issues
related to demographic shifts in diVerent labor markets in their domestic and
global operations are likely to be regarded as employers of choice and attract the
best talent.
Variation in labor shortage rates will diVerentially aVect employers’ EEO
recruitment eVorts in developed and developing countries. In general, less developed
countries are experiencing a proportional and absolute jump in their working-age
(15–64) populations, while industrialized countries are experiencing a slowing or
even a decline (Riche and Mor Barak 2005). For example, statistics show that the
258
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
population growth rate of North America is expected to decrease from 2005 to
2025, while the population growth rate of Africa is expected to rise signiWcantly in
the same period (UN 2005). Riche and Mor Barak (2005) argue that employers in
countries with shortages of young people will need to use immigration and the
employment of non-traditional workers (such as older workers, women, and
minorities) in order to maintain healthy ratios between workers and retirees.
Healthy ratios imply there are suYcient numbers of workers in the labor force to
support pensions and health care and other social programs for retirees. While
some scholars have argued that these demographic shifts will create a severe labor
shortage in developed countries like the USA, others contend that the ageing of the
US workforce, increased life expectancy, and delayed retirement will largely prevent
such a shortage, as many older workers will remain active in the labor force
(Cappelli 2003).
In developed nations, low rates of population increase among nationals have
resulted in migrants making a signiWcant contribution to national population
growth. The UK, the USA and Japan, in particular, are increasingly dependent on
immigrant labor to Wll labor shortages, both in high-and low-skilled jobs (The
Economist 2000). Since the 1990s, the USA has steadily increased the amount of
H1–B visas granted, including a 67 percent annual jump in 2001 just prior to 9/11.
The UK has similarly relaxed recruitment requirements for foreign-born employees
in certain high-skill industries. OECD member countries have witnessed a substantial increase in foreign-born temporary workers in the agricultural, household
services, and other low-wage sectors (OECD 2003). Immigrants from Latin America and Asia currently make up the bulk of recent immigrants to what are referred
to as ‘settlement countries’ (e.g. Australia, Canada, the USA and New Zealand)
(OECD 2003). While these population trends have been eVectively documented at
the labor market level, future research should be focused on assessing the eVectiveness of employer HRM practices in providing EEO in this context. For example,
studies should examine eVective strategies for integrating immigrants.
13.4 HRM Benefits of Managing
EEO and Diversity
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Besides adapting to labor market developments in order to attract and retain
necessary talent, there are many other employer beneWts from managing EEO
well. The challenge for employers is to be able to link EEO objectives to HR
strategies being enacted at diVerent levels of the Wrm, and to goals that are widely
valued for organizational eVectiveness. For illustrative purposes, Table 13.1 provides
eeo and the management of diversity
259
Table 13.1 Definitions of employer objectives of EEO and diversity strategies
HRM activity
and strategy
Level of HRM
strategy
Definition
Desired outcome
HR and
organizational
vision, mission
and goal
alignment
Organizational The ideal reason that the
organization exists and
the HR roadmap for how HR
activities will fulfill its stated
reason for existence in
consideration of EEO
. Organizational unity and
commitment and productivity
. Employee focus on
organization’s goals
Organizational
learning
Organizational Shared organizational
vocabulary, practices and
venues that encourage open
discussion among employees
of different backgrounds,
training and orientation
programs, mentoring
programs, conflict
management programs,
resources and materials that
are adapted to workers of
many backgrounds
. Increased understanding of
how EEO and diversity issues
affect organizational
effectiveness
. Enhanced interpersonal
relations among employees
. Enhanced learning among
employees and
organizational groups
. Increased number of
employees across
demographic backgrounds
ready for advancement
Organizational Organizational norms
Organizational
espousing equality,
inclusion
collectivism, the value of
and culture
human resources, flexibility,
change toward
creativity, and participation
multiculturalism
. Organizational unity and
commitment
. Cooperation
Team-building
Group
Integration of traditional
power holders in the
organization with
non-traditional workers from
different backgrounds who
are emerging as leaders
. Enhanced interpersonal skills
. Enhanced integration of
diverse points of view into
organization’s processes and
decisions
HR planning
Individual
Procedures designed to recruit . Increased representation of
women and people of color
and select women and people
of color, clear articulation of . Perceptions of fair procedures
by all employees
the organization’s recruitment
and selection processes based . Employee support of
organization
on job-related criteria, clear
articulation of organization’s
commitment to diversity in
recruitment and selection
Individual
learning and
mentoring
strategies
Individual
Individuals are paired with
others who are dissimilar in
one or more characteristics
. Enhanced interpersonal
understanding
. Eradication of entrenched
stereotypes
. Develop talent pool depth
(continued )
260
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
Table 13.1 (continued)
HRM activity
and strategy
Level of HRM
strategy
Individual and
Widespread
group
employee
participative
management
and involvement
Definition
Desired outcome
Employee meetings, employee
committees, suggestion boxes,
climate surveys, open-door
policies, grievance procedures.
Although these are tailored to
address core workplace issues,
the degree to which employees
of all backgrounds are
integrated fosters an
inclusive workplace.
. Employee participation and
voice
. Employee involvement in
organizational decisions
. Creative approaches to
organizational opportunities
. Improved organizational
processes and performance
Source: Adapted from Kossek et al. 2006.
examples of some general HR strategies and activities, ranging from organizational
learning to team-building. These HR strategies have particular objectives, such as
promoting organizational unity and commitment to organizational goals or
greater employee involvement in organizational decision-making. Some of these
strategies are directed primarily at the organizational level; others primarily target
groups or individuals within the organization. In order for EEO activities to be
eVective, it is critical to clearly identify beneWts and outcomes from HR strategies
such as those depicted in Table 13.1, and assess the organizational implications of
EEO and diversity activities and linkages to general HR strategies (Kossek and
Lobel 1996).
Figure 13.1 shows three ways to directly link EEO strategies to organizational
eVectiveness. Building on work by Kossek et al. (2006), the Wrst objective of many
EEO practices is to jointly increase the capability of employees and the actual
diversity of the employee population. For example, one study recently found that if
employers emphasize promotion and developmental opportunities for all workers
as part of eVorts to create a learning organization, there is also an increase in the
representation of women in the organization as a whole (Goodman et al. 2003).
Increasing the diversity of the workforce, fostering creativity, reducing daily
conXict, improving attitudes, commitment, and the cultural experiences of
members are what employers should view as process-oriented or intermediate
outcomes. These should be considered as intermediate outcomes in order to
emphasize the importance of employers recognizing that they should not stop
with the creation of diversity or the reduction of conXict as the only end products
of EEO strategies. As the second link in Fig. 13.1 suggests, it is equally critical for
employers to learn how to eVectively link the presence of diversity and positive
eeo and the management of diversity
Employer adopts
Equal Employment
Opportunity policies and
Practices
• Targeted recruitment
• Job-related selection
• Legal compliance
• Affirmative action
• Development and
training
• Mentoring
• Retention and upward
mobility
• Strategies to promote
inclusion and
multiculturalism
1
Intermediate
outcomes
• Increased
workforce diversity
• Less conflict
• Creativity
• Improved attitudes
of members toward
others who are
different
• Multicultural
experiences of
members
261
Organizational benefits
2
• Employer of choice (recruitment and
retention)
• Cost effectiveness (reduced lawsuits,
legal compliance, labor turnover)
• Increased market share, sales, and
enhanced capability to enter new
markets
• Achievement of corporate social
responsibility
• Enhanced reputation
• Increased productivity
3
Fig. 13.1. Goals of EEO and managing workforce diversity policies and practices
social processes, such as the increased representation of many viewpoints, to key
organizational outcomes (cf. Cox 1993, 2001; Kossek and Lobel 1996). These include
being an employer of choice, increased cost eVectiveness from reduced lawsuits and
turnover, increased market share, enhanced capability to enter new markets,
positive corporate reputations from being viewed as socially responsible, and
higher productivity. A key challenge for employers is to actually evaluate the
eVectiveness of speciWc HR practices relative to these outcomes. Employers are
sometimes reluctant to open up EEO and diversity activities to formal scrutiny
given the sensitivity and important legal ramiWcations of these initiatives.
One exception is research by Rynes and Rosen (1995) on diversity training
activities which Wnds that while diversity training is eVective in improving intermediate outcomes, enhancing positive attitudes towards those who are diVerent,
training activities did not produce lasting change and were not well linked to
organizational outcomes.
Employer objectives and rhetoric regarding EEO and diversity activities evolve
over time and can be classiWed across stages of development. Early on in EEO
eVorts, most employers focus on compliance with legal mandates. Then, leading
Wrms move on to more progressive goals, embracing diversity as a moral perspective. Beyond legal and moral imperatives, progressive employers eventually recognize that they need to learn how to leverage increased diversity to promote a
competitive advantage over other businesses (Cox 2001; Tayeb 1995). Focusing on
competitive advantage moves the eVective implementation of EEO and diversity
management into the strategic HRM domain, where policies and practices are
linked to an organization’s strategic goals in order to improve business performance. The SHRM argument derives from resource-based theory: employers with
262
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
a more diverse workforce have the advantage of being able to better mirror
increasingly diverse markets, and unique social resources to enhance capability
in competitive business environments (Richard 2000). Studies have related the
presence of a diverse labor force to customer demand for products and services
(Richard et al. 2002).
Yet many Wrms are still striving to better link EEO eVorts to organizational
performance. Currently, there is a spectrum of employers’ levels of development.
Some are still responding to, or minimally complying with, legal mandates. Other
Wrms focus eVorts on incremental programs and policies as discrete ends. Yet, as
the research reviewed in the next section shows, some studies have shown that
employers can link EEO to clear outcomes, and organizational change and eVectiveness. As Thomas and Ely (1996) note, under this later stage, employers are not
only successful in making the unitary change of hiring employees who mirror
customers’ demographics, but they also are able to achieve an interactive organizational change toward greater multiculturalism and learning. At these higher
stages of sophistication, employers have majority members who value learning
from minority employees, and a culture that fosters interactive adaptation and
learning. Thus, organizational change is ongoing and dynamic, involves mutual
ongoing learning and adaptation where individuals not only adapt to the corporate
culture, but the organizational culture is also receptive to adaptation and learning
from these newer members. Thus, the assimilation process is not just one way,
where individuals must always adapt to the dominant corporate culture, but is
generally collaborative—the corporate culture changes and is shaped as well by the
heterogeneous workforce.
13.5 Best Practices and Strategies
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Table 13.2 summarizes some of the research on ‘best practices’ in EEO strategies
with future research implications. We have organized these studies into three
groups: practices that promote perceptions of organizational inclusion and justice,
practices that reduce discrimination through HR practices, and practices that
improve Wnancial competitiveness. Workplace inclusion is most enhanced when
targeted recruitment and selection eVorts incorporate multiple methods. By this
we mean that recruitment objectives are not just based on any single recruitment
method, in order to limit the risk of overly relying on a method that does not
eVectively tap into ethnically and racially diverse talent pools. For example, if one
only advertised in the New York Times, perhaps one might not reach as many
members of under-represented groups as if one advertised on the Internet and
eeo and the management of diversity
263
Table 13.2 EEO HR practices and organizational effectiveness:
representative studies
EEO practice Representative Research findings
studies
Organizational
implications
Future research
Selection practices to enhance organizational inclusiveness and justice perceptions
Targeted
recruitment
Highhouse
et al. (1999)
Kim and
Gelfand (2003)
Rau and
Adams (2005)
Thomas and
Wise (1999)
Minority candidates and
other targeted group
members are more
attracted to firms with
minority recruiters and
firms with an EEO/
diversity statement,
which can be affected by
the presence of other
supportive
organizational policies.
Targeted
recruitment should
focus on the
combined, mutually
reinforcing effects
of recruiter
characteristics and
organizational
policies on applicant
attraction.
Past research has
often used student
subjects in
experimental
laboratory research.
This could be
extended to field
research using more
relevant samples.
Affirmative
action in
hiring
Heilman
et al. (1992)
Heilman
et al. (1997)
Individuals hired
through affirmative
action programs (AAPs)
are rated as less
competent
because they are
perceived to be hired
on the basis of their
identity group
membership, not
qualifications. This
effect is mitigated only
when explicit
performance
information is available.
Organizational
practices intended
to benefit
underrepresented
groups may actually
have unintended
negative
consequences. In
order to remediate
negative stigmas
attached to
beneficiaries,
management can
disseminate
information about
merit components
of AAPs.
The effects
observed in these
studies are robust
and replicable
across student and
managerial
samples. Research
could investigate
predictors of
positive associations
with AAP in
organizations, and
management
strategies for
preventing
stigmatization.
Focusing EEO
on formalized
affirmative
action
policies
Leck and
Saunders
(1992)
French (2001)
More formalized AA
policies were found to be
more effective in
improving the
representation of
women, disabled
persons, and minorities
in Canada. Australian
employers with AA were
the most effective in
increasing diversity,
compared to other EEO
policies.
Organizations
should be open to
using formal AA
programs when
informal methods
are ineffective and
severe underrepresentation
exists of members of
protected classes.
Studies need to
identify how to help
firms make the
transition from
formalized AA to
non-mandated
approaches over
time, and
understand how to
reduce backlash
against AA
recipients, as well
as identify new
emerging diversity
groups that could
benefit from AA.
(continued)
264
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
Table 13.2 (continued)
EEO practice Representative Research findings
studies
Structured
interviews
Chapman and
Zwieg (2005)
GollubWilliamson
et al. (1997)
Huffcut and
Arthur (1994)
Terpstra and
Rozell (1997)
Although use is
limited in practice,
selection interviews
generally increase in
validity with
increased structure.
While structured
interviews have been
found to have no
impact on procedural
justice perceptions,
they have been linked
to an effective
defense against
discrimination
litigation.
Organizational
implications
Future research
Structured
interviews can
facilitate selection of
high-performing
candidates and can
also increase legal
defensibility.
Since interviewee
reactions to
structured
interviews are often
negative, and use
varies by training of
HRM practitioners,
more research is
needed into the
conditions under
which structured
interviews have high
acceptability and
legal effectiveness.
EEO socialization, training and appraisal practices to reduce discrimination
NonMorrison and
discrimination Von Glinow
policy
(1990)
Ragins and
Cornwell (2001)
The communication of
a non-discrimination
policy stating
employment
discrimination is
prohibited reduces
perceptions of
discrimination among
minorities, both
visible and invisible.
A non-discrimination
policy can indirectly
lead to improvements
in job attitudes
among minority
group members.
While a nondiscrimination
policy acts as a
signal, research is
needed to establish
the effectiveness of
such policies for
reducing actual
discrimination.
Due process
performance
appraisal
Folger et al.
(1992)
Taylor et al.
(1995)
Due process
performance
appraisal results in
more favorable
reactions (e.g.
perceptions of
fairness of appraisal
procedures) among
both managers and
employees even when
ratings are lower.
Reactions to
performance
appraisal and general
job attitudes among
employees can be
improved through
implementing due
process performance
appraisal.
Research could
examine alternative
outcomes beyond
perceptions of
appraisal fairness,
such as turnover,
performance
improvement, and
satisfaction.
Diversity
training
Hanover and
Cellar (1998)
King et al.
(2005)
Rynes and
Rosen (1995)
Sanchez and
Medkik (2004)
Research indicates
that participants have
generally
favorable reactions
towards diversity
training, but productivity effects are
Diversity training can
raise cultural
awareness as well as
awareness of
inclusive
organizational
policies and practices. Management
More research is
needed which
examines the effects
of diversity training
on transfer of
training to the job,
actual behavioral
change
eeo and the management of diversity
EEO practice Representative Research findings
studies
not always
evaluated. Diversity
training has been
shown to positively
influence
participants’
attitudes and
self-ratings of
behavior towards
minority group
members.
Organizational
implications
265
Future research
support is important and productivity
for training success. outcomes as well as
looking at interactive relationships
with supportive
organizational
policies and
practices.
EEO practices and financial effectiveness
Hersch (1991)
Pruitt and
Nethercutt
(2002)
Wright et al.
(1995) Bierman
(2001)
Announcements of
award-winning
AAPs are related to
short-run stock
price increases,
whereas
announcements of
guilty discrimination
verdicts are related
to short-run
decreases in stock
price.
Financial losses
associated with the
announcement of an
EEO violation can be
extensive. Effective
diversity
management may
be a source of
competitive
advantage.
Implication that
investors attribute
awards and
settlements to
effective human
resource
management needs
further
investigation.
Researchers caution
that using
secondary media
sources may
overestimate
financial losses.
radio and other more widely accessible sources. Similarly, selection decisions
should not be made on the basis of performance in a single selection method,
which may have adverse impact against a particular group. It is far better to make
decisions based on good performance as evinced from several selection data
sources. In this way, one does not weed out a member of a protected class simply
because of a lower performance on a single method that may not be all that
predictive of on-the-job performance.
There are many ‘best practices’ in developing a selection and recruitment process
that promotes diversity and EEO eVectiveness. Some examples are using minority
recruiters who mirror a more diverse applicant pool. Structured interview protocols are also eVective because they ensure procedural consistency in the data
collected from each applicant, and similarity in the interview experience. Publicizing statements of an organization’s commitment to diversity in recruitment
materials is also important to send a message of openness to individuals of many
266
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
backgrounds. In order to prevent stereotyping of hires under aYrmative action, it
is critical to show explicit performance information indicating the competence of
hires. Formal aYrmative action programs have also been shown to be more
eVective than less formal eVorts in countries ranging from Australia to the USA
and Canada (Leck and Saunders 1992). This Wnding holds up as long as these
policies are sincerely backed by management cultural support.
Regarding preventing discriminatory practice, one particularly eVective practice
is using due process performance appraisals. These aim to ensure that employees
experience fair and structured procedures in evaluation. Making selection and
evaluation processes transparent and allowing for voice can increase perceptions
of fairness of hiring activities and reduce lawsuits and perceptions of injustice.
Anti-discrimination policies can decrease discrimination not only for visible minorities (e.g. those associated with gender, race, or ethnicity), but also invisible
minorities (e.g. those associated with sexual orientation or religion).
One of the most popular HR strategies, diversity training, has been found to be
most eVective when not only linked to general attitudinal change, such as understanding and valuing diversity, but also operationalized in terms of speciWc HR
practices such as interviewing techniques or performance appraisals. Other eVective practices include visible Diversity Advisory Committees comprised of
respected leaders, mandatory training, and targeted communications to speciWc
minority members (Jackson 2002).
One particularly eVective practice involves mentoring programs that enable
formal and informal knowledge to be shared and support leadership development
socialization processes. Same-race and gender mentoring programs have the advantage of enabling individuals of similar background to share common workplace
experiences and learn about what works well in the particular organizational
culture. Cross-gender and race programs serve diVerent goals. When, for example,
a Hispanic female new college hire is paired with a senior vice president who is a
white male, the new recruit is aided by having greater high-level visibility and also
increased access to important tacit knowledge—things that a new hire may Wnd
diYcult to obtain on their own. One caveat, however, for mentoring programs is
that they should not be forced (e.g. mentors and mentees should have some choice
in the matching process), and there should be mutual rewards for participation.
As Table 13.2 notes in the third section, studies have shown that not only can
EEO activities lead to the creation of a workforce mirroring increasingly diverse
labor markets, but having award-winning aYrmative action programs is associated
with short-run stock price increases.
One particularly promising area for future research and practice involves the
development of statistical measures that enable researchers and Wrms to empirically
investigate relationships between anti-discrimination policies and employmentrelated outcomes across international contexts. Some studies suggest that MNCs
are attracted to low-regulation countries with good workforce skills (Cooke and
eeo and the management of diversity
267
Noble 1998): for example, a study by Bognanno et al. (2005) who use restrictions on
lay-oVs as proxies for the measurement of labor standards. Other studies Wnd
contradictory evidence. For example, the ILO’s Institute of Labor Studies has used
the language of conventions 100 and 111 to develop Wve measures of gender
discrimination (Kucera 2001, 2002). Three of the discrimination measures involve
wage discrimination, whereas the other measures involve occupational and skill
attainment. These measures have been used to assess relationships between discrimination at the national level and foreign direct investment. While ‘conventional wisdom’ would suggest that foreign direct investment would tend to Xow
into countries with lower labor standards, no such relationship was found in
a cross-country analysis of 127 countries (Kucera 2002). Rather, the data indicated
that countries with greater worker rights received more FDI, which is consistent
with research that has found ratiWcation of ILO standards to be positively related to
FDI (Cooke 1997): for instance, a positive relationship between FDI and gender
equality, although this relationship is partly dependent on which regions of the
world are analyzed. It is important that future studies investigate diVerent ways
of capturing labor regulation and employment policy progressiveness across
countries and Wrms. Additional analyses need to be conducted across minority
groups to assess progress, the degree of policy implementation, and at the employer
level, to assess proWtability, growth, and productivity.
A Wnal growing area for study of best practices emanates from comparative
studies of EEO practices across countries. Far more research on HR strategies to
manage EEO and diversity has been conducted in Western and developing countries than in developed and Eastern cultures. As the economic fulcrum shifts
toward the new markets and labor forces in such countries as China, India, Latin
America, and Africa, it will be increasingly critical to triangulate studies on
national culture with studies of employer practices and organizational cultural
implementation (see this Handbook, Chapter 25). For example, Ryan et al. (1999)
sent surveys to several hundred employers in twenty-two countries. Employers in
countries higher on uncertainty avoidance tended to use more selection tests and
use them more frequently, conducted more interviews for a position, were more
likely to use standardized interview questions, and more frequently audited selection processes than countries low on uncertainty avoidance. Organizations in
countries higher on power distance were less likely to use peers as interviewers.
This study suggests major barriers to implementing HR practices that have been
shown to reduce discrimination in cultures low on uncertainty avoidance or high
on power distance. It also underlines the importance of studying linkages between
organizational and cross-cultural behavior and preferences for EEO and HR
practices in the same study.
Similarly, Lawler and Bae (1998), in a study of Thailand where gender discrimination is legal, found that national culture had eVects on the recruitment practices
of multinational corporations. They investigated the relationship between
268
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
economic growth, factors related to national culture, and the discriminatory
nature of job advertisements for professional jobs. Multinationals from countries
that were more individualistic were less likely to require that job applicants be
male and were more likely to use gender-neutral advertisements. Economic growth
was not related to whether or not job advertisements were discriminatory.
Both of these studies suggest that national culture has a strong inXuence on the
discriminatory behavior of multinational corporations when operating in foreign
countries. The degree to which the national culture is open to valuing heterogeneity may have an inXuence on the degree to which selection and recruitment and
other EEO practices are implemented in a non-discriminatory fashion.
13.6 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this chapter, we have deWned core concepts in EEO and diversity management,
and employer rationales, HR strategies, and outcomes from these activities.
Because workforce diversity management, discrimination, and EEO involve diVerent meanings and assumptions across countries and cultures, employers in
diVerent countries often deWne EEO and diversity diVerently (Wrench 2003). Variation
in how diversity management is socially constructed may lead to diVerent HR
strategies to solve diVerent types of perceived problems and aVects the perceived
valence of preferred solutions. The research reviewed in this chapter suggests that
EEO ‘best practices’ tend to involve clear and transparent HR procedures and
decision-making processes, which are grounded in the core concepts of prevention
of adverse treatment and impact. We argue that such goals are universal ones that
should be aspired to across employment settings.
We have also argued that adopting EEO policies to comply with legal standards
is a critical Wrst step in eVective diversity management. However, at the same time,
the presence of policies on paper does not necessarily foster deep cultural change
and commitment to widespread implementation and integration of diversity
initiatives with other HR and business systems without top management commitment and leadership. Leaders must buy into the belief that eVective EEO management is not only the socially responsible thing for employers to do; it is critical for
organizational eVectiveness, learning, and productivity. Employers accrue the
greatest beneWts from EEO activities the more that they learn to hire, eVectively
develop, and utilize the potential of individuals from the many diVerent backgrounds that mirror the increasing diversity of the labor markets in which they
operate, linking these HR initiatives to their overarching strategic and business
objectives.
eeo and the management of diversity
269
References
Bierman, L. (2001). ‘OFCCP AYrmative Action Awards and Stock Market Reaction.’ Labor
Law Journal, 57: 572 7.
Bls (2005). United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS releases
2002 12 employment projections. (www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf). Accessed
9 July 2005.
Bognanno, M. F., Keane, M. P., and Yang, D. (2005). ‘The InXuence of Wages and Industrial
Relations Environments on the Production Location Decisions of US Multinational
Corporations.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 58/2: 171 201.
Cappelli, P. (2003). ‘Will There Really be a Labor Shortage?’ Organizational Dynamics,
32/3: 221 34.
Chapman, D. S., and Zwieg, D. L. (2005). ‘Developing a Nomological Network
for Interview Structure: Antecedents and Consequences of the Structured Selection
Interview.’ Personnel Psychology, 58: 673 702.
Cooke, W. (1997). ‘The InXuence of Industrial Relations Factors on US Foreign Direct
Investment Abroad.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 51/1: 3 17.
and Noble, D. (1998). ‘Industrial Relations Systems and US Foreign Direct
Investment Abroad.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 36/4: 581 609.
Cox, T. (1993). Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Theory, Research and Practice. San
Francisco: Berrett Koehler.
(2001). Creating the Multicultural Organization: A Strategy for Capturing the Power of
Diversity. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Diamantopoulou, A. (2001). ‘European Union Action to Combat Racism.’ European
Commission Contribution to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Luxembourg: European Commission, OYce for
OYcial Publications of the European Communities, at http://europa.eu.int, 4 5.
Dipboye, R., and Colella, A. (2005). ‘An Introduction.’ In R. Dipboye and A. Collela (eds.),
Discrimination at Work: The Psychological and Organizational Bases. Mahwah, NJ: LEA Press.
Dovidio, J., and Hebl, M. (2005). ‘Discrimination at the Individual Level: Cognitive and
AVective Factors.’ In R. Dipboye and A. Colella (eds.), Discrimination at Work: The
Psychological and Organizational Bases. Mahwah, NJ: LEA Press.
The Economist (2000). ‘A Continent on the Move.’ 6 May: 25 8.
Ely, R. (1995). ‘The Power in Demography: Women’s Social Construction of Gender
Identity at Work.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38: 589 634.
Folger, R., Konovsky, M. A., and Cropanzano, R. (1992). ‘A Due Process Metaphor
for Performance Appraisal.’ In B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (eds.), Research in
Organizational Behavior. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
French, E. (2001). ‘Approaches to Equity Management and their Relationship to Women in
Management.’ British Journal of Management, 12: 267 85.
Friedman, F. (2005). A Brief History of the 21st Century: The World is Flat. New York: Farrar,
Strauss, & Giroux.
Gelfand, M. J., Nishii, L. H., Raver, J. L., and Schneider, B. (2005). ‘Discrimination in
Organizations: An Organization Level Systems Perspective.’ In B. L. Diptoye and
A. Colella (eds.), Discrimination at Work: The Psychological and Organizational Bases.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
270
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
Gollub Williamson, L., Campion, J. E., Malos, S. B., Roehling, M. V., and Campion,
M. A. (1997). ‘Employment Interview on Trial: Linking Interview Structure with Litiga
tion Outcomes.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 82/6: 900 12.
Goodman, J., Marchington, M., Berridge, J., Snape, E., and Bamber, G. (1998).
‘Employment Relations in Britain.’ In G. Bamber and R. D. Lansbury (eds.), International
and Comparative Employment Relations: A Study of Industrialized Market Economies.
Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Fields, D., and Blum, T. (2003). ‘Cracks in the Glass Ceiling: In What Kind of Organ
izations do Women Make it to the Top?’ Group and Organization Management, 28: 475 501.
Guest, D. E. (1999). ‘Human Resource Management: The Worker’s Verdict.’ Human
Resource Management, 9/3: 6.
Hanover, J. M. B., and Cellar, D. F. (1998). ‘Environmental Factors and the EVectiveness
of Workforce Diversity Training.’ Human Resource Development Quarterly, 9/2: 105 24.
Heilman, M. E., Block, C. J., and Lucas, J. A. (1992). ‘Presumed Incompetent? Stigma
tization and AYrmative Action EVorts.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 77: 536 44.
and Stathatos, P. (1997). ‘The AYrmative Action Stigma of Incompetence:
EVects of Performance Information Ambiguity.’ Academy of Management Journal, 40:
603 25.
Hersch, J. (1991). ‘Equal Opportunity Law and Firm ProWtability.’ Journal of Human
Resources, 26/1: 139 53.
Highhouse, S., Stierwalt, S. L., Bachiochi, P., Elder, A. E., and Fisher, G. (1999).
‘EVects of Advertised Human Resource Management Practices on Attraction of African
American Applicants.’ Personnel Psychology, 52: 425 42.
Huffcut, A. I., and Arthur, W., Jr. (1994). ‘Hunter & Hunter (1984) Revisited: Interview
Validity for Entry Level Jobs.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 79/2: 184 90.
Ibarra, H. (1995). ‘Race, Opportunity and Diversity of Social Circles in Managerial
Networks.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38: 673 703.
Ilo (2005). International Labour Organization (www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/docs/declworld.
htm). Accessed 5 July.
Jackson, A. (2002). ‘Competitive Practices in Diversity.’ www.shrm.org/diversity/hottopics/
compprac.asp, accessed 5 February 2004.
Jackson, S. E. (1992). Diversity in the Workplace: Human Resource Initiatives. New York:
Guilford Press.
Kim, S. S., and Gelfand, M. J. (2003). ‘The InXuence of Ethnic Identity on Perceptions of
Organizational Recruitment.’ Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63: 396 419.
King, E. B., Hebl, M. R., Turner, S., and DeChermont, K. (2005). ‘The InXuence of Goal
Setting and Leader Support in Diversity Training: Integrating Gay and Lesbian Topics.’ In
E. King and M. Hebl (co chairs), Overcoming Barriers to Equality among Diverse Sexual
Orientations at Work. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of
Management Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Kochan, T., Bezrukova, K., Ely, R., Jackson, S. E., Joshi, A., Jehn, K. E., Leonard, D.,
Levine, D., and Thomas, D. (2003). ‘The EVects of Diversity on Business Performance:
Report of a Feasibility Study of the Diversity Research Network.’ Human Resource
Management. 42/3: 3 21.
Kossek, E. (2006). ‘Work and Family in America: Growing Tensions between Employment
Policy and a Transformed Workforce.’ In E. Lawler and J. O’Toole (eds.), The New
American Workplace. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
eeo and the management of diversity
271
and Lobel, S. (1996). Managing Diversity: Human Resource Strategies for Transforming
the Workplace. Oxford: Blackwell.
and Brown, J. (2006). ‘Human Resource Strategies to Manage Work Force
Diversity: Examining ‘‘The Business Case’’.’ In A. Konrad, P. Prasad, and J. Pringle (eds.),
Handbook of Workplace Diversity. London: Sage.
Kucera, D. (2001). ‘Measuring Fundamental Rights at Work.’ Statistical Journal of the
United Nations, 18/3: 175 86.
(2002). ‘Core Labour Standards and Foreign Direct Investment.’ International Labour
Review, 141/1 2: 31 71.
Labor Force (2003). Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Winter 2003/2004.
Lawler, J. J., and Bae, J. (1998). ‘Overt Employment Discrimination by Multinational
Firms: Cultural and Economic InXuences in a Developing Country.’ Industrial Relations,
37/2: 126 53.
Leck, J., and Saunders, G. (1992). ‘Hiring Women: The EVects of Canada’s Equity
Employment Act.’ Canadian Public Policy, 18: 203 21.
Mor Barak, M. (2005). Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. Thou
sand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Morrison, A. M., and Von Glinow, M. A. (1990). ‘Women and Minorities in Manage
ment.’ American Psychologist, 4: 200 8.
Oecd (2003). ‘Trends in International Migration.’ Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development. Paris: OECD.
Posthuma, R. A., Roehling, M. V., and Campion, M. A. (in press). ‘Applying U.S.
Employment Discrimination Laws to International Employers: Advice for Scientists
and Practitioners.’ Personnel Psychology.
Pruitt, S. W., and Nethercutt, L. L. (2002). ‘The Texaco Racial Discrimination Case and
Shareholder Wealth.’ Journal of Labor Research, 23/4: 687 93.
Ragins, B. R., and Cornwell, J. M. (2001). ‘Pink Triangles: Antecedents and Consequences
of Perceived Workplace Discrimination against Gay and Lesbian Employees.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 86: 1244 61.
Rau, B. L., and Adams, G. A. (2005). ‘Attracting Retirees to Apply: Desired Organizational
Characteristics of Bridge Employment.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26: 648 60.
Richard, O. C. (2000). ‘Racial Diversity, Business Strategy, and Firm Performance:
A Resource Based View.’ Academy of Management Journal, 43: 164 77.
Kochan, T., and McMillan Capehart, A. (2002). ‘The Impact of Visible Diversity
on Organizational EVectiveness: Disclosing the Contents in Pandora’s Black Box.’ Journal
of Business and Management, 8/3: 1 26.
Riche, M., and Mor Barak, M. (2005). ‘Global Demographic Trends: Impact on Work
force Diversity.’ In M. Mor Barak (ed.), Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive
Workplace. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Ryan, A. M., McFarland, L., Shl, H. B., and Page, R. (1999). ‘An International Look at
Selection Practices: Nation and Culture as Explanations for Variability in Practice.’
Personnel Psychology, 52: 359 91.
Rynes, S., and Rosen, B. (1995). ‘A Field Study of Factors AVecting the Adoption and
Perceived Success of Diversity Training.’ Personnel Psychology, 48: 247 70.
Sanchez, J. I., and Medkik, N. (2004). ‘The EVects of Diversity Awareness Training on
DiVerential Treatment.’ Group & Organization Management, 29/4: 517 36.
272
ellen ernst kossek and shaun pichler
Savage, E., and Wenner, S. (2001). ‘Impact of U.S. Anti discrimination Laws on Foreign
Corporations: Part 2.’ BeneWts and Compensation International, 32/4: 8 12.
Tayeb, M. (1995). The Management of a Multicultural Workforce. New York: John Wiley &
Sons.
Taylor, M. S., Tracy, K. B., Renard, M. K. Harrison, J. K., and Carroll, S. J. (1995).
‘Due Process in Performance Appraisal: A Quasi experiment in Procedural Justice.’
Administrative Science Quarterly, 40: 495 523.
Terpstra, D. E., and Rozell, E. J. (1997). ‘Why Some Potentially EVective StaYng
Practices are Seldom Used.’ Public Personnel Management, 26/4: 483 95.
Thomas, D., and Ely, R. (1996). ‘Making DiVerences Matter: A New Paradigm for
Managing Diversity.’ Harvard Business Review, September/October: 79 90.
Thomas, K. M., and Wise, P. G. (1999). ‘Organizational Attractiveness and Individual
DiVerences: Are Diverse Applicants Attracted by DiVerent Factors?’ Journal of Business
and Psychology, 13/3: 375 90.
Tomei, M. (2003). ‘Discrimination and Equality at Work: A Review of the Concepts.’
International Labour Review, 142/4: 401 20.
Toosi, M. (2004). ‘Labor Force Projections to 2012: The Graying of the U.S. Workforce.’
Monthly Labor Review, 127/2: 37 58.
United Nations (2000). The World’s Women 2000: Trends and Statistics. Geneva: United
Nations.
(2005). ‘World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision.’ Population Division of the
Department of Economic and Social AVairs of the United Nations Secretariat. www.un.org/
esa/population/publications/WPP2004/2004Highlights Wnalrevised.pdf.
Weichselbaumer, D., and Winter Ebmer, R. (2003). A Meta analysis of the International
Gender Wage Gap. Economics working papers, 2003 11, Department of Economics,
Johannes Kepler University, Linz.
Wolkinson, B. (2000). ‘EEO in the Workplace: Employment Law Challenges.’ In E. E. Kossek
and R. Block (eds.), Managing Human Resources in the 21st Century: From Core Concepts to
Strategic Choice. Cincinnati: South Western Publishing.
Wrench, J. (2003). Managing Diversity, Fighting Racism, or Combating Discrimination? A
Crucial Exploration. Council of Europe and European Commission Seminar. Resituating
Culture: ReXections on Diversity, Racism, Gender, and Identity on the Context of Youth.
Budapest, June.
Wright, P., Ferris, S. P., Hiller, J. S., and Kroll, M. (1995). ‘Competitiveness through
Management of Diversity: EVects on Stock Price Valuation.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38/1: 272 87.
chapter 14
....................................................................................................................................................
R E C RU I T M E N T
S T R AT E G Y
....................................................................................................................................
marc orlitzky
14.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Internal labor markets seem to have become noticeably weaker (Cappelli 1999).
The ‘new deal at work’ entails the increasing externalization of human resource
processes that large organizations had traditionally internalized. Thus, organizations now face a strategic mandate to improve, if not optimize, their recruiting
practices because, in today’s increasingly market-based human resource management (HRM), eVective recruitment is likely to be the ‘most critical human resource
function for organizational success and survival’ (Taylor and Collins 2000: 304).
This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical and empirical contributions
that have been made to the literature on recruitment strategy.1 Recruitment can
usefully be deWned as ‘those practices and activities carried out by the organization
with the primary purpose of identifying and attracting potential employees’
(Barber 1998: 5). This deWnition highlights the important diVerence between two
HR functions that are typically seen as indivisible, or at least diYcult to distinguish,
namely recruitment and selection. Whereas selection is the HR function that pares
down the number of applicants, recruitment consists of those HR practices and
processes that make this paring down possible—by expanding the pool of WrmspeciWc candidates from whom new employees will be selected.2 Thus, as the Wrst
1
I am grateful to Mark Stephens, who helped with the collection of articles and development of tables.
Of course, these conceptual boundaries between recruitment and selection become more Xuid in
practice.
2
274
marc orlitzky
stage in the strategic HRM value chain, recruitment controls and limits the
potential value of such ‘downstream’ HR processes as employee selection or
training and development. When the ‘pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities [is] intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals’
(Wright and McMahan 1992: 298), HRM can be said to be strategic. More speciWcally, for recruitment to become strategic, HR practitioners must Wnd eVective
answers to the following Wve questions (Breaugh 1992; Breaugh and Starke 2000):
(1) Whom to recruit? (2) Where to recruit? (3) What recruitment sources to use
(e.g. the web, newspapers, job fairs, on campus, etc.)? (4) When to recruit? (5) What
message to communicate?
Surveying the organizational recruitment literature, this review builds on and
extends previous reviews (such as Breaugh and Starke 2000; Rynes 1991; Rynes and
Barber 1990; Rynes and Cable 2003; Taylor and Collins 2000). At the same time, it
highlights the importance of contextual variables at the organizational level of
analysis. Mirroring the tension between general ‘best practice’ approaches and
contingency approaches (cf. Boxall and Purcell 2003), the chapter has a dual
focus: (1) How, or why, does recruitment aVect organizational performance?
(2) Under what conditions (in what contexts) does recruitment matter? First, it
reviews current knowledge with respect to the main eVects of recruitment on
organization-level outcomes. Then, it discusses organization-level contingencies
on recruitment. In both sections, I critically appraise the state of knowledge about
recruitment strategy. Adopting Rynes’s (1991) practice, I present key Wndings
chronologically in two summary tables for a quick overview. I conclude my review
with some important trajectories for theoretical development, future research, and
management practice and summarize the conclusions of the literature review.
In taking a strategic perspective on recruitment, I assume that HR laws and
regulations function as sectoral, regional, or national ‘table stakes’ (Boxall and
Purcell 2003), which entire industry sectors might have in common. Thus, ‘table
stakes’ might present strategic implications for levels of analysis higher than the
individual organization, but do not, and cannot, serve as organization-level diVerentiating factors. Because adherence to laws regulating the recruitment function
(e.g. aYrmative action) cannot strategically diVerentiate eVective from ineVective
employers, in my view a legal focus would be misplaced theoretically. In addition, a
focus on HR rules and regulations would be impractical as they often represent
nationally or regionally speciWc baselines for organizational activities. Of course,
the lack of discussion of cultural diVerences in regulating recruitment does not
imply at all that employment rules and regulations are unimportant (far from it!),
but only that they are unlikely to create a competitive advantage for individual
Wrms. One could in fact conclude that abiding by legal and ethical rules, which are
often culturally speciWc, is the price of admission that a Wrm will have to pay in
order to identify, pursue, and attract talented individuals who are able and willing
to contribute to its bottom line.
recruitment strategy
275
Another important assumption is about the level of analysis to which this review
applies. Anything in the empirical recruitment literature that explicitly analyzes
recruitment inputs, processes, and outcomes from an individual-level perspective
is omitted from this review. In some cases, this scope delimitation has resulted in
the exclusion of seminal studies in the recruitment literature. For example, Boudreau and Rynes (1985) made a landmark contribution in their development of
recruitment utility. They prescriptively modeled the extent to which recruitment
might make positive Wnancial contributions to a Wrm’s performance. Utility models
represent a mathematically complex application of decision theory to assess the
economic impact of recruitment activities and practices on organizations (Boudreau 1991). Recruitment utility models can deepen organizations’ understanding
of why a particular recruitment practice may have Wrm-speciWc net beneWts rather
than net costs. Through these utility calculations, it can be shown, for example,
that organizations should not always aim to attract applicants with outstanding
credentials or aim to maximize applicant pool size (Breaugh 1992: 12–13). However,
utility analysis has a number of drawbacks, including problems with its computational and measurement complexities (see, e.g., Carlson et al. 2002) and research
showing that practitioners are incredulous towards the utility estimates used
(Latham and Whyte 1994). Although utility analysis remains one path toward the
systematic, analytically precise evaluation of the general pay-oVs from diVerent
recruitment strategies and practices, a more systemic answer to the question of why
and under what conditions recruitment and recruitment strategy can enhance
organizational success has been attempted through the resource-based view of
the Wrm (RBV).
14.2 Key Insights from Landmark
Studies
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
14.2.1 Why and How Does Recruitment Matter?
The Resource-Based View of the Firm
In the 1990s, the RBV, as a mathematically less complex framework, supplanted
utility analysis in the evaluation of possible organization-level beneWts of recruitment. Taylor and Collins (2000: 317–21) argue that recruitment satisWes Barney and
Wright’s (1998) Wve RBV criteria, which might oVer a competitive advantage. First,
recruitment might add value by enhancing labor cost eYciencies and/or spilling
over to customer perceptions of the Wrm’s products or services. Second, recruitment strategy might identify and tap talent that is rare in the labor market. Third,
276
marc orlitzky
an organization’s set of recruitment practices might be such a complex bundle of
tactics that it is virtually inimitable. Fourth, recruitment may be a non-substitutable
organizational practice to the extent that the recruitment strategy is innovative and
idiosyncratic to one organization. Fifth, for maximum leverage, recruitment must
be aligned with other HR practices, so that recruitment might support and enhance
the beneWts of the other HR functions, such as compensation, selection, or
performance appraisal. When these Wve conditions are met, recruitment would
be expected to make a contribution to a Wrm’s Wnancial performance.
Albeit small in number, there are a few studies that examine recruitment at the
organizational level of analysis and suggest ways in which recruitment might aVect
organizational eVectiveness. Some details about these studies are listed in Table 14.1
and discussed in the following section. In general, these studies point to the
strategic importance of several recruitment-related practices.
Two studies found that the extent to which Wrms analyze and evaluate recruitment practices may be associated with higher organizational performance. Koch
and McGrath (1996) combined an item about the formal evaluation of recruitment
and selection practices with an item about HR planning. Of the three HR indexes
they examined (see Table 14.1), this Wrst measure showed the largest association
with labor productivity. Similarly, Terpstra and Rozell (1993) found that Wrms that
analyzed recruiting sources for their eVectiveness in generating high-performance
applicants had greater annual proWtability in manufacturing and wholesale/retail
industries, greater overall performance in service and wholesale/retail industries,
and greater sales growth in service industries.
A set of studies by Huselid and his colleagues showed relationships between
recruitment intensity and a few indicators of organizational performance. Recruitment intensity is deWned as the number of applicants per position and may also be
called the ‘selection ratio.’ Huselid (1995) found that when recruitment intensity
was combined with other items measuring employee motivation, it was related to
productivity (logarithm of sales per employee) and one measure of Wnancial
performance (Tobin’s q), but not to another Wnancial performance measure
(gross rate of return on capital) or employee turnover. Delaney and Huselid
(1996) examined the same predictor, staYng selectivity, separately and showed
that, while it was not associated with perceived organizational performance, it was
linked to perceived market performance. Though not reported in the article,
Delaney and Huselid mentioned the general robustness of their results, showing
no diVerences between for-proWt and non-proWt organizations.
Investigating the impact of organizational characteristics on recruitment eVectiveness, two other organization-level studies had a slightly diVerent focus from the
studies mentioned so far. One organization-level study focused on compensation
policy as a predictor of recruiting eVectiveness (Williams and Dreher 1992).
Because pecuniary inducements may be considered one of the three basic applicant
attraction strategies (Rynes and Barber 1990), it is pertinent to this review.
Table 14.1 Summary of previous research investigating the main effects of recruitment on organizational effectiveness
Study
Sample
Independent variables
(IV)
Dependent variables
(DV)
Results
W ams and 352 US banks
Dreher (1992)
Compensat on po c es
Recru tment outcomes:
1. App cant poo s ze
2. Acceptance rate
3. Length of pos t on
vacancy
1. % of compensat on a ocated for benef ts was pos t ve y assoc ated
w th app cant poo s ze.
2. Pay eve was pos t ve y assoc ated w th acceptance rates.
3. Benef ts eve was negat ve y assoc ated w th days requ red to f a
pos t on.
4. (Contrary to expectat ons) benef t f ex b ty was negat ve y re ated to
app cant poo s ze.
5. (Contrary to expectat ons) pay eve was pos t ve y assoc ated w th
days requ red to f a pos t on.
Terpstra and
Roze (1993)
201 US
compan es w th
over 200
emp oyees (for
a 23% response
rate)
Compan es’ ana ys s
of recru t ng sources
for effect veness n
generat ng h ghperformance emp oyees
1.
2.
3.
4.
1. IV was not, or on y to a m nor extent, corre ated ( n zero-order
corre at ons) w th DVs 1–4 overa .
However, study a so showed moderator effects:
2. In manufactur ng f rms, IV and prof tab ty were re ated (â ¼ .23).
3. In serv ce ndustry f rms, IV was assoc ated w th sa es growth
(â ¼ .53 and r ¼ .50) and overa performance (â ¼ .35).
4. In who esa e/reta f rms, IV was assoc ated w th prof tab ty
(â ¼ .79) and overa performance (â ¼ .73).
Huse d (1995) 968 pub c y
he d f rms from
Compact
D sc osure
(28% response
rate)
Intens ty of recru t ng
efforts (se ect on rat o)
part of one of two factors const tut ng H gh
Performance Work
Pract ces (Factor ¼
Emp oyee Mot vat on)
1. Turnover
1. Factor Emp oyee Mot vat on re ated to product v ty and Tob n’s q, but
2. Product v ty
not to turnover or return on cap ta .
2. Some ev dence of hor zonta / nterna systems f t w th other Factor of
3. Tob n’s q (f nanc a
performance)
Emp oyee Sk s and Org. Structures.
4. Gross rate of return on
cap ta
Annua prof tab ty
Prof t growth
Sa es growth
Overa performance
(cont nued)
Table 14.1 (continued )
Study
Sample
De aney and
727 US
Huse d (1996) organ zat ons
drawn from
Nat ona
Organ zat ons
Survey (51%
response rate)
Independent variables
(IV)
Dependent variables
(DV)
1. Perce ved org.
Number of app cants
performance
cons dered for each
2. Perce ved market
pos t on (staff ng
performance
se ect v ty): 3 tems
for 3 d fferent pos t ons
(Æ ¼ .66)
Results
1. Staff ng se ect v ty genera y not re ated to perce ved org.
performance, but to perce ved market performance.
2. Genera y robust resu ts: no moderator effects d fferent at ng
for-prof t and non-prof t organ zat ons.
Koch and
McGrath
(1996)
495 US bus ness Recru tment pract ces
un ts (for a 7% nc uded n 2 of 3 HR
ndexes:
response rate)
1. HR p ann ng ndex:
Staff ng p ans and
eva uat on of h r ng
pract ces
2. Investments n
h r ng: Recru tment
ntens ty and
eva uat on of
recru tment sources
Labor product v ty: Net
sa es per emp oyee
1. HR p ann ng ndex pos t ve y assoc ated (â ¼ .36 and .27,
respect ve y) w th product v ty.
2. H r ng ndex pos t ve y assoc ated (â ¼ .10 and .07, respect ve y) w th
product v ty.
3. Both ndexes nteracted w th cap ta ntens ty (betas of nteract on
terms were .29 and .04, respect ve y).
Turban and
Green ng
(1996)
189 US
compan es
Emp oyer attract veness
CSP—espec a y the d mens ons of emp oyee re at ons (â ¼ .16) and
product qua ty (â ¼ .19)—pos t ve y pred cted emp oyer attract veness,
above and beyond the effects of asset s ze (â ¼ .14) and prof tab ty
(â ¼ .19).
Corporate soc a
performance (CSP)
Becker and
691 US f rms
Huse d (1998)
Co ns and
Han (2004)
99 compan es
recru t ng on
US campuses
(response rate
of 43%)
Two tems (se ect on
rat o and forma HR
p ann ng that cons ders
recru tment and
success on) comb ned
w th 22 other tems
form ng an HR system
atent construct
1. Market va ue ( n)
2. Market va ue/book
va ue ( n)
3. Sa es/emp oyee ( n)
4. Gross rate of return
5. Turnover
Genera y— n both manufactur ng and non-manufactur ng sectors—
pos t ve y re ated w th f rst four DVs and negat ve y w th turnover
(as expected).
1. Ear y recru tment
pract ces: H gh- vs.
ow- nvo vement
strateg es
2. Corporate
advert s ng
3. F rm reputat on
App cant poo quant ty
and qua ty
1. Corporate advert s ng and f rm reputat on are pos t ve y re ated to
number of app cants and perce ved app cant qua ty.
2. Corporate advert s ng was d rect y re ated to organ zat on- eve
average app cant GPA (â ¼ .24) and app cants’ work exper ence
(â ¼ .29).
3. Effects of h gh- and ow- nvo vement recru tment strateg es
var ab e (âs rang ng from .09 to .29).
4. Interact ons between advert s ng and recru tment strateg es as
we as reputat on and recru tment strateg es.
280
marc orlitzky
As shown in Table 14.1, a number of observations were consistent with Williams
and Dreher’s hypotheses, while others were unexpected. The study provided
evidence that pay level was positively associated with measures of (proximate)
recruitment eVectiveness, but also suggested that the commercial banks studied
might have used compensation in a reactive fashion. In other words, organizations
may adjust pay levels as a response to prior diYculties with recruitment, which
would explain the study’s surprising Wfth Wnding listed in Table 14.1.
Another study (Turban and Greening 1996) showed that high pay or beneWts
levels may not be the only variables increasing an organization’s ability to attract
applicants. Rather, corporate social performance, the extent to which a Wrm’s
policies and programs exhibit a social and environmental concern with a variety
of stakeholder issues, may enhance corporate reputation, which in turn will attract
more employees. Product quality and employee relations have been identiWed as
the two elements of social performance particularly pertinent to recruitment at the
organizational level of analysis (Turban and Greening 1996). While several individual-level studies found evidence supportive of brand equity in attracting applicants (e.g. Collins and Stevens 2002; Gatewood et al. 1993), there has been no
research stressing the strategic importance of applicants’ perceptions of ‘employer
of choice’ for organization-level outcomes. In fact, some of these individual-level
studies (e.g. Turban and Cable 2003) questioned the generalizability and practical
applicability of a lot of previous research on organizational reputation, employee
branding, and applicant attraction. However, in general, the Wndings of this
research stream, in combination with the Wndings by Trank and colleagues
(2002), suggest that pay may not be the only leverage that organizations can use
in attracting high-quality applicants.
In the most recent study of recruitment eVectiveness, Collins and Han (2004)
showed that the amount of corporate advertising, as measured by the Wrm’s selling,
general, and administrative costs, had the greatest and most consistent statistical
eVect on the prehire outcomes of applicant pool quantity and quality. While both
corporate advertising and Wrm reputation were related to the number of applicants
and applicant quality, only advertising was associated with positions Wlled, applicants’ work experience, and applicants’ grade point average (GPA). Early recruitment strategies, whether low-involvement practices (i.e. general recruitment ads,
sponsorship) or high-involvement practices (i.e. detailed recruitment ads, employee
endorsements), showed variable main eVects on prehire outcomes. Interestingly,
high-involvement generally did not have greater impact than low-involvement
recruitment practices. In fact, one of the largest eVects (â ¼ :28) between recruitment practices and prehire outcomes was between corporate sponsorships
(e.g. scholarships, donations to universities from which they recruit) and interview
ratio, which is the number of applicants divided by number of interviews a
company conducted. Only employee endorsements had a greater association with
one other prehire outcome, applicant GPA (â ¼ :29).
recruitment strategy
281
In summary, to some extent the few studies that investigated recruitment in
relation to organizational eVectiveness are reassuring because they point to a
number of potential general beneWts of recruitment and predictors of recruitment
eVectiveness. Recruitment intensity may enhance labor productivity and several
diVerent Wnancial performance outcomes. In turn, organizations can attract more
applicants (and, thus, increase recruitment intensity) by highlighting their reputation for social responsibility, high pay, or generous beneWts in their recruitment
practices. At the same time, the studies also showed considerable variability
suggestive of a range of contingencies, which will be explored in the next section.
Yet, there are also several theoretical and methodological problems with this
research stream. One problem concerns the theoretical framework. Most of the
aforementioned studies either explicitly (e.g. Becker and Huselid 1998; Koch and
McGrath 1996) or implicitly adopted the RBV as the main causal explanation of the
postulated relationships. Such a perspective ignores the major theoretical problems
inherent in this economic perspective. One criticism is the charge that the RBV
does not capture the complexity inherent in HR systems and, therefore, must
be developed further (Colbert 2004). More importantly, various statements in
the RBV can be shown to be true by deWnition (tautological) and, thus, cannot
be disconWrmed empirically (Powell 2001; Priem and Butler 2001). In other words,
the RBV seems to fall short with respect to core criteria of theory evaluation.
Hence, scholars in HRM should not uncritically adopt any theoretical framework
whose validity has fundamentally been questioned by the Weld that generated it.
Additional methodological problems with organization-level research of the kind
reviewed above include the lack of attention to path models that specify both
proximate and distal dependent variables that might capture the eVectiveness of
given recruitment practices more fully. Most recruitment research has omitted any
detailed descriptions of such direct and indirect path eVects. The only exception is
Huselid (1995), who tested his expectation that turnover and productivity—as more
proximate endogenous variables—would mediate the impact of recruitment practices (and other ‘high-performance work practices’) on Wnancial performance.
However, as Fig. 14.1 indicates, the HR variable that included recruitment intensity
was not related to one mediator and one dependent variable, so the only mediation
eVect found was through productivity (as mediator) to Tobin’s q, the ratio of a Wrm’s
market value to the replacement cost of its assets. Of course, one way to circumvent
this problem of the causal uncertainty inherent in the links of recruitment to distal
organizational outcomes is a greater focus on proximate, prehire outcomes. More
speciWcally, analyzing proximate recruitment prehire outcomes in an organizationlevel study, Collins and Han (2004) did heed this important advice by Rynes (1991)
for more meaningful recruitment research.
Other methodological problems concern the measurement of recruitmentrelated variables. Often recruitment is combined with other variables to form a
latent construct, when in fact the factor structure was quite ambiguous with respect
282
marc orlitzky
Employee
turnover
−
−
Tobin’s q
(corporate
financial
performance)
Recruitment (as part
of employee
motivation factor)
+
+
Productivity
Empirical evidence in Huselid (1995)
No empirical evidence in Huselid (1995)
Fig. 14.1. Mediation effects of recruitment on organizational effectiveness
to the recruitment item (see table 1 in Huselid 1995). This makes it diYcult to discern
the separate eVect of recruitment. In addition, the meaning of the recruitment items
can often be questioned (Rynes and Cable 2003) because they may, in fact, be
confounded with unmeasured inXuences such as company reputation or visibility.
14.2.2 Organizational Contingencies of Recruitment Strategies
Based on various theoretical and practical perspectives, it would be unrealistic to
expect particular recruitment strategies to be superior to all others, regardless of
contextual inXuences. Even the most ardent proponents of ‘best practice’ models
in strategic HRM acknowledge the importance of a variety of contingency factors
(e.g. PfeVer 1998). Although there are no studies investigating the eVect of the Wt
between recruitment and context on organizational eVectiveness (Rynes and Cable
2003), we can, to an admittedly limited extent, use descriptive research on organizational context and recruitment to speculate about the possibly strategic imperative of such context-aligned recruitment practices.3
3
The approach covered in section 14.2.2 assumes that, to be eVective, company processes and
structures must be aligned with a number of contingency factors. Thus, although the contingency
approach may not be explicitly prescriptive, it implicitly is most certainly so. Generally, neoclassical
economics, contingency theory, and neo institutional theory highlight the eVectiveness of organiza
tional adaptation to organizational contexts.
recruitment strategy
283
The studies reviewed in the previous section point to the existence of several
contextual and contingency factors aVecting both the practice and eVectiveness of
recruitment. Some of these contingencies have already been highlighted above, Wrst
and foremost sectoral or industry moderators. The following section expands on
this review and adds other studies that have a descriptive focus, examining how the
practice of recruitment may be inXuenced by several contextual variables. Although other contextual variables (such as institutional norms) may be important
(Rynes and Cable 2003), organizational attributes and strategies tend to be the
variables that have been investigated the most, as shown in Table 14.2.
The most clearly articulated description of the impact of organizational context
on recruitment strategy is in Windolf ’s (1986) seminal article. Windolf proposed
Wve distinct recruitment strategies, which can be placed in a parsimonious twoby-two matrix of contingency variables, as depicted in Fig. 14.2. The two variables,
classiWed as either high or low, are the Wrm’s labor market power and the Wrm’s
‘organizational intelligence,’ which is deWned as the ‘capacity of the Wrm to use
professional knowledge, to collect and process information, and to work out
complex labour market strategies’ (Windolf 1986: 239). In this model, the innovative recruitment strategy is concerned with attracting a heterogeneous group of
creative applicants, drawing on a wide range of recruitment sources. A second
recruitment strategy occupying the same high-high quadrant is the autonomous
strategy, which starts with a precise deWnition of the ideal candidate in terms of
skills, age, or sex. Therefore, autonomous Wrms, isolated from labor market
Labor
market
power
(c) status quo
high
low
(e) muddling
through
low
(a) innovative/
(b) autonomous
(d ) flexible
high
Fig. 14.2. Windolf’s typology of recruitment strategies
Source: Windolf 1986.
'Organizational
intelligence'
Table 14.2 Summary of previous research investigating contingency effects of/on recruitment practices and strategy
Study
Sample
W ndo f
(1986)
Rynes and
Boudreau
(1986)
Contextual variables investigated
Independent variables
Dependent variables
Case stud es of about 1. Labor market power (env ronment)
75 UK f rms, about 85 2. Organ zat ona nte gence ( nterna
(West) German f rms
resources)
3. Nat ona ty
4. F rm s ze
1. Labor market power
(env ronment)
2. Organ zat ona nte gence
( nterna resources)
3. Techn ca comp ex ty of product
and product on process
Recru tment strateg es:
(a) nnovat ve
(b) autonomous
(c) status quo
(d ) f ex b e
(e) mudd ng through
145 arge organ zat ons Industry
that engage n campus
recru t ng
Recru t ng pract ces
Organ zat ona character st cs,
Perce ved recru t ng
nc ud ng perce ved compet t ve
effect veness
advantage, accuracy of
commun cat ons, mportance of
recru ter se ect on, nformat on
recorded about co eges, extent to
wh ch recru ter nformed, etc.
Terpstra and 201 US compan es
Roze (1993) w th over 200
emp oyees (for a
23% response
rate)
Industry
Compan es’ ana ys s of recru t ng
sources for effect veness n
generat ng h gh-performance
emp oyees
1.
2.
3.
4.
Schwan and 4 Dutch organ zat ons
Soeters (1994) (962 vacanc es)
Industry
Organ zat on type
Organ zat on type
(à a M ntzberg)
Externa versus nterna
recru tment strategy
Industry
Cap ta ntens ty
Recru tment pract ces nc uded n Labor product v ty: net
sa es per emp oyee
2 of 3 HR ndexes:
1. HR p ann ng ndex: staff ng p ans
and eva uat on of h r ng
pract ces
2. Investments n h r ng:
recru tment ntens ty and
eva uat on of recru tment
sources
Koch and
McGrath
(1996)
495 US bus ness un ts
(for a 7% response
rate)
Annua prof t
Prof t growth
Sa es growth
Overa performance
Rynes et a .
(1997)
251 organ zat ons from F rm character st cs
popu at on of Nat ona Industry
Assoc at on of Co eges
and Emp oyers (for a
21% response rate)
Barber et a .
(1999)
119 sma
organ zat ons, 184
arge organ zat ons
(for an overa
response rate
of 19%)
Rao and
588 US mutua fund
Draz n (2002) fam es
W amson
and Cab e
(2003)
F rm s ze (sma f rms f rms w th ess
than 500 emp oyees; arge f rms f rms
w th over 1,000 emp oyees)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Long-term staff ng strateg es
Med an age of workforce
Env ronmenta dynam sm
Use of effect ve recru tment
sources (as def ned by
respondents)
5. Compet t ve offers
H r ng of exper enced
emp oyees (extent and
success)
F rm s ze
1. Recru tment
management:
(a) Ded cated HR staff
(b) Recru ter tra n ng
2. Recru tment p ann ng
and t m ng
3. Recru tment source use
4. Metr cs of recru tment
effect veness
1. Organ zat ona age
2. Organ zat on’s externa nkages
505 f rms from var ous 1. Board nter ocks (network t es)
Fortune datasets
2. Number of other f rms h r ng from
source f rm (frequency-based m tat on)
3. S ze of other f rms h r ng (tra t-based
m tat on)
1. Organ zat ona age
2. Organ zat on’s externa nkages
3. Performance of r va s from wh ch
new h res have been recru ted
4. S ze of r va fund fam y
5. Age of r va fund fam y
1. Board nter ocks (network t es)
2. Number of other f rms h r ng
from source f rm
(frequency-based m tat on)
1. Product nnovat on
2. Recru tment of ta ent
from r va s
3. Industry tenure of new
recru ts
Sources of an emp oyer’s
top management team
h res n 1990–4
(organ zat ona h r ng
patterns)
(cont nued)
Table 14.2 (continued )
Study
Samp e
Contextua var ab es nvest gated
Independent var ab es
4. F nanc a performance of other
f rms h r ng from source f rm
(outcome-based m tat on)
5. Industry
6. Organ zat on s ze
7. Source prest ge
8. Source ROA
3. S ze of other f rms h r ng
(tra t-based m tat on)
4. F nanc a performance of other
f rms h r ng from source f rm
(outcome-based m tat on)
5. Industry
6. Organ zat on s ze
7. Source prest ge
8. Source ROA
Dependent var ab es
Co ns and
Han (2004)
99 compan es recru t- 1. Corporate advert s ng
ng on US campuses
2. F rm reputat on
(response rate of 43%)
1. Ear y recru tment pract ces:
H gh- vs. ow- nvo vement
strateg es
2. Corporate advert s ng
3. F rm reputat on
App cant poo quant ty
and qua ty
Gardner
(2005)
661 US software f rms 1. Product–market over ap
(response rate of 73%) 2. Loca ty of abor market
3. Va ue of human cap ta
4. Transferab ty of targeted human cap ta
5. Interact on of va ue and human cap ta
1. Degree of threat (poach ng)
2. Loca ty of h r ng f rm outs de
the target f rm’s oca abor
market
3. Va ue of human cap ta
Reta atory-defens ve
recru tment act v t es (as
part of a arger set of
reta atory-defens ve
react ons to poach ng)
recruitment strategy
287
Xuctuations, tend to use narrow and speciWc recruitment channels (either the Job
Centre or professional journals and newspapers). As innovative and autonomous
Wrms do not diVer with respect to labor market power and organizational intelligence, Windolf invokes a third variable, the technical complexity of the product
and the production process, to diVerentiate these two recruitment strategies.
According to Windolf, innovative recruitment strategies are more appropriate for
organizations scoring high in technical complexity, while autonomous strategies Wt
with relatively low levels of technical complexity.
The three remaining recruitment strategies occupy the other three quadrants. The
status quo strategy is focused on attracting a homogeneous set of applicants, especially as far as demographics and socio-economic status are concerned, and, thus,
deliberately relies on social networks and referrals. In status quo Wrms, even changes
in technology or job requirements will not change recruitment practices. Status
quo Wrms are characterized by low organizational intelligence and high labor market
power and have a traditional, or conservative, strategic stance rather than an innovative one or one deWned by scientiWc management (which is characteristic of autonomous recruitment). Flexible recruitment strategies are adopted by Wrms with weak
market positions, thus being forced to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Strategic control is typically well thought out and centralized in these Wrms which
have low market power (e.g. because of low wages or unpleasant working conditions)
yet high organizational intelligence. Muddling-through recruiters, located in the lowlow quadrant, draw on less strategic thinking or professional expertise than Xexible
employers. Their recruitment and selection techniques are often unsophisticated.
Therefore, muddling-through Wrms generally have higher employee turnover than
Wrms located in the other quadrants.
Empirically, Windolf (1986) examined the diVerential use of recruitment channels for Wrms located in the four quadrants of his typology. For unskilled workers,
status quo Wrms clearly relied most on social networks to attract new employees
(53 percent); for white-collar workers, innovative/autonomous Wrms and status
quo Wrms equally relied on social networks (45 and 44 percent, respectively). This
set of Wndings, inconsistent with the typology, can be explained by the fact that
autonomous Wrms are typically very large and embedded in vast personnel networks, which in turn may be used to reinforce a sense of community. Overall,
Windolf ’s study shows that the reliance on internal labor markets for recruiting is
typically a function of increasing organizational size and geographic location (West
Germany vs. UK).
Another European study conWrmed the impact of (Mintzbergian) organization
type on internal versus external recruitment strategies. Schwan and Soeters (1994)
conceptualized organizational boundary crossing as vacancy-Wlling and connected
it to overarching organizational strategies and conWgurations. The four cases
they investigated were generally consistent with the authors’ expectation that in
‘machine bureaucracies,’ internal recruitment would be more frequent than external
288
marc orlitzky
recruitment. In the production plant studied, a private sector machine bureaucracy,
78 percent of positions were Wlled internally. Similarly, in the social security oYce, a
public sector machine bureaucracy, 66 percent of all positions were Wlled through
internal recruitment. In contrast, the two types of professional bureaucracies, an
accounting Wrm and a hospital, relied more on external recruitment (used as
vacancy-Wlling method for 76 percent and 64 percent of open positions, respectively). So, to some extent, this empirical analysis showed internal versus external
recruitment to be dependent on conWgurational types of organization. However,
Schwan and Soeters also provided cross-type generalizations in that new positions
tended to be Wlled through external recruitment channels (except in the hospital).
Similarly, when labor turnover was high, external recruitment was the generally
preferred method in the three-year study period.
Unsurprisingly, Schwan and Soeters’s (1994) study conWrms previous Wndings
from econometric studies, which have highlighted the interdependence between
labor market conditions and recruitment strategies. For example, Hanssens and
Levien (1983) showed that in times of tight labor supply, organizations are forced to
use more expensive and intensive recruitment methods. Earlier studies also demonstrated that tight labor supply often causes organizations to cast a wider geographic net in recruitment (Malm 1955) or reduce hiring standards (Thurow 1975).
Hence, the research reviewed so far clearly suggests that recruitment strategy is
inXuenced by broader strategic and environmental contingencies.
Less theoretically grounded, but statistically more sophisticated research has
highlighted the importance of considering other contextual factors. Rynes et al.
(1997) showed that greater focus on the recruitment of experienced employees (i.e.
individuals with two or more years of post-college work experience) was associated
with greater organizational growth, a short-term focus in staYng strategies, older
current employees, and less dynamic environments. Unlike Rynes et al. (1997), who
did not Wnd statistically signiWcant associations for Wrm size, Barber and her
colleagues showed how Wrm size aVected a range of recruitment practices, including number of recruitment sources, planning, and timing, as well as recruiter
training (Barber et al. 1999). One of the most interesting of their Wndings was
that smaller Wrms were slightly more likely to use internal recruitment sources
(employee referrals and networking). Conversely, larger Wrms were less likely to use
external agencies and advertising in their recruitment. Instead, large Wrms were far
more likely to rely on campus recruiting than small Wrms.
It is important to note that the existence of these contextual inXuences does not
allow us to draw any conclusions about the eVectiveness of considering a variety of
organizational contingencies in recruitment practice. In fact, there is a dearth of
research investigating the eVectiveness of Wt between recruitment strategies and
features of the environment. The little, inconclusive evidence we do have is
generally based on survey respondents’ perceptions of recruitment success. For
example, Rynes and her colleagues (1997) found very few organizational factors
recruitment strategy
289
related to the success of recruitment (of experienced employees)—only the use of
eVective sources4 (where eVectiveness of source use was deWned by one respondent
within each Wrm), median employee age, and relatively high salary oVers. In
addition, Barber and her colleagues (1999) found evidence that organizational
size aVected Wrms’ deWnitions of recruitment success. Compared to small Wrms,
relatively large Wrms were more likely to invoke goal attainment (i.e. meeting of
preset organizational goals in their recruitment eVorts—whatever these goals were)
and less likely to use new hire performance or retention as metrics that deWne
recruitment eVectiveness. Thus, any future theory of the context dependence of
recruitment strategy must not only pay tribute to the wide variety of contingency
factors, but also to the fact that diVerent organizations may deWne recruitment
success diVerently, which invariably adds conceptual complexity.
Focusing on the organization-level consequences of recruitment activities, two
studies (which have already been reviewed in section 14.2.1) examined the impact of
industry context from a slightly diVerent contingency perspective. First, Terpstra
and Rozell (1993) showed that, in manufacturing Wrms, the systematic evaluation of
recruiting sources was related to annual proWtability, but not to other organizational performance measures. In service Wrms, organizations’ systematic evaluation
of recruitment was associated with sales growth and overall performance, whereas
in wholesale/retail Wrms recruitment evaluation was shown to have a large impact
on proWtability and overall performance. In Wnancial companies, no statistically
signiWcant eVect was found for any of the four observed organizational performance criteria. In sum, Terpstra and Rozell found that the systematic evaluation of
organizational recruiting practices may not matter across the board, but is most
likely moderated by several industry contingencies. Second, Koch and McGrath
(1996) showed how the capital intensity of a Wrm might positively interact with HR
(including recruitment) planning to bring about greater labor productivity. That
is, recruitment planning and assessment were more important in capital-intensive
industries, possibly because any labor eVect may be leveraged by costly capital
assets (for which Koch and McGrath derived an economic proof in the appendix of
their article).
Another study shows that industry eVects are not the only contextual factors
aVecting recruitment. Analyzing the recruitment of top managers, Williamson and
Cable (2003) drew on social contagion and institutional theory to demonstrate that
Wrms’ network ties, the number of other Wrms hiring from the source Wrm, and the
organizational size of those other Wrms aVected top-management hiring patterns.
4
Respondents were asked questions about nine recruitment sources (listed in decreasing order of
perceived eVectiveness): informal referrals, newspaper ads, private search Wrms, formal referrals from
other companies/business units, direct applications, college (alumni) placement services, professional
associations, temp agencies, and on line recruitment. Today, this last source perceived to be least
eVective in the mid 1990s would presumably be seen as much more useful with the rapid spread of the
Internet.
290
marc orlitzky
In general, the study suggests that, descriptively, institutional determinants often
accompany rational inXuences—in recruitment as much as in other areas of HRM
(see, e.g., Gooderham et al. 1999). SpeciWcally, Wrms were more likely to recruit top
managers from other Wrms with which they shared network ties. Mimetic isomorphism shaped recruitment activities, with previous hiring and other Wrms’ size
being more important predictors of top management recruiting than other Wrms’
Wnancial performance, that is, outcome imitation. Unfortunately, because the
authors only reported unstandardized regression coeYcients, the magnitude of
the diVerent eVect sizes found cannot be compared directly. Also, future
research will have to investigate whether these institutional inXuences are also
prescriptively meaningful (that is, have an impact on either recruitment or organizational eVectiveness of top managers and other employee groups) and morally
defensible.5
Sometimes, the lack of generalizability of direct eVects presents an impetus for
the search for moderator, contingency, or interaction eVects. In an interesting
study which has already been discussed above, Collins and Han (2004) found
strong support for the hypothesis that low-involvement recruitment practices
(i.e. general recruitment ads and company sponsorships of scholarships, etc.)
only mattered when applicants were not aware of Wrm image, that is, when
companies had not previously invested in advertising or reputation enhancement.
Conversely, there was also strong evidence that high-involvement practices (i.e.
detailed recruitment ads and employee endorsements) only mattered when a
company had already established awareness of itself through company advertising
or reputation. In combination, these two Wndings indicate that company advertising and reputation represent contingency factors in the organizational context
shaping recruitment strategies.
Other interesting research connects recruitment to competitive strategy. Rao and
Drazin (2002) found that young and poorly connected investment fund Wrms may
use recruitment from competitors as a strategic response to their lack of product
innovation. To some extent, this response in hiring new talent makes strategic sense
because external recruitment of talent generally was shown to be associated with
investment funds’ greater product innovation. When Wrms were particularly isolated, the eVects of recruitment on product innovation were more pronounced. All
in all, this study shows that recruitment can be used as a strategic response to
overcome organizational resource constraints.
In a related vein, Gardner’s (2005) study showed that poaching of talent by
competitors may often set in motion retaliatory-defensive strategy dynamics.
Results showed that recruitment by competitors outside the target Wrm’s local
5
The existence of these environmental institutional factors does not imply researchers or man
agers can use this evidence to justify hiring patterns that reduce employee diversity and may even
constitute prima facie evidence of discrimination against network outsiders. That is, the ethical
implications of Williamson and Cable’s (2003) Wndings must be scrutinized.
recruitment strategy
291
labor market, as well as the value and transferability of human capital, exacerbated
retaliatory-defensive actions. Contrary to predictions, however, overlapping product markets were not signiWcantly associated with retaliatory-defensive recruiting
actions. Probably the most interesting Wnding was the interaction between the
value and transferability of human capital. When both are high, the likelihood of
defensive retaliation (e.g. retaliatory recruitment of employees from previous
‘poacher’) increased dramatically. On the other hand, when human capital is
non-transferable, its value did not make a diVerence in defensive retaliation
(compared to no response). This study suggests that recruitment can represent,
in a broad repertoire of organizational actions, an activity that is used to defend
against, or retaliate for, talent raiding—in particular when other companies’
‘poaching’ involves highly transferable and valuable employee skills.
In summary, this review of the literature on recruitment strategy shows that
there is little consensus on the meaning of the term. DeWnitions and contexts of
recruitment strategy vary widely, so that not a lot of knowledge has been accumulated—despite many commendable attempts to heed Rynes and Barber’s (1990) call
for elevating the level of analysis from the individual to the organization. Although
the direct eVects of recruitment practices are either non-generalizable, modest in
size, or uncertain in terms of causal attribution (Rynes 1991; Rynes and Cable 2003),
research has made major advances in identifying organization-level contingencies
of recruitment. However, as long as there is no generally accepted typology of
recruitment strategies, it is diYcult to determine the theoretical importance of
these empirically veriWed contingencies.
14.3 Implications of the Recruitment
Strategy Literature
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The lack of theoretical integration points to needed trajectories for future theory
development, research, and management policy. Future research could ameliorate
the lack of solid knowledge, which is due to three root causes: insuYcient
theoretical development, little organization-level prescriptive research, and the
academic–practitioner gap (see also Taylor and Collins 2000).
14.3.1 Future Theory Development
More sophisticated theory development is required to clarify the dimensions of
recruitment strategy. One obvious dimension is internal versus external recruitment,
292
marc orlitzky
which is supported by two seminal European, small-n studies of recruitment
strategy (Schwan and Soeters 1994; Windolf 1986). Barber’s (1998: 6–13) Wve
‘dimensions of recruitment’ are not so much dimensions of recruitment strategy
as a unifying framework for categorizing both individual- and organization-level
research on recruitment or assessing the state of knowledge. The dimensions or
categories are actors (applicants, organization, organizational agents, and outsiders), activities, outcomes, context, and phases. As no study can focus on all
Wve dimensions, Barber (1998) used the last dimension, recruitment phases, in her
detailed overview of the recruitment literature. However, to advance recruitment
research further, recruitment scholars need to develop a comprehensive, theoretically coherent, and succinct model of recruitment strategies. Such a model could
then be used to circumscribe more deWnitively our knowledge of how and why
recruitment works.
Whereas Barber’s (1998) framework may be too broad to be useful as deWning
the dimensions of recruitment strategy, an earlier framework (namely, Rynes and
Barber 1990) might need more detailed conceptual development. Rynes and
Barber’s model broadly conceptualized applicant attraction strategies as comprising (1) recruitment, (2) targeting diVerent applicant pools (i.e. non-traditional
applicants or less-qualiWed applicants), and (3) pecuniary and non-pecuniary
inducements. Thus, in a way, this model anticipated Boxall and Purcell’s (2003:
141) concern that Windolf ’s (1986) typology omitted inducements as a key dimension of recruitment strategy. Within the Wrst ‘strategy,’ Rynes and Barber mention
elements of recruitment (namely, organizational actors, messages, sources, timing),
but not really strategies that explicitly diVerentiate one Wrm from another economically. Also, the distinction between ‘strategies’ (1) and (2) may be helpful from
an expositional perspective, but it is not entirely clear why HR directors would not
think about recruitment strategy and applicant pools simultaneously. That is,
changes in (1) typically result in changes in (2), and (2) might in fact be conceptually subsumed under (1).
There is no dearth of approaches from which theoretical inspiration may
emerge, and some approaches may be more fruitful avenues to pursue than others.
Although the resource-based view of the Wrm (RBV) is currently one of the most
popular theories among HR scholars, it may have a number of theory-inherent
Xaws, as discussed before. In addition, because recruitment is an HR function that
is situated at the boundary between labor markets and organizations, a primarily
internal theory of organizational advantage and competitiveness, such as the RBV,
may not be as useful for clarifying causalities as theories that focus on the market/
organization boundary. Kaufman’s (2004) argument that transaction cost economics promises theoretical traction might be particularly applicable to the HR
function of recruitment. Related theoretical work has been advanced by Lepak
and Snell (1999), who integrate transaction cost economics with the RBV and
human capital theory to build a typology of organizations’ HR conWgurations.
recruitment strategy
293
Economic theories may help us determine under what conditions internal
recruitment or external recruitment matter more. However, they may also leave
out important considerations of cognitive-psychological processes, communication, and language in social systems (Boje et al. 2004; Luhmann 1995). Because an
eVective recruitment strategy would, most likely, have to create language-based
mental models of ‘employer of choice’ (see, e.g., Allen et al. 2004), greater focus on
sociological-linguistic theories may be important in the future to build micro–
macro theory bridges. Prescriptively, we must study which features of recruitment
communications have the greatest organizational impact. At the same time, we
must descriptively examine how line managers and HR professionals actually make
decisions about the aforementioned Wve central questions related to recruitment
strategy (Breaugh 1992; Breaugh and Starke 2000; Rynes and Cable 2003).
14.3.2 Future Empirical Research
Recruitment researchers must work toward greater accumulation of knowledge. In
most cases this will mean more empirical replications must be performed (Tsang
and Kwan 1999), which generally are not valued as much in academic circles as
completely new research. Unfortunately, the academic obsession with empirical
and theoretical novelty may stunt paradigm development (Donaldson 1995; PfeVer
1993). With more cumulative research, we could examine empirically how much
the Wndings vary across samples and study settings and whether such variability is
due to sampling error, measurement error, and a variety of other study artifacts
rather than theoretically important contingency factors (Hunter and Schmidt
2004). Because of the lack of cumulative knowledge (Rynes 1991; Rynes and
Cable 2003), the only recruitment-related studies that integratively investigated
mediators, moderators, and artifacts were four meta-analyses on realistic job
previews (McEvoy and Cascio 1985; Phillips 1998; Premack and Wanous 1985; Reilly
et al. 1979). Ultimately, similar meta-analyses will be required on other organization-level determinants and outcomes of recruitment strategies, but they can only
happen if empirical knowledge is generated cumulatively. To facilitate this cumulative knowledge growth, more programmatic recruitment research will be necessary (cf. Berger et al. 2005).
Future empirical research must also address the dramatic changes in organizational recruitment practices (Rynes and Cable 2003; Taylor and Collins 2000). For
example, the Internet may present opportunities and threats for organizational
recruitment (Cappelli 2001). Although there have been some early, fairly sophisticated studies from the perspective of web applicants (e.g. Dineen et al. 2002),
research on the use and usefulness from the organization’s perspective should
be conducted with the same methodological rigor as this individual-level
research. Moreover, organization-level research on Internet recruitment should
294
marc orlitzky
add a prescriptive angle to its so far more descriptive research questions (e.g.
Backhaus 2004). Future research should examine to what extent innovative recruitment practices are in fact related to recruiting eVectiveness and organizational
eVectiveness. Most importantly, although there is an integrative organization-level
model of broad applicant attraction strategies (i.e. Rynes and Barber 1990), its
propositions have largely remained untested (Barber 1998; Taylor and Collins
2000). In addition, Rynes and Cable (2003: 70–2) have suggested many other fruitful
areas for future research, covering a wide variety of topics ranging from recruitment
sources to organizational characteristics to various recruitment-related processes.
Many of these proposed research questions will aVect recruitment strategy.
Any empirical investigation of the contribution of recruitment to strategic HRM
and overall organizational eVectiveness requires simultaneous attention to the
multidimensionality of eVectiveness (Boxall and Purcell 2003), organizational
contingencies, and such general workplace trends as the demise of internal labor
markets (Cappelli 1999, 2000). To evaluate the eVectiveness of recruitment,
researchers should not only examine its cost eVectiveness and eVects on labor
productivity. Rather, recruitment, like other HR functions, can also serve the
purpose of greater organizational Xexibility (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Wright and
Snell 1998). Finally, social legitimacy and corporate social performance should not
only be treated as antecedents of recruitment success, but should also be investigated as possible outcomes of recruitment (Orlitzky and Swanson in press).
14.3.3 Implications for Management
Practice
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
For practitioners, there is little evidence about any generalizable ‘best practice’
takeaway from the recruitment literature. StaYng professionals at many large
companies such as DuPont seem to have realized this a long time ago (see, for
example, an HR executive expressing the sentiment that ‘there is no best way to
recruit new employees’ in Breaugh 1992: 39). Even positive eVects of recruitment
practices that logically should be superior to their alternatives, such as realistic job
previews, have been found to be either inconsistent across studies or only modest
in magnitude (in the meta-analyses cited above). At the organizational level,
prescriptions that are seemingly sensible across the board, such as maximizing
applicant pools, may have to be qualiWed because any apparent beneWts must be
weighed against their costs. In turn, beneWts and costs depend on a number of
contextual inXuences or contingencies. High recruitment intensity, for example,
might be one of the myths that should not be implemented uncritically by
recruitment strategy
295
organizations (see Breaugh 1992: 12–13 for other examples of such questionable
assumptions). The only generalizable advice in which we can have fairly high
conWdence comes from individual-level research (not reviewed in this chapter):
recruiters that possess greater interpersonal skills and warmth seem to be an
important reason why applicants decide to accept job oVers (Barber 1998; Taylor
and Collins 2000).
Reviewers of the recruitment literature usually bemoan the fact that academic
research has had little relevance for recruiting practice (Breaugh and Starke 2000;
Rynes 1991; Rynes and Cable 2003). Relevance might be enhanced by more attention
to prescriptive organization-level issues and processes (Rynes and Cable 2003; Taylor
and Collins 2000), and also a cross-disciplinary widening of the research lens.
Practitioners need knowledge that is not narrowly deWned by disciplinary boundaries. Particularly informative for practice would be studies by research teams that
rely on cross-disciplinary and practitioner–academic dialogues (see also Rynes et al.
2001). This way, researchers could discern whether practitioners believe the dramatic
changes in labor markets and organizations over the last decade (Cappelli 1999) are
here to stay—and what important questions these changes may raise with respect to
recruitment and recruitment strategy. As mentioned before, what is regarded as one
of the most sophisticated approaches to the evaluation of recruitment strategy by
scholars, namely utility analysis (cf. Barber 1998: 128), may be ignored or even
rejected by practitioners (Latham and Whyte 1994). The use of cross-disciplinary
research teams would most likely highlight the need for parsimony and simplicity
counterbalancing the ever increasing complexity of academic frameworks.
14.4 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This review has shown the context dependence and contingent nature of recruitment practices. The studies seem to suggest that whatever works for one organization may not work for others in terms of recruitment strategy. The chapter
structure reXected the tension between possible ‘best practice’ principles (section
14.2.1) and contingency factors (section 14.2.2). As it shows, there are unlikely to be
any recruitment practices that will always ‘work’ or matter. Instead, some of the
best recruitment research has shown that the adoption of recruitment strategies
may depend on the hiring practices of other Wrms, labor market conditions, and
industry context, among other variables.
However, this conclusion about the existence of several contingency eVects (as
shown in Table 14.2) may have to be qualiWed by two caveats. First, study artifacts
(e.g. sampling error) may mask generalizable eVects. Second, the mere existence of
296
marc orlitzky
contingencies does not prove the superiority of a contingency approach to recruitment. Only psychometric meta-analysis can investigate the former caveat about
study artifacts, but a future meta-analysis in recruitment requires a research
program whose theoretical foundation is less piecemeal than recruitment research
so far. The second caveat requires a more in-depth examination of the causal
mechanisms linking recruitment, its prehire outcomes, and posthire consequences.
Broad strategic HR frameworks that have integrated a variety of theories (e.g.
Lepak and Snell 1999; Wright and Snell 1998) may be valuable starting points for
the development of theoretically persuasive research programs in recruitment. The
Wrst step in that direction would be the development of a parsimonious model of
recruitment strategy whose eVectiveness criteria are theoretically connected to
these broader strategic HR frameworks. Without a comprehensive yet parsimonious typology and theory of recruitment strategy, academics and practitioners will
not have any criteria by which to judge the eVectiveness of new activities such as
Internet recruiting.
References
Allen, D. G., Van Scotter, J. R., and Otondo, R. F. (2004). ‘Recruitment Communica
tion Media: Impact on Prehire Outcomes.’ Personnel Psychology, 57/1: 143 71.
Backhaus, K. B. (2004). ‘An Exploration of Corporate Recruitment Descriptions on
Monster.Com.’ Journal of Business Communication, 41/2: 115 36.
Barber, A. E. (1998). Recruiting Employees: Individual and Organizational Perspectives.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Wesson, M. J., Roberson, Q. M., and Taylor, M. S. (1999). ‘A Tale of Two Job
Markets: Organizational Size and its EVects on Hiring Practices and Job Search Behavior.’
Personnel Psychology, 52: 841 67.
Barney, J., and Wright, P. M. (1998). ‘On Becoming a Strategic Partner: The Role of
Human Resources in Gaining Competitive Advantage.’ Human Resource Management,
37/1: 31 46.
Becker, B. E., and Huselid, M. A. (1998). ‘High Performance Work Systems and Firm
Performance: A Synthesis of Research and Managerial Implications.’ Research in Person
nel and Human Resources Management, 16: 53 101.
Berger, J., Willer, D., and Zelditch, M. (2005). ‘Theory Programs and Theoretical
Problems.’ Sociological Theory, 23/2: 127 55.
Boje, D. M., Oswick, C., and Ford, J. D. (2004). ‘Language and Organization: The Doing of
Discourse.’ Academy of Management Review, 29/4: 571 7.
Boudreau, J. W. (1991). ‘Utility Analysis for Decisions in Human Resource Management.’
In M. D. Dunnette and L. M. Hough (eds.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational
Psychology, vol. ii. Palo Alto, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press.
and Rynes, S. L. (1985). ‘Role of Recruitment in StaYng Utility Analysis.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 70/2: 354 66.
recruitment strategy
297
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Breaugh, J. A. (1992). Recruitment: Science and Practice. Boston: PWS Kent.
and Starke, M. (2000). ‘Research on Employee Recruitment: So Many Studies, So
Many Remaining Questions.’ Journal of Management, 26/3: 405 34.
Cappelli, P. (1999). The New Deal at Work: Managing the Market Driven Workforce.
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.
(2000). ‘A Market Driven Approach to Retaining Talent.’ Harvard Business Review,
78/1: 103 11.
(2001). ‘Making the Most of On Line Recruiting.’ Harvard Business Review, 79/3: 139 46.
Carlson, K. D., Connerley, M. L., and Mecham, R. L. (2002). ‘Recruitment Evaluation: The
Case for Assessing the Quality of Applicants Attracted.’ Personnel Psychology, 55: 461 90.
Colbert, B. A. (2004). ‘The Complex Resource Based View: Implications for Theory and
Practice in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review,
29/3: 341 58.
Collins, C. J., and Han, J. (2004). ‘Exploring Applicant Pool Quantity and Quality: The
EVects of Early Recruitment Practice Strategies, Corporate Advertising, and Firm Repu
tation.’ Personnel Psychology, 57/3: 658 717.
and Stevens, C. K. (2002). ‘The Relationship between Early Recruitment Related
Activities and the Application Decisions of New Labor Market Entrants: A Brand Equity
Approach to Recruitment.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 1121 33.
Delaney, J. T., and Huselid, M. A. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management
Practice on Perceptions of Organizational Performance.’ Academy of Management Jour
nal, 39: 949 69.
Dineen, B. R., Ash, S. R., and Noe, R. A. (2002). ‘A Web of Applicant Attraction: Person
Organization Fit in the Context of Web Based Recruitment.’ Journal of Applied Psych
ology, 87/4: 723 34.
Donaldson, L. (1995). American Anti Management Theories of Organization: A Critique of
Paradigm Proliferation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gardner, T. M. (2005). ‘InterWrm Competition for Human Resources: Evidence from the
Software Industry.’ Academy of Management Journal, 48/2: 237 56.
Gatewood, R. D., Gowan, M. A., and Lautenschlager, G. J. (1993). ‘Corporate Image,
Recruitment Image, and Initial Job Choice Decisions.’ Academy of Management Journal,
36/2: 414 27.
Gooderham, P. N., Nordhaug, O., and Ringdal, K. (1999). ‘Institutional and Rational
Determinants of Organizational Practices: Human Resource Management in European
Firms.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 44: 507 31.
Hanssens, D. M., and Levien, H. A. (1983). ‘An Econometric Study of Recruitment
Marketing in the U.S. Navy.’ Management Science, 29/10: 1167 84.
Hunter, J. E., and Schmidt, F. L. (2004). Methods of Meta analysis: Correcting Error and
Bias in Research Findings. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38: 635 72.
Kaufman, B. E. (2004). ‘Toward an Integrative Theory of Human Resource Management.’
In B. E. Kaufman (ed.), Theoretical Perspectives on Work and the Employment Relation
ship. Champaign, Ill: Industrial Relations Research Association.
298
marc orlitzky
Koch, M. J., and McGrath, R. G. (1996). ‘Improving Labor Productivity: Human
Resource Management Policies Do Matter.’ Strategic Management Journal, 17: 335 54.
Latham, G. P., and Whyte, G. (1994). ‘The Futility of Utility Analysis.’ Personnel Psych
ology, 47: 31 46.
Lepak, D. P., and Snell, S. A. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory of
Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Management Review, 24: 31 48.
Luhmann, N. (1995). Social Systems. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press.
McEvoy, G. M., and Cascio, W. F. (1985). ‘Strategies for Reducing Employee Turnover:
A Meta analysis.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 70: 342 53.
Malm, F. T. (1955). ‘Hiring Procedures and Selection Standards in the San Francisco Bay
Area.’ Industrial Labor Relations Review, 8: 231 52.
Orlitzky, M., and Swanson, D. (in press). ‘Socially Responsible Human Resource Man
agement: Charting New Territory.’ In J. R. Deckop (ed.), Human Resource Management
Ethics. Greenwich, Conn.: Information Age Publishing.
Pfeffer, J. (1993). ‘Barriers to the Advance of Organizational Science: Paradigm Develop
ment as a Dependent Variable.’ Academy of Management Review, 18/4: 599 620.
(1998). The Human Equation: Building ProWts by Putting People First. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press.
Phillips, J. M. (1998). ‘EVects of Realistic Job Previews on Multiple Organizational
Outcomes: A Meta analysis.’ Academy of Management Journal, 41: 673 90.
Powell, T. C. (2001). ‘Competitive Advantage: Logical and Philosophical Considerations.’
Strategic Management Journal, 22: 875 88.
Premack, S. L., and Wanous, J. P. (1985). ‘A Meta analysis of Realistic Job Preview
Experiments.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 70: 706 19.
Priem, R. L., and Butler, J. E. (2001). ‘Is the Resource Based ‘‘View’’ a Useful Perspective
for Strategic Management Research?’ Academy of Management Review, 26: 22 40.
Rao, H., and Drazin, R. (2002). ‘Overcoming Resource Constraints on Product Innovation
by Recruiting Talent from Rivals: A Study of the Mutual Fund Industry, 1986 94.’
Academy of Management Journal, 45/3: 491 507.
Reilly, R. R., Brown, B., Blood, M. R., and Malatesta, C. Z. (1979). ‘The EVects of
Realistic Previews: A Study and Discussion of the Literature.’ Personnel Psychology, 34:
823 34.
Rynes, S. L. (1991). ‘Recruitment, Job Choice, and Post Hire Consequences: A Call for New
Research Directions.’ In M. D. Dunnette and L. M. Hough (eds.), Handbook of Industrial
and Organizational Psychology, vol. ii. Palo Alto, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press.
and Barber, A. E. (1990). ‘Applicant Attraction Strategies: An Organizational
Perspective.’ Academy of Management Review, 15: 286 310.
and Boudreau, J. (1986). ‘College Recniting in Large Organizations: Practice,
Graluation, and Research Implications.’ Personal Psychology, 39: 729 57.
and Cable, D. M. (2003). ‘Recruitment Research in the Twenty First Century.’ In
W. Borman, D. R. Ilgen, and R. Klimoski (eds.), Handbook of Psychology, Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, vol. xii. New York: Wiley.
Orlitzky, M., and Bretz, R. D., Jr. (1997). ‘Experienced Hiring Versus College
Recruiting: Practices and Emerging Trends.’ Personnel Psychology, 50: 309 39.
Bartunek, J. M., and Daft, R. L. (2001). ‘Across the Great Divide: Knowledge
Creation and Transfer between Practitioners and Academics.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 44/2: 340 55.
recruitment strategy
299
Schwan, R., and Soeters, J. (1994). ‘The Strategy of Vacancy Filling from Internal and
External Labor Market Sources: An Empirical Assessment of the Recruitment Strategy of
DiVerent Types of Organization.’ Scandinavian Journal of Management, 10/1: 69 85.
Taylor, M. S., and Collins, C. (2000). ‘Organizational Recruitment: Enhancing the
Intersection of Research and Practice.’ In C. Cooper and E. A. Locke (eds.), Industrial
and Organizational Psychology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Terpstra, D. E., and Rozell, E. J. (1993). ‘The Relationship of StaYng Practices to
Organizational Level Measures of Performance.’ Personnel Psychology, 46: 27 48.
Thurow, L. (1975). Generating Inequality. New York: Basic.
Trank, C. Q., Rynes, S. L., and Bretz, R. D., Jr. (2002). ‘Attracting Applicants in the War
for Talent: DiVerences in Work Preferences among High Achievers.’ Journal of Business &
Psychology, 16/3: 331 45.
Tsang, E. W. K., and Kwan, K. M. (1999). ‘Replication and Theory Development in
Organizational Science: A Critical Realist Perspective.’ Academy of Management Review,
24/4: 759 80.
Turban, D. B., and Cable, D. M. (2003). ‘Firm Reputation and Applicant Pool Character
istics.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24/6: 733 51.
and Greening, D. W. (1996). ‘Corporate Social Performance and Organizational
Attractiveness to Prospective Employees.’ Academy of Management Journal, 40/3: 658 72.
Williams, M. L., and Dreher, G. F. (1992). ‘Compensation System Attributes and Appli
cant Pool Characteristics.’ Academy of Management Journal, 35: 571 95.
Williamson, I. O., and Cable, D. M. (2003). ‘Organizational Hiring Patterns, InterWrm
Network Ties, and Interorganizational Imitation.’ Academy of Management Journal, 46:
349 58.
Windolf, P. (1986). ‘Recruitment, Selection, and Internal Labour Markets in Britain and
Germany.’ Organization Studies, 7/3: 235 54.
Wright, P. M., and McMahan, G. C. (1992). ‘Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human
Resource Management.’ Journal of Management, 18/2: 295 320.
and Snell, S. A. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and
Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review,
23: 756 72.
chapter 15
....................................................................................................................................................
SELECTION
DECISION-MAKING
....................................................................................................................................
neal schmitt
brian kim
15.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Certainly, one of the most important sets of decisions an organization makes is
the decision to employ personnel. All aspects of an organization’s activities are
directed and enacted by the people that comprise the organization. It is also not the
case that just any person’s activity will optimize organizational functioning. Nearly
a century of work on the use of various employment procedures has documented
that there are substantial individual diVerences in job performance and that the use
of good selection procedures results in the employment of better performing
individuals (Schmidt and Hunter 1998) and greater practical utility for organizations (Boudreau and Ramstad 2003).
15.2 Methods Used
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Probably the most extensive set of published data on the use of various methods by
which Wrms in diVerent countries make decisions is provided by Ryan et al. (1999).
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
301
Nine hundred and Wfty-nine Wrms in twenty diVerent countries responded to their
survey on the manner in which hiring decisions are made. Extensive use of
interviews was reported in all countries ranging from an average of two per
applicant to nearly four per applicant in France. Across all countries, these Wrms
reported using just under Wve test types to evaluate job applicants. Of those who
used tests, work samples, medical screens, and cognitive ability tests were most
frequently used. Physical ability tests, integrity/honesty tests, video-based tests,
projective tests, drug tests, and graphology were infrequently or never used. There
were some relatively large diVerences across countries also; respondents in Japan
and Malaysia reported no test use. Firms in all parts of the world report that they
often or always use application blanks, educational qualiWcations, references from
previous employers, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, personal references as a
means to make decisions about prospective employees. While the Ryan et al. study
does provide descriptive data on the methods used and the extent of their use, it
does not inform us as to the manner or sequence in which such data are collected.
In US companies, it is probably the case that educational qualiWcations, application
letters, and letters of reference are used as initial screens followed by interviews and
more formal, quantiWable data collection using tests. However, the use of tests is by
no means universal. On average, approximately 30 percent of US organizations
indicated using these devices, with a slightly greater use reported across organizations in all countries.
The constructs measured by these various methods are often categorized into
‘can do’ measures indicating the ability to perform important work tasks and ‘will
do’ measures that reXect a person’s motivation or willingness to perform work well.
Measures of both sets of constructs prove to be valid predictors of subsequent job
performance, as described in the next section.
15.2.1 Validity of Methods Used
One common way in which test use is justiWed is to correlate test scores or other
methods of evaluating applicant potential with subsequent measures of job
performance. A recent summary of these criterion-related validation studies
conducted over an eighty-Wve-year period has been provided by Schmidt and
Hunter (1998). They report average correlations above .50 for general mental
ability tests, work sample tests, and structured interviews. The average validity
reported for job knowledge tests is .48. Somewhat lower validities are reported for
measures of personality constructs such as conscientiousness and integrity and
for methods such as job experience measures, unstructured interviews, and
reference checks. Assessment centers which include multiple methods of data
collection display validities of .37. The manner in which organizations assess
criterion-related validity (and the type of study that is the source of the Schmidt
302
neal schmitt and brian kim
and Hunter meta-analytic review) is summarized in the next section of our
chapter. Guidelines for validation research and test use in general are provided
in the SIOP Principles (2003).
15.2.2 Validation of Test Use
The manner in which organizations proceed to develop and validate their selection
procedures has followed a relatively well-deWned set of steps that is enshrined in
scientiWc (AERA, APA, and NCME 1999; SIOP 2003) and legal guidelines (Uniform
Guidelines 1978). This process begins with a job analysis that seeks to deWne the
tasks required of job incumbents and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other
characteristics (KSAOs) required for accomplishing those tasks eVectively. Information regarding speciWc organizational objectives or work conditions that inXuence the capability of job incumbents to do their jobs is also sought during the job
analysis. Armed with this information, selection experts develop or select measures
by which they can gauge the eVectiveness of applicants who seek to occupy these
jobs. After the measurement of applicant KSAOs and their subsequent performance, data regarding KSAOs and job performance measures is correlated to assess
the validity of the procedures. This information is also used to inform the implementation of the selection procedures and to determine their worth or utility to the
organization. This process has been described in numerous textbooks for decades
(e.g. Guion 1998; Ployhart et al. in press; Schmitt and Chan 1998), and the
eVectiveness of this decision-making process is well documented.
15.3 Developments in Selection
Decision-Making
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this chapter we attempt to describe Wve developments during the last several
years that have extended this decision-making model or required adaptations of
this model to new circumstances and concerns. The following list comprises this set
of ‘new’ developments. First, increasing attention has been directed towards
determining the role of selection practices in overall organizational eVectiveness
(e.g. Huselid 1995) and the use of selection to further strategic organizational goals
(Boudreau and Ramstad 2003). This contrasts with earlier utility models (e.g.
Cascio 2000) that aggregated individual impact to assess organizational level
impact. Second, much work and writing on personnel selection has reconsidered
the criteria against which we validate measures of KSAOs. Campbell and his
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
303
colleagues (Campbell et al. 1993) proposed a popular, multidimensional performance model, as have Borman and Motowidlo (Motowidlo 2003), who are concerned with contextual performance. In addition, Organ (1997) and others have
written about citizenship behavior, and Pulakos and colleagues (Pulakos et al.
2000) have investigated adaptive performance. A third area that continues to
receive attention both in legal venues and psychological research is aYrmative
action and its impact on organizations and their members (Aguinis 2004; Bell et al.
2000). Fourth, some small amount of attention is being directed to the consideration of how individual diVerences in the aggregate contribute to organizational
eVectiveness. This requires that we build and evaluate theories of staYng that link
individual, intermediate, and organizational levels (Ployhart 2004; Ployhart and
Schneider in press). The need for multilevel theories of job performance and
organizational eVectiveness is underscored by the increasing use of teams and by
research on team composition and eVectiveness (e.g. Carpenter et al. 2004).
Perhaps spurred in part by the 9/11 tragedy and recent corporate scandals, a Wfth
topic that organizations have become increasingly concerned about is employee
deviance and counterproductivity (Ones 2002).
The traditional selection model outlined at the beginning of this chapter has
served organizational researchers well over most of the Wrst century in the application of personnel selection research. The Wve issues mentioned above complicate
or expand the concerns inherent in this traditional approach to selection decisionmaking. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to each of these concerns in more
detail and the relevant, recent research (primarily studies published since 2000).
The concluding section of the chapter outlines the implications for organizations
and describes some of the questions that we believe warrant more attention.
15.3.1 Selection and Organizational EVectiveness
In the past decade, there has been a growing interest in establishing that selection
procedures and the human capital attracted by an organization have an impact on
organizational-level outcomes such as proWtability and productivity. Studies have
also attempted to show what combinations of human resource interventions, as
well as other organizational inputs, have such impact. Early approaches that
examined the impact of selection decision practices at the organizational level
did so in isolation of other human resource (HR) functions (e.g. Terpstra and
Rozell 1993). These studies were soon replaced by studies looking at the eVect of
multiple HR functions (Huselid 1995) and speciWc combinations of functions,
sometimes thought to represent ‘high-performance work systems’ (Becker and
Huselid 1998).
Terpstra and Rozell (1993) reported correlational data supporting the conclusion
that organizations using a wide variety of selection procedures (such as interviews,
304
neal schmitt and brian kim
cognitive ability tests, biodata, and the evaluation of recruiting sources) had higher
levels of overall performance, annual proWt, and growth in proWt. Huselid (1995)
reported small (< .10) correlations between diVerent HR functions and corporate
Wnancial performance, and a set of similar studies followed shortly after (Delaney
and Huselid 1996; Delery and Doty 1996; Huselid et al. 1997). Wright and Boswell
(2002) have provided an informative review of this work. In more recent and more
sophisticated work, Hitt et al. (2001) and Batt (2002) examined the degree to which
the performance of law Wrms, as indexed by the ratio of net income to total Wrm
revenue, was inXuenced by various aspects of human capital. They found a
curvilinear relationship between human capital and performance reXecting the
fact that the early expenses associated with capturing the best talent only paid oV
later in the Wrm’s history. They also reported an interaction between human capital
and strategy, as reXected in service and geographic diversiWcation. Batt (2002)
found that quit rates were lower and sales growth measures were higher in
telephone call centers that emphasized high skills, employee participation, teams,
high pay, and security.
It is not hard to criticize the methodological rigor of these studies as some have
done (Boxall and Purcell 2000; Wright et al. 2001b). Senior-level personnel usually
provide responses to single-item measures of HR functioning, sometimes about
issues of which they could not be well informed. Questions are often superWcial,
perhaps resulting from an eVort to keep survey instruments short and maximize
return rates. Wright et al. (2001b) point out that these measures cannot possibly be
very reliable; this lack of reliability may be one reason why the relationship with
Wrm outcomes is often so very low.
Even with the potential limitations of the database on the relationships between
HR functions and Wrm performance, there seems to be consensus on several issues.
First, it is not productive to consider HR functions or human capital in isolation of
other aspects of the organization or even of the society in which the organization
functions. Most representative of this position is the work of Lepak and Snell
(2002) who describe conWgurations of HR activities that are most often associated
with particular types of employment modes (i.e. knowledge-based, job-based,
contract work, and alliance or partnerships). Second, successful organizations, or
systems, must have human capital (knowledge, skills, and abilities, or KSAs), the
social capital (internal and external relationships), and organizational capital
(processes, technologies, and databases) to be successful. Firms must have the
KSAs, but also develop practices that motivate people. This resource-based view
(Wright et al. 2001a) and a more theoretical view of Wrm performance, strategy, and
the role of human resources appear to be the direction in which this area of study is
now headed. Finally, Wright et al. (2005) show that HR practices are strongly
related to future performance as well as past performance. This Wnding challenges
the prevailing assumption that HR practices cause organizational performance
rather than the reverse, or that both are caused by some external variable(s).
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
305
Third, there is also recognition among selection researchers that multilevel
theorizing and research must be motivated by levels of conceptualization and
construct operationalization that may involve more than simply aggregating individual-level data. We turn to this speciWc issue in a later section.
15.3.2 Reconceptualization of the Performance Domain
The meaning of job performance has changed throughout the decades, but it has
changed radically in recent years. Austin and Villanova (1992) chronicled the early
history of job performance concepts, operational deWnitions, and measures from
1917–92 and noted that a major limitation of the research conducted prior to 1990
was the criterion problem. Job performance was often treated too narrowly (i.e.
deWcient) and sometimes inappropriately when applied to a particular context (i.e.
contaminated), with a large focus on the technical aspects of a person’s production
or service delivery. However, a conXuence of events beginning in the late 1980s,
including drastic changes to the nature of work in organizations and societal
pressures toward fair evaluations of individual eVectiveness, fostered the growth
of new performance theories that have added structure to an expanding criterion
domain.
Largely consistent with emerging theories of job performance (e.g. Borman et al.
1983; Brief and Motowidlo 1986; Organ 1988), Campbell (1990; Campbell et al. 1996)
proposed a comprehensive performance model consisting of eight work behavior
categories, with (job-speciWc and non-job-speciWc) task proWciency and communication task proWciency central to all jobs. He strongly emphasized deWning
performance in terms of behavior, but limited the domain to behaviors that are
relevant to organizational goals. Empirical work from Project A (see Campbell et al.
1990; McCloy et al. 1994; McHenry et al. 1990) supported aspects of the Campbell
model, as well as related models like Borman and Motowidlo’s (1993) task and
contextual performance notions (e.g. Borman et al. 1995; Van Scotter et al. 2000).
At the same time, the dimensions proposed by diVerent models have received
varying degrees of support (see reviews by Coleman and Borman 2000; Motowidlo
2003; Viswesvaran and Ones 2000). Viswesvaran et al. (2005) recently argued that a
single, construct-level factor accounts for 60.3 percent of the variance in performance ratings across the 303 studies in their meta-analysis, but also acknowledge that
certain assumptions about true score and error underlie their interpretations.
Additionally, the majority of the studies in the Viswesvaran meta-analysis were
not guided by the recent conceptual deWnitions of performance and often did not
include measures of the dimensions suggested by Campbell and others.
Part of the impetus for research on non-task performance behaviors, particularly
‘citizenship behaviors’ (LePine et al. 2002; Organ 1997; Rotundo and Sackett 2002),
stems from the adverse impact created against racial minorities by cognitive ability
306
neal schmitt and brian kim
tests (Hough et al. 2001). While research clearly shows that cognitive ability validly
predicts overall job performance better than any other single characteristic
(Schmidt 2002), some question whether the historical focus on task behaviors as
performance (Austin and Villanova 1992) has led to the dubious conclusion
that other person characteristics are necessarily weaker predictors of all types of
performance, especially if one considers citizenship behaviors (Motowidlo et al.
1997). Using personality, biodata, interviews, and other predictors of organizational
citizenship (Borman et al. 2001; Organ and Ryan 1995) in conjunction with cognitive
ability, researchers have attempted to reduce adverse impact (e.g. Bobko et al. 1999;
De Corte 1999; Hattrup et al. 1997; Murphy and Shiarella 1997). Unfortunately, such
eVorts typically fail to reduce impact by a practically meaningful degree while
retaining criterion-related validity (Hough et al. 2001; Sackett et al. 2001).
Still, researchers have studied non-task behaviors in their own right for two
diVerent reasons. Regarding extra-role (Van Dyne et al. 1995) and citizenship
behaviors (which are distinct; Organ 1997; Rotundo and Sackett 2002), selecting
job applicants for these types of behaviors can, in theory, lead to greater organizational eVectiveness that is more consistent over time since citizenship supports the
environment in which core job tasks are performed, by deWnition. For instance,
employees who are always willing to assist each other can reduce disruptions in the
Xow of production. The second reason for selecting applicants to perform non-task
behaviors is that today’s organizations often hold multiple goals (e.g. Oswald et al.
2004; Rotundo and Sackett 2002). The production of raw goods must be balanced
with other concerns such as demonstrating corporate responsibility, for example.
Counterproductive performance behaviors are also related to organizational interests apart from production or service delivery because they can incur costly damage
(Bennett and Robinson 2003; Kelloway et al. 2002). Selecting people who will not
engage in absenteeism, theft, sexual harassment, and violence may be critical to
eVective organizational functioning. Although it is evident that such concerns have
existed for years (e.g. most job applications request statements about applicants’
past criminal records), selection theories and practices are now explicitly linking
these goals to individual employee requirements.
Recent notions of performance have also gained depth and complexity with the
inclusion of a time dimension. Theories about adaptive work behaviors attempt to
explain how people can perform well in new or continually changing contexts (e.g.
Pulakos et al. 2000) and why the rank order of individuals might change with
experience (Viswesvaran and Ones 2000). The selection of adaptive employees is
also gaining usefulness as organizations abandon formal job structures (Cascio
1995). With cross-trained teams (Marks et al. 2002), employees may need certain
adaptive KSAs that help them decide when and how to perform back-up behaviors
(Dickinson and McIntyre 1997) when routine processes are disrupted.
Viewing performance over time has also led to the development of more general
theories. Ployhart et al. (2001) provided additional support for Sackett and
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
307
colleagues’ early work on typical and maximum performance (DuBois et al. 1993;
Sackett et al. 1988) and found that diVerent personality dimensions best predicted
each of the performance constructs. Others have concluded that performance
should be regarded as a dynamic process rather than as a set of static behaviors
that people perform at any given time (e.g. Kozlowski et al. 1999; Ployhart and
Hakel 1998; Sackett et al. 1988).
Regardless of one’s view of performance, these recent advances in theory and
research have emphasized the importance of selecting employees who will be able
to contribute to a wide range of organizational functions, some of which are not
directly related to the tasks for which the employee’s job description holds them
responsible.
15.3.3 Concerns about Subgroup Representation and Remedies
Reconciling the use of valid selection devices and the desire that the workforce be
representative of societal demographics continues to be of concern among practitioners, researchers, the legal profession, and the public at large (AERA et al. 1999;
Barrett and Luecke 2004; Grutter v. Bollinger et al. 2003; Sharf and Jones 1999; SIOP
2003). Research on this issue over the last forty years has clariWed several points.
First, the tests that have been examined (most frequently cognitive ability tests) are
not psychometrically biased in that predicted outcomes for protected groups
are not less than similar outcomes predicted for the majority group. Second,
there are large minority–majority group diVerences favoring Caucasians over
African American groups and to a lesser extent Hispanic American groups on
cognitive ability tests (Roth et al. 2001) and favoring men over women on physical
ability tests (Hogan 1991). Smaller diVerences occur in some instances on other
tests (Bobko et al. 1999; Hough 1998). Third, various attempts to remove these
subgroup diVerences in cognitive ability may serve to diminish them by a small
amount, but large subgroup diVerences remain and often produce legally deWned
levels of adverse impact on minority groups (Sackett et al. 2001).
There have been some new developments in this arena. Statistically, consideration of the impact of reliability and the precision of measurement has resulted
in proposals to band test scores, reXecting the notion that diVerences within
bands are not reliably discriminable. Decisions about test scores within a band
are then made on other bases including ethnic status. An edited book (Aguinis
2004) provides a discussion of various approaches to banding including their
mechanisms, the degree to which social values are implicit in these methods of
test use, and their legal status. The impact of banding on minority hiring varies
considerably given the situation and the particular banding remedy employed.
The appropriateness of banding continues to be hotly debated in the scientiWc and
legal communities.
308
neal schmitt and brian kim
Lack of predictive bias in ability tests and large subgroup diVerences in test
scores produce a projected loss in utility when test scores are used in a less than
optimal manner, as would be the case with banding (Laczo and Sackett 2004;
Sackett and Roth 1991). Whether these diVerences translate into diVerences in
organizational functioning or not is less clear, as is evidence that the proportion
of members of one subgroup or another in the workforce impacts performance.
The popular view (Doyle 2000) is that a well-educated, highly diverse workforce
composed of people working productively and creatively with members of diverse
races, religious backgrounds, and cultural histories is important to maintaining
organizational competitiveness. This view is best represented by an amicus brief
Wled by a large number of Fortune 500 companies in support of the University of
Michigan admissions policies (Grutter v. Bollinger et al. 2003). Leonard (1990) and
Steel and Lovrich (1987) failed to Wnd a relationship between the proportion of
minorities or women in organizations and organizational eYciency. Nonetheless,
aYrmative action policies do improve employment opportunities for minority
groups and women (Kravitz et al. 1997), and Holzer and Neumark (1996) reported
little evidence of substantially weaker job performance among most groups of
minority and female aYrmative action hires. Sacco and Schmitt (2005), however,
found evidence for a negative relationship between racial diversity and change in
proWtability among 3,454 quick service restaurants. The whole question of the
impact of organizational diversity on organizational performance merits further
investigation. Like many other performance phenomena, this relationship is likely
moderated and mediated by the past relational histories and attitudes of the
employees and organizations involved as well as the societal context.
Researchers have also examined employee attitudes toward aYrmative action
policies and the people that beneWt from these policies. Heilman et al. (1998)
reported that aYrmative action programs seem to have negative consequences
for perceptions of employees who are thought to be hired based on group membership rather than merit. Bell et al. (2000) reported both negative and positive
reactions to aYrmative action programs among manager and student groups. On
the negative side, these people believed that such programs led to employers hiring
less qualiWed employees, were responsible for reverse discrimination, created the
perception that minorities and women could not succeed on their own, and
required a lot of paperwork and resources. On the positive side, these people felt
that aYrmative action improved the job opportunities of women and minorities,
gave everyone an equal opportunity, and reduced discrimination and conXict
among employees. Using the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein and Ajzen
1975), they also found that relatively simple attempts to change attitudes toward
aYrmative action programs caused white attitudes to be more negative in response
to negative information; minority attitudes became more favorable as a function
of positive communications. Thus attitudes became more polarized. Attitudes
and intentions based on the Fishbein–Ajzen formulations were related to overt
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
309
behavior in the form of sending postcards to congressional representatives espousing
their view of aYrmative action. While attitudes toward aYrmative action do not
change the composition of the workforce themselves, they are critically important
for the societal acceptance of such remedies and for determining the degree to
which organizations can form fully functioning and collaborative work teams
when aYrmative action programs are used.
One area about which we have seen very little information is comparative
international data. At least among Americans, there appears to be little information
as to how other societies resolve diversity dilemmas or if they even perceive a
problem. Cross-cultural studies of these issues might reveal data and solutions that
could be more widely applied.
15.3.4 Team-based Performance and Multilevel Issues
Ideally, it would be simplest for organizations to conduct selection at the highest
possible level. Organizations would scour the world for the best intact department
or team rather than try and assemble one with a random collection of individuals.
In reality, organizations add individuals (i.e. line workers, team members, executives, etc.) to their existing system structures (i.e. positions or roles) that are
presumably designed in such a way as to enable individuals to fulWll organizational
needs optimally at multiple levels (Ployhart and Schneider 2002a; also see
Kozlowski and Klein 2000, for an overview of general multilevel issues). Today, a
large number of employees must not only perform their own job, but also assist
team members, endorse management practices, and represent their organization
within the community. At best, a failure to consider the multilevel nature of work
phenomena in selection decisions will reduce organizational eVectiveness. At
worst, employees will be devoting their energy towards tasks that are useless or
even harmful towards the organization.
The principle underlying typical selection practices is that individual diVerence
characteristics will determine who will be of greatest value to the organization
based on their job performance (cf. Motowidlo 2003). In appropriately designed
jobs that take organizational needs into consideration, employees will improve
organizational eVectiveness simply by performing their duties well, where duties
might include citizenship performance and other supportive behaviors, as well as
task performance. Alas, many jobs are designed imperfectly. Consequently,
Ployhart and Schneider (2002a) emphasize the potential need to conduct teamwork analyses or organizational needs assessments, in addition to traditional job
analyses, to ensure that individuals’ performance will be adding value to an
organization.
From a multilevel perspective, individual work behaviors can then be divided
into those that accomplish individual job tasks and those that lead to the
310
neal schmitt and brian kim
fulWllment of higher-level needs. Although the Wrst section of this chapter
suggested that selection decisions and general HR practices must be compatible,
this section provides a closer look at how individuals can be selected to fulWll needs
beyond their speciWc job.
From a selection perspective, some theories imply that individuals perform
behaviors (e.g. citizenship; Borman and Motowidlo 1997) both to increase the
eVectiveness of higher-level units and to accomplish speciWc job tasks. Ehrhart and
Naumann (2004) oVered one way of viewing citizenship behaviors in the aggregate
to explain how norms of cooperation and altruistic behavior are developed. Having
similar objectives, DeShon et al. (2004) proposed a multilevel model of goal-setting
as it moves from the individual to the team level, and Stewart et al. (2005) explored
the use of team member roles for explaining how individual personality traits aVect
team cohesion and performance.
From the perspective of team performance researchers, the vast literature on
team/group processes shows that communication and coordination, culture and
norms, Wt, and many other behaviors and attitudes are important for group
eVectiveness. However, only a few studies have directly linked individual characteristics to team-level processes. Miller (2001) and McClough and Rogelberg (2003)
provided evidence to support earlier validation work (Stevens and Campion 1994)
that a test of teamwork KSAs could predict group eVectiveness and individual
performance within teams, respectively. The most recent study using the test
showed that teamwork KSAs mediated the eVect of job autonomy on team
performance and job strain (Leach et al. 2005).
Still, more work on the generalizability of such characteristics is needed, especially considering the many types of teams that exist (Sundstrom et al. 1990) and
the varied tasks (i.e. disjunctive and conjunctive) they must accomplish. Once valid
individual- and team-level KSAs are identiWed, multilevel perspectives also suggest
that the conWguration of existing personnel may determine group eVectiveness.
Work on team conWgurations and the distribution of member KSAs (e.g. structural
contingency theory; Hollenbeck et al. 2002) suggests that gaps in team capabilities
can be Wlled either by selecting replacement personnel or by reconWguring team
processes or structures.
Perhaps the most important implication of adopting a multilevel perspective for
selection is that incompatibilities between organizational subsystems can reduce
overall eVectiveness. OstroV (2002) notes that plant-level practices may conXict
with organization-wide policies. Similarly, Ployhart and Schneider (2002a) use an
example of the trade-oV between validity and diversity to illustrate how maximizing individual performance with cognitive selection measures can have harmful
eVects on organizational policies regarding diversity. Hence, higher-level outcomes
(like diversity) may result only when lower-level units perform at a subpar level,
particularly when the units are competing for the same organizational resources.
Yet, this assertion also implies that organizations can achieve certain outcomes by
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
311
hiring individuals who perform suYciently well so as to add unique value to the
system, but who are not necessarily the top applicants, thereby reducing selection
costs.
Another interesting pattern in the current literature is the diVerential growth of
team composition and ‘compilation’ models. Composition models seek to explain
the aggregation of lower-level behaviors that are similar while compilation models
seek to explain group-level phenomena that result from specialized individual
behaviors (Kozlowski and Klein 2000). As Chan’s (1998) typology of aggregation
models suggests, compilation models require complex theoretical justiWcations for
aggregation rather than simple demonstrations of agreement or similarity, as do
most composition models. The consequence of this distinction is that we still lack
standard methods for combining performance behaviors when each person in a
team or organization has a specialized function. The problem becomes further
complicated when team membership is continually shifting and the selection of
a new member depends on the current team composition/compilation.
Regardless of whether aggregation occurs through composition or compilation,
it is always important to establish that individual-level predictors of performance
will also predict higher-level outcomes, over which the individual has some
control. Ployhart and Schneider (2002a) elaborated on the classic validity model
depicted by Binning and Barrett (1989) to show how the validity of individual-level
predictors translates into validity at multiple, higher levels.
Despite the progress made by multilevel theorists and the evident costs of failing
to consider relevant issues, it appears that future researchers will encounter diYculties in deWning and measuring tasks and KSAs that have meaning across multiple
levels of organizational structures (Schmitt 2002). The necessary but daunting task
of weighting predictors across levels will also be an obstacle to the development of
appropriate selection systems (Ployhart and Schneider 2002b). Establishing validity
at multiple levels also carries with it practical concerns about how to Wnd suYciently large sample sizes that contain variance (e.g. at the plant level).
15.3.5 Deviance and Counterproductivity
Given the tradition of pathology and dysfunction in psychology, it is somewhat
surprising that critical examinations of organizational deviance and counterproductive work behaviors began just over a decade ago. The ‘dark side behaviors,’ as
GriYn and O’Leary-Kelly (2004) label them, range from the mildly annoying to the
criminal, but often pose serious threats to an organization’s resources and productivity, social system, or public image even when the base rate is low (Harris and
Ogbonna 2002). As such, organizations should be concerned not only with selecting productive employees, but also with selecting out employees who will harm the
organization.
312
neal schmitt and brian kim
Negative work behaviors can generally be characterized by their intentional
nature and detrimental consequences, and be classiWed according to the recipient(s) of the negative consequences and the severity of harm incurred (GriYn and
O’Leary-Kelly 2004; Robinson and Bennett 1995). The labels ‘deviance’ and ‘counterproductivity,’ in particular, have been used to refer to acts like absenteeism,
withholding eVort, theft, sabotage, spreading rumors, sexual harassment, and
physical violence (Miles et al. 2002; Robinson and Bennett 1997). Yet, there is a
lack of consistent support for the parsing of negative behaviors into speciWc
dimensions, partly because hypothesized facets tend to be correlated (Lim and
Cortina 2005; Sackett 2002; Viswesvaran and Ones 2000). Bennett and Robinson
(2003) noted that past research has been plagued with deWnitional problems. They
concluded (p. 251): ‘What matters most is not whose deWnition of workplace
deviance [and other related concepts] is used in a given study, but only that the
deWnition matches the theory and the operationalizations used in question.’
Although deviance can be deWned narrowly as behaviors departing from the
norm, the broader concept of counterproductivity appears to clash with the concept
of prosocial behaviors, as well as with general deWnitions of performance. The
fundamental question is: Are positive and negative organizational behaviors merely
two ends of the spectrum? If they are, organizations need only be concerned with
selecting people based on their propensity and ability to perform positive, helpful
behaviors. If the two concepts are distinct, then additional predictors will be needed
to select the best applicants. From a theoretical standpoint, it would be much simpler
to examine employee behaviors without attaching value to them, as Campbell (1990)
suggests, since the same behavior may be seen as positive in one context and negative
or neutral in another (Heilman and Chen 2005; Rotundo and Sackett 2002).
Miles et al. (2002) provided data showing diVerent patterns of relationships for
counterproductive and citizenship behaviors with environmental working conditions, aVect, and trait anger and a weak negative correlation between the two types
of performance, suggesting that these concepts represent distinct dimensions.
Kelloway et al. (2002) came to the same conclusion after conducting conWrmatory
factor analyses of citizenship and counterproductivity. Still, additional theory is
needed to justify this conceptual distinction. For example, Sackett (2002) provided
evidence of a strong negative relationship between counterproductivity and citizenship, but still concluded that the concepts were mutually exclusive on the
premiss that an employee can engage in all types of performance (i.e. task,
citizenship, and counterproductive performance).
Beyond strict behaviorism, a focus on intentions can make an examination of
both positive and negative work behaviors more meaningful, given a particular
context (Brief and Motowidlo 1986; GriYn and O’Leary-Kelly 2004; Harris and
Ogbonna 2002). Motivational determinants of counterproductive behaviors such
as coercion by a superior, attempts to resolve injustice, mental illness, whistleblowing, and the need to Wt in with a culture that happens to be harmful might
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
313
cause behaviors to be condoned while intentions related to selWshness, aggressive
tendencies toward resolving conXict, and a lack of integrity might create blame.
Some organizational (change) practices can attempt to control these motivational
factors, but selection devices may also help by identifying people with characteristics that moderate or neutralize the factors naturally.
In an early meta-analysis, Ones et al. (1993) showed that integrity tests predict
counterproductive work behaviors, although validities were better for broader
outcome measures than theft alone. More recent work has also shown that integrity
tests are generally valid predictors of counterproductive outcomes (e.g. Fortmann
et al. 2002). Bennett et al. (2005) describe moral identity as a self-regulating
mechanism that prevents the pursuit of unethical behaviors. At the same time,
Sackett and Wanek (1996) point out a number of issues that may limit the
successful use of integrity tests, including overlap with personality constructs and
legal rights to privacy.
As suggested by Robinson and Bennett (1997), visible deviance could also serve as
an emotional or instrumental expression aimed at remedying an injustice (Neuman
2004). Spector and Fox (2002, 2004) introduced formal models in which aVect,
stress, and perceptions of control mediate the inXuence of aVective dispositions and
situational factors on counterproductive behaviors. Penney and Spector (2002)
found evidence supporting a model of trait anger expressed as aggression, where
trait anger was triggered by threats to one’s narcissistic view. However, college
students who were not necessarily working comprised their sample, necessitating
future investigations. Marcus et al. (2002) validated a counterproductive behavior
scale and later used it to show that self-control (i.e. the higher-level ability to
consider and weigh short- and long-term consequences and to delay gratiWcation)
predicted general counterproductive behaviors in a German organization (Marcus
and Schuler 2004). In any case, the implication of such research is that organizations
may wish to select individuals who are able and willing to express themselves in a
constructive or mature manner, and who will remedy injustices through formally
sanctioned means (e.g. communicating with the supervisor directly).
Other predictors of negative work behaviors include attitudes toward risk-taking
and career orientation (Harris and Ogbonna 2002). In applying the General
AVective Aggression Model (Anderson 1997) to work behaviors, Neuman (2004)
suggests that personality, self-monitoring, beliefs and values regarding aggression,
and self-esteem are indirect determinants of aggression. Although aspects of
personality have typically shown small relationships with deviance (Bennett and
Robinson 2003), Colbert et al. (2004) found, in four samples, that conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability moderated the eVect of environmental
work factors (i.e., developmental opportunities and support) on organizational
deviance. Interestingly, Bennett and Robinson (2003) propose that ethnic cultural
variables related to ethnocentrism, cooperation, and collectivism might identify
employees who avoid deviant behaviors.
314
neal schmitt and brian kim
Before concluding this section, we also note that the progress in research on
deviance/counterproductivity occurs at a relatively slow pace partly because of ‘the
Achilles’ heel of counterproductivity research’ (Sackett 2002: 7). While some forms
of counterproductive behavior are public (e.g. absence), many are acts by employees who do not wish to be detected (e.g. theft, sabotage, harassment). This means
that employees’ status on the criterion of interest is very diYcult to determine and
that some instances of counterproductive behavior go undetected. Despite this
barrier, continual eVorts to understand negative work behaviors will undoubtedly
improve the capability of future selection systems to increase organizational eVectiveness.
15.3.6 Additional Current Issues
Those familiar with the selection literature would undoubtedly add other complexities to traditional concerns of criterion-related validity. The following are
some other issues that we believe are important, but for which space considerations
preclude a more extensive discussion. Today’s workforce is often geographically
dispersed and people often work very diVerent schedules (e.g. Martins et al. 2004).
This Xexibility in the manner, time, and place of work require new considerations
when organizations hire people into these positions. Technology has also brought
changes in the way in which selection devices are administered (Potosky and Bobko
2004), which in turn has produced interesting research on measurement equivalency and validity, applicant reactions, and test security. The rapid globalization of
major organizations has meant that their staVs are often assigned to work in
foreign countries. Concerns about expatriate selection often involve spousal issues
(e.g. Takeuchi et al. 2002) and training to cope in cultures very diVerent from one’s
home country (Lievens et al. 2003). Mergers and acquisitions (e.g. CoV 2002) often
create a situation in which the new organizational entity has surplus talent in some
areas, or the merger creates the need for individuals with a new combination of
KSAOs. In the last Wfteen years, interest in the reactions of the employees or
applicants that are the targets of organizations’ selection decisions has burgeoned
(Gilliland 1993).
15.4 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
We began with a brief summary of the traditional test validation model that has
guided selection decision-making for over 100 years. While this model is still
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
315
relevant, there is no dearth of new issues to consider when an organization makes
decisions about selecting its human resources. We brieXy summarized Wve of these
issues that appeared to be generating the most attention in the research literature
during the last decade. Some of these issues require the integration of individual
diVerences literature with the macro literature on organizational strategy (i.e.
relating human resource practices or capabilities to organizational or team eVectiveness). There are also developments that change the manner in which data on
human resource capabilities are measured (e.g. technological advances), the types
of people assessed (e.g. expatriates, people working in virtual environments or
with Xexible schedules), what is being predicted with our decision tools, and
concerns of the audience to which our methods are directed (e.g. reactions to
selection procedures and issues of bias). All of these issues serve to ensure an
exciting and intellectually challenging environment for human resource practitioners and researchers alike.
References
Aguinis, H. (2004). Test Score Banding in Human Resource Selection. Westport, Conn.:
Praeger.
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and
National Council of Measurement in Education (1999). Standards for Educational and
Psychological Testing. Washington: American Educational Research Association.
Anderson, C. A. (1997). ‘EVects of Violent Movies and Trait Hostility on Hostile Feelings
and Aggressive Thoughts.’ Aggressive Behavior, 23: 161 78.
Austin, J. T., and Villanova, P. (1992). ‘The Criterion Problem: 1917 1992.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 77: 836 74.
Barrett, G. V., and Luecke, S. B. (2004). ‘Legal and Practical Implications of Banding for
Personnel Selection.’ In H. Aguinis (ed.), Test Score Banding in Human Resource Selec
tion. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.
Batt, R. (2002). ‘Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and
Sales Growth.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45: 587 97.
Becker, B. E., and Huselid, M. A. (1998). ‘High Performance Work Systems and Firm
Performance: A Synthesis of Research and Managerial Applications.’ Research in Person
nel and Human Resource Management, 16: 53 101.
Bell, M. P., Harrison, D. A., and McLaughlin, M. E. (2000). ‘Forming, Changing, and
Acting on Attitude Toward AYrmative Action Programs in Employment: A Theory
Driven Approach.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 85: 784 98.
Bennett, R. J., and Robinson, S. L. (2003). ‘The Past, Present, and Future of Workplace
Deviance Research.’ In J. Greenberg (ed.), Organizational Behavior: The State of the
Science, 2nd edn. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Aquino, K., Reed, A., II., and Thau, S. (2005). ‘The Normative Nature of Employee
Deviance and the Impact of Moral Identity.’ In S. Fox and P. E. Spector (eds.), Counter
productive Work Behavior: Investigations of Actors and Targets. Washington: APA Press.
316
neal schmitt and brian kim
Binning, J. F., and Barrett, G. V. (1989). ‘Validity of Personnel Decisions: A Conceptual
Analysis of the Inferential and Evidential Bases.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 74: 478 94.
Bobko, P., Roth, P. L., and Potosky, D. (1999). ‘Derivation and Implications of a
Meta analytic Matrix Incorporating Cognitive Ability, Alternative Predictors, and Job
Performance.’ Personnel Psychology, 52: 561 89.
Borman, W. C., and Motowidlo, S. J. (1993). ‘Expanding the Criterion Domain to Include
Elements of Contextual Performance.’ In N. Schmitt and W. Borman (eds.), Personnel
Selection in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
(1997). ‘Task Performance and Contextual Performance: The Meaning for
Personnel Selection Research.’ Human Performance, 10: 99 109.
and Hanser, L. M. (1983). ‘A Model of Individual Performance EVectiveness:
Thoughts about Expanding the Criterion Space.’ Paper presented as part of symposium,
‘Integrated Criterion Measurement for Large Scale Computerized Selection and Clas
siWcation,’ 91st annual American Psychological Association conference, (August).
White, L. A., and Dorsey, D. W. (1995). ‘EVects of Ratee Task Performance and
Interpersonal Factors on Supervisor and Peer Performance Ratings.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 80: 168 77.
Penner, L. A., Allen, T. D., and Motowidlo, S. J. (2001). ‘Personality Predictors of
Citizenship Performance.’ International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9: 52 69.
Boudreau, J. W., and Ramstad, P. M. (2003). ‘Strategic Industrial and Organizational
Psychology and the Role of Utility Analysis Models.’ In W. C. Borman, D. R. Ilgen, and
R. J. Klimoski (eds.), Handbook of Psychology, vol. xii. New York: Wiley.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2000). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Where have
we Come from and Where should we be Going?’ International Journal of Management
Reviews, 2: 183 203.
Brief, A. P., and Motowidlo, S. J. (1986). ‘Prosocial Organizational Behaviors.’ Academy of
Management Review, 11: 710 25.
Campbell, J. P. (1990). ‘Modeling the Performance Prediction Problem in Industrial and Organ
izational Psychology.’ In M. D. Dunnette and L. M. Hough (eds.), Handbook of Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, vol. i. Palo Alto, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press.
McHenry, J. J., and Wise, L. L. (1990). ‘Analyses of Criterion Measures: The Mod
eling of Performance.’ Personnel Psychology, 43: 313 43.
McCloy, R. A., Oppler, S. H., and Sager, C. E. (1993). ‘A Theory of Performance.’ In
N. Schmitt and W. C. Borman (eds.), Personnel Selection in Organizations. San Francisco:
Jossey Bass.
Gasser, M. B., and Oswald, F. L. (1996). ‘The Substantive Nature of Job Performance
Variability.’ In K. R. Murphy (ed.), Individual DiVerences and Behavior in Organizations.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Carpenter, M. A., Geletkanycz, M. A., and Sanders, W. G. (2004). ‘Upper Echelons
Research Revisited: Antecedents, Elements, and Consequences of Top Management Team
Composition.’ Journal of Management, 30: 749 58.
Cascio, W. F. (1995). ‘Whither Industrial and Organizational Psychology in a Changing
World of Work?’ American Psychologist, 50: 928 39.
(2000). ‘Managing a Virtual Workplace.’ Academy of Management Executive, 14: 81 90.
Chan, D. (1998). ‘Functional Relations among Constructs in the Same Content Domain at
DiVerent Levels of Analysis: A Typology of Composition Models.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 83: 234 46.
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
317
Coff, R. W. (2002). ‘Human Capital, Shared Expertise, and the Likelihood of Impasse in
Corporate Acquisitions.’ Journal of Management, 28: 107 28.
Colbert, A. E., Mount, M. K., Harter, J. K., Witt, L. A., and Barrick, M. R. (2004).
‘Interactive EVects of Personality and Perceptions of the Work Situation on Workplace
Deviance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89: 599 609.
Coleman, V. I., and Borman, W. C. (2000). ‘Investigating the Underlying Structure of the
Citizenship Performance Domain.’ Human Resource Management Review, 10: 25 44.
De Corte, W. (1999). ‘Weighing Job Performance Predictors to Both Maximize Quality of
the Selected Workforce and Control the Level of Adverse Impact.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 84: 695 702.
Delaney, J. T., and Huselid, M. A. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management
Practices on Perceptions of Organizational Performance.’ Academy of Management Jour
nal, 39: 949 69.
Delery, J. E., and Doty, D. H. (1996). ‘Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and ConWgurational Performance
Predictions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39: 802 35.
DeShon, R. P., Kozlowski, S. W. J., Schmidt, A. M., Milner, K. R., and Wiechmann, D.
(2004). ‘A Multiple Goal, Multilevel Model of Feedback EVects on the Regulation of
Individual and Team Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89: 1035 56.
Dickinson, T. L., and McIntyre, R. M. (1997). ‘A Conceptual Framework for Teamwork
Measurement.’ In M. T. Brannick, E. Salas, and C. Prince (eds.), Team Performance
Assessment and Measurement. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Doyle, R. A. (2000). ‘GM Supports University’s Stand on AYrmative Action.’ University
Record, 37. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
DuBois, C. L. Z., Sackett, P. R., Zedeck, S., and Fogli, L. (1993). ‘Further Exploration
of Typical and Maximum Performance Criteria: DeWnitional Issues, Prediction, and
Black White DiVerences.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 78: 205 11.
Ehrhart, M. G., and Naumann, S. E. (2004). ‘Organizational Citizenship Behavior
in Work Groups: A Group Norms Approach.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89:
960 74.
Fishbein, M., and Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, Attitudes, Intention, and Behavior. Reading, Mass.:
Addison Wesley.
Fortmann, K., Leslie, C., and Cunningham, M. (2002). ‘Cross cultural Comparisons of
the Reid Integrity Scale in Latin America and South Africa.’ International Journal of
Selection and Assessment, 10: 98 108.
Gilliland, S. W. (1993). ‘The Perceived Fairness of Selection Systems: An Organizational
Justice Perspective.’ Academy of Management Review, 18: 694 734.
Griffin, R. W., and O’Leary Kelly, A. M. (2004). ‘An Introduction to the Dark Side.’ In
R. W. GriYn and A. M. O’Leary Kelly (eds.), The Dark Side of Organizational Behavior.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Grutter v. Bollinger et al. (2003). 539 US Supreme Court. Docket No. 02 241. 23 June.
Guion, R. M. (1998). Assessment, Measurement, and Prediction for Personnel Decisions.
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Harris, L. C., and Ogbonna, E. (2002). ‘Exploring Service Sabotage: The Antecedents,
Types and Consequences of Frontline, Deviant, and Antiservice Behaviors.’ Journal of
Service Research, 4: 163 83.
318
neal schmitt and brian kim
Hattrup, K., Rock, J., and Scalia, C. (1997). ‘The EVects of Varying Conceptualizations of
Job Performance on Adverse Impact, Minority Hiring, and Predicted Performance.’
Journal of Applied Psychology, 82: 656 64.
Heilman, M. E., and Chen, J. J. (2005). ‘Same Behavior, DiVerent Consequences: Reactions
to Men’s and Women’s Altruistic Citizenship Behavior.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90:
431 41.
Battle, W. S., Keller, C. E., and Lee, R. A. (1998). ‘Type of AYrmative Action
Policy: A Determination of Reaction to Sex Based Preferential Selection.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 83: 190 205.
Hitt, M. A., Bierman, L., Shimizu, K., and Kochhar, R. (2001). ‘Direct and Moderating
EVects of Human Capital on Strategy and Performance in Professional Service Firms:
A Resource Based Perspective.’ Academy of Management Journal, 44: 13 28.
Hogan, J. C. (1991). ‘Physical Abilities.’ In M. D. Dunnette and L. M. Hough (eds.),
Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, vol. ii. Palo Alto, Calif.: Consult
ing Psychologists Press.
Hollenbeck, J. R., Moon, H., Ellis, A. P. J., West, B. J., Ilgen, D. R., Sheppard, L.,
Porter, O. L. H., and Wagner, J. A., III. (2002). ‘Structural Contingency Theory and
Individual DiVerences: Examination of External and Internal Person Team Fit.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 87: 599 606.
Holzer, H., and Neumark, D. (1996). Are AYrmative Action Hires Less QualiWed: Evidence
from Employer Employee Data on New Hires. Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of
Economic Research.
Hough, L. M. (1998). ‘Personality at Work: Issues and Evidence.’ In M. D. Hakel (ed.),
Beyond Multiple Choice: Evaluating Alternatives to Traditional Testing for Selection.
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Oswald, F. L., and Ployhart, R. E. (2001). ‘Determinants, Detection and Amelior
ation of Adverse Impact in Personnel Selection Procedures: Issues, Evidence and Lessons
Learned.’ International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9: 152 94.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38: 635 72.
Jackson, S. E., and Schuler, R. A. (1997). ‘Technical and Strategic Human Resource
Management EVectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance.’ Academy of Manage
ment Journal, 40: 171 88.
Kelloway, E. K., Loughlin, C., Barling, J., and Nault, A. (2002). ‘Self Reported
Counterproductive Behaviors and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: Separate but
Related Constructs.’ International Journal of Selection & Assessment, 10: 143 51.
Kozlowski, S. W. J., and Klein, K. J. (2000). ‘A Multilevel Approach to Theory and
Research in Organizations: Contextual, Temporal, and Emergent Processes.’ In
K. J. Klein and S. W. J. Kozlowski (eds.), Multilevel Theory, Research, and Methods in
Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Gully, S. M., Nason, E. R., and Smith, E. M. (1999). ‘Developing Adaptive Teams:
A Theory of Compilation and Performance across Levels and Time.’ In D. R. Ilgen and
E. D. Pulakos (eds.), The Changing Nature of Performance: Implications for StaYng,
Personnel Actions, and Development. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Kravitz, D. A., Harrison, D. A., Turner, M. E., Levine, E. L., Chaves, W., Brannick,
M. T., Denning, D. L., Russell, C. J., and Conard, M. A. (1997). AYrmative Action:
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
319
A Review of Psychological and Behavioral Research. Bowling Green, Oh.: Society for
Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Laczo, R. M., and Sackett, P. R. (2004). ‘EVects of Banding on Performance and Minority
Hiring: Further Monte Carlo Simulations.’ In H. Aguinis (ed.), Test Score Banding in
Human Resource Selection. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.
Leach, D. J., Wall, T. D., Rogelberg, S. G., and Jackson, P. R. (2005). ‘Team Autonomy,
Performance, and Member Job Strain: Uncovering the Teamwork KSA Link.’ Applied
Psychology: An International Review, 54: 1 24.
Leonard, J. S. (1990). ‘The Impact of AYrmative Action Regulation and Equal Employ
ment Law on Black Employment.’ Journal of Economic Perspectives, 4: 47 63.
Lepak, D. P., and Snell, S. A. (2002). ‘Examining the Human Resource Architecture: The
Relationships among Human Capital, Employment, and Human Resource ConWgura
tions.’ Journal of Management, 28: 517 43.
LePine, J. A., Erez, A., and Johnson, D. E. (2002). ‘The Nature and Dimensionality of
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Critical Review and Meta analysis.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 87: 52 65.
Lievens, F., Harris, M. M., Van Keer, E., and Bisqueret, C. (2003). ‘Predicting Cross
Cultural Training Performance: The Validity of Personality, Cognitive Ability, and
Dimensions Measured by an Assessment Center and a Behavior Description Interview.’
Journal of Applied Psychology, 88: 476 89.
Lim, S., and Cortina, L. M. (2005). ‘Interpersonal Mistreatment in the Workplace: The
Interface and Impact of General Incivility and Sexual Harassment.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 90: 483 96.
McClough, A. C., and Rogelberg, S. G. (2003). ‘Selection in Teams: An Exploration of
the Teamwork Knowledge, Skills, and Ability Test.’ International Journal of Selection and
Assessment, 11: 56 66.
McCloy, R. A., Campbell, J. P., and Cudeck, R. (1994). ‘A ConWrmatory Test of a Model of
Performance Determinants.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 79: 493 505.
McHenry, J. J., Hough, L. M., Toquam, J. L., Hanson, M. A., and Ashworth, S. (1990).
‘Project A Validity Results: The Relationship between Predictor and Criterion Domains.’
Personnel Psychology, 43: 335 54.
Marcus, B., and Schuler, H. (2004). ‘Antecedents of Counterproductive Behavior at
Work: A General Perspective.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89: 647 660.
Quell, P., and HUmpfner, G. (2002). ‘Measuring Counterproductivity: Devel
opment and Initial Validation of a German Self Report Questionnaire.’ International
Journal of Selection and Assessment, 10: 18 35.
Marks, M. A., Sabella, M. J., Burke, C. S., and Zaccaro, S. J. (2002). ‘The Impact of
Cross Training on Team EVectiveness.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 1 13.
Martins, L. L., Gilson, L. L., and Maynard, M. T. (2004). ‘Virtual Teams: What do we
Know and Where do we Go from Here?’ Journal of Management, 30: 805 36.
Miles, D. E., Borman, W. E., Spector, P. E., and Fox, S. (2002). ‘Building an Integrative
Model of Extra Role Work Behaviors: A Comparison of Counterproductive Work
Behavior with Organizational Citizenship Behavior.’ International Journal of Selection
and Assessment, 10: 51 7.
Miller, D. L. (2001). ‘Reexamining Teamwork KSAs and Team Performance.’ Small Group
Research, 32: 745 66.
320
neal schmitt and brian kim
Motowidlo, S. J. (2003). ‘Job Performance.’ In W. C. Borman, D. R. Ilgen, and
R. J. Klimoski (eds.), Comprehensive Handbook of Psychology, xii: Industrial and Organ
izational Psychology. New York: Wiley.
Borman, W. C., and Schmit, M. J. (1997). ‘A Theory of Individual DiVerences in Task
and Contextual Performance.’ Human Performance, 10: 71 83.
Murphy, K. R., and Shiarella, A. H. (1997). ‘Implications of the Multidimensional
Nature of Job Performance for the Validity of Selection Tests: Multivariate Frameworks
for Studying Test Validity.’ Personnel Psychology, 50: 823 54.
Neuman, J. H. (2004). ‘Injustice, Stress, and Aggression in Organizations.’ In R. W. GriYn
and A. M. O’Leary Kelly (eds.), The Dark Side of Organizational Behavior. San Francisco:
Jossey Bass.
Ones, D. (2002). ‘Introduction to the Special Issue on Counterproductive Behaviors at
Work.’ International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 10: 1 4.
Viswesvaran, C., and Schmidt, F. L. (1993). ‘Comprehensive Meta analysis of
Integrity Test Validities: Findings and Implications for Personnel Selection and Theories
of Job Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 78: 679 703.
Organ, D. W. (1988). Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Good Soldier Syndrome.
Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books.
(1997). ‘Organizational Citizenship Behavior: It’s Construct Clean up Time.’ Human
Performance, 10: 85 97.
and Ryan, K. (1995). ‘A Meta analytic Review of Attitudinal and Dispositional
Predictors of Organizational Citizenship Behavior.’ Personnel Psychology, 48: 775 802.
Ostroff, C. (2002). ‘Leveling the Selection Field.’ In F. J. Yammarino and F. Dansereau
(eds.), The Many Faces of Multi level Issues. Amsterdam: JAI.
Oswald, F. L., Schmitt, N., Kim, B. H., Ramsay, L. J., and Gillespie, M. A. (2004).
‘Developing a Biodata Measure and Situational Judgment Inventory as Predictors of
College Student Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 89: 187 207.
Penney, L. M., and Spector, P. E. (2002). ‘Narcissism and Counterproductive Work
Behavior: Do Bigger Egos mean Bigger Problems?’ International Journal of Selection
and Assessment, 10: 126 34.
Ployhart, R. E. (2004). ‘Organizational StaYng: A Multilevel Review, Synthesis, and
Model.’ In J. J. Martocchio (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource Manage
ment. Oxford: Elsevier.
and Hakel, M. D. (1998). ‘The Substantive Nature of Performance Variability:
Predicting Interindividual DiVerences in Intraindividual Performance.’ Personnel Psych
ology, 51: 859 901.
and Schneider, B. (2002a). ‘A Multi level Perspective on Personnel Selection
Research and Practice: Implications for Selection System Design, Assessment, and
Construct Validation.’ In F. J. Yammarino and F. Dansereau (eds.), The Many Faces of
Multi level Issues. Amsterdam: JAI.
(2002b). ‘A Multi level Perspective on Personnel Selection: When Will Practice
Catch up?’ In F. J. Yammarino and F. Dansereau (eds.), The Many Faces of Multi level
Issues. Amsterdam: JAI.
(in press). ‘Multilevel Selection and Prediction: Theories, Methods, and
Models.’ In A. Evers, O. Smit Voskuyl, and N. R. Anderson (eds.), Handbook of Personnel
Selection. Chichester: Wiley.
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
321
Lim, B., and Chan, K. (2001). ‘Exploring Relations between Typical and Maximum
Performance Ratings and the Five Factor Model of Personality.’ Personnel Psychology, 54:
809 43.
Schneider, B., and Schmitt, N. (in press). Organizational StaYng: Contemporary
Practice and Theory. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Potosky, D., and Bobko, P. (2004). ‘Selection Testing via the Internet: Practical Consider
ations and Exploratory Empirical Findings.’ Personnel Psychology, 57: 1003 34.
Pulakos, E. D., Arad, S., Donovan, M. A., and Plamondon, K. E. (2000). ‘Adaptability in
the Workplace: Development of a Taxonomy of Adaptive Performance.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 85: 612 24.
Robinson, S. L., and Bennett, R. J. (1995). ‘A Typology of Deviant Workplace Behaviors:
A Multi dimensional Scaling Study.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38: 555 72.
(1997). ‘Workplace Deviance: Its DeWnitions, its Manifestations, and its Causes.’
Research on Negotiations in Organizations, 6: 3 27.
Roth, P. L., Bevier, C. A., Bobko, O., Switzer, F. S., III., and Tyler, P. (2001). ‘Ethnic
Group DiVerences in Cognitive Ability in Employment and Educational Settings:
A Meta analysis.’ Personnel Psychology, 54: 297 330.
Rotundo, M., and Sackett, P. R. (2002). ‘The Relative Importance of Task, Citizenship,
and Counterproductive Performance to Global Ratings of Job Performance: A Policy
Capturing Approach.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 66 80.
Ryan, A. M., McFarland, L., Baron, H., and Page, R. (1999). ‘An International Look at
Selection Practices: Nation and Culture as Explanations for Variability in Practice.’
Personnel Psychology, 52: 359 92.
Sacco, J. M., and Schmitt, N. (2005). ‘A Dynamic Multilevel Model of Demographic
Diversity and MisWt EVects. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90: 203 31.
Sackett, P. R. (2002). ‘The Structure of Counterproductive Work Behaviors: Dimension
ality and Relationships with Facets of Job Performance.’ International Journal of Selection
and Assessment, 10: 5 11.
and Roth, L. (1991). ‘A Monte Carlo Examination of Banding and Rank Order
Methods of Test Score Use in Personnel Selection.’ Human Performance, 4: 279 95.
and Wanek, J. E. (1996). ‘New Developments in the Use of Measures of Honesty,
Integrity, Conscientiousness, Dependability, Trustworthiness, and Reliability for Person
nel Selection.’ Personnel Psychology, 49: 787 829.
Zedeck, S., and Fogli, L. (1988). ‘Relations between Measures of Typical and
Maximum Job Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 73: 482 6.
Schmitt, N., Ellingson, J. E., and Kabin, M. B. (2001). ‘High Stakes Testing
Employment, Credentialing, and Higher Education: Prospects in a Post AYrmative
Action World.’ American Psychologist, 56: 302 18.
Schmidt, F. L. (2002). ‘The Role of General Cognitive Ability and Job Performance: Why
There Cannot be a Debate.’ Human Performance, 15: 187 210.
and Hunter, J. E. (1998). ‘The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods: Practical
and Theoretical Implications of 85 Years of Research Findings.’ Psychological Bulletin, 124:
262 74.
Schmitt, N. (2002). ‘A Multi level Perspective on Personnel Selection: Are we Ready?’ In
F. J. Yammarino and F. Dansereau (eds.), The Many Faces of Multi level Issues.
Amsterdam: JAI.
322
neal schmitt and brian kim
Schmitt, N., and Chan, D. (1998). Personnel Selection: A Theoretical Approach. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Sharf, J. C., and Jones, D. P. (1999). ‘Employment Risk Management.’ In J. F. Kehoe (ed.),
Managing Selection Strategies in Changing Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2003). Principles for the Validation
and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures. Bowling Green, Oh.: SIOP.
Spector, P. E., and Fox, S. (2002). ‘The Emotion Centered Model of Voluntary Work
Behavior: Some Parallels between Counterproductive Work Behavior and Organizational
Citizenship Behavior.’ Human Resource Management Review, 12: 269 92.
(2004). ‘The Stressor Emotion Model of Counterproductive Work Behavior
(CWB).’ In S. Fox and P. E. Spector (eds.), Counterproductive Work Behavior: Investiga
tions of Actors and Targets. Washington, DC: APA Press.
Steel B. S., and Lovrich, N. P. (1987). ‘Equality and EYciency TradeoVs in AYrmative
Action Real or Imagined? The Case of Women in Policing.’ Social Science Journal, 24: 53 70.
Stevens, M. J., and Campion, M. A. (1994). ‘The Knowledge, Skill, and Ability Require
ments for Teamwork: Implications for Human Resource Management.’ Journal of Man
agement, 20: 503 30.
Stewart, G. L., Fulmer, I. S., and Barrick, M. R. (2005). ‘An Exploration of Member
Roles as a Multilevel Linking Mechanism for Individual Traits and Team Outcomes.
Personnel Psychology, 58: 343 65.
Sundstrom, E., De Meuse, K. P. and Futrell, D. (1990). ‘Work Teams: Application and
EVectiveness.’ American Psychologist, 45: 120 33.
Takeuchi, R., Yun, S., and Tesluk, P. (2002). ‘An Examination of Crossover and Spillover
EVects of Spousal and Expatriate Cross Cultural Adjustment on Expatriate Outcomes.’
Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 655 66.
Terpstra, D. E., and Rozell, E. J. (1993). ‘The Relationship of StaYng Practices to
Organizational Level Measures of Performance.’ Personnel Psychology, 46: 27 48.
‘Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures’ (1978). Federal Register, 43:
38290 315.
Van Dyne, L., Cummings, L. L., and Parks, J. M. (1995). ‘Extra Role Behaviors: In Pursuit
of Construct and DeWnitional Clarity (a Bridge over Muddied Waters).’ Research in
Organizational Behavior, 17: 215 85.
Van Scotter, J. R., Motowidlo, S. J., and Cross, T. C. (2000). ‘EVects of Task Perform
ance and Contextual Performance on Systemic Rewards.’ Journal of Applied Psychology,
85: 526 35.
Viswesvaran, C., and Ones, D. S. (2000). ‘Perspectives on Models of Job Performance.’
International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 8: 216 26.
Schmidt, F. L., and Ones, D. S. (2005). ‘Is there a General Factor in Ratings of Job
Performance? A Meta analytic Framework for Disentangling Substantive and Error
InXuences.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90: 108 31.
Wright, P. M., and Boswell, W. R. (2002). ‘Desegregating HRM: A Review and Synthesis
of Micro and Macro Human Resource Management Research.’ Journal of Management,
28: 247 76.
Dunford, B., and Snell, S. A. (2001a). ‘Human Resources and the Resource Based
View of the Firm.’ Journal of Management, 27: 701 21.
s e l e c t i o n d e c i s i o n-m a k i n g
323
Gardner, T. M., Moynihan, L. M., Park, H., Gerhart, B., and Delery, J. (2001b).
‘Measurement Error in Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: Add
itional Data and Suggestions for Future Research.’ Personnel Psychology, 54: 875 902.
and Allen, M. R. (2005). ‘The Relationship between HR Practices and
Firm Performance: Examining Causal Order.’ Personnel Psychology, 58: 409 46.
chapter 16
....................................................................................................................................................
TRAINING,
D EV E LO P M E N T,
AND COMPETENCE
....................................................................................................................................
jonathan winterton
16.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
According to the conventional wisdom of ‘nuts and bolts’ personnel management, having established personnel requirements (taking into account labor
turnover, retirements, sales forecasts, and the impact of technological changes
on productivity), recruitment, selection, and training follow as a linear trilogy. A
workforce with the requisite skills is the logical end result, enabling the personnel
team to focus on appraisal, remuneration, and motivation until the next round of
‘manpower planning’ (a term that surprisingly endured well beyond the advent
of gender-free language in the profession). Of course this is a caricature of the
standard personnel texts that some of us are old enough to remember, but barely
an exaggerated one despite its distance from the reality of workplace practice.
Modern HRM might emphasize the need for continuous training, and development to maintain the dynamic capabilities supporting organizational strategy and
make endless caveats about choices to be made between recruitment, training,
and outsourcing. The rhetoric is more sophisticated, but is it any closer to
reality? In practice, there are innumerable possible combinations for solving the
training, development, and competence
325
workforce capability problem. Organizations may provide training and development internally, externally, or in combination to ‘make’ a competent workforce,
attempt to ‘buy’ by recruiting or poaching skilled labor, paying attractive premium rates with what is saved on training expenditure, or endeavor to reduce
dependence on skilled labor altogether through particular choices of technology,
work organization, and outsourcing. Where organizations do train, the overriding objective is to develop the competence or ability of employees, but in such a
generalization, axiomatic perhaps to the point of tautology, the complex diversity
of approaches is lost.
Why are there such diVerences in approaches to training and development
given that all organizations need a competent workforce? Decisions on whether
or not to provide training, and if so whether to do so internally or externally, are
not made in a vacuum but are inXuenced by national and sectoral cultures,
institutional arrangements, and state policies on education and training. This
chapter seeks to explore the diversity of approaches and oVer some explanations
by situating the policy and practice of training and development within diVerent
national and supranational contexts. To this end, the chapter Wrst addresses the
political economy of skill formation, tracing the inXuence of the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and International Labor
OYce (ILO) policies on the strategies developed by regional supra-state bodies
such as the European Union (EU) and the Asia-PaciWc Economic Cooperation
(APEC) countries and the implementation of these strategies at the level of
nation states.
This review provides the context for the subsequent sections which address in
turn training, development, and competence. In the training section, theory,
policy, and practice are considered, including the diversity of national systems
for vocational education and training (VET) and the relationship between work
organization and workplace learning. The development section is distinguished
from training in terms of objectives and scope, while the emergence of Human
Resource Development (HRD) is explained not only in terms of a more strategic
focus but also in relation to initiatives like corporate universities. The competence section addresses the confusion surrounding the term, contrasting four
predominant approaches derived from the USA, the UK, France, and Germany,
each of which has inXuenced other countries to varying degrees. Drawing
on these four traditions, a more holistic approach to competence is presented
as the model currently being used to structure learning outcomes within the
European QualiWcations Framework. Section 16.6 considers the major trajectories
of theory, policy, and practice in this domain, while the Wnal section oVers an
overall summary and conclusion, drawing out the major issues for theory and
management practice.
326
jonathan winterton
16.2 The Political Economy
of Skill Formation
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
While there is substantial diversity in national systems and traditions of training
and development, the globalization of markets and the internationalization of
production represent common driving forces that have led international organizations like the ILO and OECD to emphasize training and development. The OECD
Jobs Study (1994a, 1994b) was particularly inXuential, arguing that the major cause
of rising unemployment and the incidence of low-wage jobs was the gap between
the need of OECD economies to adapt and the ability of governments to implement the necessary changes. The Jobs Study recommended measures to combat
unemployment including macroeconomic policies promoting growth and job
creation; technological development and entrepreneurship; increasing labor market Xexibility; strengthening active labor market policies; and improving labor
force skills. Subsequent OECD reports called for increasing the knowledge base
and innovative capacity through upgrading workforce skills, noting that on average
in OECD countries between 15 and 20 percent of school leavers have no qualiWcation and 20 percent of the working population is functionally illiterate, whilst skill
thresholds and earnings diVerentials (related to educational attainment) continue
to rise.
Strongly inXuenced by the OECD Jobs Strategy, supra-state organizations have
developed and coordinated regional training strategies. A comparison of the
training strategies of the EU and APEC shows very diVerent political structures
adopted in the two organizations and contrasting approaches to supranational
coordination of training (Haworth and Winterton 2004). The two regions face
common challenges arising from globalization and both the EU and APEC identiWed training as an essential component of raising competitiveness. Each region
has considerable diversity in terms of the economies of member countries which
gives the global challenges diVerent meanings in diVerent contexts and restricts the
development of uniform strategies across the regions. Despite these apparent
similarities, there are fundamental diVerences in organization and underlying
objectives. APEC’s organization is based on consensual decision-making, essential
for the Asian economies, while EU policy is directive to create an integrated
market. The means by which training policies are developed and implemented
also diVer. Social dialogue is a deWning principle of the EU policy approach that
combines economic and social objectives whereas in APEC the trade unions play
no role in developing regional training policy.
The strategies of the OECD, ILO, and supra-state organizations give the impression of a universal consensus that training is the essential component for developing modern competitive economies. Yet at the level of nation states not only is there
training, development, and competence
327
wide diversity in the approaches to training and development, but also substantial
diVerences in the skills equilibrium which are not explained by diVerences in the
sectoral composition of economies. Several sector studies by the National Institute
for Economic and Social Research have compared the UK and Germany (Steedman
and Wagner 1987), conWrming the UK economy as having a ‘low skills equilibrium’
(Finegold and Soskice 1988). While the higher skill level of the German workforce is
generally seen as a source of competitive advantage, permitting German Wrms to
focus on higher-value-added market niches, the narrow specialization of skilled
workers in Germany has also restricted the development of cross-functional adaptability necessary for the lean production and quick response associated with the
USA and UK (Herrigel 1996).
Anglo-American approaches to skill formation share a high proportion of lowskilled workers and a higher proportion of high-skilled than those at the intermediate skills level (in the USA case, a much higher proportion of graduates). This
approach contrasts with the ‘typical’ EU approach, where there are fewer lowskilled and a highly formalized apprenticeship system that creates a higher proportion of those with intermediate skills. The diVerences reXect prevailing labor
market conditions: the Anglo-American model is associated with low unemployment but more casual and precarious employment, while the European model is
associated with highly regulated labor markets with high employment security but
high levels of unemployment. The OECD agenda is concerned with encouraging
the Anglo-American approach to labor market Xexibility but also with raising skills
overall.
The ‘Americanization’ of labor markets is tied to a belief that training to raise
skills is a panacea permitting economic growth, higher employment, and lower
unemployment (the one is not the dual of the other since labor market participation rates vary enormously, especially for women) as well as (in Europe at least)
promoting social cohesion. Despite the apparent consensus among policy makers,
there are academic critiques. Crouch et al. (2001) oVer the most comprehensive
critique, whilst accepting key elements of the OECD analysis: the acquisition of
knowledge and skills is the main challenge and opportunity for full employment;
low-skilled work, rural and domestic, is disappearing; and some countries (like
Sweden) have succeeded in a high-skills strategy. However, they have serious
reservations with this essentially supply-side approach: public service employment,
a major source of high-skill and entry-level jobs is contracting; improvements in
productivity stem job growth; new secure high-skill jobs are insuYcient to absorb
those displaced in low-skill sectors; labor markets are becoming polarized into
high-skill and peripheral jobs; labor market deregulation reduces living standards
to reduce unemployment; lifelong learning devolves responsibility to the individual and reduces state obligations. If everyone becomes educationally successful,
then the criteria of success shift to a higher level and improving the educational
level of a potential workforce does not immediately create new jobs. There is
328
jonathan winterton
evidence from many countries (including France, Italy, Spain, and the USA) of
over-education, with rising graduate unemployment and the use of a university
degree as a sorting device, producing the paradoxical, and in the long run unstable,
situation whereby young people Wnd prolonged education increasingly unsatisfactory but increasingly demand it.
Since New Labour was elected in 1997, the UK government has been a keen
advocate of this skills discourse, establishing the Skills Task Force to develop a
national agenda for skills development, and the National Advisory Group for
Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning to advise on developing a culture
of lifelong learning and widening participation. The UK backed the EU economic
reform agenda agreed at the Lisbon summit in March 2000, which set the goal for
Europe to become by 2010 ‘the most competitive and knowledge-based economy in
the world capable of sustainable growth and better jobs and greater social cohesion.’ The Barcelona summit (March 2002) set the further objective of making
‘European education and training systems a world quality reference by 2010.’ In
2001, the UK government restructured post-compulsory education under the
newly created Learning and Skills Council and in 2003 published a White Paper
outlining the government’s skills strategy, 21st Century Skills: Realising our Potential,
establishing Sector Skills Councils to align training with labor market needs.
The discourse is diVerent in economies facing economic transformation (as in
the former Soviet Union), restructuring (everywhere, but especially in those
economies with a high proportion of agriculture or primary industries), reconstruction (as in South Africa), and modernization (in degrees ranging from
Vietnam to Turkey). Skill formation is inevitably central to these processes and
some economists see the development of human capital as more important in
explaining patterns of long-term economic growth than physical capital (Briggs
1987). Nevertheless, the same problem is manifest as in the OECD countries: skills
mismatches are common as a result of employer reluctance to provide training and
educational provision insuYciently adapted to the needs of the labor market.
Hence it is important to resist the temptation of seeing training as ‘good’ and
more training as ‘better.’ Training must be adapted to the needs of the individual
and the organization if it is to deliver the beneWts intended and it is to this issue
that the next section is addressed.
16.3 Training
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The objective of training is to ensure that all employees have and maintain the
requisite competences to perform in their roles at work. While the state is typically
training, development, and competence
329
involved in ensuring that new entrants to the labor market are adequately trained,
continuing training is mainly the concern of the enterprise and the individual. This
section seeks to provide an overview of the theory, policy, and practice of training,
drawing out diVerent approaches associated with diVerent national contexts.
Theories of training are based on theories of learning since training eVectiveness
is measured by the extent to which the individuals concerned learn what they need
to know, can do what they need to do, and adopt the behaviors intended; i.e. the
acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Cognitive learning, related to the
understanding and use of new concepts (knowledge), may be contrasted with
behavioral learning, related to the physical ability to act (skill). Welford (1968:
12–13), who deWned skill as a combination of factors resulting in ‘competent,
expert, rapid and accurate performance,’ regarded this as equally applicable to
manual operations and mental activities. Welford’s (1968, 1976) work demonstrates
how actions are selected and coordinated at diVerent levels of skilled performance
and the conditions of practice and training that facilitate the acquisition and
transfer of skill. Fitts and colleagues (Fitts et al. 1961; Fitts and Posner 1967)
developed a three-stage framework for skill acquisition involving (i) a cognitive
phase of understanding the nature of the task and how it should be performed;
(ii) an associative phase involving inputs linked more directly to appropriate
actions and reduced interference from outside demands; and Wnally (iii) an
autonomous phase when actions are ‘automatic’ requiring no conscious control.
Anderson (1981, 1983) developed a framework for the acquisition of cognitive skill
in which the declarative and procedural phases correspond with Fitts’s cognitive
and autonomous phases. In place of an intermediary associative phase, Anderson
argued that there is a continuous process of ‘knowledge compilation’ involving the
conversion of declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge. Proctor and
Dutta (1995: 18), in what is arguably the most authoritative text on skill acquisition,
deWne skill as ‘goal-directed, well-organized behavior that is acquired through
practice and performed with economy of eVort.’
Training policies and practices are, or should be, informed by these and other
underpinning theories of learning. Training cannot be considered independently of
context, and diVerent national systems of VET reXect diVerent economic, social,
political, and cultural conditions and traditions. Various typologies of systems of
skill formation have been proposed to distinguish the diVerent families of
VET systems (Ashton et al. 2000; ILO 1998; OECD 1998). These variously distinguish the ‘schooling model’ where VET provision may be integrated within general
education or delivered through separate VET institutions, the consensual ‘dual
model’ where the emphasis is on apprenticeship, and voluntarist market led or
enterprise led models, which may be associated with high or low skills strategies.
With some simpliWcation, two key dimensions of VET systems allow an adequate
typology: the focus of skill formation (workplace or school) and the regulation of
the VET system (state or market). Within Europe, four countries illustrate the
330
jonathan winterton
diVerences. In terms of its focus, VET is mostly industry led and centered on the
workplace in the UK and Germany, whereas training is education led and centered
on vocational training schools in Italy and France. The German dual system entails
instruction in VET schools in parallel with work-based training, but the curricula
focus on workplace needs. Whereas VET is regulated by the state in Germany and
France, in the UK and Italy arrangements are market led, with responsibility for
training largely devolved to employers (Winterton 2000).
Whatever the system, training policy should ensure that labor market needs are
met. Some have questioned employers’ ability adequately to identify future skills
needs, asking whether employers really need the skills they want (Stasz 1997) and,
equally, if they want the skills they need. In the UK, it was argued that employers
recruit graduates because they are plentiful, but then use them in intermediate
functions to remedy labor market skills deWciencies at this level. Recent evidence
disputes this hypothesis, showing that the vast majority of graduates in England
are employed within three years in positions that demand graduate skills, despite
the doubling of university entrants in a little over a decade (Elias and Purcell 2004).
In market-led training systems like the UK, some employers have been tempted
to focus on narrow job-related skills, wanting to ‘pick and mix’ modules of
vocational qualiWcations to suit their needs for Xexibility, rather than respecting
the integrity of qualiWcations that improve employability. In the state-led German
system, modularization has been resisted in the interests of maintaining the
integrity of ‘Beruf ’, usually translated as occupation but embracing the culture
and traditions of a craft. State regulation facilitates a higher level of skill development, which explains why vocational qualiWcations are almost as extensive in
France as in Germany, but the French system is focused on state vocational schools
and employers complain that the training is inappropriate, a problem not apparent
in the German dual system where the curriculum is focused on workplace needs.
Turning to practice, training involves three processes: analysis of needs, development of provision, and evaluation. Training needs analysis compares existing
competences with those required and can be undertaken at the level of the
organization, the work team, and the individual. At the organizational level, the
purpose is to establish training priorities in the light of organizational strategy and
associated core competences. At team level, the purpose is to ensure that teams
possess the complementary skills required for eVective performance and functional
Xexibility. At the individual level, a development review aims to match career
aspirations with organizational needs. A comparison of the attributes required
for a particular job (in the job proWle) with those of the current job holder provides
a starting point; more detail is obtained by task or functional analysis which
identiWes speciWc knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed.
In the development phase, the training content is determined from the needs
analysis and appropriate modes of delivery identiWed for the diVerent elements.
Training is invariably more structured for new employees because the induction
training, development, and competence
331
period is crucial in reducing dysfunctional labor turnover; job training should only
begin after induction. Operative training involves explaining why a task is performed, how it should be performed, and providing an opportunity for practice.
Two methods were traditionally employed: ‘sitting by Nellie’ (Crichton 1968) and
training centers. Sitting by Nellie (learning with an experienced employee) is still
widely used and eVective where experienced employees are taught training techniques. The advantage of training centers using full-time professional trainers may
be oVset by problems of training transfer when the trainee moves to the work
station, either because of the exigencies of the work process or diVerences between
theory and practice.
Evaluation is intended to provide feedback for improving future provision,
informing senior management for strategic decisions on training expenditure,
and encouraging trainees to reXect on their experiences. According to the seminal
work of Kirkpatrick (1967), training can be evaluated at four levels. Reaction-level
evaluation provides information on what participants thought of a training program and is of limited value. Learning-level evaluation is concerned with the
eVectiveness of the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes through training.
Behavioral-level evaluation is concerned with how well skills or behaviors have
been transferred to the job, according to participants, superiors, and subordinates.
Results-level evaluation, measuring the impact of training on the organization’s
return on investment, cost savings, quality changes, and improvements in work
output, is the most valuable but most challenging due to diYculties in attributing
performance improvements to training interventions.
16.4 Development
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The key distinction between development and training is that development
involves a wider range of activities with less speciWc ends than training. Training
is designed with speciWc learning outcomes that form the basis for examination of
the skills acquired: an operator who has received the requisite training should be
able to use a milling machine to produce test pieces within the tolerance required,
for example. Development is focused more on the individual than the occupation
and is concerned with longer-term personal growth and career movement: in
France, the term évolution professionnelle is used in preference to développement,
hence emphasizing the ends rather than the means.
Development is also related to the idea of social and economic progress because
developing workforce skills has a major impact on national economies (Zidan
2001); where economies are undergoing a process of development, transition, or
332
jonathan winterton
reconstruction, this takes on a wider social importance. While international
organizations like the OECD, World Trade Organization, International Monetary
Fund, United Nations Development Program, and World Bank have continued to
promote free market ideas, they also note the importance for developing and
transition economies of state-led initiatives to develop human capital (UNDP 1990;
World Bank 1997). Many Asian economies have extensive national programs for
developing human capital, such as Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and Malaysia,
the latter having introduced a Human Resource Development Act in 1992
(Ashton et al. 2002). In the Middle East, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and the United
Emirates all have national HRD programmes (UNDP 2003) and the ILO recently
helped draft a new employment and training plan for Bahrain. Similarly, as part of
its Programme of Reconstruction and Development, South Africa passed a Skills
Development Act in 1998.
In the UK, while all employees might receive training, development was in the
past only for managers and professionals, with the term ‘management development’ appearing more often than development without the preWx. Hussey’s (1988:
58) deWnition of management development included not only education and
training but also ‘reading, job rotation, projects and other ways of trying to
bring in the dimension of learning by experience in a managed way.’ The Taylor
Report (IoM 1994: 84) noted a widening in the concept, embracing ‘a wide range of
developmental activities . . . such as job rotation, project work, [and] self-managed
learning.’ Nowadays, the term ‘employee development’ normally covers all
employees, including managers, but management development illustrates the
diversity of activities involved (Winterton and Winterton 1999). Skill gaps and
shortages in key occupations like management were prioritized by the Skills Task
Force (STF 1998; Johnson and Winterton 1999), but policy emphasis moved to
lifelong learning to promote social progress and cohesion in line with the European
Commission White Paper (EC 1996), Teaching and Learning: Towards the Learning
Society. There is widespread evidence in all EU member states that adults who have
previously engaged in learning are far more likely to be current participants than
those who have not had, or taken up, such learning opportunities (McGivney
1999). Initiatives to counter this so-called ‘Matthias Principle’ (‘to those that hath
shall more be given’) are therefore to be welcomed but there is a risk that the new
Workforce Development agenda will marginalize management development and
managers have an important part in ensuring the development of others.
In the USA, development, like training, refers to all employees even though the
nature of training and development diVers with occupation. It is notable that HRD
as a distinct area emerged in the USA with the formation of the Academy of
Human Resource Development and writings distinguishing HRD from both
HRM and mainstream training and development (McLagan and Suhadolnik
1989). HRD emphasizes links with organizational strategy and performance,
individual development, organizational learning, and the maintenance of core
training, development, and competence
333
competence (PfeVer 1999; Prahalad and Hamel 1990; Stewart and McGoldrick 1996;
Walton 1999). However, whereas HRM has largely replaced Personnel Management, not only in a terminological sense but also in underlying theory and practice,
HRD has not displaced training, which occupies a substantially larger domain. The
Academy of Human Resource Development, centered on the USA but with an
international membership, is substantially smaller than the much older American
Society of Training and Development. Claiming to ‘lead practice through theory,’
the AHRD is dominated by academics, whereas the ASTD is predominantly a
practitioner body. Clearly, training is not about to be replaced by HRD.
The rhetoric of development, that ‘all employees will be given the opportunity to
develop to their fullest potential,’ is rather like the HRM mantra that ‘our employees are our greatest asset.’ In practice, employee development is delimited by work
organization, and Taylorist work design persists in much of manufacturing and
services despite claims of the new knowledge-based economy. Japanese industrialist Konosuke Matsushita claimed in 1979 that Japanese industry had outgrown
Taylorism, recognizing that Wrm survival ‘depends on the day-to-day mobilization
of every ounce of intelligence’ (Molander and Winterton 1994: 147). Certainly,
releasing the energies of all employees is fundamental to kaizen (continuous
improvement), supported by the consensus of ringisei (teamworking). Equally,
there is a tradition in the Nordic countries of developing all employees to their
full potential, but typically with an explicit role for the trade unions (Nordhaug
1993).
16.5 Competence
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
There is a broad consensus that competence embraces the ability (capability or
capacity) to perform work tasks to a certain standard and that its opposite is ‘not
yet competent,’ implying scope for learning and development to achieve the
necessary standard, rather than ‘incompetent’ which has no such developmental
association and is generally used in a pejorative sense. Equally, such a simple
dichotomy is inadequately developmental; there are clearly degrees of competence,
whatever it means and however it is measured, which is important when establishing reference levels of qualiWcations, for example.
The competence-based approach in training was driven by Wve factors: technological innovation and demographic changes increased the importance of adaptive
training and work-based learning (Winterton and Winterton 1997); the need to
replace supply-driven, traditional education systems with demand-driven models
(MansWeld 2004); lifelong learning policies stressing informal and non-formal
learning and the accreditation of experience (Bjørnåvold 2000); the social value of
334
jonathan winterton
such recognition of competence, irrespective of the route of acquisition, for those
who have had fewer opportunities for formal education and training (Rainbird
2000a); and the potential of a competence-based approach for integrating
education and training, whilst aligning both with the needs of the labor market
(Winterton 2005).
Despite the central role of competence, there is such confusion surrounding the
concept that it is impossible to identify or impute a coherent theory or to arrive at a
deWnition capable of accommodating and reconciling all the diVerent ways that the
term is used. DiVerent cultural contexts profoundly inXuence the understanding of
competence and four dominant approaches can be distinguished that developed
more or less independently in the USA, the UK, France, and Germany (Delamare
Le Deist and Winterton 2005). These four approaches have variously inXuenced
policy and practice worldwide.
The competence movement began in the USA where White (1959) is credited
with having introduced the term to describe those personality characteristics
associated with superior performance and high motivation. White deWned competence as an ‘eVective interaction (of the individual) with the environment’ and
argued that there is a ‘competence motivation’ in addition to competence as
‘achieved capacity.’ McClelland (1976) followed this approach and developed
tests to predict competence as opposed to intelligence, subsequently describing
this as ‘competency’ and marketing the approach through the consulting Wrm that
became Hay McBer. Because of skepticism regarding the predictive value of
cognitive ability tests, the competency approach started from the opposite end,
observing eVective job performers to determine how these individuals diVer from
less successful performers. Competency thus captures skills and dispositions
beyond cognitive ability, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and social skills;
while some of these may also be found in personality taxonomies (Barrick and
Mount 1991), competencies are fundamentally behavioral and susceptible to learning (McClelland 1998). This tradition has remained particularly inXuential in the
USA, with competency deWned in terms of ‘underlying characteristics of people’
that are ‘causally related to eVective or superior performance in a job,’ ‘generalizing
across situations, and enduring for a reasonably long period of time’ (Boyatzis
1982; Hay Group et al. 1996; Klemp and Spencer 1982; Spencer and Spencer 1993). It
is worth noting that others have defended the predictive power of intelligence tests
(Hunter and Hunter 1984; Barrett and Depinet 1991).
Since the end of the 1990s, competence-based HRM has become widespread in
the USA, not only in relation to HRD, but also in selection, retention, remuneration, and leadership (Athey and Orth 1999; Dubois and Rothwell 2004; Foxan 1998;
Rodriguez et al. 2002). In this renaissance, competency has a much broader
conception than hitherto, including knowledge and skills alongside the behavioral
or psycho-social characteristics in the McClelland tradition. Even within the predominantly behavioral approach, many conceptions of competency now include
training, development, and competence
335
knowledge and skills alongside attitudes, behaviors, work habits, abilities, and
personal characteristics (Gangani et al. 2004; Lucia and Lepsinger 1999; Naquin
and Wilson 2002; Nitardy and McLean 2002; Russ-Eft 1995).
A diVerent approach was developed during the 1980s in the UK when a competence-based, uniWed system of work-based, vocational qualiWcations (National
Vocational QualiWcations in England and Wales, Scottish Vocational QualiWcations
in Scotland) was adopted. Occupational standards of competence, grounded in
functional analysis of occupations in a variety of contexts, identify key roles,
broken down into units of competence and further subdivided into elements
with associated performance criteria and range indicators for assessment. The
emphasis is on functional competence: the ability to demonstrate performance to
the standards required of employment in a work context. While this is still the
dominant approach in the UK, some employers developed their own competence
frameworks or adopted other generic models combining functional and behavioural factors to create hybrid competence models.
The competence movement started later in France (Klarsfeld and Oiry 2003) and
became particularly inXuential from 1993 when the Agence Nationale Pour
l’Emploi (National Employment Agency) adopted a competence framework and
HRM professionals began replacing the logic of qualiWcation with competence. In
the 1990s, the state introduced a right for individuals to have a bilan de compétences
(assessment of competences) undertaken by educational organizations to provide a
basis for personal development. Competence featured increasingly in HRM practice from the mid-1990s, further encouraged by the initiative, Objectif compétences
(Objective: competence), of the employers’ association MEDEF (Mouvement des
Entreprises de France) in 2002. The French approach makes an analytical distinction between savoir (compétences théoriques, i.e. knowledge), savoir-faire (compétences pratiques, i.e. functional competences), and savoir être (compétences sociales
et comportementales, i.e. behavioral competences).
While competence (Kompetenz) was implicit in the German system, the main
emphasis is on the concept of Beruf QualiWkation, the mastery of all the tasks
speciWc to an occupation. In the 1980s, ‘key qualiWcations’ (SchlüsselqualiWkationen) were introduced, relating to individual characteristics, experience, and
knowledge. In 1996, the German education system moved from subject (inputs)
to competence (outcomes) and curricula specifying learning Welds (Lernfelder).
Kompetenz is concerned with capacity to act (Handlungsvermögen) and, in the
occupational sense, this is expressed as vocational action competence (Handlungskompetenz). A standard typology of competences now appears at the beginning of
every new vocational training curriculum, elaborating domain competence (Fachkompetenz), personal competence (Personalkompetenz), and social competence
(Sozialekompetenz). General cognitive competence (Sachkompetenz), the ability to
think and act in an insightful and problem-solving way, is a prerequisite for
developing Fachkompetenz. A balance of subject, personal, and social competence
336
jonathan winterton
is the prerequisite for ‘method and learning competence’ (Methodenkompetenz und
Lernkompetenz).
In recent years, many countries have adopted competence-based qualiWcations,
usually following quite closely one of the above models or hybrid forms. Competence-based occupational proWles and/or qualiWcation frameworks already exist or
are under development in most of the Wfteen ‘old’ EU member states and are being
promoted in those of the ten ‘new’ EU member states that had not already adopted
this approach. The UK approach had a major impact on the Commonwealth
countries, while the German approach reappears in Austria and Slovenia. Portugal
has adopted the French model in revising the secondary education system with
curricula designed to achieve learning outcomes speciWed in terms of cognitive
competences (competências cognitivas), functional competences (competências funcionais), and social competences (competências sociais).
Competence-based approaches have been criticized for neglecting socio-cultural
contexts, and are accused of creating abstract, narrow, and oversimpliWed descriptions of competence that fail adequately to reXect the complexity of work performance in diVerent organizational cultures and workplace contexts (Attewell
1990; Norris 1991; Sandberg 1994). Competences are centered on the individual, but
constructivist and interpretative approaches derived from phenomenology view
competence as a function of the context in which it is applied (Dreyfus and Dreyfus
1986). Interpretative approaches acknowledge workers’ tacit knowledge and skills
(Polanyi 1967), overlooked if competence is treated as context free because work
practice seldom accords with formal job descriptions. Tacit competences, even of
so-called ‘unskilled workers’ (Kusterer 1978), can have a determining impact on the
success of an enterprise (Flanagan et al. 1993).
It can be concluded that while competence-based training and development is
gaining ground, the earlier American psycho-social approach and the narrow
functional approach pioneered in the UK are giving way to more holistic
approaches, particularly along the lines of the French and German models. The
new recognition of the importance of informal and experiential learning is likely to
broaden the concept of competence even further from the abstract, mechanistic
approaches, to legitimize tacit knowledge and skills, and to capture more
adequately the complexity of actual work processes.
16.6 Future Directions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Given the diYculties of forecasting future skill needs, any attempt to forecast future
directions of training, development, and competence must carry the usual caveats.
training, development, and competence
337
The best that can be done is to make some rather general observations on emerging
trends and some intelligent guesses as to the extent they are likely to continue. This
is done with respect to the politics of skill formation, training policy and practice,
development, and competence.
In terms of the politics of skill formation, it is clear that there is a global
consensus involving governments and international organizations on the need to
increase the level of workforce skills in line with technological developments and
the emergence of a global knowledge-based economy. However, several critics have
noted that supply-side solutions are not a panacea for labor demand deWciencies.
Moreover, Keep (2005) warns that the idea of high skills for all, often coupled with
‘best practice’ models of HRM, can be viewed as a search for happy endings to
counteract the challenges of mounting welfare burdens, declining sectors, and
growing inequalities. The analysis is Xawed, he argues, because ‘knowledge workers’ only exist in parts of some economies and low-paid, low-skilled occupations
prevail in many sectors. Moreover, the associated best practice model of HRM is
a ‘mirage,’ at best a ‘minority sport,’ since organizations are inclined to adopt
partially those elements of the model that Wt their strategy. The persistence of
Taylorist work organization, enthusiastically adopted in many service sector enterprises that optimists associate with the knowledge-based economy, means that we
are likely to see an increasing polarization of skills.
As for training policy, there is growing criticism that formal training in vocational schools is failing to meet the needs of the labor market as economic
restructuring and technological changes are making traditional skills obsolete. In
Turkey, for example, graduate unemployment is 10 percentage points higher than
unemployment among unqualiWed young people and employers prefer to recruit
untrained workers than those from state-run vocational schools. In sectors like
textiles and metalworking, employers have established foundations to deliver
training suited to labor market needs but the certiWcates awarded are not recognized by the state, whereas the oYcially recognized qualiWcations of the vocational
schools do not meet employers’ needs. EVorts are in place with the support of the
European Commission to bring education closer to the labor market but this case
illustrates some of the diYculties of ensuring training is appropriate. There is also
increasing recognition that the Anglo-American hegemony in HRM (Boxall 1995:
6) produces inappropriate training solutions for the speciWc needs of developing
and transition economies. In recent years, there has been a spectacular increase in
interest in HRD in the Asian, Arab, and African economies, which oVer diVerent
paradigms of skill formation (Ashton et al. 2000).
In terms of practice, the distinction between training and development appears
to be diminishing as there is increasing acceptance that most learning is informal,
and even accidental. Training is giving way to learning and development, which
implies individuals taking responsibility for learning and provision being more
adapted to individual needs, in terms of both content and learning style. For
338
jonathan winterton
organizations, training and development are becoming intimately linked to
organizational strategy, with a focus on adaptability and Xexibility for both the
developmental objectives and the delivery of training opportunities. For states, the
need for co-investment by employers and individuals is high on the agenda and
formal education is becoming more focused on core skills and engaging with
learning. In this transformation, the role of the HRD specialist is becoming one
of facilitating learning opportunities rather than providing the formally structured
training provision of the past. This tendency is also reXected in the policy
emphasis on lifelong learning with the aim of integrating education, training,
and adult and community learning. Moves within the EU to create a European
QualiWcations System, for example, are driven by a concern not only to promote
labor mobility between member states but also to integrate higher education,
vocational training, and experiential routes of skills acquisition. While there is a
continued emphasis on external qualiWcations for initial training, internal initiatives for continuing and adaptive training are increasingly important, with the
establishment of workplace learning facilities and the use of Accreditation of
Prior Learning (Validation des Acquis Expérientielles) for validation of non-formal
experiential learning.
Development is in the ascendant and voices of modernization advocate changing
the focus from training individuals to facilitating learning by individuals, teams,
and organizations, some even claiming that already ‘the development process has
overtaken the training event at individual, group and organization level’ (Mabey
and Iles 1994: 1). Using Engestrom’s (2001) concept of ‘expansive learning,’ recent
analyses of employee development have distinguished expansive and restrictive
workplace environments in terms of the extent to which they promote or inhibit
opportunities for learning (Rainbird et al. 2003). Some organizations are responding to the need for continuous development by establishing Workplace Learning
Environments, ranging from a few computers in a quiet corner to immense
Corporate Universities. Companies such as Ford have introduced schemes to
encourage employees to return to learning, and similar initiatives have been led
by trade unions in the UK (Rainbird 1990, 2000b), particularly since the introduction of Union Learning Representatives (Rodgers et al. 2003).
As for competence, there are again signs that American hegemony on competency is being challenged by multidimensional competence frameworks, along the
lines of the French and German models. SigniWcantly, a holistic approach to
competence has been recommended for the European Credit Transfer System for
VET and in the European QualiWcations Framework that was being developed
during 2006. The holistic competence model recognizes the unity of competence,
as in the Beruf tradition, and the diYculty of breaking speciWc competences into
the analytically distinct cognitive, functional, and social dimensions in practice.
Meta-competence (learning to learn, for example) is presented as an overarching
input that facilitates the acquisition of output competences.
training, development, and competence
339
16.7 Summary and Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This chapter has considered the politics of skill formation, the policies and
practices of training and development, and approaches to building competence.
The question was posed at the outset as to why, given that all organizations need a
competent workforce, there are signiWcant diVerences in approaches to training
and development between diVerent economies and diVerent enterprises. There is
no simple answer: diVerent contexts evidently demand diVerent approaches to
training and development but even in the same context diVerent approaches may
be adopted. As with approaches to HRM in general, ‘one size Wts all’ is not a serious
option for HRD.
According to international organizations like the OECD, the need to develop
new skills for the emerging knowledge-based economy represents a policy priority
that has clearly inXuenced supranational bodies like the EU and APEC. Despite this
consensus, shared by most national governments, the focus on supply-side issues
can be criticized for neglecting the demand side. Are the jobs being created that
demand these skills and do employers really need the skills they want?
There are extensive national diVerences in VET systems even within the EU and,
when we look beyond to transition economies like the former Soviet states, to
developing economies like South Africa, and to the dynamic Asian and Middle
Eastern countries, there are approaches to national HRD strategies that challenge
the Anglo-American dominance so evident in the literature. Development, in
particular, in these cases may have broader objectives associated not only with
personal and professional evolution but also clear socio-economic objectives.
In suggesting scenarios for the future, two divergent trends are apparent simultaneously, often in the same environment. The Wrst concerns the increasingly
strategic focus of training and development on the competences needed to support
organizational strategy, typiWed by the UK Investor in People Standard. This
approach may become more widespread as organizations seek to justify investment
in training and development with a return on performance improvements. The
fundamental objective of training and development is to ensure individuals have
the skills or competences needed for their work performance, whether part of a
high-skill, high-performance HRM model or simply the basic skills demanded of
a Taylorist work process. The second trend is the widespread, but not universal,
tendency for training to give way to development and for both to give way to
learning, implying the individual taking more responsibility and the HRD role
becoming one of facilitating learning opportunities. In policy terms, this trend
is also apparent in initiatives to create ‘joined-up’ lifelong learning, where the
experiences of school, college, university, workplace, and community are seen
as contributing in complementary ways to individual development. While the
two trends may seem contradictory, the Wrst focused on narrow organizational
340
jonathan winterton
performance needs and the second on broader individual development, they
should perhaps be seen as complementary and part of the inherent challenge of
balancing the needs of the organization and the individual.
References
Anderson, J. R. (ed.) (1981). Cognitive Skills and their Acquisition. Hilldale, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum.
(1983). The Architecture of Cognition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Ashton, D., Sung, J., and Turbin, J. (2000). ‘Towards a Framework for the Comparative
Analysis of National Systems of Skill Formation.’ International Journal of Training and
Development, 4/1: 8 25.
Green, F., Sung, J., and James, D. (2002). ‘The Evolution of Education and Training
Strategies in Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea: A Development Model of Skill
Formation.’ Journal of Education and Work, 15/1: 5 30.
Athey, T. R., and Orth, M. S. (1999). ‘Emerging Competency Methods for the Future.’
Human Resource Management, 38/3: 215 26.
Attewell, P. (1990). ‘What is Skill?’ Work and Occupations, 4: 422 48.
Barrett, G. V., and Depinet, R. L. (1991). ‘A Reconsideration of Testing for Competence
rather than for Intelligence.’ American Psychologist, 46/10: 1012 24.
Barrick, M. R., and Mount, M. K. (1991). ‘The Big Five Personality Dimensions and Job
Performance: A Meta analysis.’ Personnel Psychology, 44: 1 26.
BjørnÅvold, J. (2000). Making Learning Visible. Thessaloniki: CEDEFOP.
Boxall, P. (1995). ‘Building the Theory of Comparative HRM.’ Human Resource Manage
ment Journal, 5/5: 5 17.
Boyatzis, R. E. (1982). The Competent Manager: A Model for EVective Performance. New
York: Wiley.
Briggs, V. M. (1987). ‘Human Resource Development and the Formulation of National
Economic Policy.’ Journal of Economic Issues, 21/3: 1207 40.
Crichton, A. (1968). Personnel Management in Context. London: Batsford.
Crouch, C., Finegold, D., and Sako, M. (1999). Are Skills the Answer? The Political
Economy of Skills Creation in Advanced Industrial Countries. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Delamare Le Deist, F., and Winterton, J. (2005). ‘What is Competence?’ Human
Resource Development International, 8/1: 27 46.
Dreyfus, H. L., and Dreyfus, S. E. (1986) Mind over Machine: The Power of Human
Intuition and Expertise in the Era of the Computer. New York: Free Press.
Dubois, D. A., and Rothwell, W. J. (2004). Competency Based Human Resource Manage
ment. Palo Alto, Calif.: Davies Black.
EC (1996). Teaching and Learning: Towards the Learning Society. Luxembourg: European
Commission Publications OYce.
(2000a). Lisbon European Council: Presidency conclusions. http://ue.eu.int/newsroom/
NewMain.asp?LANG¼1
training, development, and competence
341
(2000b). Memorandum from the Commission: Lifelong Learning. Brussels: Commis
sion of the European Communities.
(2001a). Communication from the Commission: Making a European Area of Lifelong
Learning a Reality. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
Elias, P., and Purcell, K. (2004). ‘Is Mass Higher Education Working? Evidence from the
Labour Market Experiences of Recent Graduates.’ National Institute Economic Review,
190: 60 74.
Engestrom, Y. (2001). ‘Expansive Learning at Work: Toward an Activity Theoretical
Reconceptualization.’ Journal of Education and Work, 14/1: 133 55.
Finegold, D., and Soskice, D. (1988). ‘The Failure of Training in Britain: Analysis and
Prescription.’ Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 4/3: 21 53.
Fitts, P. M., and Posner, M. I. (1967). Human Performance. Belmont, Calif.: Brooks/Cole.
Bahrick, H. P., Noble, M. E., and Briggs, G. E. (1961). Skilled Performance. New
York: John Wiley.
Flanagan, M., McGinn, I., and Thornhill, A. (1993). Because no Bastard ever Asked Me.
Canberra: Stakeholder.
Foxan, M. J. (1998). ‘Closing the Global Leadership Competency Gap: The Motorola GOLD
Process.’ Organization Development Journal, 16: 5 12.
Gangani, N. T., McLean, G. N., and Braden, R. A. (2004). ‘Competency Based Human
Resource Development Strategy.’ Academy of Human Resource Development Annual
Conference, Austin, TX, 4 7 March, Proceedings, ii. 1111 18.
Haworth, N., and Winterton, J. (2004). ‘HRD Policies and the Supra state: A Com
parative Analysis of EU and APEC Experience.’ ‘Fifth Conference on HRD Research and
Practice: International Comparative and Cross Cultural Dimensions of HRD’, Limerick,
27 8 May.
Hay Group, Towers Perrin, Hewitt Associates Llc, M. William Mercer Inc., and American
Compensation Association (1996). Raising the Bar: Using Competencies to Enhance
Employee Performance. Scottsdale, Ariz.: American Compensation Association.
Herrigel, G. B. (1996). ‘Crisis in German Decentralized Production.’ European Urban and
Regional Studies, 3/1: 33 52.
Hunter, J. E., and Hunter, R. F. (1984). ‘Validity and Utility of Alternate Predictors of Job
Performance.’ Psychological Bulletin, 96: 72 98.
Hussey, D. E. (1988). Management Training and Corporate Strategy: How to Improve
Competitive Performance. Oxford: Pergamon.
ILO (1998). World Employment Report 1998 1999. Employability in the Global Economy: How
Training Matters. Geneva: International Labor OYce.
IoM (1994). Management Development to the Millennium: The Cannon and Taylor Working
Party Reports. London: Institute of Management.
Johnson, S., and Winterton, J. (1999). Management Skills. Skills Task Force Research
Paper 3. London: Department for Education and Employment.
Keep. E. (2005). Keynote presentation to ‘Sixth International Conference on HRD Research
and Practice’, Leeds, 26 7 May.
Kirkpatrick, D. (1967). ‘Evaluation of Training.’ In R. Craig and L. Bittell (eds.), Training
and Education Handbook. New York: McGraw Hill.
Klarsfeld, A., and Oiry, E. (eds.) (2003). Gérer les compétences: des instruments aux
processus. Paris: Vuibert.
342
jonathan winterton
Klemp, G. O., and Spencer, L. M. (1982). Job Competence Assessment. Reading, Mass.:
Addison Wesley.
Kusterer, K. C. (1978). Know How on the Job: The Important Working Knowledge of
‘Unskilled’ Workers. Boulder, Colo.: Westview.
Lucia, A. D., and Lepsinger, R. (1999). The Art and Science of Competency Models:
Pinpointing Critical Success Factors in an Organization. San Francisco: Jossey Bass/
PfeiVer.
Mabey, C., and Iles, P. (eds.) (1994). Managing Learning. London: Thomson.
McClelland, D. (1976). A Guide to Job Competency Assessment. Boston: McBer & Co.
(1998). ‘Identifying Competencies with Behavioural Event Interviews.’ Psychological
Science, 9/5: 331 9.
McGivney, V. (1999). Excluded Men: Men Who are Missing from Education and Training.
Leicester: NIACE.
McLagan, R. A., and Suhadolnik, D. (1989). Models for HRD Practice. Alexandra, Va.:
American Society of Training and Development.
Mansfield, B. (2004). ‘Competence in Transition.’ Journal of European Industrial Training,
28/2/3/4: 296 309.
Molander, C., and Winterton, J. (1994). Managing Human Resources. London:
Routledge.
Naquin, S. S., and Wilson, J. (2002). ‘Creating Competency Standards, Assessments and
CertiWcation.’ Advances in Developing Human Resources, 4/2: 180 7.
Nitardy, C. N., and McLean, G. N. (2002). ‘Project Management Competencies Needed
by HRD Professionals: A Literature Review.’ Academy of Human Resource Development
Conference, Honolulu, HA, 27 February 3 March, Proceedings, ii. 956 63.
Nordhaug, O. (1993). Human Capital in Organizations. Oslo: Scandinavian University
Press.
Norris, N. (1991). ‘The Trouble with Competence.’ Cambridge Journal of Education, 21/3:
1 11.
OECD (1994a). The OECD Jobs Study: Evidence and Explanations. Part I: Labour Market
Trends and Underlying Forces of Change. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development.
(1994b). The OECD Jobs Study: Evidence and Explanations. Part II: The Adjustment
Potential of the Labour Market. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development.
(1998). Technology, Productivity and Job Creation: Best Policy Practices. OECD Jobs
Strategy 1998 Edition. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Pfeffer, J. (1999). Competitive Advantage through People. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press.
Polanyi, M. (1967). The Tacit Dimension. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Prahalad, C. K., and Hamel, G. (1990). ‘The Core Competence of the Corporation.’
Harvard Business Review, May June: 79 91.
Proctor, R. W., and Dutta, A. (1995). Skill Acquisition and Human Performance. London:
Sage.
Rainbird, H. (1990). Training Matters: Union Perspectives on Industrial Restructuring and
Training. Oxford: Blackwell.
(2000a). ‘Skilling the Unskilled: Access to Work Based Learning and the Lifelong
Learning Agenda.’ Journal of Education and Work, 13/2: 183 97.
training, development, and competence
343
(ed.) (2000b). Training in the Workplace. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Fuller, A., and Munro, A. (eds.) (2003). Workplace Learning in Context. London:
Routledge.
Rodgers, J., Wallis, E., and Winterton, J. (2003). ‘Union Learning Representatives:
Making the European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality?’ Fourth Conference on
HRD Research and Practice: Lifelong Learning for a Knowledge Based Society, Toulouse,
23 4 May.
Rodriguez, D., Patel, R., Bright, A., Gregory, D., and Gowing, M. K. (2002). ‘Devel
oping Competency Model to Promote Integrated Human Resource Practices.’ Human
Resource Management, 41: 309 24.
Russ Eft, D. (1995). ‘DeWning Competencies: A Critique.’ Human Resource Development
Quarterly, 6/4: 329 35.
Sandberg, J. (1994). Human Competence at Work: An Interpretive Approach. Göteburg: Bas.
Spencer, L., and Spencer, S. (1993). Competence at Work: A Model for Superior Perform
ance. New York: Wiley.
Stasz, C. (1997). ‘Do Employers Need the Skills they Want? Evidence from Technical Work.’
Journal of Education and Work, 10/3: 205 33.
Steedman, H., and Wagner, K. (1987). ‘A Second Look at Productivity, Machinery and
Skills in Britain and Germany.’ National Institute Economic Review, 122: 84 95.
Stewart, J., and McGoldrick, J. (eds.) (1996). Human Resource Development: Perspectives,
Strategies and Practice. London: Pitman.
STF (1998). Towards a National Skills Agenda. First Report of the National Skills Task Force,
SKT1, London: Department for Education and Employment.
UNDP (1990). Human Development Report: DeWning and Measuring Human Development.
New York: United Nations Development Program Publications.
(2003). Arab Human Development Report. New York: United Nations Development
Program Publications.
Walton, J. S. (1999). Strategic Human Resource Development. London: Pearson Education.
Welford, A. T. (1968). Fundamentals of Skill. London: Methuen.
(1976). Skilled Performance: Perceptual and Motor Skills. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman.
White, R. H. (1959). ‘Motivation Reconsidered: The Concept of Competence.’ Psychological
Review, 66: 279 333.
Winterton, J. (2000). ‘Social Dialogue over Vocational Training in Market Led Systems.’
International Journal of Training and Development, 4/1: 8 23.
(2005). ‘From Bologna to Copenhagen: Developing a European System for Credit
Transfer in VET.’ International Journal of Training Research, forthcoming.
and Winterton, R. (1997). ‘Workplace Training and Enskilling.’ In S. Walters (ed.),
Globalization, Adult Education and Training: Impacts and Issues. London: Zed Books.
(1999). Developing Managerial Competence. London: Routledge.
World Bank (1997). World Development Report 1997: The State in a Changing World. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Zidan, S. S. (2001). ‘The Role of HRD in Economic Development.’ Human Resource
Development Quarterly, 12/4: 437 43.
chapter 17
....................................................................................................................................................
R E M U N E R AT I O N :
PAY E F F E C T S
AT WO R K
....................................................................................................................................
james p. guthrie
17.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Costco Wholesale Corporation is a ‘warehouse retailer’ with over 60,000
employees working in stores spread across the USA, Canada, Taiwan, Japan,
Mexico, and the UK Costco is the market leader in the US warehouse retailer
segment, but they have a Werce rival in Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores.
While Costco and Sam’s Club share a number of similarities, their approach to
employee compensation is strikingly diVerent. The average hourly wage of
Costco’s full-time employees is 42 percent higher than the average hourly
wage of Sam’s Club employees. In addition, Costco’s health care, retirement,
and other beneWts are also markedly superior. Although the data speciWc to
Sam’s Club is not available, Wal-Mart covers 66.6 percent of employee health
care premiums while Costco pays 92 percent. Jim Sinegal, Costco’s CEO,
maintains, ‘This is not altruistic. This is good business.’ Costco’s CFO agrees,
saying, ‘Paying higher wages translates into more eYciency.’ Deutsche Bank
Wnancial analyst Bill Dreher disagrees with these sentiments: ‘At Costco, it’s
better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder.’ Emme KozloV, an
remuneration: pay effects at work
345
analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, also disagrees with Costco’s pay
strategy, complaining that CEO Sinegal ‘has been too benevolent.’ In addition to
being ‘diVerent’ in terms of pay level, Costco also diVerentiates itself with its
relatively egalitarian approach to pay. Jim Sinegal’s total pay package in 2004 was
$550,000, an amount much less than those found in his industry peer group
(Costco was 29th in total revenues among all US companies in 2004). According
to Sinegal, this again represents good business sense: ‘I just think that if you’re
going to try to run an organization that’s very cost-conscious, then you can’t
have those disparities. Having an individual who is making 100 or 200 or 300
times more than the average person working on the Xoor is wrong.’1
As illustrated in the above passage, executives and other stakeholders consider
compensation policies to be important business decisions. This passage also serves
to illustrate deep-seated disagreement as to what represents ‘best practice’ in compensation management. In the academic literature, there is a similar diversity of
perspectives, opinions, and conclusions. While this chapter will incorporate and
review some of this vast literature, it is not intended to be an exhaustive review of all
compensation research.2 Instead, the goal of this chapter is to review, summarize, and
discuss academic research as it pertains to pay eVects or consequences associated with
a set of limited, yet fundamentally important compensation policy issues and
decisions: pay level, pay structure, and pay form or payment system. Prior to beginning
the review of relevant research, I Wrst provide a brief description of these policy issues.
Pay level refers to an organization’s pay position relative to other product/service
and labor market competitors. Broadly, Wrms can lead, lag, or match the market. As
described above, Costco has chosen to be a market leader. What are the likely
implications of this decision? Costco executives believe that organizational eVectiveness will be enhanced, whereas the Wnancial analysts quoted above are somewhat less optimistic. This chapter reviews studies that inform this debate.
While pay level refers to ‘how much’ employees are paid, pay form or payment
system refers to ‘how’ they are paid—the manner in which compensation is
distributed. Most generally, ‘form’ or ‘payment system’ refers to the relative
amount of pay that is Wxed, as opposed to variable. As reviewed below, payfor-performance is one of the more controversial areas of compensation research.
There has been signiWcant disagreement as to whether paying for performance
enhances or decreases employee motivation and individual and organizational
eVectiveness. In addressing this topic, I review and discuss studies examining the
inXuence of individual and group-based pay-for-performance plans on motivation
and performance.
1
Data on Costco, Sam’s Club, and Wal Mart is obtained from Greenhouse 2005; Holmes and
Zellner 2004; and Zimmerman 2004.
2
For a more complete treatment of compensation research, interested readers are especially
encouraged to consult Gerhart and Rynes 2003.
346
james p. guthrie
In this chapter, I also review eVects associated with two dimensions of pay
structure. The Wrst dimension, the extent to which a Wrm’s pay structure is relatively
hierarchical or Xat (also referred to as ‘pay dispersion’), is speciWcally mentioned by
Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco. He states that a pay structure in which top executives
make ‘100 or 200 or 300 times more than the average person working on the Xoor is
wrong’ and intimates that Costco’s egalitarian pay structure promotes organizational eVectiveness. Another aspect of pay structure is the basis of pay. Along with
research on pay dispersion eVects, I also review a limited number of studies examining the use of person-based, as opposed to job-based, pay systems. I begin with pay
form, then review pay structure, followed by a discussion of pay level eVects.
17.2 Effects of Pay Form/Payment
System
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
With money, you can make the devil push a millstone.
(Chinese proverb)
One of the more interesting—and controversial—issues in compensation has been
delineating the manner and magnitude in which pay inXuences employee motivation and performance. The focus in this debate has been on whether or not
monetary (i.e. ‘extrinsic’) rewards have ‘incentive eVects’ or positively aVect
employees’ attitudes and performance. While this is undeniably an important
topic, pay policies may also broadly aVect organizational functioning by impacting
the talent level and mix of a Wrm’s workforce. This can occur through reward
systems’ inXuence on the entry (i.e. attraction, recruiting, hiring) and exit (turnover) of employees. This point is emphasized by Rynes (1987: 190): ‘compensation
systems are capable of attracting (or repelling) the right kinds of people because
they communicate so much about an organization’s philosophy, values, and
practice.’ In this section, I Wrst review evidence related to ‘incentive eVects’ followed
by a review of research on the inXuence of reward systems on workforce composition and competence (‘sorting’ eVects).
Incentive eVects. A number of theoretical perspectives have been used to explain
and understand the mechanisms by which monetary rewards may positively inXuence individual and group performance. Chief among these are expectancy theory
(Vroom 1964), goal-setting theory (Locke 1968), reinforcement theory (Skinner
1969), and agency theory (Jensen and Meckling 1976). Another theory, cognitive
evaluation theory, or CET (Deci and Ryan 1985), has been used to challenge the
basic assumption that pay positively impacts employee performance.
remuneration: pay effects at work
347
CET suggests that rewards may be harmful to employee performance due to
detrimental eVects on intrinsic task motivation. Intrinsic motivation is experienced
when a person performs an activity that is of interest to them even when no apparent
reward is received. Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation to perform an activity
strictly for the rewards themselves (Daniel and Esser 1980). CET suggests that
intrinsic motivation is adversely aVected by rewards when reward recipients perceive the reward as controlling or as a challenge to competence. This suggestion has
spurred a number of studies to test propositions of the theory, with mixed results.
A series of meta-analyses (Cameron and Pierce 1994, 1997; Deci et al. 1999;
Eisenberger and Cameron 1996; Wiersma 1992) suggests that the extent to which
rewards undermine intrinsic motivation is limited and circumscribed. The most
supportive of these meta-analyses is Deci et al. (1999), but as pointed out by Gerhart
and Rynes (2003), Deci et al.’s study found no support for detrimental eVects on
attitudes; moreover, their Wndings suggesting negative eVects for the ‘free-time’
measure of intrinsic motivation were much more pronounced in school-aged
children as opposed to an adult (college-age) population. Finally, some studies
(e.g. Fang and Gerhart 1999) have reported positive relationships between pay and
intrinsic motivation. Thus, although the CET literature has generated a provocative
and healthy dialogue on the motivational value of incentives (e.g. Gupta and Shaw
1998; Kohn 1998), research does not overwhelmingly support the assertion that
incentives and rewards undermine individuals’ motivation or task interest. Moreover, even if Deci and colleagues are more right than wrong—even if incentives and
rewards have the deleterious eVects they suggest—the cumulative evidence
(reviewed below) belies the claim that ‘incentive plans cannot work’ (Kohn 1993).
An early meta-analysis by Guzzo et al. (1985) examined the productivity eVects
of a number of organizational initiatives, including ‘Wnancial compensation’, in
studies published during the 1971–81 time period. While Wnancial initiatives had no
eVect on employee withdrawal, the eVect on productivity was both statistically and
practically signiWcant. In fact, the eVect size associated with Wnancial compensation
initiatives was more than twice that of any of the other classes of initiatives (e.g.
training, appraisal and feedback, goal-setting, etc.).
Jenkins et al. (1998) conducted a more recent meta-analysis of studies published
from 1960 to 1996. Jenkins et al. (1998) only analyzed individual-level research that
used experimental or quasi-experimental designs. Of the forty-seven separate
studies, forty-one focused on performance quantity and six on performance
quality. While the cumulative results across the six studies focusing on performance quality found no relationship between incentives and quality (the eVect was
positive, but small and insigniWcant), the eVect size for performance quantity was
substantial (.34). While incentive eVects were evident in all settings, the eVect sizes
in both Weld (.48) and simulations (.56) were much higher than those reported in
laboratory settings (.24). Since the majority of studies are conducted in lab settings,
this may indicate that many studies underestimate the performance eVects of
348
james p. guthrie
incentives. Jenkins et al. speculate that weaker laboratory results may be partly
attributable to the smaller incentives typically used in these settings. Jenkins et al.
conclude by saying: ‘These results also question the . . . argument that people do not
value money. If money is not important, Wnancial incentives should show no
systematic relationship with performance. Obviously, the research evidence
amassed over three and a half decades shows otherwise’ (1998: 783).
Other important studies include Lazear (1999) (reviewed below) and Gerhart and
Milkovich (1990). Using data on approximately 14,000 top and middle-level executives and managers across a Wve-year time frame, Gerhart and Milkovich (1990)
examined a number of research questions related to managerial base and contingent
pay. The Wrst important Wnding of this study is that organizations appear to be
‘strategic’—they exhibit stable and systematic diVerences across time in terms of
both pay level and pay mix (relative use of base vs. contingent pay). The second
important Wnding from this study is that organizational diVerences in contingent
pay (but not pay level) predict organizational proWtability.
Research evidence also suggests that group-based pay-for-performance plans can
be eVective. In general, group incentive systems include plans in which payouts are
contingent upon the achievement of group or unit goals. The best-known forms of
these types of pay plans are proWt-sharing and gain-sharing plans. Gain-sharing
plans are group-based reward plans which pay a bonus based upon productivity
improvements or cost reduction. These plans also often include a formal employee
involvement component. ProWt-sharing plans are another group-based reward
option. While all proWt-sharing plans pay a bonus based upon the achievement
of proWtability, these plans vary substantially in terms of frequency of payout,
deferred versus cash payouts, size of the proWt share, etc. Other forms of groupbased pay plans include goal- or win-sharing plans and employee stock ownership
plans (ESOPs).
While the mechanics of plans such as gain-sharing, proWt-sharing, and ESOPs
are obviously distinct, from an economic or psychological perspective they are
generically more similar than diVerent (Weitzman and Kruse 1990). They seek to
enhance productivity by aligning employer and employee interests and motivating
employees to contribute to organizational eVectiveness. As with individual payfor-performance plans, group pay plans can be viewed from a variety of theoretical
perspectives, including goal-setting theory (Guthrie and Hollensbe 2004;
Hollensbe and Guthrie 2000) and expectancy theory (Lawler 2000). Although
generally applied to executive compensation, agency theory can also be applied,
with group-based pay plans designed to align managers and employees’ interests
(Welbourne and Gomez-Mejia 1995).
Studies indicate that group performance-based pay plans can positively impact
organizational outcomes (e.g. Kruse 1993; Mangan and St-Onge 2005; Pritchard
et al. 1988). Due to concerns with ‘line of sight’ and instrumentality perceptions
(e.g. Lawler 2000), proWt-sharing plans are often viewed as a less eVective form of
remuneration: pay effects at work
349
group-based pay plan. Studies have shown, however, that these plans can impact
Wrm performance, especially when they include mechanisms eliciting employee
participation, rewards for individual contributions, cash payouts instead of deferred
monies, and payouts of a signiWcant increment based on relatively small proWt
centers (e.g. Kruse 1993; Long 2000; Mangan and St-Onge 2005).
In a series of well-designed Weld studies of gain-sharing plans, Arthur and
colleagues (Arthur and Jelf 1999; Arthur and Aiman-Smith 2001; Arthur
and Huntley forthcoming) have illuminated some of the intermediary mechanisms
underlying these plans’ eVectiveness. These studies found that gain-sharing plans
can improve labor relations (Arthur and Jelf 1999), organizational learning (Arthur
and Aiman-Smith 2001), and eYciency via employees’ suggestions (Arthur and
Huntley forthcoming).
Intriguing evidence also suggests that the aggregate productivity eVects observed
for group-based pay plans may be partly due to their eVects on lower performing
employees. Studies by Weiss (1987) and Hansen (1997) suggest the move from
individual incentive to group incentive plans results in employee performance
converging to a standard: the lowest performing employees show substantial
improvement following the introduction of the group plan, while the performance
of the most able workers tends to decrease. These results await further replication
and speciWcation.
Sorting eVects. The eVects of pay-for-performance plans may be enhanced by
what labor economists label as ‘sorting’—the inXuence that incentives have on
employee attraction and attrition. In perhaps the best examination of sorting
eVects to date, Lazear (1999) provides compelling results from a study of windshield installers at Safelite Glass Corporation. DeWned in terms of units installed
per day per worker, he found that worker productivity increased by 44 percent
following implementation of a piece-rate incentive plan, with about one-half due
to incentive eVects, and the remainder due to sorting.
Research grounded in the person–organization Wt paradigm also provides evidence related to sorting. Per Rynes (1987), compensation sends signals to prospective applicants regarding organizational culture and values. These ‘signals’ may
impact workforce composition in the form of ability and/or disposition. Using
experimental and/or policy-capturing studies, research has shown that the attractiveness of pay-at-risk and individual vs. group-based contingent pay depends on
individual diVerences such as cognitive ability, risk preference, self-eYcacy, and
other aspects of personality (cf. Bretz et al. 1989; Cable and Judge 1994; Stevens and
Ash 1998; Trank et al. 2002).
Research also suggests sorting eVects through turnover. A meta-analysis
performed by Williams and Livingstone (1994) found that pay-for-performance
reward contingencies magniWed the inverse relationship between performance and
turnover. A more precise illustration is provided by Harrison, Virick, and William
350
james p. guthrie
(1996). In this Weld study of home telecommunications sales representatives, at the
two-month mark on the job, new employees transitioned from a relatively Wxed
pay scheme to a system where 100 percent of pay depended upon sales performance. During the Wrst two months of employment the correlation between sales
performance and turnover was very modest, but under the commission-based
system, this correlation increased dramatically.
Another supportive example is Trevor et al.’s (1997) study of managerial and
professional employees of a petroleum company. Of interest here, turnover rates
among top performers reduced substantially if they experienced signiWcant salary
growth. According to Trevor et al.:
The greatest diVerences in retention under conditions of low and high salary growth were
by far in the top two performance categories. We contend that the fate of these few
employees is disproportionately important to the organization. . . . Tomorrow’s stars and
perhaps even franchise players may be among today’s few top performers; their retention, at
least in part, appears to depend on paying them according to their performance. (1997: 57)
Sturman et al. (2003) analyzed the economic beneWt of ‘winning the talent war’—
retaining higher performers through the use of individual pay-for-performance
plans. Even under the most conservative assumptions regarding the value associated with employee performance variability, Sturman et al. demonstrate that
performance contingent pay yields substantial Wnancial beneWts over the noncontingent pay strategy.
Group–based pay plans have interesting implications for voluntary turnover.
While some evidence suggests reductions in voluntary turnover (e.g. Azfar and
Danninger 2001; Wilson and Peel 1991), group-based pay plans are also imbued
with the ‘free rider’ problem, where incentive eVects are diluted by peers’ attempts
to free-ride oV others’ contribution. The free-rider problem should be particularly
disturbing to higher-performing workers (Hansen 1997; Weiss 1987), leading to
greater dissatisfaction and turnover among this group (see Park et al. 1994).
Further, if group incentive plans are particularly dissatisfying for employees who
perceive themselves as ‘high performers,’ then this problem may be magniWed by
the ‘Lake Wobegone eVect:’ the statistical anomaly that almost all employees
perceive their performance to be above average (Meyer 1975). Moreover, increases
in group size may exacerbate this problem. Described as the 1/n problem (where
n ¼ group size), direct returns to individuals in group settings are diluted by a
factor of 1/n (Hansen 1997; Kruse 1993; Weitzman and Kruse 1990). Guthrie (2000)
reported results consistent with this argument, showing that organizational turnover rates under group incentive plans increased as a function of group size.
Pay form/payment system eVects: summary. A review of the literature suggests
strongly that pay-for-performance plans, both at the individual and group levels,
can have both statistically and practically signiWcant eVects. Research also suggests
that eVects of pay-for-performance are due to both incentive and sorting eVects.
Research examining pay-for-performance issues needs to especially be aware of
remuneration: pay effects at work
351
bias that may be introduced when designs do not allow for sorting eVects. In fact,
the lower eVects sizes for laboratory studies reported by Jenkins et al. (1998) may
partly be attributable to this phenomenon. Lab studies or simulations are needed
that allow subjects to ‘sort’ into diVerent pay conditions in order to more precisely
elucidate the contributions of sorting versus incentive eVects.
In addition to observing increases in mean productivity, Lazear (1999) also
documents increased dispersion around the mean following the introduction of
the Safelite incentive plan. According to Lazear, once the incentive system was
implemented, workers performed closer to their actual abilities, leading to both
higher and more dispersed performance. This is mindful of discussions of ‘typical’
versus ‘maximum’ performance (Sackett et al. 1988). The use of intense payfor-performance schemes may partially mimic ‘maximum performance’ conditions.
If pay-for-performance practices have the potential to draw employees closer to
‘maximum’ performance, then these schemes may also have signiWcant implications
for employee selection. SpeciWcally, these pay plans may call for increased emphasis
on ability or dispositional selection criteria, as opposed to behavioral criteria.
Group-based pay-for-performance plans are arguably more complex than plans
based on individual performance and, as such, more research is needed to Xesh out
our understanding of the eVects and eVectiveness of various plan features. For
example, as noted earlier, evidence suggests that group-based pay plans are eVective
despite the potential negative impact on the most able employees (Hansen 1997;
Park et al. 1994; Weiss 1987). What precise mechanisms are at work here? Preliminary evidence suggests that the mutual monitoring and peer pressure under
group-based pay plans may serve to raise the performance of below-average and
average employees so as to oVset any losses among the top performing employees.
What is the magnitude of the eVect on top performers? What design elements will
most eVectively cause top performers to maintain their contributions? While
research evidence suggests that larger incentives and rewards for individual contributions to group performance may counteract this problem (Long 2000), much
more research is needed on these and other group pay phenomena.
17.3 Effects of Pay Structure
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Inequality, rather than want, is the cause of trouble.
(Chinese saying)
In this section, I review research related to two aspects of pay ‘structure’—pay
dispersion and pay basis. In terms of dispersion, pay structures can range from
352
james p. guthrie
being relatively Xat or egalitarian, with limited diVerences across levels and
positions, to those that are steep or hierarchical, displaying large diVerences across
levels and positions. With respect to pay basis, I review a limited number of studies
that have examined the use of person-based, as opposed to job-based, pay systems.
Pay dispersion. A starting point for this research stream is tournament theory,
which seeks to both explain and inform pay structures. Developed by Lazear and
Rosen (1981), tournament theory suggests that it may be eYcient (i.e. it makes
economic sense) to pay those at the top of a pay structure a wage that exceeds their
marginal contributions. Steep diVerentials will beneWt organizations if these pay
structures serve to attract a talented pool of employees and entice them to perform
at high levels in a contest for the top ‘prizes.’ A number of studies have examined
tournament theory in the context of sports, with supportive evidence provided by
studies such as Ehrenberg and Bognanno’s (1990) study of golf tournaments and
Becker and Huselid’s (1992) study of auto racing.
In a study of professional baseball teams, Bloom suggests that more egalitarian
pay structures ‘can be beneWcial for group performance because they may inculcate
feelings of fairness and common purpose, foster cooperative, team-oriented
behavior, and support common goal orientations’ (1999: 26). Bloom examines
the impact of pay dispersion on individual and team performance and Wnds that
more egalitarian pay structures are associated with higher levels of individual and
team performance. Bloom’s results for baseball are consistent with several other
studies of this sport (e.g. DeBrock et al. 2004; Jewell and Molina 2004).
What about the ‘real’ world? A number of studies have looked at pay dispersion
eVects at the executive level. When compared to other nations, US companies have
often been described as (and criticized for) having pay structures that are ‘overly’
hierarchical. This suggests that tournament structures may be an American phenomenon, but this is belied by international evidence (e.g. Conyon et al. 2001;
Eriksson 1999). Other tournament features that have been supported using executive pay data include greater pay dispersion associated with fewer promotions
(Leonard 1990), more dynamic industry environments (Bloom and Michel 2002;
Leonard 1990), greater numbers of tournament ‘participants’ (e.g. Conyon et al.
2001; Leonard 1990; Main et al. 1993), and higher executive turnover (Bloom and
Michel 2002).
Consistent with the conclusion of Gerhart and Rynes (2003), it does appear that
the bulk of the evidence from studies at this level has established the existence of
tournament-like structures within the executive ranks. While evidence is generally
supportive that these structures exist at this level, are tournament structures
‘eYcient’? Do more dispersed executive pay structures positively impact Wrm
performance? The evidence in this regard is mixed (cf. Conyon et al. 2001; Eriksson
1999; Leonard 1990; Main et al. 1993).
Researchers have also examined performance outcomes associated with pay dispersion among workers outside of the executive ranks. These studies are generally
remuneration: pay effects at work
353
more challenging since this pay data is often not publicly available. At the same time,
these studies are arguably more important because they broaden the focus beyond
the rareWed air of the executive suite to include those more directly responsible for
making products and/or delivering services.
Similar to Bloom (1999), Cowherd and Levine note that organizations are ‘both
economic exchange systems that produce goods and services and emotional hotbeds fueled by continual social comparison’ (1992: 305). These researchers argued
that inter-class pay dispersion may negatively aVect product quality through
detrimental eVects on employees’ discretionary eVort, cooperation, commitment,
or, more formally, organizational citizenship behavior (Organ 1990). Results were
consistent with these arguments.
Another study focusing on pay dispersion eVects among non-executives is Shaw
et al. (2002). They Wrst make the point that intra-class wage dispersion (or horizontal dispersion) likely has more powerful eVects on employee attitudes and
behavior than inter-class dispersion (vertical dispersion): ‘Horizontal pay distributions hold constant many potentially confounding factors (e.g., diVerences in
status, social class, job titles) that could reasonably explain variations in pay levels’
(2002: 509). Second, they argue that pay dispersion cannot be judged as helpful or
harmful to organizational eVectiveness in the abstract. One consideration is the
existence of individual pay-for-performance practices, which will strengthen
individual motivation and, importantly, legitimize pay diVerences. Results across
two samples largely support their arguments.
Shaw et al. also note that when authors make normative arguments for the
eVectiveness of pay compression, they do so by arguing that more egalitarian pay
structures will enhance cooperation and teamwork toward the completion of
interdependent tasks. This implies a contingency argument, wherein task interdependency should moderate the performance impact of pay structure. In fact, one of
the original proponents of tournament theory has made similar arguments: ‘If
harmony is important, pay compression is optimal on strict eYciency grounds’
(Lazear 1989: 579). Supporting this contingency argument, Shaw et al. Wnd that
performance is poorest when pay dispersion and work interdependence are both
high.
Another relevant study is PfeVer and Langton’s (1993) examination of the eVects
of pay dispersion on a sample of over 17,000 faculty from more than 600 US
academic departments. Their main Wnding was that wage dispersion within departments is associated with lower satisfaction, productivity, and collaboration on
the part of individual faculty.3 Similar to Shaw et al. (2002), PfeVer and Langton
report that the impact of pay dispersion on satisfaction is reduced in departments
where the dispersion is more ‘justiWed’ (i.e. more strongly correlated with experience, education, or productivity).
3
Gerhart and Rynes 2003 provide an interesting critique of this study.
354
james p. guthrie
Brown et al. (2003) examined the implications of pay dispersion for organizational performance (eYciency, patient care, Wnancial performance) within 333
acute care hospitals in the state of California. They Wnd the eVect of pay dispersion
on organizational performance depends on an organization’s pay market position.
Egalitarian structures were more eVective when paired with below-market wages
and hierarchical structures more eVective in tandem with above-market pay.
Pay basis. Traditional job-based pay systems (e.g. point factor systems) are
structured so that pay is attached to the jobs that employees perform. The internal
value of jobs is often determined by job evaluation, a process wherein value is
assigned based on the assessment of jobs vis-à-vis a set of compensable factors (e.g.
skills, responsibility, eVort, working conditions). Jobs of similar value are assigned
to the same pay grades. Lower pay grades represent jobs of lower value; higher pay
grades contain jobs of higher value. In job-based systems, jobs and pay grades are
often ‘priced’ through the use of market survey data. While job evaluation helps
determine the internal pay structure (‘internal equity’), collecting representative
market pay data helps Wrms assign wages and ensure external competitiveness
(‘external equity’). In job-based pay systems, while there may be pay adjustments
(e.g. merit increases) associated with performance, pay is largely determined by the
value of the job that one holds. Thus, large pay increases occur primarily as a
function of progressing up the hierarchy of pay grades into jobs deemed to have
more organizational value.
In contrast to job-based pay structures, person-based pay structures attach pay
to individual employees’ skills, knowledge, or competencies. Under person-based
pay systems, the basis for pay is largely a function of the breadth and/or depth of
knowledge, skills, or competencies possessed by an employee. The knowledge or
skills required for work process or task completion are typically broken down into
skill or knowledge ‘blocks’ which are, in turn, often further broken down into skill
or knowledge ‘levels.’ Under person-based pay systems, pay adjustments are made
when individuals are certiWed as having acquired additional skills or knowledge
speciWc to the particular system. As with job-based systems, market pay data is
often used to help ‘price’ the pay structure, although the pricing is often complicated by the lack of comparable person-based systems in other organizations.
Advocates of person-based reward systems believe these pay systems hold many
advantages over job-based systems (Lawler 2000). Job-based systems are thought to
incent upward promotion, reinforce hierarchical structures, and to be more
consistent with a ‘command and control,’ top-down management style. Moreover,
job-based systems are deemed less compatible with interdependent tasks and
team-based structures. In contrast, person-based systems, with their emphasis
on skill and knowledge acquisition, are argued to be a better Wt with the need
for a lean, Xexible, and multi-skilled workforce able to adjust their roles as
dictated by changing market and organizational demands. For all of these
reasons, proponents of person-based pay systems believe they should be a central
remuneration: pay effects at work
355
component of ‘high performance’ or ‘high involvement’ work organizations
(Lawler 2000).
Despite the strong interest and growth in the use of the person-based alternative
as a basis for pay, relatively few studies have empirically examined the consequences of these plans. The exceptions include work by McNabb and WhitWeld
(2001) who found that British Wrms using more of a ‘high-performance’ approach
to management were less likely to utilize job evaluation and performed more
poorly if they did. Other research suggests that use of person-based pay systems
may reduce organization-level turnover (Guthrie 2000).
To date, the best evidence of the organizational-level performance impacts of
person-based pay plans is provided by Murray and Gerhart (1998). These authors
obtained thirty-seven months of time series data from a production facility’s
records to examine the impact of skill-based plan adoption on three fundamentally
important indicators of performance: product quality (scrap percentage), productivity (labor hours per part), and labor cost (wages divided by number of good
parts produced). The time series data indicates that productivity increased dramatically following adoption of skill-based pay, with labor hours per part reduced
by 58 percent. Despite the fact that hourly wages increased during the study period,
the increased productivity resulted in a 16 percent reduction in labor costs. Also,
the skill-base pay facility’s scrap rate was 82 percent; better than a comparison
control facility.
Pay structure eVects: summary. Research results on pay dispersion eVects are
unequivocally equivocal. This may be logical since, in a general way, both overly
hierarchical and overly egalitarian pay structures are likely to violate equity theory
principles. Moreover, it is apparent that deWnitions of ‘egalitarian’ and ‘hierarchical’
will depend on a host of contingencies, including—but certainly not limited to—the
nature of the task (e.g. Bloom, 1999; Shaw et al. 2002), market pay position (Brown
et al. 2003), use of ‘legitimate’ bases for pay dispersion (Shaw et al. 2002) and
industry (Bloom and Michel 2002). Even though we are beginning to understand
these issues, much remains unexplored. For example, even in the case of baseball,
where a number of studies have shown negative eVects for pay dispersion on team
performance, it is still not clear why this occurs. This is especially true given that the
opposite Wnding has been reported in studies of other professional team sports
(DeBrock et al. 2004). Moreover, while much of the criticisms of hierarchical pay are
directed toward ratios of executive pay to ‘average’ workers, Shaw et al. (2002) make
the point that intra-class pay dispersion is probably more impactful than inter-class
dispersion. This seems intuitive, but requires empirical examination.
Research on the person-based pay alternative is fairly undeveloped at present.
The only tightly designed study of organizational consequences associated with this
approach to pay was quite promising (Murray and Gerhart 1998). Along with other
studies of ‘main eVects,’ more studies are needed on the contextual conditions that
make the person-based alternative a better ‘Wt.’
356
james p. guthrie
17.4 Effects of Pay Level
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
It’s not money that brings happiness, it’s lots of money.
(Russian proverb)
Viewed from the perspective of neoclassical economic theory, individual employers
are assumed to be wage-takers, as opposed to wage-makers. In this view, wages are
determined by the market-level supply and demand for workers and, as pricetakers and proWt-maximizers, individual Wrms will hire workers until the marginal
revenue generated by additional hires equals the cost of the market-determined
wage. From this traditional perspective, there is no advantage for Wrms to deviate
from the ‘market’ rate. In fact, doing so would always negatively impact Wrm
proWts. Both anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests, however, that Wrms vary
substantially in the amount of compensation oVered to employees. The Costco
example in the beginning of this chapter is one example. More formally, Leonard
(1989) showed that wages for a similar job can vary by as much as 50 percent within
a given city. Moreover, while the economics literature tends to focus on human
capital and industry characteristics in explaining pay-level diVerences, research
suggests that organizations adopt distinct, stable market pay positions (Gerhart
and Milkovich 1990). What are the consequences associated with these diVerent
pay-level positions? As detailed below, the relevant body of work remains incomplete and somewhat inconsistent.
The ‘eYciency wage hypothesis’ (Akerlof and Yellen 1986) was developed to help
understand pay market positioning eVects and outlines several mechanisms to
help understand why paying above-market wages may sometimes be ‘eYcient’ or,
more colloquially, improve Wrm eVectiveness. First, since workers will want to
maintain employment with their above-market employer, it will reduce the likelihood of ‘shirking’ or performance problems. Second, above-market wages may help
by reducing turnover. Third, similar to equity theory arguments, employees may
increase their eVort and performance out of a sense of fairness. Fourth, above-market
employers may enjoy an advantage in terms of their ability to attract a more talented
pool of applicants. Several studies appear to validate a number of these arguments.
A clever study of the eYciency wage hypothesis was conducted by Cappelli and
Chauvin (1991). They used data on seventy-eight plants from a single US Wrm to
examine the relationship of wage rates with employee dismissal for disciplinary
reasons (e.g. due to low performance, absenteeism, tardiness, etc.). While all plants
were under the same national contract, cost-of-living diVerences in diVerent
locations led to signiWcant diVerences in employees’ ‘real wages.’ Consistent with
eYciency wage predictions, Cappelli and Chauvin found that higher (real) wages
reduced ‘shirking’ and discipline-related dismissals, with the eVect magniWed with
increases in local unemployment rates.
remuneration: pay effects at work
357
Other research supports the conclusion that above-market wage rates tend to
reduce employees’ turnover intentions or actual turnover (e.g. Guthrie 2001; Levine
1993; Shaw et al. 1998). In one of the few studies to link relative pay rates with
employee attitudes, Levine (1993) found that higher plant wage rates in their US
and Japanese sample improved employee outcomes on a number of measures,
including job and pay satisfaction levels, intentions to stay with the company, and
reports of willingness to ‘work harder.’ In addition to aVecting turnover, it is
perhaps unsurprising that potential employees are also attracted to Wrms paying
higher wages (e.g. Barber and Bretz 2000; Cable and Judge 1994).
In sum, research suggests that higher relative wages improve the ability to both
attract and retain employees. This is again illustrated by Costco. For example, after
the Wrst year of employment, Costco has a 6 percent employee turnover rate, as
compared to 21 percent at Sam’s Club (Holmes and Zellner 2004). Does this ability
to retain employees yield economic beneWts? Costco believes that its higher market
wage helps account for its comparative productivity advantage in terms of sales
revenue ($795 sales/square foot per employee vs. $516 at Sam’s) and operating
proWts ($13,643 per employee vs. $11,034 at Sam’s). Because of this productivity
advantage—and despite the fact that their per capita wage rates are higher—
Costco’s labor costs as a percentage of revenue are signiWcantly lower than Sam’s
Club.
The research evidence, however, is a bit more mixed. Supportive evidence for the
eYciency wage argument is found in a study of UK manufacturing plants (Wadhwani and Wall 1991), where higher relative wages were positively associated with
both output and value added per employee. However, Gerhart and Milkovich
(1990) found that while use of contingency pay for managers positively inXuenced
Wrm performance (ROA), managerial pay-level position did not aVect performance. And, in Brown et al.’s (2003) study of pay practices in California hospitals,
while pay level had direct, positive impacts on organizational performance in terms
of both patient care quality and eYciency, there were non-linear, diminishing
returns to increases in market pay position, prompting the authors to assert that
‘there exist limits as to how much selection can be improved, turnover can be
reduced, and motivation can be increased with pay’ (p. 760).
Finally, the set of studies on pay eVects in the professional sports arena discussed
earlier is also relevant. While Bloom (1999) Wnds strong negative eVects on baseball
team performance for pay dispersion, he Wnds no pay-level eVects (in fact, his
bivariate correlations indicate that relative team payroll has a signiWcant, negative
correlation with teams’ Wnishing positions). His results stand in contrast with those
of Frick et al. (2003) who Wnd strong positive eVects for total team pay in four
diVerent US professional leagues: baseball, basketball, hockey, and football.
These mixed results underscore the need for Wrms to consider a host of WrmspeciWc variables that may moderate consequences associated with pay-level policy
decisions. This is highlighted by Klaas and McClendon, who applied utility analysis
358
james p. guthrie
to pay-level policy decisions and concluded that Wrms must determine the ‘Wnancial impact that pay level has on turnover (both quantity and quality), applicant
pool characteristics, acceptance rates, selections costs, and equity reactions and
then compare the sum total of these eVects to discounted wage costs’ (1996: 136–7).
Pay level eVects: summary. Based on available evidence, it seems reasonably clear
that higher pay levels are attractive to both prospective and current employees.
Applicants Wnd above-market employers appealing and current employees are less
likely to depart. Thus, higher pay levels put employers in a strong position vis-à-vis
labor market competitors. Whether or not this translates into competitive success,
however, is not straightforward. As Brown et al. (2003) point out, there are
diminishing returns to increasing wages—and specifying the inXection point will
likely prove challenging. In addition, the problem an above-market employer will
face is a challenge shared by any ‘employer of choice’—they will be attractive to all
members of the labor market. Thus, rigorous and valid selection systems should
moderate the relationship between above-market pay strategies and Wrm success.
Combining other pay design elements may also prove beneWcial. SpeciWcally,
utilizing strong pay-for-performance elements in tandem with above-market wages
may magnify the ‘eYciency’ advantage with the beneWts of ‘sorting.’ This may help
explain Brown et al.’s (2003) results, where high pay dispersion coupled with abovemarket wages yielded superior proWtability. That is, if the wage dispersion was the
result of paying for performance, then the combined beneWts may have been in
place. Moreover, if the pay dispersion resulted from a pay-for-performance system
perceived as ‘legitimate,’ then Wrms may beneWt from both sorting eVects and
employees’ perceptions of equity and justice (Shaw et al. 2002). These notions
are inferred from previous research and require empirical examination.
Costco’s executives believe that higher employee pay is ‘eYcient’ in the sense that
high wages attract and retain a talented, committed, and productive workforce.
However, studies are needed to verify the validity and generalizability of this claim,
including research examining the causal pathway between pay levels, applicant and
employee attitudes, intermediary outcomes such as absenteeism, turnover, productivity, and, ultimately, Wnancial success.
17.5 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This brief review of extant compensation research highlights what makes this topic
so interesting—despite a plethora of studies, there are many fundamental issues
that remain unresolved. Stated another way, it is not clear what constitutes ‘best
practice’ in many aspects of compensation policy and practice. In each of the areas
remuneration: pay effects at work
359
addressed in this chapter—pay form, structure, and level—there are a myriad of
issues that require the proverbial ‘additional future research.’ While evidence
clearly suggests that ‘money matters,’ in the sense that it aVects many aspects of
individual and organizational behavior and performance, it is often unclear as to
‘how’ or ‘why’ this occurs.
As one example, while paying an above-market wage can improve organizational
eVectiveness (e.g. Brown et al. 2003), this is not always true (Gerhart and Milkovich
1990). In part this is because pay-level eVects depend on contingencies such as, for
example, use of contingent pay and pay structure. In fact, the uncertainty about
this issue may lead Wrms to ‘play it safe’ and attempt to conform to market pay
norms: ‘the consequences associated with paying too little or too much may be so
serious that organizations avoid risky experimentation with pay level strategies’
(Gerhart and Milkovich 1990: 685).
Although compensation practice remains imbued with ambiguity, it is important—the vast array of research and writing devoted to compensation issues is a
testament to this fact. Recent years have witnessed signiWcant progress; future
research can inform practice by continuing to reduce uncertainty surrounding
organizational reward systems.
References
Akerlof, G. A., and Yellen, J. L. (1986). EYciency Wage Models of the Labor Market.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Arthur, J. B., and Aiman Smith, L. (2001). ‘Gainsharing and Organizational Learning: An
Analysis of Employee Suggestions over Time.’ Academy of Management Journal, 44:
737 54.
and Huntley, C. L. (forthcoming). ‘Ramping up the Organizational Learning Curve:
Assessing the Impact of Deliberate Learning on Organizational Performance under
Gainsharing.’ Academy of Management Journal.
and Jelf, G. S. (1999). ‘The EVects of Gainsharing on Grievance Rates and Absentee
ism over Time.’ Journal of Labor Research, 20: 133 45.
Azfar, O., and Danninger, S. (2001). ‘ProWt Sharing, Employment Stability and Wage
Growth.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 54: 619 30.
Barber, A. E., and Bretz, R. D. (2000). ‘Compensation, Attraction and Retention.’ In
S. L. Rynes and B. Gerhart (eds.), Compensation in Organizations: Current Research and
Practice. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Becker, B. E., and Huselid, M. A. (1992). ‘The Incentive EVects of Tournament Compen
sation Systems.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 37: 336 50.
Bloom, M. (1999). ‘The Performance EVects of Pay Dispersion on Individuals and
Organizations.’ Academy of Management Journal, 42: 25 40.
and Michel, J. G. (2002). ‘The Relationship among Organizational Context, Pay
Dispersion and Managerial Turnover.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45: 33 42.
360
james p. guthrie
Bretz, R. D., and Boudreau, J. W. (1994). ‘Job Search Behavior of Employed Managers.’
Personnel Psychology, 47: 275 301.
Ash, R. A., and Dreher, G. F. (1989). ‘Do People Make the Place? An Examination of
the Attraction Selection Attrition Hypothesis.’ Personnel Psychology, 42: 561 81.
Brown, M. P., Sturman, M. C., and Simmering, M. J. (2003). ‘Compensation Policy and
Organizational Performance: The EYciency, Operational, and Financial Implications of
Pay Levels and Pay Structure.’ Academy of Management Journal, 46: 752 62.
Cable, D., and Judge, T. A. (1994). ‘Pay Preferences and Job Search Decisions: A Person
Organization Fit Perspective.’ Personnel Psychology, 47: 317 48.
Cameron, J., and Pierce, W. D. (1994). ‘Reinforcement, Reward, and Intrinsic Motivation:
A Meta analysis.’ Review of Educational Research, 64: 363 423.
(1997). ‘Rewards, Interest and Performance: An Graluation of Experimental
Findings.’ ACA Journal, 6: 6 15.
Cappelli, P., and Chauvin, K., (1991). ‘An Interplant Test of the EYciency Wage Hypoth
esis.’ Quarterly Journal of Economics, August: 769 87.
Conyon, M. J., Peck, S. L., and Sadler, G. V. (2001). ‘Corporate Tournaments and
Executive Compensation: Evidence from the U.K.’ Strategic Management Journal, 22:
805 15.
Cowherd, D. M., and Levine, D. L. (1992). ‘Product Quality and Pay Equity between
Lower Level Employees and Top Management: An Investigation of Distributive Justice
Theory.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 37: 302 20.
Daniel, T. L., and Esser, J. K. (1980). ‘Intrinsic Motivation as InXuenced by Rewards, Task
Interest, and Task Structure.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 65: 566 73.
DeBrock, L., Hendricks, W., and Koenker, R. (2004). ‘Pay and Performance: The Impact
of Salary Distribution on Firm Level Outcomes in Baseball.’ Journal of Sports Economics,
5: 243 61.
Deci, E. L. (1971). ‘EVects of Externally Mediated Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation.’ Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 18: 105 15.
and Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self Determination in Human
Behavior. New York: Plenum Press.
Koestner, R., and Ryan, R. M. (1999). ‘A Meta analytic Review of Experiments
Examining the EVects of Extrinsic Rewards an Intrinsic Motivation.’ Psychological Bul
letin, 25: 627 68.
Ehrenberg, R. G., and Bognanno, M. L. (1990). ‘Do Tournaments have Incentive EVects?’
Journal of Political Economy, 98: 1307 24.
Eisenberger, R., and Cameron, J. (1996). ‘Detrimental EVects of Reward: Reality or
Myth?’ American Psychologist, 51: 1153 66.
Eriksson, T. (1999). ‘Executive Compensation and Tournament Theory: Compirical Tests
on Danish Data.’ Journal of Labor Economics, 17: 262 80.
Fang, M., and Gerhart, B. (1999). ‘How do Company DiVerences in Pay for Performance
Strategy InXuence Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation and Overall Motivation?’
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, Chicago.
Frick, B., Prinz, J., and Wikelmann, K. (2003). ‘Pay Inequalities and Team Performance:
Empirical Evidence from the North American Major Leagues.’ International Journal of
Manpower, 24: 472 88.
Gerhart, B., and Milkovich, G. T. (1990). ‘Organizational DiVerences in Managerial
Compensation and Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 33: 663 91.
remuneration: pay effects at work
361
and Rynes. S. L. (2003). Compensation: Theory, Evidence, and Strategic Implications.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
Gomez Mejia, L. R., and Balkin, D. B. (1992). ‘Determinants of Faculty Pay: An Agency
Theory Perspective.’ Academy of Management Review, 35: 921 55.
Greenhouse, S. (2005). ‘How Costco Became the Anti Wal Mart.’ New York Times, 17 July.
Gupta, N., and Shaw, J. (1998). ‘Let the Evidence Speak: Financial Incentives are
EVective!!’ Compensation and BeneWts Review, 30/2: 26, 28 32.
Guthrie, J. P. (2000). ‘Alternative Pay Practices and Employee Turnover: An Organization
Economics Perspective.’ Group and Organization Management, 25: 219 39.
(2001). ‘High Involvement Work Practices, Turnover and Productivity: Evidence from
New Zealand.’ Academy of Management Journal, 44: 180 90.
and Hollensbe, E. C. (2004). ‘Group Incentives and Performance: A Study of
Spontaneous Goal Setting, Goal Choice, and Goal Commitment.’ Journal of Manage
ment, 30/2: 263 84.
Guzzo, R. A., Jette, R. D., and Katzell, R. A. (1985). ‘The EVects of Psychologically Based
Interventions on Worker Productivity: A Meta analysis.’ Personnel Psychology, 38: 275 91.
Hansen, D. G. (1997). ‘Worker Performance and Group Incentives: A Case Study.’ Indus
trial and Labor Relations Review, 51: 37 49.
Harrison, D. A., Virick, M., and William, S. (1996). ‘Working without a Net: Time,
Performance, and Turnover under Maximally Contingent Rewards.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 81: 331 45.
Hollensbe, E. C., and Guthrie, J. P. (2000). ‘Group Pay for Performance Plans: The Role
of Spontaneous Goal Setting.’ Academy of Management Review, 25: 864 72.
Holmes, S., and Zellner, W. (2004). ‘Commentary: The Costco Way.’ BusinessWeek online,
12 April.
Jenkins, D. G., Mitra, A., Gupta, N., and Shaw, J. D. (1998). ‘Are Financial Incentives
Related to Performance? A Meta analytic Review of Empirical Research.’ Journal of
Applied Pscychology, 83: 777 87.
Jensen, M. C., and Meckling, W. N. (1976). ‘Theory of the Firm: Managerial
Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure.’ Journal of Financial Economics, 3:
305 60.
Jewell, R. T., and Molina, D. J. (2004). ‘Productive EYciency and Salary Distribution: The
Case of US Major League Baseball.’ Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 51: 127 42.
Klaas, B. S., and McClendon, J. A. (1996). ‘To Lead, Lag or Match: Estimating the
Financial Impact of Pay Level Policies.’ Personnel Psychology, 49: 121 40.
Kohn, A. (1993). ‘Why Incentives Cannot Work.’ Harvard Business Review, September
October: 54 63.
(1998). ‘Challenging Behaviorist Dogma: Myths about Money and Motivation.’
Compensation and BeneWts Review, 30: 27 33.
Kruse, D. L. (1993). ProWt Sharing: Does it Make a DiVerence? Kalamazoo, Mich.:
W. E. Upjohn Institute.
Lawler, E. (2000). Rewarding Excellence. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Lazear, E. P. (1989). ‘Pay Equality and Industrial Politics.’ Journal of Political Economy, 97:
561 80.
(1999). ‘Performance Pay and Productivity.’ American Economic Review, 90: 1346 61.
and Rosen, S. (1981). ‘Rank Order Tournaments as an Optimum Labor Contract.’
Journal of Political Economy, 89: 841 64.
362
james p. guthrie
Leonard, J. S. (1989). ‘Wage Structure and Dynamics in the Electronics Industry.’ Industrial
Relations, 28: 251 75.
(1990). ‘Executive Pay and Firm Performance.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review,
43: 13S 29S.
Lerine, D. I. (1993). ‘What do Wages Buy?’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 38: 462 83.
Locke, E. A. (1968). ‘Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives.’ Organizational
Behavior and Human Performance, 3: 157 89.
Long, R. J. (2000). ‘Employee ProWt Sharing: Consequences and Moderators.’ Relations
industrielles/Industrial Relations, 55: 477 504.
McNabb, R., and Whitfield, K. (2001). ‘Job Gratuation and High Performance Work
Practices: Compatible or Contuctual?’ Journal of Management Studies, 38: 293 312.
Main, B., O’Reilly, C., and Wade, J. (1993). ‘Top Executive Pay: Tournament or Team
work.’ Journal of Labor Economics, 11: 606 28.
Mangan, M., and St Onge, S. (2005). ‘The Impact of ProWt Sharing on the Performance of
Financial Services Firms.’ Journal of Management Studies, 42: 761 91.
Meyer, H. H. (1975). ‘The Pay for Performance Dilemma.’ Organizational Dynamics, 3:
39 50.
Murray, B. C., and Gerhart, B. (1998). ‘An Empirical Analysis of a Skill Based Pay
Program and Plant Performance Outcomes.’ Academy of Management Journal, 41: 68 78.
Organ, D. W. (1990). ‘The Motivational Basis of Organizational Citizenship Behavior.’ In
B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior. Greenwich,
Conn.: JAI Press.
Park, H. Y., Ofori Dankwa, J., and Bishop, D. R. (1994). ‘Organizational and Environ
mental Determinants of Functional and Dysfunctional Turnover: Practice and Research
Implications.’ Human Relations, 47: 353 66.
Pfeffer, J., and Langton, N. (1993). ‘The EVect of Wage Dispersion on Satisfaction,
Productivity, and Working Collaboratively: Evidence from College and University
Faculty.’ Administrative Science Quarterly, 38: 382 407.
Pritchard, R. D., Jones, S. D., Roth, P. L., Stuebing, K. K., and Ekeberg, S. E. (1988).
‘EVects of Group Feedback, Goal Setting and Incentives on Organizational Productivity
[Monograph].’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 73: 337 58.
Rynes, S. (1987). ‘Compensation Strategies for Recruiting.’ Topics in Total Compensation, 2:
185 96.
and Boudreau, J. W. (1986). ‘College Recruiting in Large Organizations: Practice,
Evaluation, and Research Implications.’ Personnel Psychology, 39: 729 57.
Sackett, P. R., Zedeck, S., and Fogli, L. (1988). ‘Relations between Measues of Typical and
Maximum Job Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 73: 482 6.
Shaw, J. D., Delery, J. E., Jenkins, G. D., Jr., and Gupta, N. (1998). ‘An Organizational
Level Analysis of Voluntary and Involuntary Turnover.’ Academy of Management Journal,
41: 511 25.
Gupta, N., and Delery, J. E. (2002). ‘Pay Dispersion and Workforce Performance:
Moderating EVects of Incentives and Interdependence.’ Strategic Management Journal, 23:
491 512.
Skinner, B. F. (1969). Contingencies of Reinforcement. Englewood CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Stevens, C. D., and Ash, R. A. (1998). ‘Personality and Pay Preferences: A Person
Organization Fit Perspective.’ Paper presented to the conference of the Society for
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Dallas, Tex.
remuneration: pay effects at work
363
Sturman, M. C., Trevor, C. O., Boudreau, J. W., and Gerhart, B. (2003). ‘Is it Worth it
to Win the Talent War? Evaluating the Utility of Performance Based Pay.’ Personnel
Psychology, 56: 997 1035.
Trank, C. Q., Rynes, S. L., and Bretz, R. D., Jr. (2002). ‘Attracting Applicants in the War
for Talent: DiVerences in Work Preferences Among High Achievers.’ Journal of Business
Psychology, 17: 331 45.
Trevor, C., Gerhart, B., and Boudreau, J. (1997). ‘Voluntary Turnover and Job Per
formance: Curvilinearity and the Moderating InXuences of Salary Growth and Promo
tions.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 82: 44 61.
Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and Motivation. New York: Wiley.
Wadhwani, S. B., and Wall, M. (1991). ‘A Direct Test of the EYciency Wage Model Using
U.K. Micro data.’ Oxford Economic Papers, 43: 529 48.
Weiss, A. (1987). ‘Incentives and Worker Behavior: Some Evidence.’ In H. R. Nalbandian
(ed.), Incentives, Cooperation and Risk Sharing. Totowa, NJ: Rowman & LittleWeld.
Weitzman, M. L., and Kruse, D. L. (1990). ‘ProWt sharing and Productivity.’ In A. S.
Blinder (ed.), Paying for Productivity: A Look at the Evidence. Washington: The Brookings
Institution.
Welbourne, T. M., and Gomez Mejia, L. R. (1995). ‘Gainsharing: A Critical Review and a
Future Research Agenda.’ Journal of Management, 21: 559 609.
Wiersma, U. J. (1992). ‘The EVects of Extrinsic Rewards in Intrinsic Motivation: A Meta
analysis.’ Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 65: 101 14.
Williams, C. R., and Livingstone, L. P. (1994). ‘Another Look at the Relationship between
Performance and Voluntary Turnover.’ Academy of Management Journal, 37: 269 98.
Wilson, N., and Peel, M. J. (1991). ‘The Impact on Absenteeism and Quits of ProWt
Sharing and Other Forms of Employee Participation.’ Industrial and Labor Relations
Review, 44: 454 68.
Zimmerman, Z. (2004). ‘Costco’s Dilemma: Be Kind to its Workers, or Wall Street?’ Wall
Street Journal, 16 March, p. B1.
chapter 18
....................................................................................................................................................
PERFORMANCE
M A NAG E M E N T
....................................................................................................................................
gary latham
lorne m. sulsky
heather macdonald
18.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric (GE), repeatedly emphasized the
necessity of a boundaryless organization. This is because GE could not aVord its
divisions hoarding rather than sharing information if it was to remain competitive
in a global market place. Similarly, Latham and Heslin (2003) argued the necessity
of a boundaryless psychology. I/O psychology cannot aVord to have signiWcant
advances in knowledge in one subWeld go unnoticed in other subWelds if it wishes
to remain relevant in the public domain. In both GE and I/O psychology, information languishing within a division or subdiscipline can lead to fractionization,
which is the peeling away of one or more parts that in turn can lead to the
formation of a separate entity. The danger for this to occur in I/O psychology is
inherent in its very name.
That a dichotomy between industrial vs. organizational psychology is false is
evident in the science and practice of performance appraisal/management. The
appraisal and management of an employee’s and a team’s performance are core
requirements of leadership. A cornerstone of the appraisal and management of
both an employee’s and a team’s performance is the inculcation of a desire for
performance management
365
continuous improvement, i.e. the motivation of people in the workplace to choose
to perform, to choose to exert eVort in doing so, and to choose to persist until the
organization’s goals are attained. A cornerstone of leadership is to provide feedback
in relation to the goals that have been set in ways that increase self and collective
eYcacy so that even higher goals can and should be attained. Thus it is foolhardy to
view the subdomains of leadership and motivation on one continuum and performance appraisal/management on another. Another central role of leadership
is to make administrative decisions regarding a person, as well as the team in which
the person is a member. Yet decision-making issues and team performance have
yet to receive the attention in the performance appraisal/management literature
that they deserve.
A distinguishing feature of performance management relative to performance
appraisal is that the former is an ongoing process whereas the latter is done at
discrete time intervals (e.g. annually). Ongoing coaching is an integral aspect
of performance management (Latham et al. 2005). Performance appraisal is the
time period in which to summarize the overall progress that an individual or
team has made as a result of being coached, and to agree on the new goals that
should be set.
Common to the performance management/appraisal process are the four
following steps. First, desired job performance must be deWned. Second, an
individual’s performance on the job must be observed. Is the person or team’s
performance excellent, superior, satisfactory, or unacceptable? Third, feedback is
provided and speciWc challenging goals are set as to what the person or team should
start doing, stop doing, or be doing diVerently. Fourth, a decision is made regarding retaining, rewarding, training, transferring, promoting, demoting, or terminating an individual. Although this four-step process appears simple, it is ripe
for interpersonal conXict, and hence is likely to lead to the demotivation rather
than the motivation of employees. Employees often question the dimensions of
performance on which they are being appraised (e.g. ‘you are evaluating me on the
wrong things’) as well as the objectivity of the appraiser. The purpose of this
chapter is to review the literature for answers to these issues and in doing so to
pose questions that have yet to be addressed.
18.2 Step 1: Define Job Performance
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This Wrst step includes clarifying the performance domain for which employees are
accountable. Inherent in this step are decisions regarding the choice of a coaching
appraisal instrument, the technology if any that should be used to supplement the
366
gary latham et al.
appraisal process, and the importance of context to all of the above. This section
addresses these issues and, in addition, describes two theories for deWning and
rating performance.
The initial question that has to be addressed is what should supervisors be looking
for when observing and appraising an employee on the job? That is, what behavioral
items should constitute an appraisal/diagnostic performance instrument? A clear
articulation of what is meant by performance is necessary for the development of
valid performance diagnostic tools. Moreover, an appropriate deWnition of performance is a prerequisite for the feedback delivery and goal-setting process. In short, a
performance theory is needed that stipulates (a) the relevant performance dimensions, (b) the performance standards or expectations associated with alternative
performance levels, (c) how situational constraints should be weighted (if at all)
when evaluating performance, (d) the number of performance levels or gradients
(see Cardy and Keefe 1994), and (e) the extent to which performance should be based
upon absolute vs. relative comparison standards (Austin and Villanova 1992; Wagner
and GoYn 1997). A request by the United States Army for a project, subsequently
known as Project A, to address these issues led to the formation of a performance
theory (Campbell et al. 1993).
Campbell et al.’s theory deWnes performance as behavior or action relevant to the
attainment of an organization’s goals that can be scaled, that is, measured. Moreover, job performance is deWned as what one is paid to do, or what one should be
paid to do. The theory states that the measurement options, be they ratings from
a supervisor, peer, or self, a simulated work sample, or hard criteria (e.g. tallying
revenue generated, costs saved, customer complaints, or some variant of a computerized performance assessment) besides being valid, reliable, and not deWcient
should be free of contamination from sources of variation that are not under the
control of the individual (e.g. diVerences in technology impacting a person’s
performance). Situational enhancers or constraints, if not taken into account in
an appraisal, can contaminate the mean, variance, or both with regard to an
individual’s performance.
Campbell et al.’s theory further states that performance is multidimensional, and
that each dimension is represented by a category of similar behaviors or actions.
The theory posits a taxonomy of higher-order performance components, namely,
(1) job-speciWc task proWciency, (2) non-job-speciWc task proWciency (i.e. organizational citizenship behavior), (3) written and oral communication proWciency,
(4) demonstration of eVort, (5) maintenance of personal discipline, (6) facilitation
of peer and team performance, (7) supervision/leadership, and (8) management/
administration. This theory provides a framework for any scientist who wants to
study performance and any practitioner who wants to improve it. Among the
determinants of performance are three types of choices an individual makes,
namely, the choice to perform, choice of eVort level, and choice of duration of
eVort, that is, a person’s persistence.
performance management
367
18.2.1 Appraisal Instruments
Inherent in the deWnition of job performance is the development of an instrument
for assessing it. Hence, the appraisal instrument is more than a form to be
completed ‘after the fact’ at the request of the HR department. It is a diagnostic
tool to be used on an a priori basis to facilitate self-coaching and the coaching of
others as to what a person needs to start, stop, or continue doing on the job. In
short, it speciWes for both the manager and the employee what should be observed
for attaining organizationally desired outcomes.
In practice, many organizations focus on the outcomes themselves such as
measures of goal attainment. The dangers in doing so are at least Wvefold. First,
outcome measures are often aVected by factors beyond a person’s control (e.g. the
economy). Consequently, a person receives a high or low evaluation undeservedly.
Second, outcome measures are often deWcient in that they do not take into account
factors for which a manager should be held accountable (e.g. sharing information
with other divisions; team playing). Third, they can encourage a ‘results at all costs’
mentality where ‘winning the game is perceived to be more important for one’s
career than how one plays the game.’ Fourth, a focus on outcomes is counter to the
coaching process inherent in performance management. A focus on outcomes
keeps people informed of the score, but it does not tell them by what means and
to what extent they have inXuenced their rate of promotion, salary increase, or
their team’s production. Fifth, outcome measures increase the probability of
hindsight bias, a decision-making error discussed subsequently. Behavioral instruments, on the other hand, should be designed to specify how an organization’s
strategy is to be implemented in order to attain its goals.
Behaviorally anchored rating scales or BARS (Smith and Kendall 1963) provide
the rater with behavioral illustrations of the diVerent points on the rating scale (i.e.
‘behavioral anchors’ for deWning a 1, 5, or a 7 rating of an employee). Behavioral
observation scales or BOS (Latham and Wexley 1977) require appraisers to rate the
frequency with which they have observed an employee demonstrate speciWc
behaviors. In contrast to these two instruments are trait-based scales which require
the rater to make inferences from behavioral observations to personality dispositions (e.g. integrity, dependability). This inferential leap makes it diYcult to
calibrate speciWc ratings to actual employee behaviors. Hence inter-observer reliability between two or more appraisers is usually low. Giving an employee constructive feedback without deWning each trait behaviorally can cause confusion:
‘What did she mean when she said I need to be more assertive with peers?’ Thus, it
is not surprising that the North American courts take a dim view of them (Latham
and Wexley 1994).
BARS are based on the assumption by Smith and Kendall (1963) that it is
helpful to give raters a frame of reference in the form of behavioral illustrations of
what constitutes unacceptable, acceptable, and highly acceptable performance.
368
gary latham et al.
These illustrations, or behavioral anchors, are derived from a job analysis, namely,
the critical incident technique or CIT (Flanagan 1954). The appraiser keeps
a diary of what each employee is observed doing on the job. At the time of a
formal appraisal, the person reads the diary and then rates the employee, typically
on a 7–9 point scale, using the behavioral anchors as a guide for determining
whether the performance is highly acceptable, highly unacceptable, or somewhere
in between.
BOS are algebraic, summated, Wve-point Likert scales where the items comprising a scale, originally derived from the CIT, are item or factor analyzed. As noted
earlier, an appraiser records the frequency with which an employee was observed
engaging in the behaviors listed on the scale (e.g. ‘praises a person for performing
well’ Almost Never 0 1 2 3 4 Almost Always).
Despite the care that goes into developing BARS, subsequent studies have found
no evidence that they are superior to trait scales with regard to minimizing rating
errors (Schwab et al. 1975; DeCotiis 1977). In addition, no signiWcant diVerences
have been found between BARS and BOS with regard to minimizing halo and
leniency error, or increasing inter-observer reliability.
These Wndings Wnally led to the hypothesis that perhaps more important than
the rating scale that is used is the training that appraisers receive in using it. Fay and
Latham (1982) found that rating errors were reduced signiWcantly regardless of
whether BARS, BOS, or trait scales were used when people received rater error
training (Latham et al. 1975). However, behavioral scales, following rater training,
were more resistant to rating errors than trait scales. BOS and BARS were equally
resistant to rating errors. With regard to practicality, BOS were evaluated as signiWcantly better than BARS and trait scales by the users.
18.2.2 Practicality
Practicality is important because to the extent that a manager feels the appraisal
scale is useful, it is likely to be used as the basis for setting goals which in turn
directly aVect an employee’s motivation (Locke and Latham 2002). In too many
instances, psychometrically sound instruments either are not used or are soon
abandoned because of failure on the part of researchers to take user reactions into
account.
Consequently, Wiersma and Latham (1986) examined the practicality of BOS,
BARS, and trait scales. American managers and their white-collar subordinates
preferred BOS to BARS in all cases, and in all but two cases to the use of trait scales.
Lawyers who specialize in human resource litigation also preferred BOS to the two
alternatives in terms of defensibility in the courtroom. These results have been
replicated in the Netherlands (Wiersma et al. 1995). BOS were preferred by Dutch
managers over the other two methods for providing feedback, diVerentiating
performance management
369
among employees, determining training needs, setting goals, objectivity, and
overall ease of use. The trait scale was viewed by the Dutch managers as good or
as slightly better than the BARS.
Working in Israel, Tziner and Kopelman (1988) found that the use of BOS was
rated as signiWcantly higher by appraisers than were trait scales on three goalsetting dimensions, namely, goal clarity, goal acceptance, and goal commitment.
These results were due to the behavioral speciWcity provided by the BOS. In
a subsequent study in Israel, appraisals based on BOS resulted in higher subsequent job satisfaction and organizational commitment than appraisals based on
trait scales (Tziner and Latham 1989). The speciWcity of the BOS strengthened
employees’ feelings of control over their work, and minimized feelings of ambiguity regarding expectations of them. Thus, both Tziner and Kopelman (2002), as
well as Bernardin (2005), concluded that BOS are preferable to BARS and
trait scales because they convey what the person ‘must do,’ feedback is perceived
as factual, objective, and unbiased; and the feedback is conducive to setting
speciWc challenging goals. Similar Wndings have been obtained with Canadian
managers regarding perceptions of fairness in the appraisal process (Latham and
Seijts 1997).
The superiority of the BOS to other appraisal scales likely reXects the fact that
they are based on Wherry and Bartlett’s (1982) theory of rating. Among the
theorems and corollaries are the following: (1) rating scales which assess behaviors
that are maximally controlled by the ratee lead to more accurate ratings than those
which refer to the tasks aVected primarily by the situation; (2) raters vary in the
accuracy of ratings given in direct proportion to the relevancy of their previous
contacts with the ratee; (3) rating items which refer to frequently performed acts
are rated more accurately than those which refer to acts performed rarely; (4) the
rater makes more accurate ratings when forewarned of the behaviors to be rated
because this focuses attention on the pertinent behaviors; (5) deliberate direction
of attention to the behaviors to be assessed reduces rating bias; (6) physical features
of a scale which facilitate recall of the actual perception of behavior increase rating
accuracy (e.g. larger descriptive behavioral statements are preferable to single value
words or simple phrases); (7) keeping a written record between rating periods of
speciWcally observed critical incidents improves the objectivity of recall; (8) stressing the importance of appraisals to the organization or society as a whole decreases
bias and increases rater accuracy; (9) observation with intention to remember
facilitates recall; (10) behaviors which are readily classiWed by an observer within
a special category have smaller overall bias components; similarly, rating items that
are factorially unidimensional result in relatively less overall bias than items which
have a complex factor pattern.
In developing BOS, consistent with this theory, Latham and Wexley (1994)
stressed that appraisers must be individuals who are aware of the aims and
objectives of an employee’s job, frequently observe the person’s behavior on the
370
gary latham et al.
job, and are capable of discerning competent from inappropriate performance. The
BOS forewarn the appraiser and the appraisee of the speciWc behaviors that are to
be appraised. Hence the BOS focuses both a supervisor’s and a subordinate’s
attention on the same critical behaviors. The BOS are comprised of complete
behavioral statements (e.g. ‘Gives performance appraisals on time,’ ‘Involves
employees in the appraisal process’). Appraisers, as is the case with BARS, are
encouraged to keep an ongoing record of their observations. The BOS should
consist of the behaviors required to implement an organization’s strategy (Latham
and Latham 2000). The individual items on a scale are derived from an item or
a factor analysis. A category label is given for each scale (e.g. Interactions with
Clients; Development of Subordinates; Service to Firm).
18.2.3 Technology
Advances in technology raise a question for which currently there is no answer:
How should appraisal formats using the latest technologies be designed to best
facilitate feedback/development and goal-setting?
An emerging trend in performance management is to bypass appraisal formats
altogether and rely instead on electronic performance monitoring or EPM (Alge
2001). EPM is viewed positively by many organizations because it allegedly enforces
performance standards and decreases negative behaviors such as theft, absenteeism, or tardiness. Moreover, it allegedly lessens the necessity of daily supervision
devoted to inspection and discipline through its second-by-second tracking of a
person’s behavior. Finally, the fact that employee performance data is collected and
stored leads to fact-based performance appraisals. Nevertheless, a review of the
literature revealed that the use of EPM usually results in an increase in job-related
stress, which can lead to illness, which in turn leads to absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, and employee turnover (Zweig 2005). Two studies by Zweig and Webster
(2002) explain why. EPM violates the basic psychological boundary between the
employer and employee—one that is predicated on privacy, autonomy, and
respect. ‘It appears that a technology that removes control over the type and
scope of information we share with others, changes the fundamental nature of
personal relationships, and drives people to question their own and others’ behaviors will trigger strong negative reactions’ (Zweig and Webster 2002: 627). In
addition, EPM narrows the performance domain to only those behaviors that
can be tracked by a computer (Sulsky and Keown 1998).
Alder and Ambrose (2005) suggested that adverse employee reactions to EPM
stem from ways in which the technology is implemented, rather than from the
technology itself. EPM might be acceptable to employees if it is not used as the
basis for the subsequent goals that are set; rather, EPM is used solely to assist
a coach and an employee to track goal progress, and revise goals when necessary. In
performance management
371
addition, employees would receive feedback directly from their supervisor/coach,
rather than from the EPM system. This should promote perceptions of procedural
justice, by giving employees a voice in the interpretation of the data. These ideas
suggest a second question for which there is currently no answer: How might we
best integrate EPM into a performance management system?
Employees improve their performance on simple tasks when EPM is present, yet
performance decreases with diYcult tasks in the presence of EPM (Davidson and
Henderson 2000). A social facilitation explanation for this result is that performance tends to increase for relatively simple tasks because the worker is aware of the
monitoring and motivation is heightened as a result. If the task is perceived to be
too diYcult, however, the presence of monitoring may create some degree of
internal anxiety (due to being observed by others)—leading to performance
decrements.
Moreover, the employees may not have been committed to performing well on
the diYcult task. If a diYcult goal is set, and progress is tracked via EPM,
performance should lead to goal attainment, given commitment (Locke and
Latham 2002). Thus, a third research question that has yet to be addressed: Does
EPM facilitate goal attainment when goal commitment is high?
18.2.4 Context
Raters and ratees have diVerent deWnitions of an eVective appraisal system. Balzer
and Sulsky (1990) found that raters perceive appraisal instruments eVective if they
are easy to use, and eVective in helping them change employee attitudes and
behavior. Alternately, an eVective appraisal system from the lens of employees is
one that clariWes linkages between behavior and rewards, and is seen as fair in terms
of process and outcome (e.g. rewards) allocation.
A second contextual variable that is potentially relevant to appraisal formats is
an organization’s culture. An organization that values internal competition and
hence is concerned with identifying high-potential individuals may be inclined to
use rankings rather than ratings of employees. Wagner and GoYn (1997) showed in
a laboratory setting that comparative rating formats yield ratings that are signiWcantly higher in accuracy than ratings of absolute performance. Because the
generalizability of this Wnding to organizational settings is not known, a fourth
research question needs to be addressed: Are comparative rating scales preferred
in organizations that value internal competition? The downsides to a positive answer
to this question are at least twofold. First, rankings are prohibited by the 1978
Carter Civil Service Reform Act in the United States. This legislation applies
to Federal Government employees. Second, a comparative rating may make it
diYcult to provide an employee feedback for setting goals to substantively improve
performance.
372
gary latham et al.
18.3 Step 2: Observe Performance
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
As Smith (1976: 367) noted: ‘Observation and interpretation hold the key to the
establishment of eVective criteria.’ Yet, an ongoing problem in appraising people is
the lack of reliability in the observation of their behavior (Ronan and Prien 1971;
Spool 1978). This unreliability is largely attributed to well-known rating errors such
as ‘Wrst impressions,’ ‘halo,’ and ‘similar-to-me.’ Lifson (1953) found that up to onethird of performance measurement variance is due to rater diVerences despite the
fact that the observers had considerable experience in observing and evaluating
people in the workplace. Lance (1994) corroborated this Wnding. Experience,
however, is not a substitute for training. To solve the problem regarding lack of
reliability, an observer must be trained. In this section, training programs that have
been shown to be eVective are described, and the necessity of taking context into
account is explained.
Latham et al. (1975) developed a workshop based on three principles of learning,
namely, active participation, knowledge of results, and practice. In brief, managers
were given job descriptions, observed people on videotape, made an appraisal,
received feedback on their accuracy, discussed the rating error that was made
(e.g. ‘central tendency’), ways of overcoming each error (e.g. contrast eVects),
and then observed and appraised subsequent people on videotape. The trained
supervisors made signiWcantly more accurate ratings than those in the control
group.
The beneWt of this training on rating accuracy for the company where it was
conducted was shown in a subsequent study (Pursell et al. 1980). An extensive job
analysis had been conducted for use in selecting predictors for a validation study.
Yet no evidence of validity was subsequently found for any of the Wve tests. This was
surprising because the tests were developed and/or selected to correspond directly
with the skills required by job incumbents. Moreover, the supervisors themselves
were involved in the development of the appraisal instrument. They even stated
that this was an excellent way of assessing an employee’s eVectiveness and that the
approach would be uncomplicated for them. This suggested that the absence of
signiWcant validity coeYcients was due to rating errors in the use of the appraisal
scale rather than to technical inadequacies in either the choice of predictors or
the appraisal instrument. Therefore, the above training program was used to
minimize rating errors. Twelve months after the initial performance evaluations,
and one month after the rater training program, the supervisors re-evaluated
the same employees. The result was signiWcant validity coeYcients for four of the
Wve predictors. These correlations were signiWcantly diVerent from those that were
previously obtained. Additional evidence that the training of the observers was
eVective was shown in the respective distribution of ratings before and after the
training. The range of criterion ratings at Time 1 was 4–9 while that at Time 2
performance management
373
encompassed the entire nine-point appraisal scale. The distribution in ratings
between the two time periods was signiWcant.
Still another training approach, consistent with the cognitive processes required
in a performance appraisal, is frame-of-reference training or FOR (Bernardin et al.
2000). The purpose of FOR training is to calibrate raters so that they agree on (a)
how to match speciWc ratee behaviors to the appropriate performance dimensions,
(b) the eVectiveness levels of alternative behaviors, and (c) the rules for combining
individual judgements into a summary evaluation for each performance dimension
(Sulsky and Day 1992). To the extent that FOR training helps raters formulate correct
impressions of a ratee’s performance on each performance dimension, rating accuracy increases. This occurs even if raters forget speciWc performance information
and rely upon their overall impressions of a ratee’s performance, as is predicted by
cognitive processing models (Sulsky and Day 1994; Noonan and Sulsky 2001).
Implicit person theory (IPT), that is, beliefs regarding the malleability of behavior, aVects appraisals of others (Heslin et al. 2005). Entity theorists believe that an
individual’s personal attributes are largely Wxed. This leads them to quickly form
strong impressions of an individual that they resist reversing, despite subsequent
contradictory information. The IPT of incrementalists, on the other hand, is that
personal and situational determinants of an employee’s behavior are dynamic.
Thus they reconsider their initial impressions if new information warrants it.
Failure to recognize a signiWcant decrease in the performance of a surgeon or
a pilot, for example, could be catastrophic. Similarly, a failure to acknowledge a
signiWcant improvement in behavior can lead to employee resentment and withdrawal. Heslin et al. showed how Pratkanis and Aronson’s (2001) self-persuasion
methodology can be used to train entity theorists to adopt an incremental IPT that
is sustained over time.
Martell et al. (1995) found that memory of job-related behavior is aVected by
performance expectations. Raters who believe that a person has performed well vs.
poorly report observing more eVective and less ineVective behaviors regardless of
whether the behaviors actually occurred. Source monitoring training corrects this
error. Martell and Evans (2005) trained raters to report only behaviors that evoke
detailed memories and to suppress reporting behaviors that are based on feelings of
familiarity when completing a behavioral checklist. Consequently, raters were
capable of identifying how they remember what they remember in doing
a performance appraisal. Distinguishing between the two sources of memory
judgements reduced the biasing eVect of rater expectations of an employee.
18.3.1 Context
Often overlooked in training programs is the social and political context
of appraisal. Training focuses primarily on ability rather than the motivation of
374
gary latham et al.
appraisers. An appraiser’s behavior is a product of both. Consequently, future
training programs on maximizing objectivity should focus on the motivational
underpinnings of appraisal errors. Discovering ways of overcoming various
social and political factors that cause raters to intentionally give an inaccurate
appraisal would lead to a ‘quantum’ advance in the practical beneWts derived from
appraisal research.
In addition to a person’s age, race, sex, and ethnicity aVecting an appraisal
(Latham and Mann 2006), organizational politics are a factor (Tziner et al. 1996).
A supervisor’s positive regard for subordinates often results in leniency and halo
errors, and less inclination to punish poor performance (Lefkowitz 2000). This is
especially true with regard to perceived similarities regarding extroversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability (Strauss et al. 2001).
One of the most studied motivational drivers is ratee gender. A review of
objective and subjective indicators of performance as a leader revealed that men
are usually evaluated as more eVective than women (Eagly et al. 1995). Societal
culture as a possible contextual variable (Fletcher 2001; Fletcher and Perry 2002)
that aVects an appraiser’s rating of an employee also needs to be considered. It
seems likely that societal values aVect ways in which performance is both conceptualized and appraised. A collectivist culture may strongly weight competencies
(e.g. cooperation) relating to team performance (McIntyre and Salas 1995) when
evaluating a person’s overall performance. It may also favor intentionally committing a positive leniency error. Similarly, an individualistic culture that values
competition might promote the use of a comparative appraisal scale.
18.4 Step 3: Give Feedback and Set Goals
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Before taking this step, one must realize that diVerent stakeholders use diVerent
referents when evaluating performance. Schrader and Steiner (1996) suggested
that when making an appraisal, a manager may evaluate performance against
an absolute standard (e.g. the behavioral anchors on a BARS scale), a comparative
standard (e.g. other employees), or an individual standard (e.g. how performance
has changed within the individual over time). Moreover, they found evidence
suggesting that individuals prefer the standards that are most accessible
and available. For instance, a manager may decide an employee will be given
negative feedback based upon absolute standards, while the employee expects
positive feedback on the basis of constantly seeing how poorly their co-workers
are performing, and because the employee thinks his or her performance has
improved since the last appraisal period.
performance management
375
To the extent that a manager and subordinate hold diVering views concerning
what constitutes job performance, conXict is likely to occur. The solution is to
adapt/tie Campbell et al.’s (1993) theory of performance to an organization’s
strategy, as suggested by Wherry and Bartlett’s (1982) theory. Further, BOS should
be used to make explicit to all parties ‘the rules of the game’ for earning a high
appraisal. The basis for an evaluation must be made explicit prior to the appraisal
period (e.g. absolute vs. comparative vs. relative improvement).
The appraisal system includes the training of observers, the development and use
of an appraisal scale, and the deWnition of performance that is to be assessed by the
scale. In contrast, the appraisal process includes providing feedback to an employee
and setting goals to be attained based on this feedback. Hence there is a direct
linkage between the performance appraisal literature and the literature on motivation, particularly in regard to feedback and goal-setting theory (Locke and
Latham 1990, 2002). The integration of these two linkages is the essence of a
performance management system (Williams 1998; Latham and Mann 2006) because
the feedback is given on an ongoing basis for the purpose of developing and
motivating an individual. Consistent with both Wherry and Bartlett’s, as well as
Campbell et al.’s theories, the feedback is likely to be acted upon, and the commitment to goals based on this feedback is likely to be high, if the appraisal scale
assesses the behaviors necessary for implementing the organization’s strategy. That
is, the scale makes explicit what employees must do to implement it eVectively
(Latham and Latham 2000). This was shown in a study by Wright (2004). He
employed a cognitive mapping strategy to identify issues of concern to both raters
and ratees when considering what constitutes an eVective appraisal system. Consistent with Wherry and Bartlett’s theory, the results showed that raters want to see
that the appraisal system adds value to the organization, and is linked to business
strategy. Ratees emphasized that the system should be speciWc and easy to understand. These results reinforce Balzer and Sulsky’s (1990) conclusion that the
perception of an appraisal’s eVectiveness is likely to vary across constituent groups.
Studies on the eVectiveness of training programs on ways to provide ongoing
feedback, and set challenging goals for an employee based on this feedback, are
absent from the literature. Nevertheless, frameworks for the design of training
programs do exist. DeNisi and Kluger (2000) reported that feedback is eVective
when it (a) focuses on the behavior rather than the person, (b) is selective so as not
to overwhelm the person, (c) focuses on the behavior that is desired, and the way to
demonstrate it, and (d) is used as the basis for setting speciWc goals. Similarly,
Frese’s (2005) research shows that people can be taught through instructions to
embrace negative feedback when errors are framed as beneWcial to the learning
process, and to be resilient subsequent to making errors, through systematic
exploration. Goal-setting research suggests when to set performance outcome
versus learning versus behavioral goals (Brown and Latham 2002; Seijts and
Latham 2001). Keown-Gerrard and Sulsky (2001) demonstrated that it is possible
376
gary latham et al.
to train raters to take into account situational constraints when making performance evaluations.
18.4.1 Teams
People rarely work alone. Invariably they are members of one or more teams.
Hence, eVective performance management requires coaching and appraising both
the individual and the team as a whole. For example, in the current dynamic
environment in which most individuals and teams operate, both the individual and
the team as a whole must possess the knowledge, skills, and eYcacy beliefs that
enable adaptability (Chen et al. 2005).
It is likely that Wherry and Bartlett’s (1982) theory of rating is as applicable to the
appraisal of a team as it is to appraising an individual. However, the metrics for
evaluating a team may diVer from those used for appraising an individual member.
For instance at the individual level, mental models involve knowledge coherence,
or the extent to which the relatedness among pairs of concepts reXects a consistent
structure. On the other hand, team mental models reXect inter-member similarity
in terms of the extent to which the same knowledge base is shared and embraced.
Both Chen et al. (2004) and Kozlowski and Klein (2000) argued that team mental
models capture qualitatively diVerent constructs from their individual-level analogues. Performance ratings of the adaptive performance may not capture the same
construct as do objective performance ratings of an individual’s outputs used to
assess a team’s adaptive performance (Chen et al. 2005).
18.5 Step 4: Make a Decision
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Yet to be incorporated into performance management is the decision-making
literature. The necessity for doing so is that decision-making is embedded in
appraisals of employees. What rating should be assigned? What aspects of
a person’s performance could beneWt from coaching? Who should be given additional responsibility? Who should be given a salary increase? Who should be
removed from the team, transferred, or promoted to a new team?
The decision-making literature is replete with empirical demonstrations of
heuristics or ‘rules of thumb’ that entrap decision makers (Kahneman and
Frederick 2002). For example, knowledge of performance outcomes strongly aVects
how an employee is appraised. Positive outcomes, in contrast to negative
ones, increase the probability that an employee’s past decisions/behaviors will be
performance management
377
evaluated as good ones. This ‘hindsight bias’ reXects the fact that most people view
the outcome of performance as the most important criterion for making a judgement of an employee, even though the outcome may have been aVected positively
or negatively by factors beyond a person’s control.
This hindsight bias also aVects evaluations of one’s own team. Staw (1975) found
that individuals who were led to believe erroneously that they had performed well
rather than poorly evaluated the cohesiveness within their teams more favorably
than those who were told the opposite. In short, performance outcomes serve as
potent cues to infer or ‘see’ various work behaviors that may exist only in the
imagination of the appraiser.
The ‘availability bias’ is a heuristic whereby appraisers form a judgement on the
basis of what is readily brought to mind. Hence, salient events are likely to bias an
overall appraisal of a person’s performance. A ‘conWrmation bias’ is the tendency to
seek information that conforms to one’s own deWnition of a solution to a problem.
Hence, appraisers sometimes look for data to support their preconceived evaluation of an employee. Still another decision-making error is the illusion of manageability. Das and Teng (1999) found that managers are prone to the erroneous
belief that outcomes can be contained, corrected, or reversed, given extra eVort on
the part of an employee.
Bazerman (1994) has identiWed thirteen of these types of errors. Ways to keep
these errors from contaminating the performance management process have yet to
be discovered.
18.6 Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this chapter, we hopefully make clear that the answers required to move the Weld
of performance management forward are much less straightforward than the
questions. We know a great deal more about ways to manage the performance of
an individual than about ways to manage a team. We know what to observe and
how to observe an individual objectively. We are at a loss as to how to overcome
political considerations that lead people not to do so. Advances in knowledge have
been made with regard to technology that managers embrace to assist them in the
appraisal process, and that in the eyes of employees their managers misuse. We
know that making decisions is inherent in performance management, yet solutions
to decision-making errors remain a mystery. Two great strides in this domain
include recognition that ongoing performance management is more eVective than
an annual appraisal in bringing about a positive change in an employee’s behavior,
and that context must be taken into account in doing so.
378
gary latham et al.
References
Alder, G. S., and Ambrose, M. L. (2005). ‘An Examination of the EVect of Computerized
Performance Monitoring Feedback on Monitoring Fairness, Performance, and Satisfac
tion.’ Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97: 161 77.
Alge, B. J. (2001). ‘EVects of Computer Surveillance on Perceptions of Privacy and
Procedural Justice.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 86: 797 804.
Austin, J. T., and Villanova, P. (1992). ‘The Criterion Problem: 1917 1992.’ Journal of
Applied Psychology, 77: 836 74.
Balzer, W. K., and Sulsky, L. M. (1990). ‘Performance Appraisal EVectiveness.’ In K. R.
Murphy and F. E. Saal (eds.), Psychology in Organizations: Integrating Science and
Practice. Series in Applied Psychology. Hillsdale, NJ,: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bazerman, M. H. (1994). Judgment in Managerial Decision Making, 3rd edn. New York:
Wiley.
Bernardin, H. J. (2005). ‘Behavioral Observation Scales.’ In S. Cartwright (ed.), Human
Resource Management, v: The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management, 2nd edn. Malden,
Mass.: Blackwell Publishing.
Buckley, M. R., Tyler, C. L., and Wiese, D. S. (2000). ‘A Reconsideration of
Strategies in Rater Training.’ Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management,
18: 221 74.
Brown, T. C., and Latham, G. P. (2002). ‘The EVects of Behavioural Outcome Goals,
Learning Goals and Urging People to do their Best on an Individual’s Teamwork Behaviour
in a Group Problem Solving Task.’ Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 34: 276 85.
Campbell, J. P., McCloy, R. A., Oppler, S. H., and Sager, C. E. (1993). ‘A Theory of
Performance.’ In N. Schmitt and W. Borman (eds.), Personnel Selection in Organizations.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Cardy, R. L., and Keefe, T. J. (1994). ‘Observational Purpose and Evaluative Articulation in
Frame of Reference Training: The EVects of Alternative Processing Modes on Rating
Accuracy.’ Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 57: 338 57.
Chen, G., Mathieu, J. E., and Bliese, P. D. (2004). ‘A Framework for Conducting
Multilevel Construct Validation.’ In F. J. Yammarino and F. Dansereau (eds.), Research
in Multilevel Issues: Multilevel Issues in Organizational Behavior and Processes, vol. iii.
Oxford: Elsevier.
Thomas, B., and Wallace, J. C. (2005). ‘A Multilevel Examination of the Relation
ships among Training Outcomes, Mediating Regulatory Processes, and Adaptive
Performance.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90: 827 41.
Das, T. K., and Teng, B. (1999). ‘Cognitive Biases and Strategic Decision Processes: An
Integrative Perspective.’ Journal of Management Studies, 36: 757 78.
Davidson, R., and Henderson, R. (2000). ‘Electronic Performance Monitoring:
A Laboratory Investigation of the InXuence of Monitoring and DiYculty on Task
Performance, Mood State, and Self Reported Stress Levels.’ Electronic Performance
Monitoring, 30: 906 20.
DeCotiis, T. A. (1977). ‘An Analysis of the External Validity and Applied Relevance of Three
Rating Formats.’ Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 19: 247 66.
DeNisi, A. S., and Kluger, A. N. (2000). ‘Feedback EVectiveness: Can 360 Degree
Appraisals be Improved?’ Academy of Management Executive, 14: 129, 139.
performance management
379
Eagly, A. H., Karau, S. J., and Makhijani, M. G. (1995). ‘Gender and the EVectiveness of
Leaders: A Meta analysis.’ Psychological Bulletin, 117: 125 45.
Fay, C. H., and Latham, G. P. (1982). ‘EVects of Training and Rating Scales on Rating
Errors.’ Personnel Psychology, 35: 105 16.
Flanagan, J. C. (1954). ‘The Critical Incident Technique.’ Psychological Bulletin, 51: 327 58.
Fletcher, C. (2001). ‘Performance Appraisal and Management: The Developing Research
Agenda.’ Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74: 473 87.
and Perry, E. L. (2002). ‘Performance Appraisal and Feedback: A Consideration of
National Culture and a Review of Contemporary Research and Future Trends.’ In
N. Anderson, D. S. Ones, H. K. Sinangil, and C. Viswesvaran (eds.), Handbook of
Industrial, Work and Organizational Psychology, vol. i. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.
Frese, M. (2005). ‘Grand Theories and Midrange Theories: Cultural EVects on Theorizing
and the Attempt to Understand Active Approaches to Work.’ In K. G. Smith and
M. Hitt (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Management Theory: The Process of Theory
Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Heslin, P., Latham, G. P., and van de Walle, D. (2005). ‘The EVect of Implicit Person
Theory on Performance Appraisals.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90: 842 56.
Kahneman, D., and Frederick, S. (2002). ‘Representativeness Revisited: Attribute Substi
tution in Intuitive Judgment.’ In T. Gilovich, D. GriYn, and D. Kahneman (eds.),
Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Keown Gerrard, J. L., and Sulsky, L. M. (2001). ‘The EVects of Task Information
Training and Frame of Reference Training with Situational Constraints on Rating
Accuracy.’ Human Performance, 14: 305 20.
Kozlowski, S. W. J., and Klein, K. J. (2000). ‘A Multilevel Approach to Theory and Rese
arch in Organizations: Contextual, Temporal, and Emergent Processes.’ In K. J. Klein and
S. W. J. Kozlowski (eds.), Multilevel Theory, Research, and Methods in Organizations:
Foundations, Extensions, and New Directions. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Lance, C. E. (1994). ‘Test of a Latent Structure of Performance Ratings Derived from
Wherry’s (1952) Theory of Ratings.’ Journal of Management, 20: 757 71.
Latham, G. P., and Heslin, P. (2003). ‘Training the Trainee as Well as the Trainer: Lessons
to be Learned from Clinical Psychology.’ Canadian Psychology, 44: 218 31.
and Latham, S. D. (2000). ‘Overlooking Theory and Research in Performance
Appraisal at One’s Peril: Much Done, More to Do.’ In C. Cooper and E. A. Locke
(eds.), International Review of Industrial Organizational Psychology. Chichester: Wiley.
and Mann, S. (2006). ‘Advances in the Science of Performance Appraisal: Implica
tions for Practice.’ In G. P. Hodgkinson and J. K. Ford (eds.), International Review of
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 21: 295 338.
and Seijts, G. H. (1997). ‘The EVect of Appraisal Instrument on Managerial Percep
tions of Fairness and Satisfaction with Appraisals from their Peers.’ Canadian Journal of
Behavioural Science, 29: 275 82.
and Wexley, K. N. (1977). ‘Behavioral Observation Scales.’ Personnel Psychology, 30:
255 68.
(1994). Increasing Productivity through Performance Appraisal, 2nd edn.
Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley.
and Pursell, E. D. (1975). ‘Training Managers to Minimize Rating Errors in the
Observation of Behavior.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 60: 550 5.
380
gary latham et al.
Latham, G. P., Almost, J., Mann, S., and Moore, C. (2005). ‘New Developments in
Performance Management.’ Organizational Dynamics, 34: 77 87.
Lefkowitz, J. (2000). ‘The Role of Interpersonal AVective Regard in Supervisory Perform
ance Ratings: A Literature Review and Proposed Causal Model.’ Journal of Occupational
and Organizational Psychology, 73: 67 85.
Lifson, K. A. (1953). ‘Errors in Time Study Judgments of Industrial Work Pace.’ Psycho
logical Monographs, 67, whole no. 355.
Locke, E. A., and Latham, G. P. (1990). A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance.
Englewood CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
(2002). ‘Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motiv
ation: A 35 Year Odyssey.’ American Psychologist, 57: 705 17.
McIntyre, R. M., and Salas, E. (1995). ‘Measuring and Managing for Team Performance:
Emerging Principles from Complex Environments.’ In R. A. Guzzo, E. Salas, et al. (eds.),
Team EVectiveness and Decision Making in an Organization. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Martell, R. F., and Evans, D. P. (2005). ‘Source Monitoring Training: Toward Reducing
Rater Expectancy EVects in Behavioral Measurement.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90:
956 63.
Guzzo, R. A., and Willis, C. E. (1995). ‘A Methodological and Substantive Note on
the Performance Cue EVect in Ratings of Work Group Behavior.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 80: 191 5.
Noonan, L. E., and Sulsky, L. M. (2001). ‘The Impact of Frame of Reference Training on
Alternative Training EVectiveness Criteria in a Canadian Military Sample.’ Human
Performance, 14: 3 26.
Pratkanis, A., and Aronson, E. (2001). Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of
Persuasion. New York: Freeman.
Pursell, E. D., Dossett, D. L., and Latham, G. P. (1980). ‘Obtaining Valid Predictors by
Minimizing Rating Errors in the Criteria.’ Personnel Psychology, 33: 91 6.
Ronan, W. W., and Prien, E. P. (1971). Perspectives on the Measurement of Human
Performance. New York: Appleton Century Crofts.
Schrader, B. W., and Steiner, D. D. (1996). ‘Common Comparison Standards: An
Approach to Improving Agreement between Self and Supervisory Performance Ratings.’
Journal of Applied Psychology, 81: 813 20.
Schwab, D. P., Heneman, H. G., and DeCotiis, T. A. (1975). ‘Behaviorally Anchored
Rating Scales: A Review of the Literature.’ Personnel Psychology, 28: 549 62.
Seijts, G. H., and Latham, G. P. (2001). ‘The EVect of Learning, Outcome and Proximal
Goals on a Moderately Complex Task.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22: 291 307.
Smith, P. C. (1976). ‘Behaviors, Results and Organizational EVectiveness.’ In M. Dunnette
(ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally.
and Kendall, L. M. (1963). ‘Retranslation of Expectations: An Approach to the
Construction of Unambiguous Anchors for Rating Scales.’ Journal of Applied Psychology,
47: 149 55.
Spool, M. D. (1978). ‘Training Programs of Observers of Behavior: A Review.’ Personnel
Psychology, 31: 853 85.
Staw, B. M. (1975). ‘Attributions of the ‘‘Causes’’ of Performance: A General Alternative
Interpretation of Cross sectional Research on Organizations.’ Organizational Behavior
and Human Processes, 13: 414 32.
performance management
381
Strauss, J. P., Barrick, M. R., and Connerley, M. L. (2001). ‘An Investigation of
Personality Similarity EVects (Relational and Perceived) on Peer and Supervisor Ratings
and the Role of Familiarity and Liking.’ Journal of Occupational and Organizational
Psychology, 74: 637 57.
Sulsky, L. M., and Day, D. V. (1992). ‘Frame of Reference Training and Cognitive
Categorization: An Empirical Investigation of Rater Memory Issues.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 77: 501 10.
(1994). ‘An Examination of the EVects of Frame of Reference Training on
Rating Accuracy under Alternative Time Delays.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 79: 535 43.
and Keown, J. L. (1998). ‘Performance Appraisal in the Changing World of Work:
Implications for the Meaning and Measurement of Work Performance.’ Canadian Psych
ology, 39: 52 9.
Tziner, A., and Kopelman, R. (1988). ‘EVects of Rating Format on Goal Setting Dimen
sions: A Field Experiment.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 73: 323 6.
(2002). ‘Is there a Preferred Performance Rating Format? A Non Psychometric
Perspective.’ Applied Psychology: An International Review, 51: 479 503.
and Latham, G. P. (1989). ‘The EVects of Appraisal Instrument, Feedback and Goal
Setting on Worker Satisfaction and Commitment.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 10:
145 53.
Price, B. S., and Haccoun, R. (1996). ‘Development and Validation of
a Questionnaire for Measuring Perceived Political Considerations in Performance
Appraisal.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17: 179 90.
Wagner, S. H., and Goffin, R. D. (1997). ‘DiVerences in Accuracy of Absolute and
Comparative Performance Appraisal Methods.’ Organizational Behavior and Human
Decision Processes, 70: 95 103.
Wherry, R. J., and Bartlett, C. J. (1982). ‘The Control of Bias in Ratings: A Theory of
Rating.’ Personnel Psychology, 35: 521 51.
Wiersma, U., and Latham, G. P. (1986). ‘The Practicality of Behavior Observation Scales,
Behavioral Expectation Scales, and Trait Scales.’ Personnel Psychology, 39: 619 28.
van den Berg, P., and Latham, G. P. (1995). ‘Dutch Reactions to Behavioral
Observation Expectation, and Trait Scales.’ Group and Organization Management, 20:
297 309.
Williams, R. (1998). Performance Management. London: International Thomson Business
Press (Essential Business Psychology Series).
Wright, R. P. (2004). ‘Mapping Cognitions to Better Understand Attitudinal and Behav
ioral Responses in Appraisal Research.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25: 339 74.
Zweig, D. (2005). ‘Beyond Privacy and Fairness Concerns: Examining Psychological
Boundary Violations as a Consequence of Electronic Performance Monitoring.’ In
J. Weckert (ed.), Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace: Controversies and Solutions.
Hershey, Pa.: Ida Group.
and Webster, J. (2002). ‘Where is the Line between Benign and Invasive? An
Examination of Psychological Fairness to the Acceptance of Awareness Monitoring
Systems.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23: 605 33.
part iii
...................................................................................................................................................
PAT T E R N S A N D
DYNAMICS
...................................................................................................................................................
chapter 19
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM SYSTEMS AND
T H E P RO B L E M O F
I N T E R NA L F I T
....................................................................................................................................
sven kepes
john e. delery
19.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The Weld of strategic human resource management (SHRM) has received increasing attention that has resulted in a Xurry of innovative research, which has
greatly expanded our knowledge of the relationship between human resource
management (HRM) activities (e.g. policies or practices) and organizational-level
outcomes (e.g. turnover, productivity, and performance). One of the deWning
characteristics of SHRM has been the proposition that HRM systems and not
individual HRM practices are the source of competitive advantage. SpeciWcally, it is
proposed that coherent and internally aligned HRM practices form ‘powerful
connections’ that create positive synergistic eVects on organizational outcomes,
while inconsistent HRM practices form ‘deadly combinations,’ which create negative synergistic eVects that harm organizational eVectiveness (Becker and Huselid
1998; Becker et al. 1997; Delery 1998; Delery and Shaw 2001). Previous reviews of the
Wt perspectives in SHRM have had a pessimistic tone and concluded that there was
little evidence of the assumption that ‘Wt’ leads to organizational success, although
most reviews did not speciWcally focus on internal Wt (e.g. Gerhart in press; Wright
386
sven kepes and john e. delery
and Sherman 1999; Wright and Snell 1998). For example, Gerhart (in press), in
a review of HRM systems, concluded that research has produced only ‘weak or, at
best, mixed’ support for the internal Wt perspective.
The purpose of this chapter is to revisit the theoretical foundation of internal Wt
and provide a review of the literature addressing this issue. SpeciWcally, we set out
to explore the theory and research behind the internal Wt perspective in an attempt
to summarize and advance our knowledge behind HRM systems and internal Wt. In
doing so, we address the theory behind ‘Wt’, the interplay between external and
internal Wt, issues of the level of abstraction (e.g. focus on HRM philosophies,
policies, or practices in measuring HRM systems), diVerent types of internal Wt,
problems stemming from levels of analysis issues, and the empirical evidence,
before summarizing and concluding.
19.2 The Theory Behind Internal Fit
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The idea of Wt or alignment and synergistic eVects of internal Wt has been explicit in
almost all SHRM research (e.g. Delery and Doty 1996; Delery and Shaw 2001;
Ichniowski et al. 1997; MacDuYe 1995). Delery and Doty (1996) outlined three
theoretical frameworks that were being used to describe the relationship between
HRM practices and organizational performance. The universalistic approach,
which was described as arguing for a universal relationship between individual
‘best’ HRM practices and Wrm performance, was perhaps the only framework that
explicitly did not argue for positive ‘Wt’ eVects. A close examination of the work
most often attributed as arguing for universalistic relationships between single
HRM practices and Wrm performance reveals that there was an acknowledgement
even there that practices might be more eVective when combined with supporting
practices (e.g. PfeVer 1994). For instance, PfeVer (1994: 31), when discussing sixteen
best HRM practices, stated that ‘it is important to recognize that practices are
interrelated—it is diYcult to do one thing by itself with much positive result.’
The other perspectives identiWed by Delery and Doty (1996), the contingency and
conWgurational, have dealt more directly with at least two forms of Wt. The SHRM
literature distinguishes between what has been termed vertical or external Wt and
horizontal or internal Wt. While external Wt denotes the alignment between HRM
practices and the speciWc organizational context (e.g. organizational strategy), internal
Wt refers to the coherent conWguration of individual HRM practices that support
each other (Becker et al. 1997; Delery 1998). When researchers talk about ‘internal
Wt,’ they are usually referring to an arrangement of HRM activities (e.g. HRM
policies or practices) that work in concert, whether they call these arrangements
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
387
‘systems’ (e.g. Delery and Doty 1996), ‘bundles’ (e.g. MacDuYe 1995), or ‘clusters’
(e.g. Arthur 1992). The contingency perspective of SHRM captures the ideas of external
Wt and predicts that the relationship between HRM practices and organizational
eVectiveness is contingent upon an organization’s strategy (Delery and Doty 1996).
The conWgurational perspective, on the other hand, takes a more holistic view that is
aligned with the concept of equiWnality and highlights the importance of Wt and
complementarity among HRM practices in predicting organizational eVectiveness
(Delery and Doty 1996). According to the concept of equiWnality, diVerent HRM
practices that Wt together can yield identical outcomes. It appears that most SHRM
researchers today take a combination of the contingency and conWgurational perspectives in that it is proposed that diVerent internally consistent HRM systems are eVective
for either diVerent parts of the workforce or under diVerent strategic considerations
(Lepak and Snell 1999). Coming from this combined perspective, it is clear that internal
and external Wt are in a constant interplay. While not attempting to downplay this
interplay, in the remainder of this review, we focus most attention on the notion of
internal Wt and only highlight certain external Wt issues where appropriate.
Using the conWgurational perspective and drawing on research concerning the
HRM architecture (Kepes and Delery in press; Lepak and Snell 1999) and individual HRM practice areas, we show that it is vital to diVerentiate between diVerent
types of internal Wt. We believe that it is partly a lack of consideration of these
distinctions that may have led previous researchers to conclude that there is only
limited evidence for the importance of internal Wt.
Regardless of the type of internal Wt, the basic assumption of this perspective is
that ‘the eVectiveness of any [individual HRM] practice depends on the other
practices in place’ (Delery 1998: 291); that a coherent system of supporting HRM
practices has greater eVects on organizational eVectiveness than the sum of each
individual practice eVect (Ichniowski et al. 1997). As we will show, there is substantial empirical evidence that supports the importance of complementary practices and the notion of synergistic eVects.
19.2.1 Fit and the Resource-based View of the Firm
One of the most widely cited deWnitions of strategic human resource management
highlights the importance of Wt by emphasizing the ‘coordination or congruence
among the various human resource management practices’ in inXuencing
organizational outcomes (Wright and McMahan 1992: 298). The resource-based
view (Barney 1991) provides the backdrop for understanding the relationship
between HRM systems and organizational eVectiveness. This view takes an implicit
systems perspective and suggests that combinations of complementary resources
enable a Wrm to realize their full potential and help in achieving a sustainable
competitive advantage. Individual resources, on the other hand, have a limited
388
sven kepes and john e. delery
ability to realize this. Inherent in this perspective is also the concept of Wt and
equiWnality (Delery and Doty 1996) in that diVerent internally consistent conWgurations of distinct resources may provide the source of a sustainable competitive advantage.
Wright et al. (1994) and Barney and Wright (1998) investigated the role that
HRM plays in developing a competitive advantage in much detail. Wright et al.
(1994: 318) concluded that HRM practices themselves cannot be a source of
a sustainable competitive advantage, but that they may play an essential role in
‘developing the sustained competitive advantage through the development of the
human capital pool, and through moderating the relationship between this pool
and sustained competitive advantage by aVecting HR behavior.’ Barney and Wright
(1998) broadened this somewhat narrow view and discussed in more depth how
systems of HRM practices and the administrative HRM function itself could
become sources of sustainable competitive advantage. These authors examined
whether HRM systems and the HRM function meet the criteria set forth by Barney
(1991) and suggested that systems of HRM practices that create synergistic eVects
are indeed a source of a sustainable competitive advantage. These integrated HRM
systems are rare, valuable, and, contrary to physical and organizational capital,
‘diYcult, if not impossible for competitors to identify and copy’ due to the
interrelatedness of the individual HRM practices in the interdependent
HRM system (Barney and Wright 1998: 40). Hence, it is the internal Wt between
HRM practices that may provide a signiWcant source of sustainable competitive
advantage.
19.3 The Complexity of Internal Fit
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In the previous section, we presented the foundation of the theory supporting the
importance of internal Wt, whether HRM systems in and of themselves (Barney and
Wright 1998; Delery and Shaw 2001) or the human capital that they create (Wright
et al. 1994) are the source of organizational eVectiveness. While it is argued that
strong internal Wt of HRM practices can provide a sustainable competitive advantage, in part due to causal ambiguity and social complexity (Barney 1991; Barney
and Wright 1998), these factors make it very diYcult to specify a priori which sets
of HRM practices actually Wt together and create the desired ‘invisible capability’
that leads to organizational success (Becker and Huselid 1998). There are, thus,
signiWcant challenges, which range from actually designing and implementing
internally consistent HRM systems to empirically specifying and measuring
internal Wt. We expand on this in the next section.
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
389
19.3.1 Designing Internally Coherent HRM Systems
It is a very diYcult task to actually design an internally consistent HRM system in
which all HRM practices are internally aligned and reXect the policies and overall
HRM philosophy of the organization. First, any HRM system must be appropriate
for the organization’s competitive strategy: helping the organization achieve its
strategic and tactical goals. As many researchers have pointed out, diVerent environments and contextual settings require distinct sets of practices (e.g. Becker and
Huselid 1998; Delery and Doty 1996). While this problem is often seen to relate
more to external rather than internal Wt, we believe that it has signiWcant implications for internal Wt.
Several internal and external factors inXuence an organization’s strategy and
the external Wt, which, in turn, inXuences the eVectiveness of internal Wt (Boxall
and Purcell 2003; Wright and Snell 1998); there is clearly a reciprocal relationship
between external and internal Wt. Ignoring external Wt can lead to an overly rigid
HRM system and may cause inertia. Also, the critical HRM goals (e.g. labor
productivity, social legitimacy, and organizational Xexibility) create complex
and possibly paradoxical demands with regard to the HRM system, leading to
‘strategic tension’ (Boxall and Purcell 2003). These demands need to be managed
and balanced in an eYcient way. An organization’s Xexibility or agility with regard
to its HRM system is, thus, essential for internal Wt over time and long-term
organizational success (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Dyer and Shafer 1999; Wright and
Snell 1998).
Abell’s concept of ‘dual strategies’ highlights the fact that successful organizations have to adapt by ‘mastering the present and pre-empting the future’ (Abell
1993: 296). In the context of HRM, this indicates that organizations have to adjust
their HRM systems over time for them to remain eVective in light of changing
external and internal forces (Dyer and Shafer 1999). For instance, changes in the
environment, in the Wrm’s strategy, or their workforce needs should trigger modiWcations in a Wrm’s HRM system. Otherwise, these systems, internally aligned or
not, could become misaligned with contextual forces (Boxall and Purcell 2003).
The detailed examination of these dynamics, however, is beyond the scope of this
chapter. We concentrate on internal Wt per se but want to emphasize the fact that
internal Wt is dynamic, not static.
Second, the entire HRM strategy must dictate a coherent bundle of HRM
practices and policies which align and support each other. As mentioned previously, however, there are diVerent types of internal Wt. To date, most researchers
have focused only on what we term inter-practice area Wt within an HRM system
(Wt across diVerent HRM practices within one HRM system). This is just one type
of internal Wt and may be an overly simplistic view of this concept. As Lepak and
Snell (1999) highlighted with their HRM architecture, organizations likely have
distinct HRM systems for diVerent groups of employees, reXecting the employee
390
sven kepes and john e. delery
groups’ uniqueness and value to the organization. This HRM architecture has been
deWned as ‘the HRM activities (philosophy, policies, practices, and processes)
within diVerent HRM systems that organizations must do today to manage and
prepare themselves to develop the human capital required for achieving a competitive advantage in current or emerging opportunity areas’ (Kepes and Delery in
press). It is, therefore, the organization and management of several diVerent HRM
systems within an organization. Each system, in turn, has diVerent levels of
abstraction (Wright 1998); it is comprised of distinct HRM philosophies, policies,
practices, and processes (Becker and Gerhart 1996; Schuler 1992).
Kepes and Delery (in press) described in detail the components of the HRM
architecture. These include the organizational climate, HRM system philosophies,
HRM system policies, HRM system practices, and HRM system processes. Organizational climate (or the overarching HRM philosophy) reXects all formal and
informal HRM activities and serves as the glue that holds an organization together
(Reichers and Schneider 1990; Schneider and Brief 1996). HRM system philosophies
refer to the guiding principles that identify and characterize the value and treatment of employees covered within a particular HRM system. They represent the
shared perceptions among certain groups of employees. HRM system policies serve
as guidelines and benchmarks for speciWc HRM activities (e.g. compensation
practices and processes). Hence, policies reXect what an organization is trying to
achieve, not how it will achieve its goals. HRM system practices identify broad HRM
activities and techniques to ensure the implementation of the HRM policies.
Finally, through HRM system processes, the actual implementation of the HRM
practices takes place. They denote detailed explanations of how the HRM practices
are executed. In the following discussions we use the term HRM activities to refer
to HRM philosophies, policies, practices, and processes.
These complexities within the HRM architecture with its HRM systems and HRM
activities illustrate that there is not only internal Wt between HRM policies or
practices within a particular HRM system but also within-HRM system vertical Wt
(or internal vertical Wt) between each component (or level of abstraction) of the HRM
system and diVerent types of internal horizontal Wt. In an attempt to add structure to
this discussion, we describe diVerent types of internal Wt in the following section.
19.3.2 Types of Internal Fit
We distinguish between four diVerent types of internal Wt. The Wrst three denote Wt
within a particular HRM system while the last one signiWes internal Wt between
diVerent HRM systems within one HRM architecture. Within-HRM system vertical
Wt refers to the degree of Wt between diVerent HRM activities on diverse levels of
abstraction (e.g. Wt between compensation policies, practices, and processes). This
type of Wt and its consequences are rarely explored in the literature although it is
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
391
often indirectly acknowledged. For instance, conventional wisdom suggests that,
while most companies report using merit pay and having merit pay policies, in
actuality few have valid practices and processes that pay their employees based on
merit (Heneman 1990). This represents a misWt between the policy and the practice
level, which could result in a negative synergistic eVect. A policy that stresses
compensation based on merit is likely to be ineVective or even counterproductive
without proper practices and processes that implement that policy. Processes more
directly aVect employees, their behaviors, and attitudes than do policies. When
policies and processes are not aligned, dysfunctional behaviors may arise due to
perceptions of injustice, which are likely to harm organizational eVectiveness
(Simons and Roberson 2003).
What has been often called internal horizontal Wt, we divide into intra-HRM and
inter-HRM activity area Wt. Inter-HRM activity area Wt denotes the Wt between
diVerent HRM activity areas. By and large, HRM researchers have focused on
inter-practice area Wt (e.g. Arthur 1992; Delery and Doty 1996; Ichniowski et al.
1997; MacDuYe 1995; Shaw et al. 2002). This type of internal Wt was also the focus of
Delery’s (1998) review and the level of abstraction where Becker et al. (1997) Wrst
theorized about ‘powerful connections’ and ‘deadly combinations.’ Intra-HRM
activity area Wt, on the other hand, is the alignment between speciWc HRM activities
within a certain set of HRM activities (e.g. HRM practices within the compensation
practice area). Not only do distinct HRM activity areas need to be aligned but also
the elements within each HRM activity area. For example, speciWc HRM activities
within the compensation activity area (e.g. pay level, pay dispersion, pay basis, and
pay structure) need to Wt in order to achieve synergistic eVects. When discussing
the empirical evidence later in this chapter, we address both of these types of Wt in
more detail.
Finally, there is also internal Wt between diVerent HRM systems within the HRM
architecture (internal between-HRM system Wt). While the previous types of internal Wt are within a particular HRM system (e.g. the system used to manage a
particular employee group), the various HRM activities within one system may
also have to Wt their counterparts in other HRM systems within the HRM architecture (Kepes and Delery in press). Following Lepak and Snell’s (1999) discussion
of the diVerent types of HRM systems used to manage diVerent types of employees
within the Wrm, it is essential to discuss the degree to which these diVerent HRM
systems within an organization actually Wt together to support the overall HRM
strategy. This type of Wt has been neglected in the SHRM literature. Theoretically, it
has been indirectly addressed with concepts such as ‘buVering of the strategic core’
(e.g. PfeVer and Baron 1988) and the ‘Xexible Wrm’ (e.g. Atkinson 1984). Empirical
examinations, however, are rare (but see e.g. Hakim 1990), especially from an
internal Wt perspective.
Within this particular type of Wt, ‘strategic tensions’ between diVering HRM
systems could arise due to, for example, diVerent workforce needs or goals for labor
392
sven kepes and john e. delery
Levels of abstraction
(HRM activities)
productivity and social legitimacy (Boxall and Purcell 2003). Any organization has
to balance these possibly conXicting demands with its aspirations of achieving
between-HRM system Wt while remaining Xexible in the competitive landscape.
Having vastly diVerent HRM systems within the Wrm could bring with it negative
consequences, including perceptions of injustice and inequity within the workforce
and legitimacy dilemmas with external constituencies. The Wrst issue (e.g. injustice
and inequity within the workforce) was brieXy discussed by Kepes and Delery (in
press); however, we have only begun to develop conceptual frameworks dealing
with this type of Wt (which is similar to Baron and Kreps’s (1999) ‘among employee
consistency’). At present, we would argue that internal between-HRM system Wt
may be assessed by the degree to which the diVerent HRM systems are linked by
a common system philosophy or the degree to which they support an organization’s
culture and climate. This, however, may disregard and even contradict external
demands (e.g. social legitimacy). Managing the ‘strategic tensions’ between diVering HRM goals and other internal/external demands is, hence, as critical for longterm organizational success as internal Wt per se (e.g. Boxall and Purcell 2003;
Wright and Snell 1998).
In sum, the overall HRM architecture with various HRM systems and diVerent
HRM activities and components or levels of abstraction is a complex system,
composed of multiple elements, which likely interact in complex ways. We visually
depict this in Fig. 19.1. A misWt on or between any of these levels is likely to cause
HRM philosophy level
HRM policy level
HRM practice level
HRM process level
HRM system 4
HRM system 3
…
HRM system 2
Staffing
HRM systems
HRM system 1
Compensation
Work design
HRM activity areas
Intra-HRM activity area fit
Inter-HRM activity area fit
Between-HRM system fit
Within-HRM system vertical fit (internal vertical fit)
Internal horizontal fit
Fig. 19.1. The different types of internal fit within the HRM architecture
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
393
problems within the HRM architecture and the respective HRM system(s). Without this complex alignment, the HRM system may not be embedded within the
organization and cannot create the ‘invisible capability’ that enhances organizational eVectiveness (Becker and Huselid 1998). This multidimensional view further
highlights the fact that identical HRM policies but diVerent HRM practices or the
same HRM practices but distinct HRM processes may result in the same outcome if
they are aligned, which is consistent with the conWgurational perspective (Delery
and Doty 1996). Such a complex interactive view is not new to SHRM, although
these complexities have traditionally been scantly treated. Recently, Colbert (2004)
extended the current perspectives in SHRM by bringing complexity theory into the
Weld. We do not wish to simply repeat Colbert’s complexity perspective. Instead, we
believe it is important to discuss the types of internal Wt in more detail, and to
highlight the complexity of the HRM architecture and the need for more rigorous
research in SHRM.
19.3.3 Internal Fit and Possible EVects (Additive
and Synergistic EVects)
After discussing the diVerent types of internal Wt, it is necessary to describe the
diVerent ways in which HRM activities could ‘Wt’ together. This discussion is speciWcally related to the two most discussed types of Wt in the literature: intra-HRM and
inter-HRM activity area Wt. In this literature, it is rare for much attention to be given
to precisely describing how practices actually Wt together and the consequences of
non-Wt. Often, researchers simply list a number of ‘best’ HRM activities and suggest
that, because they are ‘best’ activities, they must Wt together. Delery (1998), however,
provided an in-depth overview of internal Wt and the diVerent relationships between HRM practices. Here, we want to brieXy review this conceptual work linking
various HRM activities with each other.
The internal relationships between HRM activities (both intra-HRM and interHRM activity area) can take many diVerent forms (see Delery 1998). First, simple
additive eVects are possible. Here, the combination of two HRM activities on the
same level of abstraction results in the sum of the separate eVects of each individual
HRM activity (e.g. a personality and a work sample test in the staYng area at the
process level). Additive eVects come about if the individual HRM activities have
independent, non-overlapping eVects on the outcome. HRM activities that simply
have additive eVects do not actually show ‘Wt’ in the way that term has been used in
the SHRM literature. It is wise for organizations to combine such practices,
however, because the combination results in better performance than using either
activity alone.
Second, interactive or synergistic eVects are possible. These are more consistent
with the way many SHRM researchers have presented the idea of ‘Wt’ in that
394
sven kepes and john e. delery
the eVect of one activity is actually contingent on the other activities present. These
eVects can be further distinguished into three separate categories. Substitutable
eVects occur if the HRM activities are substitutes for each other in that each activity
results in an identical outcome (e.g. two diVerent personality tests that assess the
Big Five personality traits in the staYng area). Having two activities that are
substitutes results in outcomes equal to one practice alone. Thus, nothing is gained
from an organizational eVectiveness perspective. In fact, Wnancial performance
eventually decreases due to the additional costs of having two HRM activities that
yield identical outcomes.
The most interesting synergistic eVects, and the ones most commonly associated
with the internal Wt perspective of SHRM, are ‘powerful connections’ and ‘deadly
combinations’ (Becker et al. 1997). They get to the core of Wt, alignment, and
synergy in that it is proposed that complementary HRM activities have greater
eVects on organizational eVectiveness than the sum of the eVects of each individual
activity (Ichniowski et al. 1997). Positive synergistic eVects (‘powerful connections’)
are those where the combination of two individual HRM activities has a more
positive eVect than the sum of each HRM activity’s individual eVects. An example
might be the combination of valid performance appraisals and a pay-for-performance system. Together these activities should have a much greater positive eVect
than using either activity alone. On the other hand, negative synergistic eVects
(‘deadly combinations’) refer to the situation where HRM activities actually work
against each other, undermining each other’s eVects. This could be the case, for
instance, if team-oriented work structures are combined with individual incentives. Either of these activities alone may produce positive outcomes, but when
combined they could actually harm performance.
In any theoretical development focusing on either intra-HRM or inter-HRM
activity area Wt, it is essential that researchers develop speciWc hypotheses about the
nature of that Wt—something that has rarely been done in the SHRM literature. It is
not enough to simply say that a system of practices should have greater inXuence on
performance than the individual practices. Researchers must specify which practices
must Wt with each other and discuss the negative consequences, if any, of misWt. It is
unlikely that all HRM activities typically thought of as components of a ‘highperformance work system’ have positive synergistic relationships with each other.
Some may have independent additive eVects, while others may have the positive
synergistic eVects so often discussed.
19.3.4 Levels of Analysis
The diVerent types of internal Wt discussed above illustrate the complexities in
designing and measuring eVective HRM systems. Yet, they also highlight a related
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
395
issue that further increases the inherent complexities of measuring internal Wt. The
basic assumptions of SHRM are based on multilevel theory (Kozlowski and Klein
2000; OstroV and Bowen 2000). The SHRM paradigm holds that HRM systems
aVect the characteristics (e.g. attitudes, KSAs, motivation, and empowerment) of
organizational actors (individual level) and groups of actors (group level). These
characteristics, in turn, aVect workforce productivity and organizational performance (plant and/or organizational level). Inherent in this perspective are cross-level
and multilevel models (Kozlowski and Klein 2000). This further complicates the
design and measurement of HRM systems. Even if HRM managers use valid
selection tools to select the best possible applicants, there is virtually no research
that speciWcally establishes a link between selection techniques at the individual
level and group or organizational performance (Ployhart 2004). Similar observations can be made for virtually every other HRM activity area. There is only very
limited research that uses data from multiple levels of analysis to investigate these
complex relationships.
For researchers, besides the obvious data collection problems, there are theoretical and methodological problems and challenges of this multilevel perspective
(Kozlowski and Klein 2000). Besides some well-known measurement problems
(e.g. Gerhart in press; Gerhart et al. 2000), simple abstractions from lower-level to
higher-level relationships and vice versa are likely to be inappropriate. Combining
the issues of levels of abstraction and analysis, we can make the predictions that the
HRM philosophy may aVect an organization, that the HRM policies have the
potential to aVect large parts of the workforce (all employees who are covered by
the speciWc policies), and that HRM practices and processes may aVect speciWc
work groups, those that the practices and processes target. This has important
implications for SHRM research. Collecting data on HRM practices that cover the
entire workforce may be inappropriate since individual practices are unlikely to
target an entire workforce (Delery and Shaw 2001; Kepes and Delery in press; Lepak
and Snell 1999). HRM measures must match the level on which outcome measures
are collected. Measuring HRM practices (level of abstraction) and organizational
performance (level of analysis), for example, may denote a misalignment and the
empirical results could be a methodological artifact rather than a true relationship
(Kozlowski and Klein 2000).
There is a critical need in this research area to match levels of abstraction and
levels of analysis. Theory should guide the appropriate determination of the
diVerent levels. Only then can the eVects of internally consistent or inconsistent
HRM systems on individual, group, or organizational eVectiveness be understood.
Recently, OstroV and Bowen (2000) proposed a multilevel framework that links
HRM systems to Wrm eVectiveness (see also Bowen and OstroV 2004). Their model
illustrates the need to take a multilevel perspective when investigating HRM
systems and the Wt between the diVerent elements within it.
396
sven kepes and john e. delery
19.4 Research and Evidence
on Internal Fit
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Now that we have discussed the theory and complexities behind the internal Wt
perspective, we turn to the empirical evidence. Until now, Delery’s (1998) review is
the only one that devoted considerable space to measurement issues and empirical
evidence of internal Wt. Other review articles center around the strategy—HRM
system relationship or external Wt (e.g. Wright and Sherman 1999) or Wt in relation
to a speciWc activity area (e.g. compensation, Gerhart 2000). There is therefore
a need to describe and evaluate the empirical results related to the diVerent types of
internal Wt. This section centers around inter-practice and intra-practice area Wt
since most of the research to date has investigated only these types of internal Wt.
We could not Wnd studies that speciWcally addressed within-HRM system vertical
Wt or between-HRM system Wt. The lack of studies in both of these areas is
troublesome.
19.4.1 Inter-HRM Activity Area Fit
As previously conceptualized, inter-HRM activity area Wt denotes the Wt across
diVerent HRM activities at the same level of abstraction (e.g. the alignment
between compensation and work design HRM practices). In a Wrst step to investigate this type of Wt, several authors have examined whether certain HRM activities hang together and make up a theoretically coherent HRM system. In one of
the earliest studies following this line of thought, Arthur (1992) used a cluster
analysis approach and grouped organizations based on ten HRM policy and
practice variables that made up a HRM system. As predicted, Arthur found that
organizations with a cost leadership strategy had substantially diVerent HRM
systems from organizations with a diVerentiation strategy.
Empirical researchers seem to have followed Becker and Gerhart’s (1996) call for
more research using cluster analytic techniques (e.g. De Saá-Pérez and Garcı́aFalcón 2002; Delery et al. 1997; Ordiz-Fuertes and Fernández-Sánchez 2003; OstroV
2000). In general, these studies support the notion that there are separate HRM
systems, comprised of distinct HRM activities (mostly at the policy and practice
levels of abstraction). For example, OstroV (2000) found Wve, De Saá-Pérez and
Garcı́a-Falcón (2002) four, and Ordiz-Fuertes and Fernández-Sánchez (2003) two
clusters of distinct HRM systems. There are likely to be many reasons for the
diVerent numbers of clusters found, ranging from sample characteristics, HRM
activities included in the survey, a mixture of policy and practice items, through to
shortcomings of cluster analysis, which are well documented (see Delery 1998).
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
397
Nevertheless, all studies using cluster analysis support Arthur’s (1992) Wnding that
diVerent organizations have distinct, theoretically internally consistent HRM
activities, supporting indirectly the notion of internal Wt. With a similar theoretical
approach, applying pattern analysis, Verburg et al. (2004) concluded that Wt per se
was not associated with superior performance. Instead, certain types of HRM
systems were related to better organizational performance, a Wnding aligned with
previous research (e.g. Arthur 1992; Becker and Huselid 1998).
Several empirical studies have used factor analytic techniques and scales or
indices as measures of HRM systems (e.g. De Saá-Pérez and Garcı́a-Falcón 2002;
Huselid 1995; MacDuYe 1995; Vandenberg et al. 1999; Zacharatos et al. 2005),
possibly due to the familiarity and acceptance of these techniques in the social
sciences. While the studies reviewed by Delery (1998) only employed exploratory
factor analysis, more recent studies have used a conWrmatory approach. The paper
by Zacharatos et al. (2005) is most notable. In their Wrst study, the authors
measured ten high-performance HRM practices with several items on Likert-type
scales. Fit measures supported their prediction and all parameter estimates were
signiWcant. In a second study, using almost identical scales and items, Zacharatos
et al. (2005) further showed that their high-performance HRM system had convergent and discriminant validity when aVective commitment was included in
a two-factor model; both factors were positively correlated as theory would predict
(Arthur 1992; Meyer and Smith 2000).
Taken together, the results of all the above cited studies clearly demonstrate that
certain HRM activities Wt with each other and form a coherent ‘bundle.’ However,
all of the studies only investigated Wt at the policy and practice levels. Some
studies even combine the policy and practice levels, which is possibly a serious
shortcoming. Further, although most studies conclude that their results show
coherent HRM systems, they really show only that organizations have internally
aligned HRM policies and/or practices. No study actually looks at the Wt of an
entire HRM system, the Wt between diVerent HRM activity areas across several
levels of abstraction, or even the Wt of a complete HRM architecture. Nevertheless,
all of these studies provide some support for the notion of inter-HRM activity
area Wt.
Another shortcoming of these studies is that they do not necessarily account for
synergistic eVects, one of the hallmarks of internal Wt. Hence, while the studies
show support for the presence of ‘bundles’ of HRM activities, they do not prove the
existence of ‘powerful connections’ or ‘deadly combinations.’ The interaction
approach using regression analysis allows for a better test of synergistic eVects,
although it only allows for testing Wt between a limited number of practices.
Adopting this approach, Delery et al. (1997) used broadly measured HRM practices
(e.g. selective staYng, performance-based pay, and participative decision-making)
and performed multiple two- and three-way interactions that unmistakably support the notion of Wt and synergies.
398
sven kepes and john e. delery
Shaw et al. (2002), using a similar approach, found that individual performancebased pay that results in pay dispersion is only eVective in an independent work
setting whereas more equally distributed pay allocations are more eVective in
interdependent working arrangements. The dependent variables in the study were
measures of workforce eVectiveness and the results indicate the need to align the two
practice areas of compensation and work design, and, more importantly, that
alignment leads to positive synergistic eVects whereas misalignment is detrimental.
A study by Kruse et al. (2004) supports these Wndings, showing that employee
ownership alone does not improve organizational performance. Combining
employee ownership plans with policies and practices that involve employees and
give them a voice, however, has a signiWcant eVect on workforce productivity
and Wrm performance (see also Blasi et al. 2003). In a study investigating the joint
eVects of top management team (TMT) compensation and Wrm internationalization on organizational performance, Carpenter and Sanders (2004) also found
‘powerful connections’ and ‘deadly combinations.’ Firm performance was ampliWed
for conditions of high TMT pay level and TMT long-term incentives when a Wrm’s
degree of internationalization (DOI) was high while performance diminished for
Wrms with low DOIs. The opposite was true for the pay gap between TMT members
and their CEO.
The Wndings and conclusions of these studies are clearly supportive of the theory
behind internal Wt, speciWcally inter-HRM activity area Wt. Further, their results are
generally consistent with Lawler’s (1986) high-involvement approach to management and illustrate perhaps most clearly the eVects of ‘powerful connections’ and
‘deadly combinations.’ Many researchers have criticized the Weld of SHRM for its
lack of a strong theory, particularly when it comes to the conceptualization of
performance enhancing HRM systems (e.g. Becker and Gerhart 1996; Wright and
Sherman 1999). Using the high-involvement management approach as the foundation may thus provide the basis to develop a theoretically grounded framework
for SHRM.
19.4.2 Intra-HRM Activity Area Fit
Research on intra-practice area Wt has taken oV during the last few years. The
Wndings from this stream of research add critically to our knowledge by showing
that diVerent HRM activities in a speciWc HRM activity area are more eVective
when aligned. As with the Wt between diVerent sets of activity areas within the
overall HRM system, individual activities within a HRM activity area create
synergistic eVects that can either enhance or suppress eVectiveness.
From research in the selection and staYng areas, it has long been known that
individual selection devices have incremental validity and, thus, additive eVects
on individual performance. Recent studies are also supportive of synergistic eVects.
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
399
All of these studies have used the interaction approach with regression analysis. In
a study predicting turnover, Shaw et al. (1998) found that the selection ratio
interacts with valid selection techniques. The lowest discharge rate was found
when Wrms use valid selection techniques and have a low selection ratio, an eVect
that was stronger than the individual main eVects. When the selection ratio was
high, however, valid selection techniques were associated with high discharge rates.
Also, the eVect of the selection ratio (low or high) on quit rates was relatively stable
when the use of selection procedures was low. These Wndings clearly show that
there are ‘powerful connections’ and ‘deadly combinations’ within the selection
activity area.
More Wt-supporting Wndings on intra-HRM activity area Wt come from compensation research. Studies at the individual level of analysis by PfeVer and
colleagues (e.g. PfeVer and Davis-Blake 1992; PfeVer and Langton 1993) found
that certain combinations of speciWc compensation activities (e.g. pay dispersion
and pay level, pay dispersion and pay structure knowledge) interact with each other
and inXuence satisfaction as well as individual and collective performance. Certain
combinations yield ‘powerful connections’ while others are ‘deadly combinations’
and result in less satisWed and productive employees.
At the organizational level, Shaw and Gupta (2001) found that pay system
communication interacts with performance-based pay and seniority-based pay
in predicting quit rates. Pay system communication was critical when pay dispersion was high and signiWcantly reduced turnover. A combination of low pay
system communication, however, showed diVerent eVects. More recently, Brown
et al. (2003) investigated the interaction between pay level and pay dispersion. As
predicted, the interaction of both sets of compensation practices predicted workforce productivity and organizational performance. SpeciWcally, the authors
observed an inverted U-shaped relationship between pay level and Wnancial performance that varied with the degree of pay dispersion. For example, low degrees
of pay dispersion and low pay levels as well as high pay levels and high degrees of
pay dispersion were ‘powerful connections’ and resulted in equally high levels
of organizational performance. The opposite arrangements were ‘deadly combinations.’ It should be noted, however, that Brown and colleagues treated pay dispersion as a ‘within-job category’ variable (horizontal pay dispersion) but
operationalized it across the organizational hierarchy (vertical pay dispersion).
This may have led to spurious outcomes and misleading conclusions (see PfeVer
and Langton 1993).
As with inter-HRM activity area Wt, a serious shortcoming in the research on
intra-HRM activity area Wt is that nearly all studies have focused on only two levels
of abstraction (e.g. policy and practice levels). Research at the process level is
desirable since it is at this level where employees interact with HRM activities
and experience their direct impact. It seems thus likely that the synergistic eVects
found at higher levels of abstraction are even more dramatic.
400
sven kepes and john e. delery
19.5 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The basic idea behind internal Wt is that coherent systems of HRM activities create
positive synergistic eVects that enhance organizational eVectiveness, while conXicting sets of HRM activities create negative synergistic eVects and harm organizational eVectiveness. The concept of internal Wt is important to SHRM research
because it is at the heart of the arguments linking HRM activities and sustained
competitive advantage. It is very diYcult for poorly performing organizations to
imitate the HRM systems of more successful ones. In resource-based terminology,
these systems are relatively inimitable in part because of the causal ambiguity
surrounding the interaction of the individual HRM activities. Researchers and
practitioners have become more cognizant of the issue of internal Wt and work has
begun to enhance our understanding of this very complex issue. In this chapter, we
set out to provide an overview of the main theoretical issues involving the internal
Wt of HRM activities. In doing so, we also brieXy reviewed the recent academic
work.
There is now some agreement that there is a multilevel HRM architecture
within organizations. Drawing on this research, we identiWed and described four
diVerent types of internal Wt (within-HRM system vertical Wt, intra-HRM activity
area Wt, inter-HRM activity area Wt, and between-HRM system Wt). We did this
not simply to provide the Weld with yet another typology. It is truly our hope that
this explication of the types of Wt will have a beneWcial impact on research. It is
clear to us that researchers must be more explicit in specifying and explaining the
proposed relationships between HRM activities than they have to date. It must
be clearly speciWed which HRM activities Wt with each other and the particular
type of Wt since it seems unlikely that the theoretical arguments for all types
are identical. With more complete conceptual arguments, researchers should be
better able to choose appropriate measurement and statistical tools. It should
not be enough to justify the use of an index as a measure of the HRM system
simply because previous research has done so. More attention to these details
can only advance the state of SHRM and address previous calls for more theory
and rigorous empirical studies (e.g. Becker and Gerhart 1996; Delery and
Shaw 2001).
Based on our review of the empirical literature, we dispute claims that there is
a scarcity of empirical evidence that supports the notion of internal Wt. There is a
great deal of research that supports the general theoretical conception of internal Wt
and the diVerent types of Wt, including synergistic ‘powerful connections.’ However, virtually all of the research to date has focused on intra- and inter-HRM
activity area Wts. Research on within-HRM system vertical Wt and betweenHRM system Wt is clearly desirable and would advance our knowledge of the
alignment between diVerent levels of abstraction and between diVerent HRM systems
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
401
within the HRM architecture. Research will beneWt from more carefully structured
and systematic thinking about internal Wt within and across HRM systems.
References
Abell, D. F. (1993). Managing with Dual Strategies: Mastering the Present, Preempting the
Future. New York: Free Press.
Arthur, J. B. (1992). ‘The Link between Business Strategy and Industrial Relations Systems
in American Steel Minimills.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 45/3: 488 506.
Atkinson, J. (1984). ‘Manpower Strategies for Flexible Organizations.’ Personnel Manage
ment, 16/8: 28 31.
Barney, J. B. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17/1: 99 120.
and Wright, P. M. (1998). ‘On Becoming a Strategic Partner: The Role of Human
Resources in Gaining Competitive Advantage.’ Human Resource Management, 37/1: 31 46.
Baron, J. N., and Kreps, D. M. (1999). Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General
Managers. New York: John Wiley.
Becker, B. E., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.’ Academy of Management Journal,
39/4: 779 801.
and Huselid, M. A. (1998). ‘High Performance Work Systems and Firm Performance:
A Synthesis of Research and Managerial Implications.’ In G. R. Ferris (ed.), Research in
Personnel and Human Resources Management, vol. xvi. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Pickus, P. S., and Spratt, M. F. (1997). ‘HR as a Source of Shareholder Value:
Research and Recommendations.’ Human Resource Management, 36/1: 39 47.
Blasi, J. R., Kruse, D., and Bernstein, A. (2003). In the Company of Owners: The Truth
about Stock Options (and Why Every Employee Should Have Them). New York: Basic
Books.
Bowen, D. E., and Ostroff, C. (2004). ‘Understanding HRM Firm Performance Linkages:
The Role of the ‘‘Strength’’ of the HRM System.’ Academy of Management Review, 29/2:
203 21.
Boxall, P. F., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basing
stoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Brown, M. P., Sturman, M. C., and Simmering, M. J. (2003). ‘Compensation Policy and
Organizational Performance: The EYciency, Operational, and Financial Implications of
Pay Levels and Pay Structure.’ Academy of Management Journal, 46/6: 752 62.
Carpenter, M. A., and Sanders, W. G. (2004). ‘The EVects of Top Management Team Pay
and Firm Internationalization on Mnc Performance.’ Journal of Management, 30/4:
509 28.
Colbert, B. A. (2004). ‘The Complex Resource Based View: Implications for Theory and
Practice in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review,
29/3: 341 58.
Delery, J. E. (1998). ‘Issues of Fit in Strategic Human Resource Management: Implications
for Research.’ Human Resource Management Review, 8/3: 289 309.
402
sven kepes and john e. delery
Delery, J. E., and Doty, D. H. (1996). ‘Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and ConWgurational Performance
Predictions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4: 802 35.
and Shaw, J. D. (2001). ‘The Strategic Management of People in Work Organizations:
Review, Synthesis, and Extension.’ In G. R. Ferris (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human
Resource Management, vol. xx. New York: JAI Press.
Gupta, N., and Shaw, J. D. (1997). ‘Human Resource Management and Firm
Performance: A Systems Perspective.’ Paper presented at the Southern Management
Association Meeting; Atlanta, Ga.
De SaÆ PØrez, P., and García Falcón, J. M. (2002). ‘A Resource Based View of Human
Resource Management and Organizational Capabilities Development.’ International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 13/1: 123 40.
Dyer, L., and Shafer, R. A. (1999). ‘From Human Resource Strategy to Organizational
EVectiveness: Lessons from Research on Organizational Agility.’ In P. M. Wright, L. Dyer,
J. W. Boudreau, and G. T. Milkovich (eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource
Management. Supplement 4: Strategic Human Resource Management in the 21st Century.
Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.
Gerhart, B. (2000). ‘Compensation Strategy and Organizational Performance.’ In S. L. Rynes
and B. Gerhart (eds.), Compensation in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
(in press). ‘Human Resource Systems.’ In C. OstroV and T. Judge (eds.), Perspectives
on Organizational Fit. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Wright, P. M., McMahan, G. C., and Snell, S. A. (2000). ‘Measurement Error in
Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: How Much Error is There and
How Does it InXuence EVect Size Estimates?’ Personnel Psychology, 53/4: 803 34.
Hakim, C. (1990). ‘Core and Periphery in Employers’ Workforce Strategies: Evidence from
the 1987 E.L.U.S. Survey.’ Work, Employment and Society, 4/2: 157 88.
Heneman, R. L. (1990). ‘Merit Pay Research.’ In K. M. Rowland and G. R. Ferris (eds.),
Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management. vol. viii. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI
Press.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turn
over, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38/3: 635 72.
Ichniowski, C., Shaw, K., and Prennushi, G. (1997). ‘The EVects of Human Resource
Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines.’ American
Economic Review, 87/3: 291 313.
Kepes, S., and Delery, J. E. (in press). ‘Designing EVective HRM Systems: The Issue of
HRM Strategy.’ In C. Cooper and R. Burke (eds.), The Human Resources Revolution:
Research and Practice. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Kozlowski, S. W. J., and Klein, K. J. (2000). ‘A Multilevel Approach to Theory and Research
in Organizations: Contextual, Temporal, and Emergent Processes.’ In K. J. Klein and
S. W. J. Kozlowski (eds.), Multilevel Theory, Research, and Methods in Organizations:
Foundations, Extensions, and New Directions. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Kruse, D., Freeman, R. B., Blasi, J. R., Buchele, R., Scharf, A., Rodgers, L., and
Macklin, C. (2004). ‘Motivating Employee Owners in ESOP Firms: Human Resource
Policies and Company Performance.’ Centre of Economic Performance, London School
of Economics and Political Science, CEP Discussion Paper No. 658, November.
Lawler, E. E. (1986). High Involvement Management. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
hrm systems and the problem of internal fit
403
Lepak, D. P., and Snell, S. A. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory
of Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Management Review, 24/1:
31 48.
MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48/2: 197 221.
Meyer, J. P., and Smith, C. A. (2000). ‘HRM Practices and Organizational Commitment:
Test of a Mediation Model.’ Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 17/4: 319 31.
Ordiz Fuertes, M., and FernÆndez SÆnchez, E. (2003). ‘High Involvement Practices in
Human Resource Management: Concept and Factors that Motivate their Adoption.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14/4: 511 29.
Ostroff, C. (2000). ‘Human Resource Management and Firm Performance: Practices,
Systems, and Contingencies.’ Working paper, Arizona State University.
and Bowen, D. E. (2000). ‘Moving HR to a Higher Level: HR Practices and Organ
izational EVectiveness.’ In K. J. Klein and S. W. J. Kozlowski (eds.), Multilevel Theory,
Research, and Methods in Organizations: Foundations, Extensions, and New Directions. San
Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive Advantage through People: Unleashing the Power of the Work
Force. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
and Baron, J. N. (1988). ‘Taking the Workers Back out: Recent Trends in the
Structuring of Employment.’ In B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (eds.), Research in
Organizational Behavior, vol. x. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
and Davis Blake, A. (1992). ‘Salary Dispersion, Location in the Salary Distribution,
and Turnover among College Administrators.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review,
45/4: 753 63.
and Langton, N. (1993). ‘The EVect of Wage Dispersion on Satisfaction, Productiv
ity, and Working Collaboratively: Evidence from College and University Faculty.’
Administrative Science Quarterly, 38/3: 382 407.
Ployhart, R. E. (2004). ‘Organizational StaYng: A Multilevel Review, Synthesis, and
Model.’ In J. J. Martocchio (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Manage
ment, vol. xxiii. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Reichers, A. E., and Schneider, B. (1990). ‘Climate and Culture: An Evolution of
Constructs.’ In B. Schneider (ed.), Organizational Climate and Culture. San Francisco:
Jossey Bass.
Schneider, B., and Brief, A. P. (1996). ‘Creating a Climate and Culture for Sustainable
Organizational Change.’ Organizational Dynamics, 24/4: 6 19.
Schuler, R. S. (1992). ‘Strategic Human Resources Management: Linking the People with
the Strategic Needs of the Business.’ Organizational Dynamics, 21/1: 18 32.
Shaw, J. D., and Gupta, N. (2001). ‘Does Money Make Good Employees Leave? Organ
izational Pay Decisions, Performance, and Employee Quit Patterns.’ Paper presented at
the Southern Management Association Meeting, New Orleans. (Best Paper, Human
Resources, Careers, and ConXict Management Track).
Delery, J. E., Jenkins, G. D., and Gupta, N. (1998). ‘An Organization Level Analysis
of Voluntary and Involuntary Turnover.’ Academy of Management Journal, 41/5: 511 25.
Gupta, N., and Delery, J. E. (2002). ‘Pay Dispersion and Workforce Performance:
Moderating EVects of Incentives and Interdependence.’ Strategic Management Journal,
23/6: 491 512.
404
sven kepes and john e. delery
Simons, T., and Roberson, Q. (2003). ‘Why Managers Should Care about Fairness: The
EVects of Aggregate Justice Perceptions on Organizational Outcomes.’ Journal of Applied
Psychology, 88/3: 432 43.
Vandenberg, R. J., Richardson, H. A., and Eastman, L. J. (1999). ‘The Impact of High
Involvement Work Processes on Organizational EVectiveness: A Second Order Latent
Variable Approach.’ Group & Organization Management, 24/3: 300 39.
Verburg, R. M., Den Hartog, D. N., and Koopman, P. L. (2004). ‘ConWgurations of
Human Resource Management Practices: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Test.’ Paper
presented at the Academy of Management Meeting, New Orleans.
Wright, P. M. (1998). ‘Strategy HR Fit: Does It Really Matter?’ Human Resource Planning,
21/4: 56 7.
and McMahan, G. C. (1992). ‘Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human Resource
Management.’ Journal of Management, 18/2: 295 320.
and Sherman, W. S. (1999). ‘Failing to Find Fit in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Theoretical and Empirical Problems.’ In G. R. Ferris (ed.), Research in
Personnel and Human Resource Management. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
and Snell, S. A. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and
Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review,
23/4: 756 72.
McMahan, G. C., and McWilliams, A. (1994). ‘Human Resources and Sustained
Competitive Advantage: A Resource Based Perspective.’ International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 5/2: 301 26.
Zacharatos, A., Barling, J., and Iverson, R. D. (2005). ‘High Performance Work
Systems and Occupational Safety.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 90/1: 77 93.
chapter 20
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM AND
C O N T E M P O R A RY
M A N U FAC T U R I N G
....................................................................................................................................
rick delbridge
20.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The relative importance of manufacturing to advanced mature economies has
become one of intense debate. There are those of the view that the very marked
decline in employment numbers in manufacturing in countries such as France,
Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA is an appropriate and eYcient response to
the increasing globalization of the supply of manufactured products.1 Nevertheless, it
remains the case that the world’s leading economies retain strengths in key industrial
sectors and are actively seeking to further develop their presence in emergent markets
such as, for example, biotechnology and communications technologies.
The world’s major industrial companies are increasingly hybrid enterprises,
providing a range of services but retaining control over the manufacture of
goods. Multinational corporations have sought out cheaper locations for their
Thanks to the editors and colleagues, in particular Paul Edwards and Jon Morris, for comments and
advice. The support of the ESRC/EPSRC Advanced Institute of Management Research is also
gratefully acknowledged.
1
Figures for OECD countries show that two thirds of employees work in the service sector (OECD
2000). Fewer than one in seven UK workers is employed in manufacturing.
406
rick delbridge
manufacturing operations, looking in particular to beneWt from lower labor costs.
These MNCs have also had to contend with the emergence of manufacturing
companies from newly industrializing economies in South America, Eastern Europe, and South-East Asia. This has resulted in intense cost-based competition in
mature industrial and consumer product markets. The challenge of meeting lowcost competition has contributed to an increasing emphasis on labor productivity
in manufacturing. The management of manufacturing operations has been heavily
inXuenced over the last twenty years by the advent of the ‘lean manufacturing’
model of organization, operations, and management, initially associated with the
successful emergence of Japanese Wrms into mature high-volume markets. This
chapter concerns itself primarily with developments in advanced mature economies but there is evidence that the model is increasingly inXuential in manufacturing throughout the world.2 Thus, the model has been the ‘dominant system’
(Smith and Meiksins 1995) of manufacturing in recent times and is the start point
for this chapter.
Along with cost pressures, technological advances, an increasing sophistication
of consumer markets, product diVerentiation, and the proliferation of market
niches have placed an onus on innovation in terms of new product development
and ongoing product and process improvement. These have arisen as particularly
pressing concerns for the future of manufacturing organizations in advanced
economies which require greater levels of innovation and higher value added in
order to remain competitive against lower-cost rivals. These pressures have combined to question the extent to which the lean manufacturing model, with its focus
on volume, standardization, eYciency, and incremental continuous improvement,
can meet the challenges facing manufacturers operating in mature economies.
Recognition of these shifts has prompted an increasingly holistic view of strategy
and organization, with implications for corporate governance, corporate business
unit links, and the nature of work and employment relations. In combination,
these features of the context of contemporary manufacturing have resulted in
a number of key developments in organization that have important implications
for human resource management: an emphasis on skill and creativity throughout
the Wrm, the incorporation of learning and improvement into ongoing operational
activities, an emphasis on the creation and application of knowledge for product
and process improvement, and greater inter-organizational and network-level
participation in both operations and innovation.
2
See, for example, the overview of developments in the world auto industry in Kochan et al. 1997.
And evidence is not restricted to the motor industry; see the interesting case comparison of LG
Electronics and Samsung in South Korea provided by Kim and Bae 2005. There is also an increasing
body of research that documents the nature of ongoing reforms in HRM in China that is critical to
understanding the future in manufacturing but this lies outside the concerns of the current chapter
(for an overview see Warner 2004 and International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15/4 5
(2004)).
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
407
Such developments have led to recognition that employment systems are
increasingly centered on the organization rather than on an industry or occupational basis (Katz and Darbishire 2000). Blyton and Turnbull (2004: 81)
suggest that this represents an attempt by management to insulate the organization from the external labor market but not the product market; workers are
encouraged to identify with their employer and its struggle with competitor
Wrms. It has been further suggested that this indicates a move ‘from control to
commitment’ (Legge 1995) with managers seeking to establish mutual obligation
with their employees rather than authoritarian direct control. And the rise of
human resource management in manufacturing Wrms has been closely associated
with these attempts to engender greater employee commitment, particularly in
association with so-called ‘high-performance’ work systems, such as teamworking, and lean production practices (Appelbaum et al. 2000; MacDuYe 1995a).
However, the empirical evidence on the extent to which such practices have
been successfully adopted is mixed and their likely impact on workers has been
the subject of considerable debate. It is suggested here that the disconnections
between spheres of economic activity and business organization that increasingly
characterize contemporary capitalism (Thompson 2003) result in tensions at the
workplace which undermine the prospects for local managers and employees to
secure and maintain the eVort and job security bargains that are key. This
conWrms the signiWcance of local conditions, workplace–corporate organization,
institutional context, and political economy in understanding the challenges
confronting human resource management in contemporary manufacturing
(Godard 2004).
The Wrst sections of this chapter outline the key elements of organization and
HRM associated with contemporary high-volume production, in particular the
key arguments and characteristics of lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing and
the associated high-performance work system model has been inXuential in the
development of management practices throughout manufacturing sectors and
beyond. However, they are primarily premised on labor eYciencies and incremental improvement. The chapter reviews the evidence on the implementation and
outcomes of lean adoption. The second main section reviews alternatives to ‘lean.’
The requirement for innovation and higher value added noted above has meant
that a greater emphasis on creating and managing knowledge than that associated
with lean manufacturing has become central. One insightful, and increasingly
inXuential, way of conceiving of this challenge has been developed from the
concept of ‘communities of practice,’ i.e. groups of largely autonomous and selforganizing experts. The notion of communities of practice is introduced and
the implications for organization and management are considered. In the Wnal
sections we argue for the importance of situating the management of manufacturing workers in context.
408
rick delbridge
20.2 Workers in Contemporary
Manufacturing
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The nature of competition in mature product markets has prompted a revision to
traditional Taylorist views of job design and work organization in manufacturing
operations. While anticipation of ‘post-Taylorist’ and ‘post-Fordist’ new worlds has
run ahead of empirical evidence of radical shopXoor transformation, the dynamic
and unpredictable context of manufacturing has led to a reassessment of the extent
to which design and execution can be separated (Kenney and Florida 1993; Cooke
and Morgan 1998; Appelbaum et al. 2000). Drives to reduce cost and improve
eYciencies on the shop Xoor now rely heavily on the input of operator-level
employees responsible for the jobs; shopXoor employees are seen as sources of
ideas for improvement (Adler 1993; Fruin 1992). This has given rise to discussion
of plants as ‘learning factories’ (Leonard Barton 1992; Fruin 1997), sites of knowledge creation and application as well as the production of physical objects, where
workers think as well as do (Snell and Dean 1992). Delbridge et al. (1998) outline
the key attributes of such an approach. In particular, they emphasize continuous
improvement activities ‘that are driven by internal sources of information such as
the tacit knowledge of shopXoor workers, the ‘‘contextual’’ knowledge of technicians, and the ‘‘formal’’ knowledge of professionals and craft workers’ (Delbridge
et al. 1998: 227).
Such expectations require the organization and management of workers in order
that discretionary eVort and employees’ skills and knowledge be developed and
appropriated. Thus, the role of HRM has been a key feature in research and debates
regarding the ‘learning factory.’ In particular, it has been argued that the
eVective implementation of speciWc bundles of ‘progressive’ HR practices and
‘high-involvement’ work practices, known as High-Performance Work Systems
(HPWSs), positively aVect individual, team and organizational performance
(Arthur 1994; MacDuYe 1995a; MacDuYe and Pil 1999; Appelbaum et al. 2000).
These practices relate to the organization of work and the emergence of new
manufacturing and management practices such as teamworking, multi-skilling,
and the encouragement of employee involvement in which continuous improvement is seen as central in sustaining competitive advantage (Cappelli and Neumark
2001). A number of studies have reported positive associations between Wrm-level
measures of HRM and work systems and organizational performance (for example,
Arthur 1994; Becker and Gerhart 1996; Huselid 1995; MacDuYe 1995a).
The exact relationships between workers, management practices, and organizational performance have been conceptualized through a number of divergent
theoretical frameworks (Jackson and Schuler 1995). Numerous quantitative studies
have found evidence that employee involvement, complemented by appropriate
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
409
HR practices, increases organizational performance, but the exact nature of such
relationships remains unclear (for recent reviews see Appelbaum 2002; Benson and
Lawler 2003). There has been considerable variety in the detail of these studies,3
indicating the absence of a widely accepted set of measures of ‘progressive’ or ‘highperformance’ HRM (Barton and Delbridge 2004), and making comparisons problematic. In seeking to distill the essence of these studies, Cappelli and Neumark
(2001) conclude that the central feature of this literature is the link between
employee involvement and high performance. This is consistent with Florida
et al.’s (1998: 199) conclusion that the deWning characteristic of new work regimes
is the attempt to promote knowledge mobilization and organizational learning,
founded on the dimensions of teamwork, employee involvement, and training.
20.3 Lean Manufacturing
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
20.3.1 The Key Argument of the Lean Model
Rather as the Fordist production system presented a coherent and rounded model
of consumption, production, and organization, so the lean model provides an
integrated system linking markets, organization, production, and employment
relations. Early advocates of lean production (also called ‘just-in-time production’)
made direct and favorable comparisons with Fordism in advancing the superiority
of this alternative model (Ohno 1988; Womack et al. 1990). It is the systemic linking
of market demand, technical and operational features, and work organization with
the role of workers underpinned by appropriate HR practices which is fundamental. The empirical research of MacDuYe (1995a) provides the strongest example of
the key arguments regarding the integration of management practices.
MacDuYe’s work has been highly inXuential, especially in advocating the
‘bundling’ of mutually constitutive and supportive practices. His conclusions
stem from detailed analysis of quantitative data gathered from car assemblers
across the world and his central argument is that it is the combination of lean
production practices with high-involvement work systems and complementary HR
practices that creates the necessary organizational environment for high-performance manufacturing (see also MacDuYe and Pil 1997). He underscores the central
role of a participative workforce and argues that the potential technological
superiority of lean production is only realized through the active participation of
shopXoor workers. Management seeks to ensure workers contribute discretionary
3
Becker and Gerhart 1996 note twenty seven diVerent variables that have been used as proxies for
high performance work practices across just Wve independent studies.
410
rick delbridge
eVort through a variety of HR practices which are deemed to support the employment relationship and encourage worker participation. This is consistent with the
conclusion of Strauss (1998: 195) whose review of studies of organizational participation conWrms that such schemes are unlikely to prove successful without
‘appropriate human-resource policies.’ Thus, changes in the eVort bargain are to
be underpinned by commitments to just rewards (Lawler 1986), job security
(Kochan and Osterman 1994; Osterman 2000), and improved employment relationships through a combination of ‘high-commitment’ HR practices (Wood and
Albanese 1995).
In practice, lean production has polarized opinion. Proponents argue that new
arrangements of work and organization will lead to greater autonomy through an
‘empowered’, multi-skilled workforce (Wickens 1987). From this perspective, workers are the ‘heart’ of the lean production model (Womack et al. 1990) and will
become involved in all aspects of the decision-making process as part of a participative and high-trust relationship (Walton 1985). Some proponents of this
‘human-centered model’ argue that organizational adaptability and learning are
best served by greatly lengthened work cycles and a return to craftlike work forms
that give teams ‘responsible autonomy’ in how they perform their tasks and
authority over what have traditionally been higher-level management decisions
(Adler and Cole 1993). Womack et al. (1990) argue that the potential for organizational success will be maximized in a system based on specialized work tasks
supplemented by modest job rotation and greater discipline through detailed
work procedures. Adler and Borys (1996) suggest that the systematization of
processes can prove ‘enabling’ for shopXoor employees if the bureaucracy is geared
toward supporting this employee involvement and creative input. These interpretations of developments in manufacturing organization have generally positive
views of the implications for workers but the empirical evidence is mixed.
Critical assessments based on early examples of lean manufacturing ranged from
the sceptical to the openly disapproving (Parker and Slaughter 1988; Fucini and
Fucini 1990). Critiques have been founded upon both conceptual and empirical
grounds. For instance, labor process theory contends that new technologies and
management practices are introduced to enhance managerial control over the
workforce (Delbridge et al. 1992). This, it is argued, is particularly true in the
labor-intensive production of standardized products. In addition, case study
research has consistently failed to Wnd evidence that workers perceive new management practices to be beneWcial to their experience of work or oVer greater involvement in decision-making (Delbridge 1998; Graham 1995; Rinehart et al. 1997). Even
those researchers reporting the beneWcial impact of lean work for employees have
recognized that these ‘successes’ rely on the promotion of worker identiWcation
with the enterprise, often at times when that organization faces closure (Adler 1993;
Barker 1993; MacDuYe 1995b). The examples of NUMMI (Adler 1993) and ISE
(Barker 1993, 1999) appear to rely heavily on a threat to the very survival of the
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
411
respective plants in securing worker commitment and identiWcation with the Wrm
and thus run contrary to the generic argument of participation underpinned by
high commitment.4 Before considering the empirical evidence on these claims in
more detail, let us articulate more precisely the key features of the lean model.
20.3.2 The Key Characteristics of Lean Manufacturing
The genesis of lean manufacturing can be traced to the emergence of just-in-time
manufacturing at Toyota during the 1960s. One of the key architects of the Toyota
Production System, Taiichi Ohno, provides a detailed account of his ideas and their
implementation in his book Just-in-Time: For Today and Tomorrow (1988). At the
outset he articulates the integrative and holistic nature of lean manufacturing,
arguing that business must be seen as a ‘trinity’ of the market, the factory, and the
company as a whole. The Toyota approach is contrasted with that of Ford, in
particular in the way that production is determined by market needs and pulled
through the factory rather than by schedules that push products onto the market.
As the name suggests, products are manufactured ‘just-in-time’ to meet customer
demand. This cuts waste in terms of stocks, waiting time, and over-production and
places a considerable emphasis on reliable, high-quality processes and Xexible
workers able to work where they are required by market demands. This close
coordination, reliability, and Xexibility are also required of the supply chain,
since the just-in-time system runs with minimal buVers with regard to time or
inventory between plants as well as between work stations.
Along with internal process control and tightly integrated supply chains, the
third important aspect of the Toyota system is ‘innovation.’ Ohno (1988: 81) makes
it clear that he has higher-level innovation in mind, including the development of
new products and new manufacturing techniques, though under lean manufacturing this has become understood in rather more limited terms as continuous,
incremental, process improvement or kaizen.5 Still, this provides a further key
contrast with the Fordist production system, with workers expected to contribute
to how their jobs are designed and organized. Nevertheless, along with other early
assessments of the Toyota Production System (Schonberger 1982; Monden 1983;
Shingo 1988), Ohno emphasizes the operational and technical aspects of the
4
These examples question the signiWcance of worker commitment and the relevance of job security
within the employment relationship. In these cases, high insecurity appears to have contributed to
the successful (for management) adoption of HPWSs. This contrasts with expectations that the
implementation of HPWSs will be founded on reassurances over job security as a necessary element
of the mutual obligations of the ‘high commitment’ employment relationship.
5
Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning gradual and orderly, continuous improvement and has been
considered the most important concept within Japanese management (Imai 1986).
412
rick delbridge
system over detailed analysis of the nature of work organization and employment
relations.6
With the success of Japanese corporations in the 1980s and 1990s came greater
interest in how Western manufacturers might learn lessons from these companies
in order to improve eYciency and quality performance. There was a considerable
debate around the ‘transferability’ of ‘Japanese’ manufacturing techniques and
practices and an enormous interest in the so-called ‘Japanization’ of Western
manufacturing (for example, Oliver and Wilkinson 1992; Elger and Smith 1994;
Liker et al. 1999). These debates turned attention much more directly to the social
processes of lean manufacturing, especially the nature of HRM practices and the
employment relations required to operate a fragile and tightly integrated manufacturing system.
Early studies of Japanese factories by Abegglen (1958), Cole (1971), and Dore
(1973) had outlined important elements of the uniquely Japanese approach to
employment relations—the so-called ‘three pillars’ of lifetime employment,
a seniority wage system, and enterprise unions—which derived from the sociohistorical and institutional context of post-war Japan. The emphasis on transferability, however, placed the focus more squarely on work organization and
management practices more appropriate to the underpinning requirements for
workers to be motivated, Xexible, mobile, and appropriately skilled (Thurley
1982). Proponents (for example, Wickens 1987) argued that the secret of Japanese
Wrms’ success was the combination of teamwork, quality consciousness, and Xexibility which resulted in a harmonious and productive working environment.
Others have questioned the harmony of Japanese workplaces (for example, Delbridge and Turnbull 1992; Gordon 1985) and empirical evidence fails to support the
claims for greater worker satisfaction (see Dunphy 1986; Lincoln and Kalleberg
1990). Advocates and critics concur, though, that the systems’ characteristics of lean
manufacturing—minimal buVers, tight coupling of processes, the necessity of reliability and quality, and a drive for continuous improvement—place major demands
on workers and present a considerable challenge to managers, particularly with
regard to HR practices.
20.3.3 HRM and Lean Manufacturing
Recognition of the integrated nature of production, organization, and HRM has
contributed signiWcantly to advances in understanding. Previous research on new
forms of work organization had tended to focus on isolated practices such as the use
6
Authors such as Pascale and Athos (1982) emphasized the unique history and culture of Japan
when assessing its corporate success in the 1980s and the HR practices associated with large Japanese
Wrms at that time were inXuential in the emergence of Human Resource Management (see for
example, Ouchi 1981).
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
413
of teams, job rotation, job design, etc. More recently there have been attempts to
evaluate the combined eVect of such practices. As introduced above, recent work
suggests that such practices are most eVective when used together as interrelated
systems referred to variously as ‘Xexible,’ ‘high-commitment,’ and ‘high-performance’
work systems (Florida et al. 1998). MacDuYe (1995a) argues for the integrated
‘bundling’ of high-involvement work systems, high-commitment HR practices, and
lean operations. It is the mutually reinforcing nature of these bundles of practices
taken together which characterizes high-performance workplaces. An underlying
theme in this research is that Wrms should create a high degree of internal consistency,
or ‘Wt’, across their activities (Youndt et al. 1996).
MacDuYe (1995a) presents data from sixty-two car assembly plants7 in support
of two related arguments: (a) that ‘innovative’ HR practices aVect performance as
interrelated elements in an internally consistent HR bundle, and (b) that these
bundles contribute most to manufacturing quality and productivity when they are
integrated under the organizational logic of a Xexible production system (his term
for lean manufacturing). His Wndings indicate that lean production plants with
team-based work systems, high-commitment HR practices, and low inventory levels
consistently outperform ‘mass production’ plants. A key element of his argument is
that these systems support employee participation and training so as to contribute
to the expansion of workforce skill and the enhancement of conceptual knowledge
necessary for the problem-solving and continuous improvement of the lean model.
These Wndings appear therefore to be consistent with those who argue that
factories, speciWcally those located in advanced economies and seeking to compete
on innovation and value added, will be sites of learning and creativity underpinned
by the ongoing development of worker skills. Snell and Dean (1992) review the
Wndings from a number of research projects into such developments and conclude
that they represent ‘a trend toward ‘‘upskilling’’ employees into ‘‘knowledge workers,’’ whose responsibilities include not only physical work’ (Snell and Dean 1992:
472). This returns us to the emphasis on innovation in manufacturing which has
called into question the traditional division of labor under Taylorist approaches,
for example as outlined by Kenney and Florida’s (1993) ‘innovation-mediated
production.’ The central features here are the reintegration of production and
innovation and of intellectual and physical labor.
7
The measures of high involvement work systems which MacDuYe (1995a) researches are as
follows: the percentage of the workforce involved in formal work teams; the percentage of the
workforce involved in employee involvement groups; the number of production related suggestions
received per employee; the percentage of these suggestions implemented; the frequency of job rotation
within and across teams and departments; and whether production workers are responsible for quality
inspection and data gathering. He assesses the evidence for high commitment HR policies on the
basis of the following criteria: whether hiring emphasizes an openness to learning and interpersonal
skills; pay systems contingent upon performance; single status workplace (common uniform,
common parking, common cafeteria, no ties); levels of initial training for new recruits (including
workers, supervisors, and engineers); and levels of ongoing training for experienced employees.
414
rick delbridge
Arguments in favor of skill development and employee involvement can be linked
to a developing interest in the concept of ‘human capital’ (Lepak and Snell 1999). Put
simply, there has been burgeoning interest in the prospect for the development of
employees with a set of unique skills and experiences which are diYcult to replicate
and that may represent a source of sustainable competitive advantage for Wrms
(PfeVer 1994). It has been argued that the very nature of lean manufacturing and
HPWSs leads to enhanced social complexity, causal ambiguity, and the development
of tacit knowledge, and these combine to enhance a Wrm’s human capital (Lepak and
Snell 1999). Such arguments return us to the relationships among employee orientations and action, management practices, and organizational performance.
The overall argument at the heart of the lean model in conjunction with HPWS
reXects both the skill development of individuals and the nature of how these
skills are organized. It is posited that contemporary manufacturing requires both
a broadening of worker skills and the combination of these skills into crossfunctional, problem-solving groups. This can be seen in a number of studies that
have combined both an evaluation of direct production teams and oV-line problem-solving groups or ‘quality circles’ (Lowe et al. 1997; MacDuYe 1995a). Such
studies have revitalized managerial interest in employee participation (Strauss
1998). Schemes that encourage employee participation, internal labor markets
that provide opportunities for employee development and advancement, and
team-based production systems are all practices that have been argued to aVect
both employees’ experiences at work and Wrm performance positively (Delaney and
Huselid 1996). However, Fairris’s (1997) analysis of the changing nature of shopXoor
labor–management relations in large US manufacturing Wrms over the twentieth
century sounds a note of caution with regard to the extent to which such developments have altered decision-making on the shop Xoor. He argues that while
teamwork and quality circles represent a certain decentralization of shop Xoor
governance, they do not allow workers increased empowerment in shopXoor
decision-making such as to alter fundamentally the distribution of rewards or
contravene the authority of shopXoor management (Fairris 1997: 8). Indeed,
research using the WERS98 dataset found that employee involvement schemes
focused at the point of production, such as teams and quality circles, led to lower
levels of perceived employee job inXuence than broader-based participation
schemes such as representative participation or brieWng groups (Delbridge and
WhitWeld 2001). The empirical evidence on how lean manufacturing has been
implemented in practice carries a number of important lessons for management.
20.3.4 The Lean Model in Practice
A host of studies, predominantly quantitative and conducted in the USA, have
found empirical support for arguments linking HPWSs and stronger economic
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
415
performance of individual Wrms. Variations of such results have been found in
a number of diVerent manufacturing industry sectors including apparel (Appelbaum
et al. 2000), auto assembly (MacDuYe 1995a), semiconductors (Appleyard and
Brown 2001), and steel (Arthur 1994; Ichniowski et al 1997). As Batt and Doellgast
(2005: 146) observe, these studies may diVer on certain details but each Wnds support
for the systems’ approach of lean manufacturing with the performance eVects of
bundles of management practices measured through cluster analysis or additive
indices. The details of these studies, however, reveal important context-speciWc
elements within each sector that suggest that precisely what aVects performance
varies. Moreover, Appelbaum’s (2002: 148) recent review of the survey evidence on
the impact of HPWSs on workers ends with the conclusion that the ‘jury is still out.’
The evidence on the impact of lean manufacturing and HPWSs derived from
detailed case research has generally been more consistent, and negative, in its
conclusions on the impact for the shopXoor workforce.8 Batt and Doellgast
(2005) suggest that this is reXected in the divergent traditions of European and
US research but, while it is true that the European tradition is more consistently
critical in perspective, case researchers from North America have concluded similarly. A number of qualitative studies in the motor industry (Fucini and Fucini
1990; Graham 1995; Rinehart et al. 1997) found high degrees of worker dissatisfaction with new and more demanding and stressful working conditions that were
ascribed to moves toward the adoption of the lean manufacturing model. These
cases argued that the primary outcome for workers was a combination of a loss of
autonomy and inXuence with a concomitant increase in the demands placed upon
them both in terms of physical eVort and expectations of contributions to continuous improvement programs. More generally, the impact for employees of new
workplace practices continues to be open to debate with a mixed picture emerging
(Geary and Dobbins 2001; Godard 2001; Harley 2001; Anderson-Connolly et al.
2002). Understanding what lies behind this ‘mixed picture’ needs research that
accesses the ‘black box’ of employee perceptions and expectations while retaining
the prospect of workplace-level comparisons. While quantitative, sector-level
studies are helpful (Appelbaum et al. 2000), this suggests qualitative research will
continue to play a particularly important role. The impacts of lean manufacturing
on workers’ health (Landsbergis et al. 1999) and, in particular, stress levels (Conti
and Gill 1998) have also been the subject of recent studies but good-quality data
remains rare and this is another area for further research. The extent to which the
inherent demands of a tightly coupled and fragile production system may be
oVset by the support of teamworking and complementary HR practices remains
uncertain (Ramsay et al. 2000; Delbridge 2005).
A recurring problem faced in the implementation of the lean manufacturing
model is that the daily demands of the production process drive out the space and
8
For a fuller discussion of the evidence on the impact of lean manufacturing for workers, see
Delbridge 2005.
416
rick delbridge
opportunity for the innovative continuous improvement activities anticipated by
Kenney and Florida (1993) and others. This is compounded when workplace
relations are characterized by low trust as was found in Delbridge’s (1998) study
of a Japanese-owned consumer electronics plant operating in the UK. Here workers
found the high levels of direct surveillance and supervision stressful and intimidating. The demands for reliable quality had led to a ‘culture of blame,’ dividing the
workforce and exacerbating feelings of distrust. This had led to the widespread
withdrawal of discretionary eVort with workers failing to contribute suggestions
for improvement and not participating in problem-solving group activity. Similar
circumstances are reported by Rinehart et al. (1997) from their longitudinal study
of a car assembly plant in Canada. They conclude that the lean production system
there requires reliable and Xexible workers, rather than committed ones willing to
contribute discretionary eVort on continuous improvement. Overall, such studies
question the extent to which lean manufacturing is actually driven by an innovative
learning dynamic when put into practice.
From the wealth of qualitative research that has been conducted over the last
Wfteen years, two key conclusions can be made: (a) the demands of the lean
manufacturing model place a considerable strain on shopXoor workers which
undermines the prospects for the deployment of discretionary eVort on their
part and so circumscribes the likelihood of ongoing continuous improvement;
(b) in seeking to address the problems of (a), managers are confronted by important challenges over how to manage the employment relationship such that greater
levels of commitment and discretionary eVort may be secured. These challenges
have prompted critical reXection upon universalistic notions of best practice and
been framed in terms of a ‘contingency’ approach to strategic HRM which argues
for a link between an organization’s ‘idiosyncratic contingencies,’ business strategy,
and HR practices (Boxall 1996; for an overview of these debates and the related
problems of ‘Wt,’ see Boxall and Purcell 2002 and Legge 2005). These debates have
drawn greater attention to the organizational context of HR practices, work
systems, and operations. In particular, there has been a growing call for an
enhanced sensitivity to institutional and market context regarding the adoption
and implementation of HPWSs (see Murray et al. 2002). We will reXect upon this
further below, but Wrst let us brieXy consider the prospects for alternatives to the
HPWS/lean manufacturing model.
20.4 Alternatives to Lean
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
While one should remain cautious of overly stylized patterns of organization, it is
possible to recognize distinctive but relatively coherent alternatives to the lean
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
417
manufacturing model. A recent international empirical study of the auto and
telecommunications industries by Katz and Darbishire (2000) suggested there
were four common patterns of work practices that were found to be spreading
across the countries studied (Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the UK, and
USA). These were denoted by the authors as ‘low wage,’ ‘HRM’, ‘Japanese oriented,’
and ‘joint team based.’
Low-wage workplace practices, according to Katz and Darbishire (2000) aVord
management considerable discretion and are associated with relatively high degrees
of informality of process. Control is exercised through direct hierarchical relations,
wages tend to be low, and there is a strong anti-trade union orientation on the part
of management. Labor turnover tends to be high in such organizations but such
a pattern of employment relations may prove viable in industries where competition is based upon low cost rather than high levels of quality or innovation. The
position taken in this chapter is that such workplaces are likely to struggle to
survive in mature economies where labor and operating costs are relatively high
and susceptible to international competition. There is wider evidence, however,
that these practices may be characteristic of labor-intensive manufacturing
operations in low-wage economies such as China (Taylor 2001) and Malaysia
(Wilkinson et al. 2001) as part of the internal and international division of labor
in manufacturing multinationals.
The distinction drawn by Katz and Darbishire (2000) between HRM and
Japanese-oriented workplace practices can be interpreted as two variations on
lean manufacturing—the original or ideal-typical Japanese version and the version
implemented by many manufacturers in the USA—in a number of regards. Both
carry an emphasis on top-down corporate communication, have team-based work
organization which is managed rather than self-directed, generally comparatively
good levels of contingent pay, and expectations around employment stability and
career development. The key distinctions are between the individualized nature
of rewards and career development and management’s anti-union (or union
substitution) stance in the HRM pattern in contrast with the organizational career
path and enterprise unionism found in the Japanese-oriented pattern.
Given our interest in how manufacturers can meet the challenge of innovativeness,
creativity, and higher value added, and the evidence that lean manufacturing often
fails to deliver this in practice, the joint team-based pattern seems particularly relevant.
Under this approach, Katz and Darbishire (2000) Wnd joint decision-making, semiautonomous work groups taking a wider range of responsibilities than is typically
found under lean manufacturing (and thus fewer supervisors), high pay and contingent ‘pay-for-knowledge,’ and a management commitment to union and employee
involvement. This has considerable resonance with the ‘Scandinavian’ model of teambased production which has routinely been contrasted with lean manufacturing. This
distinction has been rehearsed at length elsewhere (for example, Sandberg 1995) and
returns us to the challenge of creating ‘learning factories.’
418
rick delbridge
20.4.1 Manufacturing Knowledge?
Our review of the evidence on contemporary manufacturing suggests expectations
of highly skilled and autonomous workers populating ‘learning factories’ has been
overly optimistic. It seems that the dynamic of continuous improvement and the
re-harnessing of job design and execution anticipated by advocates of post-Fordist
production systems have at best had partial eVects on the nature of shopXoor
decision-making and organizational control. Consequently, numerous studies have
concluded that contemporary manufacturing carries forward many of the characteristics associated with Fordist production (Delbridge 1998; Danford 1998). The
question of whether this is better understood as being through managerial design
or failure is one we will consider below. Nevertheless, the strategic desire (necessity)
for increasing levels of innovation maintains the pertinence of the challenge for
manufacturing organizations to be sites of knowledge creation and application.
BrieXy in this section, we consider the value of the concept of ‘communities
of practice’ and its implications in considering how HRM might address such
challenges.
Commentators are increasingly recognizing the hybrid nature of organization,
with stark contrasts between market and hierarchy (or mass and lean for that
matter) giving way to subtler distinctions and mixed patterns of management
organizational processes and control mechanisms. For instance, Adler (2001)
summarizes the modes of coordination and control associated with hierarchy
(authority), market (price), and community (trust) before arguing that the
pressures of competition, the need for innovation, and the drive to extract and
mobilize knowledge are resulting in managers adopting forms of ‘soft control’
with trust the key mechanism in eliciting the active consent of knowledgeable
workers. Such arguments have generally been seen as pertaining to ‘knowledge workers’ in information technology or creative industries, but the challenges
for higher creativity, innovativeness, and value added increasingly make these
relevant for Wrms operating in mature economies in at least some manufacturing
sectors.
The idea of ‘community’ has become a powerful one in characterizing the sense
of collective social endeavor, especially in reXecting upon the importance of the
hidden or tacit knowledge of workers even in highly routinized work settings
(Brown and Duguid 1991, 2001; Lave and Wenger 1991). The concept draws upon
anthropological concerns with the liminal spaces at the edges of formal procedures
and at the intersections of organizational structures (McKinlay 2005). Such
communities are only partially visible and knowable to those who are not actually
members and thus they remain at the edge of management. At the same time, they
are the settings for the creation and development of knowledge which lies outside
the formal systems and routines but upon which the formal systems rely in order to
operate eYciently.
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
419
The extent to which communities of practice can be created and managed has
recently become the focus of considerable attention and debate (Contu and
Willmott 2003; McKinlay 2005; Wenger et al. 2002). Wenger and colleagues
(2002: 6), proponents of the organizational value of communities of practice,
argue that ‘cultivating communities of practice in strategic areas is a practical
way to manage knowledge as an asset, just as systematically as companies manage
other critical assets.’ Their argument is open to criticism on a number of fronts. In
particular, the conception of knowledge as ‘thing’ has been widely critiqued
(Newell et al. 2002; Tsoukas and Vladimirou 2001) and their unitarist assumptions
regarding the prospects for successfully managing communities of practice are
reminiscent of the widely criticized way in which management texts have treated
another anthropological concept—culture (see Smircich 1983; Meek 1988). Nevertheless, it is worth brieXy reviewing the ways in which Wenger et al. (2002) suggest
that communities of practice may be developed.
The essence of the argument is that organizations should retain an openness to
participation and change that facilitates engagement within and across Wrm
boundaries, actively develop and protect ‘community spaces’ that encourage voluntary and organic creativity while also retaining a management-informed focus
on value and organizational design features which act as catalysts to the organic
evolution of communities. This emphasizes the role of management in setting the
context, tone, and focus for collective engagement which is recognized and supported as organic and self-developing:
Although communities of practice develop naturally, an appropriate amount of design can
be a powerful engine for their evolution, helping members identify the knowledge, events,
roles, and activities that will catalyse the community’s growth. The organic nature of
communities of practice challenges us to design these elements with a light hand, with an
appreciation that the idea is to create liveliness, not manufacture a predetermined outcome.
(Wenger et al. 2002: 64 5)
The further advantage foreseen with such organizations is that they will be
popular places to work: ‘one company found that employees belonging to worldclass communities of practice exploring cutting-edge issues were much more likely
to stick around’ (Wenger et al. 2002: 7). Cohen and Prusak (2001) have also argued
that the social capital and sense of belonging that employees can create at the
workplace contribute to their feelings of wider company commitment and loyalty.
There is little direct and robust empirical evidence on the success or otherwise of
organizational attempts at the systematic and proactive management—or ‘cultivation’—of communities of practice. Conceptually, it has appeared useful in
interpreting and analyzing the social interactions and knowledge-creating activities
of groups of skilled and knowledgeable practitioners but the prospects of putting
such ideas into practice for management seem questionable. Again, the debates
surrounding corporate culture (as metaphor or variable; managed or otherwise)
420
rick delbridge
seem pertinent (for a recent review see Martin 2003). Moreover, at a fundamental
level of analysis, there are developments and tensions at the heart of capitalist
economic organization that must be considered in reXecting upon the management of HR in contemporary manufacturing. In so doing, we suggest that the
possible reasons for the mixed evidence on the implementation and outcomes of
HPWSs may also undermine the possibilities of creating and managing the organizational context suggested by Wenger et al. It is to these that we now turn.
20.5 Situating the Management
of Manufacturing Workers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
According to Beamish and Biggart (2006), economic sociologists have identiWed
three major interrelated trends in market transformation that are signiWcant to the
study of work: (a) the overall changing shape of markets, i.e. the internationalization (spread) and globalization (integration) of economic activity (Castells 1996;
Dicken 2003; Evans 1995), (b) the changing nature and Xow of capital in markets,
i.e. the sources of capital, Wnancial expectations, and how corporations are organized (Perrow 2002; Fligstein 1990, 2001), and (c) the dynamic role of deregulation
and technological innovation in both fomenting and reXecting these two trends.
These shifts, they argue, are radically rearranging the relationships that characterize
markets, especially the relations between capital, management, and labor.
These changes have major implications for the management of human
resources, including assumptions regarding both the implementation and outcomes of ‘models’ such as HPWSs or communities of practice. At the heart of
such models lies an expectation that diVerent levels and spheres of corporate activity
can be aligned. The developments summarized by Beamish and Biggart (2006)
emphasize the diYculty of this, particularly in regard to the increasing (and
destabilizing) inXuence of Wnancial markets. Thompson (2003) has picked up on
the implications of the institutional and political economic changes and recently
oVered a persuasive argument suggesting that ‘disconnections’ across spheres of
business activity make it diYcult for local managers to keep their side of the HPWS
bargain and to implement the supportive HR practices expected by workers and
their representatives. Thompson provides a realist theoretical model, outlining
generative mechanisms that may explain the mixed empirical evidence that we
have reported above in regard to HPWSs. In particular, he questions the extent to
which there is suYcient cohesiveness across the realms of corporate activity to allow
local management to meet the workplace bargain ‘that in return for participation in
the micro-management of work and expanded responsibilities . . . employers will
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
421
undertake commitment and trust-building measures in the employment relationship’ (Thompson 2003: 363). UnfulWlled or exploitative ‘bargains’ are nothing new
in capitalist economic organization but Thompson suggests that the cause may be
shifting from the long-recognized contradictions of capitalist workplace relations to
broader system-wide disconnections between the realms of corporate governance,
work organization, and employment relations. SpeciWcally, he comments that ‘there
is a massive tension between the degree of stability necessary for HRM and HPWSs
to operate eVectively and the insecurity inherent in current forms of corporate
governance’ (Thompson 2003: 365).
Certainly recent research has shown the tensions and diYculties faced by
workplace-level HR managers in seeking to meet corporate requirements,
manage employee expectations, and support operational performance (Barton
and Delbridge 2004). These tensions can be interpreted through the language of
strategic human resource management as the challenge of matching business
strategy and HR policy while simultaneously integrating HRM at the workplace
level. The increasing contradictions of ‘external Wt’ between HR policy and business
strategy and ‘internal Wt’ of HRM and workplace measures are analogous to the
breakdowns in employment bargains outlined from a diVerent perspective by
Thompson (2003). Thus, Legge (2005: 328) has used these diVerent terms in capturing
similar tensions: ‘external Wt may undermine the possibility of achieving internal Wt.’
Such arguments emphasize that the management of human resources must be
situated in the wider organizational, institutional, political, and economic context
of manufacturing.
20.6 Concluding Comments
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The future prospects of manufacturing industries in mature economies rely heavily
on the ability of Wrms to meet challenging targets for higher creativity and value
added. Such innovation is generally understood to require skilled and knowledgeable employees who are willing and able to commit discretionary eVort to managerially deWned tasks while also working creatively and collectively in creation of
knowledge. The role of human resource management is seen as central in contributing to the organizational contexts and sustaining the employment relationships
through which this can happen. This chapter has reviewed the empirical evidence
on work organization and HR practices in contemporary manufacturing, focusing
on high-performance work systems and lean manufacturing as the dominant
system before considering the alternatives in moving towards manufacturing
organizations as sites of knowledge creation. Our review of the empirical evidence
422
rick delbridge
suggests at best a mixed picture in terms of both HPWS implementation and its
outcomes.
The fragmented, disconnected, and contradictory characteristics of contemporary capitalism raise major challenges. Critical scholars from both within (Boxall
and Purcell 2003; Legge 2005) and outside the Weld of human resource management (Thompson 2003) have identiWed the tensions inter alia between corporate
and workplace spheres of economic activity, between business strategy and HR
practices, and in matching the expectations of Wnancial markets with those of
employees. Such conclusions as can be drawn suggest the imperative of developing
local, contingent, and reXective HR practices in support of the speciWc and
negotiated organizational and employee goals that are germane. That these are
recognized to be outcomes of negotiation upward with corporate stakeholders as
well as with shopXoor employees and representatives appears crucial for any
prospect of sustainable positive eVects. Such conclusions should not be read as
suggesting that there are not generic practices or principles that are likely to have
beneWcial eVects, rather that the key remains the local adaptation and implementation of these.
References
Abegglen, J. (1958). The Japanese Factory: Aspects of its Social Organization. Glencoe, Ill.:
Free Press.
Adler, P. (1993). ‘The ‘‘Learning Bureaucracy’’: New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.’
Research in Organizational Behavior, 15: 111 94.
(2001). ‘Market, Hierarchy, and Trust: The Knowledge Economy and the Future of
Capitalism.’ Organization Science, 12/2: 215 34.
and Borys, B. (1996). ‘Two Types of Bureaucracy: Enabling and Coercive.’ Adminis
trative Science Quarterly, 41: 61 89.
and Cole, R. (1993). ‘Designed for Learning: A Tale of Two Plants.’ Sloan Management
Review, Spring: 85 94.
Anderson Connolly, R., Grunberg, L., Greenberg, E., and Moore, R. (2002). ‘Is Lean
Mean? Workplace Transformation and Employee Well Being.’ Work, Employment and
Society, 16/3: 389 413.
Appelbaum, E. (2002). ‘The Impact of New Forms of Work Organization on Workers.’ in
G. Murray, J. Belanger, A. Giles, and P. A. Lapointe (eds.), Work and Employment
Relations in the High Performance Workplace. London: Continuum.
Bailey, T., Berg, P., and Kalleberg, A. L. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage: Why
High Performance Work Systems Pay oV. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Appleyard, M., and Brown, C. (2001). ‘Employment Practices and Semiconductor
Manufacturing Performance.’ Industrial Relations, 40/3: 436 74.
Arthur, J. (1994). ‘EVects of Human Resource Systems on Manufacturing Performance
and Turnover.’ Academy of Management Journal, 37: 670 87.
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
423
Barker, J. (1993). ‘Tightening the Iron Cage: Concertive Control in Self Managing Teams.’
Administrative Science Quarterly, 38: 408 37.
(1999). The Discipline of Teamwork. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Barton, H., and Delbridge, R. (2004). ‘HRM in Support of the Learning Factory:
Evidence from the US and UK Automotive Components Industries.’ International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 15/2, 331 45.
Batt, R., and Doellgast, V. (2005). ‘Groups, Teams and the Division of Labor.’ In
S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson, and P. Tolbert (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Work
and Organization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Beamish, T., and Biggart, N. (2006). ‘Systems of Exchange and Worlds of Work: Uniting
Economic Sociology with the Sociology of Work.’ In M. Korczynski, R. Hodson, and
P. Edwards (eds.), Social Theories at Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Becker, B., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.’ Academy of Management Journal,
39: 779 801.
Benson, G., and Lawler, E. (2003). ‘Employee Involvement: Utilization, Impacts and
Future Prospects.’ In D. Holman, T. Wall, C. Clegg, P. Sparrow, and A. Howard (eds.),
The New Workplace. Chichester: Wiley.
Blyton, P., and Turnbull, P. (2004). The Dynamics of Employee Relations, 3rd edn.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Boxall, P. (1996). ‘The Strategic HRM Debate and the Resource Based View of the Firm.’
Human Resource Management Journal, 6/3: 59 75.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Brown, J., and Duguid, P. (1991). ‘Organizational Learning and Communities of Practice.’
Organization Science, 2/1: 40 57.
(2001). ‘Knowledge and Organization: A Social Practice Perspective.’ Organiza
tion Science, 12/2: 198 213.
Cappelli, P., and Neumark, D. (2001). ‘Do ‘‘High Performance’’ Work Practices
Improve Establishment Level Outcomes?’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 54:
737 75.
Castells, M. (1996). The Information Age: Economy, Society, Culture. Oxford: Blackwell.
Cohen, D., and Prusak, L. (2001). In Good Company: How Social Capital Makes
Organizations Work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Cole, R. (1971). Japanese Blue Collar: The Changing Tradition. Berkeley and Los Angeles:
University of California Press.
Conti, R., and Gill, C. (1998). ‘Hypothesis Creation and Modelling in Job Stress Studies:
The EVect of Just in Time and Lean Production.’ International Journal of Employment
Studies, 6/1: 149 73.
Contu, A., and Willmott, H. (2003). ‘Re embedding Situatedness: The Importance of
Power Relations in Learning Theory.’ Organization Science, 14/3: 283 96.
Cooke, P., and Morgan, K. (1998). The Associational Economy: Firms, Regions and
Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Danford, A. (1998). ‘Work Organisation inside Japanese Firms in South Wales: A Break
from Taylorism?’ In P. Thompson and C. Warhurst (eds.), Workplaces of the Future.
London: Macmillan.
424
rick delbridge
Delaney, J., and Huselid, M. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management
Practices on Perceptions of Organizational Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 39/4: 949 69.
Delbridge, R. (1998). Life on the Line in Contemporary Manufacturing. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
(2005). ‘Workers under Lean Manufacturing.’ In D. Holman, T. Wall, C. Clegg,
P. Sparrow, and A. Howard (eds.), Essentials of the New Workplace. Chichester: Wiley.
and Turnbull, P. (1992). ‘Human Resource Maximisation: The Management of
Labour under a JIT System.’ In P. Blyton and P. Turnbull (eds.), Reassessing Human
Resource Management. London: Sage.
and Whitfield, K. (2001). ‘Employee Perceptions of Job InXuence and Organiza
tional Participation.’ Industrial Relations, 40/3: 472 89.
Turnbull, P., and Wilkinson, B. (1992). ‘Pushing Back the Frontiers: Management
Control and Work IntensiWcation under JIT/TQM Factory Regimes.’ New Technology,
Work and Employment, 7/2: 97 106.
Kenney, M., and Lowe, J. (1998). ‘UK Manufacturing in the 21st Century.’ In R.
Delbridge and J. Lowe (eds.), Manufacturing in Transition. London: Routledge.
Dicken, P. (2003). Global Shift: Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st Century, 4th
edn. London: Sage.
Dore, R. (1973). British Factory Japanese Factory: The Origins of National Diversity in
Industrial Relations. London: Allen & Unwin.
Dunphy, D. (1986). ‘An Historical Review of the Literature on the Japanese Enterprise and
its Management.’ In S. Clegg, D. Dunphy, and G. Redding (eds.), The Enterprise and
Management in East Asia. Hong Kong: Centre for Asian Studies, University of Hong
Kong.
Elger, T., and Smith, C. (eds.) (1994). Global Japanization? The Transnational Transform
ation of the Labour Process. London: Routledge.
Evans, P. (1995). Embedded Autonomy: States and Industrial Transformation. Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
Fairris, D. (1997). ShopXoor Matters: Labor Management Relations in Twentieth Century
American Manufacturing. London: Routledge.
Fligstein, N. (1990). The Transformation of Corporate Control. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press.
(2001). The Architecture of Markets: An Economic Sociology of 21st Century Capitalist
Societies. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Florida, R., Jenkins, D., and Smith, D. (1998). ‘The Japanese Transplants in North
America: Production Organization, Location, and Research and Development.’ In
R. Boyer, J. J. Chanaron, U. Jurgens, and S. Tolliday (eds.), Between Imitation and
Innovation: The Transfer and Hybridization of Production Models in the International
Automotive Industry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fruin, M. (1992). The Japanese Enterprise System. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(1997). Knowledge Works: Managing Intellectual Capital at Toshiba. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Fucini, J., and Fucini, S. (1990). Working for the Japanese: Inside Mazda’s American Auto
Plant. New York: Free Press.
Geary, J., and Dobbins, A. (2001). ‘Teamworking: A New Dynamic in the Pursuit of
Management Control.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 11: 3 23.
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
425
Godard, J. (2001). ‘High Performance and the Transformation of Work? The Implications
of Alternative Work Practices for the Experience of Outcomes at Work.’ Industrial and
Labor Relations Review, 54: 776 805.
(2004). ‘A Critical Assessment of the High Performance Paradigm.’ British Journal of
Industrial Relations, 42: 349 78.
Gordon, A. (1985). The Evolution of Labor Relations in Japan: Heavy Industry, 1853 1945.
Boston: Harvard University Press.
Graham, L. (1995). On the Line at Subaru Isuzu: The Japanese Model and the American
Worker. Ithaca, NY: ILR and Cornell University Press.
Harley, B. (2001). ‘Team Membership and the Experience of Work in Britain: An Analysis
of the WERS98 Data.’ Work, Employment and Society, 15: 721 42.
Huselid, M. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover,
Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal,
38: 635 72.
Ichniowski, C., Shaw, K., and Prennushi, G. (1997). ‘The EVects of Human Resource
Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines.’ American
Economic Review, 87: 291 313.
Imai, M. (1986). Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success. New York: McGraw Hill.
Jackson, S., and Schuler, R. (1995). ‘Understanding Human Resource Management in the
Context of Organizations and their Environments.’ In M. Rosenweige and L. Porter
(eds.), Annual Review of Psychology, 46. Palo Alto, Calif.: Annual Reviews.
Katz, H., and Darbishire, O. (2000). Converging Divergences: Worldwide Changes in
Employment Systems. Ithaca, NY: ILR and Cornell University Press.
Kenney, M., and Florida, R. (1993). Beyond Mass Production: The Japanese System and its
Transfer to the United States. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kim, D. O., and Bae, J. (2005), ‘Workplace Innovation, Employment Relations and HRM:
Two Electronics Companies in South Korea.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 16/7: 1277 302.
Kochan, T., and Osterman, P. (1994). The Mutual Gains Enterprise. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press.
Lansbury, R., and MacDuffie J. (eds.) (1997). After Lean Production: Evolving
Employment Practice in the World Auto Industry. Ithaca, NY: ILR and Cornell University
Press.
Landsbergis, P., Cahill, J., and Schall, P. (1999). ‘The Impact of Lean Production and
Related New Systems of Work Organization on Worker Health.’ Journal of Occupational
Health Psychology, 4/2: 108 30.
Lave, J., and Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lawler, E. (1986). High Involvement Management: Participative Strategies for Improving
Organizational Performance. San Francisco: Jossey Boss.
Legge, K. (1995). Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities. Basingstoke:
Macmillan.
(2005). ‘Human Resource Management.’ In S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson, and
P. Tolbert (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Work and Organization. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Leonard Barton, D. (1992). ‘The Factory as a Learning Laboratory.’ Sloan Management
Review, Fall: 23 38.
426
rick delbridge
Lepak, D., and Snell, S. A. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory of
Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Management Review, 24/1: 31 48.
Liker, J., Fruin, M., and Adler, P. (eds.) (1999). Remade in America: Transplanting and
Transforming Japanese Management Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lincoln, J., and Kalleberg, A. (1990). Culture, Control and Commitment. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Lowe, J., Delbridge, R., and Oliver, N. (1997). ‘High Performance Manufacturing:
Evidence from the Automotive Components Industry.’ Organization Studies, 18/5: 783 98.
MacDuffie, J. (1995a). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48/2: 197 221.
(1995b). ‘Workers’ Roles in Lean Production: The Implications for Worker Represen
tation.’ In S. Babson (ed.), Lean Work: Empowerment and Exploitation in the Global Auto
Industry. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
and Pil, F. (1997). ‘Changes in Auto Industry Employment Practices: An International
Overview.’ In T. Kochan, R. Lansbury, and J. MacDuYe (eds.), After Lean Production:
Evolving Employment Practice in the World Auto Industry. Ithaca, NY: ILR and Cornell
University Press.
(1999). ‘What Makes Transplants Thrive: Managing the Transplant of ‘‘Best
Practice’’ at Japanese Auto Plants in North America.’ Journal of World Business, 4: 372 92.
McKinlay, A. (2005). ‘Knowledge Management.’ In S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson, and
P. Tolbert (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Work and Organization. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Martin, J. (2003). ‘Meta theoretical Controversies in Studying Organizational Culture.’ In
H. Tsoukas and C. Knudsen (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Meek, L. (1988). ‘Organizational Culture: Origins and Weaknesses.’ Organization Studies,
9/4: 453 73.
Monden, Y. (1983). Toyota Production System: Practical Approach to Production Manage
ment. Norcross, Ga.: Industrial Engineering and Management Press.
Murray, G., BØlanger, J., Giles, A., and Lapointe, P. A. (eds.) (2002). Work and
Employment Relations in the High Performance Workplace. London: Continuum.
Newell, S., Robertson, M., Scarbrough, H., and Swan, J. (2002). Managing Knowledge
Work. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
OECD (2000). OECD Employment Outlook 2000. Paris: OECD.
Ohno, T. (1988). Just in Time: For Today and Tomorrow. Cambridge, Mass.: Productivity
Press.
Oliver, N., and Wilkinson, B. (1992). The Japanization of British Industry: New Develop
ments in the 1990s. Oxford: Blackwell.
Osterman, P. (2000). ‘Work Restructuring in an Era of Restructuring: Trends in DiVusion
and EVect on Employee Welfare.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 53: 179 96.
Ouchi, W. (1981). Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge.
Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley.
Parker, M., and Slaughter, J. (1988). Choosing Sides: Unions and the Team Concept.
Boston: Labor Notes.
Pascale, R., and Athos, A. (1981). The Art of Japanese Management. New York: Simon and
Schuster.
hrm and contemporary manufacturing
427
Perrow, C. (2002). Organizing America: Wealth, Power, and the Origins of Corporate
Capitalism. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive Advantage through People. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press.
Ramsay, H., Scholarios, D., and Harley, B. (2000). ‘Employees and High Performance
Work Systems: Testing inside the Black Box.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38/4:
501 31.
Rinehart, J., Huxley, C., and Robertson, D. (1997). Just Another Car Factory? Lean
Production and its Discontents. Ithaca, NY: ILR and Cornell University Press.
Sandberg, A. (1995). Enriching Production. Aldershot: Avebury.
Schonberger, R. (1982). Japanese Manufacturing Techniques: Nine Hidden Lessons in
Simplicity. New York: Free Press.
Shingo, S. (1988). Non Stock Production: The Shingo System for Continuous Improvement.
Cambridge, Mass.: Productivity Press.
Smircich, L. (1983). ‘Concepts of Culture and Organizational Analysis.’ Administrative
Science Quarterly, 28: 339 58.
Smith, C., and Meiksins, P. (1995). ‘Society, System and Dominance EVects in Cross
national Organisational Analysis.’ Work, Employment and Society, 9/2: 241 67.
Snell, S., and Dean, J. (1992). ‘Integrated Manufacturing and Human Resource Manage
ment: A Human Capital Perspective.’ Academy of Management Journal, 35/3: 467 504.
Strauss, G. (1998). ‘Participation Works if Conditions are Appropriate.’ In F. Heller,
E. Pusic, G. Strauss, and B. Wilpert (eds.), Organizational Participation: Myth and Reality.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Taylor, B. (2001). ‘The Management of Labour in Japanese Manufacturing Plants in
China.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12/4: 601 20.
Thompson, P. (2003). ‘Disconnected Capitalism: Or Why Employers Can’t Keep their Side
of the Bargain.’ Work, Employment and Society, 17: 359 78.
Thurley, K. (1982). ‘The Japanese Model: Practical Reservations and Surprising Oppor
tunities.’ Personnel Management, February: 36 9.
Tsoukas, H., and Vladimirou, E. (2001). ‘What is Organizational Knowledge?’ Journal of
Management Studies, 38/7: 973 93.
Walton, R. (1985). ‘From Control to Commitment.’ Harvard Business Review, 64/3: 76 84.
Warner, M. (2004). ‘Human Resource Management in China Revisited: Introduction.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15: 617 34.
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., and Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice.
Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Wickens, P. (1987). The Road to Nissan. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Wilkinson, B., Gamble, J., Humphrey, J., Morris, J., and Anthony, D. (2001). ‘The New
International Division of Labour in Asian Electronics: Work Organization and Human
Resources in Japan and Malaysia.’ Journal of Management Studies, 38/5: 675 95.
Womack, J., Jones, D., and Roos, D. (1990). The Machine that Changed the World. New
York: Rawson Macmillan.
Wood, S., and Albanese, M. (1995). ‘Can You Speak of a High Commitment Management
on the ShopXoor?’ Journal of Management Studies, 32: 215 47.
Youndt, M., Snell, S., Dean, J., and Lepak, D. (1996). ‘Human Resource Management,
Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4:
836 66.
chapter 21
....................................................................................................................................................
S E RV I C E
S T R AT E G I E S
MARKETING,
O P E R AT I O N S , A N D
HUMAN RESOURCE
PRACTICES
....................................................................................................................................
rosemary batt
21.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Over the last three decades, the principles of service management have become
widely accepted. These call for an integrated approach to marketing, operations,
and human resource management (HRM). The scholarly and business press
routinely point to the importance of customer loyalty and customer relationship
management for corporate proWtability. Advances in marketing concepts and
information systems make it possible to capture more precisely the demand
characteristics of customers and to tailor solutions to meet their needs. Why is it,
then, that measures of customer satisfaction have declined steadily in the last
decade, websites for consumer complaints have proliferated, and media accounts
of bad service appear with regularity?
service strategies
429
In this chapter, I explore this paradox. I focus particularly on the private sector
and on interactive service activities, deWned as those that are produced through the
interaction of employees and customers (Leidner 1993). Service management is
important because the expansion of service activities and contraction of manufacturing in advanced economies means that management in services covers an ever
increasing number and range of operations and employment. In addition, competing on the basis of customer service has become central to competitiveness in
manufacturing as well as service industries. This is particularly true in supply chain
management, where quality and productivity depends importantly on how vendor
contracts with major customers are managed. However, it also applies to consumer
markets, where after-sales service and service warranties and agreements have
become a major source of revenues in goods production, particularly durable
goods. Finally, there is growing empirical evidence that companies that compete
on the basis of customer quality and customization do generate higher revenues
and proWts. Customer satisfaction does, in fact, matter; and the evidence is
consistent with the widespread rhetoric of the importance of long-term customer
relationships.
I organize this chapter into three parts. In section 21.2, I review the alternative
theoretical approaches to human resource management that have been developed
in the academic literature and discuss why these need to incorporate conceptual
advances from services’ marketing and operations management. Here, I also
discuss the evidence regarding what strategies lead to better service and sales,
under what conditions, and why. In section 21.3, I examine alternative organizational models that rely on outsourcing and supply chain management for customer
service and sales and the arguments for and against these approaches. In section
21.4, I review real world trends: what strategies are companies actually pursuing
and what are the results for consumers and employees? I close with conclusions
about the future direction of service management strategies and the role of HRM in
them.
21.2 Alternative Models of Human
Resource Management
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The central premiss of strategic human resource management theory is that
successful organizational performance depends on a close Wt or alignment between
business strategy and human resource strategy. The ‘Wt’ argument has two dimensions: a ‘vertical’ one (Wt between business and HR strategy) and a ‘horizontal’ one
(Wt among the components of the HR system). The logic of the vertical Wt
430
rosemary batt
argument is that eVective implementation of strategy depends on having human
resource policies to ensure that employees have the appropriate knowledge, skills,
and abilities to carry out the strategy. The ‘horizontal Wt’ argument assumes that
the ability and motivation of workers to carry out a strategy depends on having
a coherent set of policies in place—a system or bundle of complementary policies—
that provide incentives for speciWc actions. Coherence in human resource policies
includes classic functionalities: selection, training, job design, and rewards.
A number of scholars developed this line of reasoning in the 1980s (Dyer 1983),
later linking it to the resource-based view of the Wrm (Wright et al. 1994). This
approach to conceptualizing human resource management is best viewed as
a framework for corporate management, designed to emphasize the importance
of the human resource function and to make it an integral part of the top
management team. Much of the empirical research using this framework focused
on the corporate level of analysis (e.g. Delery and Doty 1996; Huselid 1995),
although it expanded to include establishment-level studies as well (Youndt et al.
1996). Recent work has developed more elaborate models linking strategy and
human resource management (Boxall and Purcell 2003). In general, this body of
scholarship was more persuasive in demonstrating the beneWts of horizontal Wt
(among the dimensions of human resource systems) than vertical Wt (between
business strategy and human resource strategy) (Wright and Sherman 1999),
although there are exceptions (Arthur 1992).
21.2.1 Industrial Relations Approaches
A complementary approach to strategic human resource management emerged in
the related Weld of industrial relations over a similar period of time. Compared to
the SHRM literature, this perspective focused more on the productivity of
whole industries and the role of institutions in shaping competitive advantage
(Appelbaum and Batt 1994). Drawing on internal labor market theory (Doeringer
and Piore 1971; Osterman 1984), this approach focused less on the corporate level or
on the ‘Wt’ between business and HR strategy and more on the idea of coherent
employment systems at the workplace, which included human resource and labor
relations practices (Kochan et al. 1986). It emphasized the need to understand the
context-speciWc nature of technology and production processes and the complementarities between operations management and human resource systems (e.g.
MacDuYe 1995).
This research incorporated insights from socio-technical systems (STS) (Trist
1981) and operations management research on quality (Deming 1984). STS theory
contributes the idea of jointly maximizing the social and technical system, with
employees playing a central role in work design and collaborative problem-solving.
The quality literature similarly measures outcomes at the level of the production
service strategies
431
process and emphasizes employee involvement in ongoing group problem-solving
to reduce variances in the production process, thereby improving Wrst-time quality
while reducing defects. Both of these approaches are in contrast to the principles of
scientiWc management as developed by Taylor, in which the individual task is the
unit of analysis and a heavy emphasis on cost reduction typically leads to a focus on
improving individual eYciency at the cost of Wrst-time quality.
The concept of high-performance work systems emerged in this line of work,
which married the insights on work organization found in STS and quality
management research, the insights on employee motivation from HRM and
organizational behavior, and industrial relations’ focus on coherent employment
systems. A general proposition emerged that in current markets which demand
quality and innovation, better organizational performance hinges on the adoption
of coherent human resource systems that provide employees with the skills,
opportunity structure, and incentives to use their discretionary eVort (Appelbaum
et al. 2000). Evidence to support this proposition came from a series of industryspeciWc studies, including automobile assembly (MacDuYe 1995), apparel and
medical electronics (Appelbaum et al. 2000), computers (Bresnahan et al. 2002),
semiconductors (Appleyard and Brown 2001), and steel (Appelbaum et al. 2000;
Arthur 1992; Ichniowski et al. 1997).
21.2.2 Services Management
However, the human resource and industrial relations frameworks discussed above
are insuYcient for conceptualizing the management of service activities because of
the important role that consumers play in the production process and, in turn, the
importance of marketing in shaping interactive services. While scholars in human
resource and industrial relations studies were developing a systems approach to HR
strategy and employment relations, their counterparts in marketing, operations
management, and organizational behavior were elaborating an integrated theory of
service management. The marketing literature demonstrated how and why service
marketing diVers substantially from product marketing (Gronroos 1990; Lovelock
2005; Zeithaml et al. 1990). Operations management examined solutions to the
problems of uncertainty and unpredictability introduced by customers in service
production (Chase 1978; Mills et al. 1983), and demonstrated the extent of managerial choice in the design of service operations (Chase and Tansik 1983). Research
in organizational behavior developed the implications for human resource
management (Bowen 1986; Bowen and Schneider 1988). At the same time, these
scholars noted the blurring of boundaries between goods and service production as
technological innovations have turned some services into commodities and as
competitive advantage in manufacturing has come to depend increasingly on
customization in product features and after-sales service. Thus, the service
432
rosemary batt
management model has evolved to cover interactive services across a wide
range of public and private sector settings with a mix of tangible and intangible
products.
The classic assumption in the service management literature is that goods and
services production diVer along several dimensions. A simple classiWcation distinguishes between the consumption of output versus the consumption of
a process (Gronroos 1990). While typologies vary in degree of complexity and
detail, most agree on four core diVerences: intangibility, heterogeneity (or variability), perishability of output (no inventory), and simultaneity of production
and consumption (Lovelock 2005). Because service activities are more intangible
than not, quality and productivity are diYcult to measure. Because they involve
co-production between a customer and provider, the heterogeneous preferences
of customers make it diYcult to standardize production without jeopardizing
quality and customer satisfaction. Perishability of output and simultaneity of
production and consumption make demand management through inventory
systems more diYcult and put a premium on Wrst-time quality. These dimensions
of customer contact work translate into relatively high levels of uncertainty and
unpredictability.
For human resource management, the intangibility of service activities and the
lack of clear measures of quality and productivity make it diYcult to set speciWc
goals for employees and evaluate and reward their performance based on those
goals. The simultaneity of production and consumption implies that demand
forecasting is unpredictable, and in turn, determining appropriate staYng levels
is a challenge. It also suggests that Wrst-time quality is particularly important—
poor health care cannot be returned for repair—thereby putting a premium on
investments in training, eVective work design, and rewards to motivate responsiveness on the part of employees (Bowen and Schneider 1988). The co-production
function means customers may be viewed and managed as ‘human resources’
(Bowen 1986). Thus, management needs to evaluate the eVect of HR policies on
customer behavior as well as on employee behavior and motivation. All of these
characteristics imply that human resource management is particularly important
in service activities and that simple command and control approaches are relatively
ineVective. For example, several studies of call center workers have found that high
levels of electronic monitoring and routinization are associated with anxiety, stress,
emotional exhaustion, and burn-out (Carayon 1993; Deery et al. 2002; Holman
et al. 2002; Singh 2000); and these, in turn, lead to absenteeism (Deery et al. 2002)
and lower self-reported quality (Singh 2000). Arguably more eVective are indirect
methods of control—strategies that create behavioral norms and inculcate cultural
values so that employees deliver the desired level of service to customers (see, for
example, Peccei and Rosenthal 2000).
The characteristics of interactive services also create particular challenges for
the marketing function and create incentives for it to be involved in setting
service strategies
433
human resource policies. The task of marketing is to manage customer behavior
by building an understanding of the customer’s characteristics and buying habits
and developing a relationship that yields repeated purchases and long-term
loyalty to the product or brand. The fact that customers are part of the production process opens up new avenues for marketing and decentralizes that function
so that each service interaction is an opportunity to sell. Thus, marketing is not
just interested in a narrowly deWned ‘sales force’ but in any employee who comes
into contact with customers. The concept of interactive marketing—the notion
that service interactions provide a ‘bridge to sales’—became widely accepted in
the 1980s; it is viewed as the mechanism through which perceived service quality,
customer satisfaction, and customer retention are achieved (Gronroos 1990). Said
diVerently, employees are ‘part of the product;’ they ‘enact the brand.’ Every
service encounter may be a ‘moment of truth’ that particularly satisWes or
dissatisWes customers, and, in turn, shapes their future buying behavior. The
fact that a negative interaction between a customer and employee has far more
impact on customer behavior than a positive interaction enhances the incentives
for marketing to expand its inXuence into human resource policies that ensure
a skilled workforce capable of providing Wrst-time quality and customizing
services to Wt consumer demand.
Increasingly, operations management also has inXuenced human resource
systems in services because of heightened competition and the need to reduce
costs and improve eYciencies. Historically, operations management played
a limited role because of the labor-intensive nature of service work, the lack of
technical solutions, and the role of the customer in the production process.
Because customers introduce variability and uncertainty into the process through
their heterogeneous preferences, the challenge of improving productivity is more
diYcult to accomplish in interactive services. This has led operations management to conceptualize customers as ‘partial employees’ (Mills et al. 1983), developing strategies to control customer as well as employee behavior. While many
service activities involve high levels of customer contact that are diYcult to
standardize (such as hotels or hospitals), for many others, employers can
choose a high- or low-contact approach to organizational design (Chase and
Tansik 1983).
Operations management has played a critical role in transforming high-contact
services into low-contact, technology-mediated ones—turning personalized interactions into impersonal ‘service encounters’ (Gutek 1995). While investments in
computer technology were slow to yield productivity gains in the 1980s (Roach
1991), subsequent applications have helped to automate processes and reduce the
labor content of transactions (Hammer and Champy 1992), improve labor productivity (Brynjolfsson and Yang 1996), and increase the speed and reliability of
transaction processing by eliminating human error (Stewart and Chase 1999).
Banks and insurance companies, for example, have been able to reduce the labor
434
rosemary batt
content of jobs by turning face-to-face interactions with bank tellers and agents
into technology-mediated transactions in remote call centers.
These changes have had important implications for human resource management. On the one hand, by automating routine tasks, the remaining jobs tend to be
more complex and require higher-order skills (Levy and Murnane 2002). The skill
requirements of interactive service work involve three dimensions: product or
substantive knowledge, knowledge of technical systems, and social interaction skills
(Batt 2002). Substantive knowledge tends to be more complex than in the past
because of the proliferation of product features, customization options, and
product innovation; and ongoing changes in information systems require regular
upgrades in computer information-processing skills and database management.
Social interaction skills include not only information-gathering and processing,
but negotiation skills and emotional dimensions that have been undervalued
(companies have yet to Wgure out how to compensate emotional labor) and
understudied in the research literature (see Korczynski 2005 for an excellent review
of this issue).
On the other hand, advances in information systems create opportunities for
increased standardization while cost pressures create incentives to compete on
labor eYciency. This sets up incentives to simplify jobs by fragmenting tasks,
thereby reducing the skill content of jobs and the need for training and investment in human resource systems. This standardization not only aVects employee
morale, absenteeism, and turnover, but irritates customers as well. For example,
the widespread dissatisfaction with call centers is due in part to customer frustration with voice recognition units, elaborate menus, punching in numbers, and
valuable time wasted until a service representative comes on-line. The customer’s
frustration spills over to the employee, whose job becomes even more diYcult.
Hence, operations strategies to improve eYciencies can backWre into lower service
quality, customer dissatisfaction, and built-in conXict between employees and
customers.
Other alternatives to improving eYciency include staV reductions, on the one
hand, or shifting labor costs to consumers through self-service options, on the
other. StaV reductions, however, are likely to result in poor service unless accompanied by major re-engineering of process Xows. Similarly, too much reliance on
self-service may create resentment among consumers or the risk of losing one’s
customer base. Research in marketing identiWes a number of hidden costs of
consumption, including not only the price in dollar terms, but in terms of search
time, physical eVort, psychological burdens, and follow-up or subsequent problem-solving (Lovelock 2005). In sum, while there are parallels in the eVectiveness
of engineering solutions in manufacturing and service activities, there are also
limits to these strategies in the service arena due to the role of the customer in the
process.
service strategies
435
Several studies have pointed to the tensions between quality and cost in interactive service settings (Frenkel et al. 1999; Korczynski 2002). In their boundaryspanning role, front-line employees are caught between the demands of customers
and the demands of management, leading to role ambiguity, conXict, and stress
(Bowen and Schneider 1985). Several recent empirical studies have demonstrated
this problem. For example, in a study of restaurant workers, Babin and Boles (1998)
found that role stress negatively aVected customer–server interactions and increased workers’ intentions to quit. Hartline and Ferrell (1996) surveyed several
hundred managers, workers, and customers at 279 hotels and found that role
conXict contributed signiWcantly to employees’ frustration in their attempt to
fulWll their jobs. And in a major meta-analysis of research on role ambiguity and
role conXict, Tubre and Collins (2000) found a signiWcant negative relationship
between role ambiguity and performance.
However, at a more fundamental level, the tension grows out of diVerent
deWnitions of quality, and human resource management is caught between the
competing claims of marketing (focused on customers) and operations management (focused on operations eYciency and reliability). Marketing deWnes quality
as meeting customer demands, whatever this takes (Zeithaml et al. 1990). Achieving service quality entails higher labor costs because it suggests that employees take
more time with customers to meet their heterogeneous needs. Operations management, by contrast, focuses more on a manufacturing deWnition of quality, as
conformance to speciWcations: reducing variances in transactions-processing is
central, which can be achieved through process automation (Garvin 1984). By
this deWnition, quality and eYciency can be achieved simultaneously—reminiscent
of the quality management arguments found in the manufacturing studies
discussed above.
Empirical research on quality in services shows that customers value several
dimensions of quality. The most widely used deWnition (SERVQUAL) lists Wve
dimensions: tangibles, reliability (consistency), assurance (how conWdent the customer is about the service being provided), responsiveness (to the customer’s
demands), and empathy (for the customer) (Zeithaml et al. 1990). While operations management solutions can improve the quality of tangibles and the reliability of products, the remaining dimensions of service quality depend primarily on
the capabilities of employees. The latter three dimensions, which account for
almost 60 percent of customer satisfaction scores, are related to the ability of
employees to respond eVectively to customers. Moreover, research in marketing
has also shown that customer experience of actual service quality (rather than
customer expectations) is the strongest predictor of customer satisfaction (AppiahAdu 1999; Cronin et al. 2000; Kane et al. 1997). Hence, strategies to improve service
quality and customer satisfaction depend importantly on investment in human
resource systems, including selection, training, work designed to allow discretion
for employees, and rewards to induce discretionary eVort.
436
rosemary batt
This line of argument is central to the service climate literature (Bowen and
Schneider 1988; Schneider and Bowen 1985) and the service-proWt-chain argument
(Heskett et al. 1997). The central insight here is that in customer contact settings,
customers experience what employees experience, and negative reactions on the
part of employees spill over to customers, undermining their conWdence in
the company and their willingness to purchase services in the future. Employee
motivation or attitudes are the underlying causal theory; and human resource
practices of training, discretionary work design, and appropriate rewards are
thought to induce employee satisfaction and loyalty, which in turn inspire customer
satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately resulting in higher proWts.
Most evidence for these arguments comes from individual case studies, but
some quantitative studies in the banking and retail sectors report a signiWcant
positive correlation between employee perceptions of service climate and employee commitment to service (Peccei and Rosenthal 2000), customer reports of
satisfaction (Borucki and Burke 1999; Johnson 1996; Schmit and Allscheid 1995;
Rogg et al. 2001), and Wnancial performance (Borucki and Burke 1999). Gittell
(2002) examined hospital management and found that stronger relationships
among providers and between providers and customers produced higher levels
of customer satisfaction. However, the causal story is probably more reciprocal
than linear, as in Schneider et al.’s (1998) study of the reciprocal relationship
between service climate and customer perceptions of quality. Moreover, to date
there is little evidence of employee attitudes or satisfaction as mediating the
relationship between human resource practices and customer satisfaction (see
Korczynski 2002: 29–34).
Another line of argument links human resource investments to better performance, not via employee attitudes but via their eVects on worker skills, knowledge,
and problem-solving capabilities. For example, Batt (1999) found that sales representatives in self-directed work groups generated signiWcantly higher sales revenues
(net of labor costs), than did traditionally supervised groups, and accomplished
this in part through better use of technology.
In sum, there is some growing evidence that human resource management plays
an important role in the performance of service organizations, although it is less
clear whether or under what conditions employee attitudes or capabilities are
important as causal mechanisms. More research in this area is needed, particularly
with respect to organizational and institutional contingencies. In addition,
research has shown that there are unique challenges to managing service activities
and that eVective performance depends importantly on the coordination of
marketing, operations, and human resource management in order to create a
coherent approach to customers. In particular, human resource management is
often caught between the marketing goal of developing customer relationships
through high-contact organizational design and the operations management goal
of improving reliability and eYciency through lower-contact approaches. As a
service strategies
437
result, leading experts in all three Welds have called for a functionally integrated
approach to service management that focuses on customer satisfaction and loyalty
(Bowen et al. 1990; Lovelock 2005).
21.3 When is Service Management
a Core Competency?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This brief overview of alternative human resource models developed in diVerent
disciplines in the 1980s and early 1990s shows that there were parallel arguments
for a coherent systems approach to management in each case. The terminology
was diVerent, but the thrust of the arguments was similar: ‘strategic Wt’ in human
resource studies, employment systems in industrial relations, and functional integration in service management. There was also a heavy emphasis on quality and
building long-term customer relations, as scholars incorporated the insights of
quality management into their theories of organizational performance.
Over the last decade, however, the strategy literature has paid particular attention to the argument that Wrms should focus on their ‘core competencies,’ as
articulated by Prahalad and Hamel (1990), Quinn (1992), and others. That argument posits that Wrms should retain functions that they consider to be their core
competency while outsourcing those that are non-core. Core capabilities are
deWned as those that contribute value to customer beneWts and end products,
that provide access to a wide variety of markets, and that are diYcult for competitors to imitate (Prahalad and Hamel 1990). When applied to human resource
management, the theory suggests that Wrms should retain human capital
that creates value for the Wrm and that is rare or unique and diYcult to imitate
(Barney 1991). For example, Wrms are likely to choose internal employment systems
for operations that involve Wrm-speciWc knowledge and skills, team-based
systems, or work processes that involve ‘social complexity,’ ‘causal ambiguity,’ or
‘idiosyncratic learning’ (Lepak and Snell 1999: 35). They are likely to externalize
or subcontract work that is more generic, involves lower-order skills, or is
transactional in nature.
This line of argument challenges the integrated models of human resource
management discussed above and raises the question of whether, or under what
conditions, service management should be considered a core competency. In the
classic service management literature, the assumption was that Wrms should retain
this function in-house because front-line employees are the marketing face to the
customer and because there is need for close coordination between sales and
438
rosemary batt
marketing, operations, and human resource management. The argument implied
that customer management should be viewed as a core competency. In the meantime, however, modularization of production emerged as a viable alternative to
vertical integration across a wide range of what had been considered core activities
in major industries.
Modularization allows companies to separate more complex or knowledgeintensive functions from less-intensive ones, and subcontract the latter to lowercost producers. This process depends on the degree of separability of tasks, and it is
enabled by advanced information systems that allow the coordination and management of production Xows across organizational boundaries. If modular production chains can solve the problems of coordination across globally dispersed
suppliers in manufacturing, then arguably the model should apply equally well to
service activities. Much corporate thinking has moved in this direction in recent
years.
Many service interactions are, in fact, quite separable. While place-based, highcontact services are not (hotels and hospitals), many back-oYce operations and
low-contact services are—services that process information or goods as opposed to
people. They may be separated by level of complexity, using a number of categorization strategies: by function (sales versus service; type of service enquiry (billing,
repair, collections); by type of product (health insurance, home insurance, auto
insurance, credit cards); by type of customer (large business, small business, highend retail, low-end retail). Once service interactions are separated into distinct
categories—by level of complexity, tacit knowledge, or asset speciWcity—they may
be designated as core or non-core, retained in-house or outsourced to subcontractors. With the ongoing restructuring of service and sales channels into remote
call centers or web-based transactions, we might expect the majority of these
operations to be handled by subcontractors.
DeWning what level of complexity or asset speciWcity should be viewed as core
and ‘non-core,’ however, may be more problematic than it Wrst appears. Clearly,
at one extreme, customized services for corporate clients entail high levels of
tacit knowledge of products and processes and deep relationships of trust with
clients. At the other extreme, ad campaigns for credit card sales are generic in
nature and require no personal relationships to complete. Beyond these clear
dichotomies, however, decisions about what is core and non-core become more
problematic. Are service and sales channels for insurance, telecommunications,
and Wnancial services simple and codiWable? Are they core or non-core for these
businesses?
In addition, some competitive strategies argue against separation of tasks.
Strategies based on service diVerentiation or branding depend on customer contact
employees representing the marketing function and presenting a unique face to the
customer. If customer service and sales are outsourced to a vendor who also
service strategies
439
handles the client’s competitor, how will the vendor’s employees provide a unique
approach for one client’s customers but not the competitors?
Another strategy, customer relationship management, relies on the ability of
providers to create customer loyalty and long-term relations by satisfying a wide
and ever-changing range of customer demands. If companies pursue this strategy,
then how work is organized should revolve around the characteristics of the
customer or customer segment rather than by a particular task or function. In
the 1990s, many companies re-engineered service delivery channels so that business
units would be organized by customer segment, with sales and marketing and
customer service all reporting to one vice president. This provided a strategy of
integration, with sales and marketing and customer service providing a consistent
face to the customer. Once companies choose this route, their need for WrmspeciWc knowledge of the customer and investment in human resource systems
increases considerably. Employees need to manage a range of Wrm-speciWc information and knowledge in terms of substantive products, technical processes, and
relationships with customers.
Empirical research supports the idea that Wrm-speciWc human capital positively
aVects service performance. In a study of a department store chain, for example,
Sharma et al. (2000) found a signiWcant positive relationship between sales experience and performance, and they attributed this Wnding to the knowledge structures
of workers with greater expertise. In a meta-analysis of twenty-two studies of job
experience, Quinones et al. (1995) found a .27 correlation between experience
and performance. Long-term employees have the tacit Wrm-speciWc skills and
knowledge—and often personal relationships with customers—to be more eVective. Thus, if Wrms choose to compete on quality or customer service, an in-house,
professional approach to human resource management appears to be the most
eVective route.
‘Service bundling,’ another strategy that is customer centric, takes advantage of
economies of scope to package a number of standardized products or services. As
soon as employees are responsible for packaging a number of types of products or
services, the complexity of their jobs increases and the opportunities for modularization and outsourcing decline. Even separating sales and after-sales service may
be problematic. While from a human resource management perspective, it is well
established that sales and service activities require quite diVerent skills, separating
service and sales is often inconvenient from the customer’s perspective. Moreover,
this type of separation reduces opportunities for inbound service enquiries to
generate sales. Thus, separating service and sales interactions typically generates
trade-oVs. In sum, while at Wrst blush low-contact service interactions appear to
be easily separated and outsourced, strategic considerations suggest that many
companies would choose to treat service management as a core function and retain
it in-house.
440
rosemary batt
21.4 Real World Trends: Why
‘Service Stinks’
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
How have customers responded to corporate service management strategies in the
real world? Not very well, according to the popular media. In October 2000,
Business Week devoted a special issue of the magazine to ‘Why Service Stinks’
(Brady 2000). In it, the editors provided an overwhelming series of examples of
customer dissatisfaction with the process of service—not product quality or features
or price. Much of the issue was devoted to the negative eVects of customer
relationship management. While high-value-added customers beneWt from personalized attention, the Xip side of the relationship coin is the poor quality of
service delivered to consumers with a low proWtability proWle.
The importance of ‘service fairness’ is an idea that is catching on. Drawing on
the concept of organizational justice as applied to employees in organizations,
some management theorists (Seiders and Berry 1998) argue that customers expect
to be treated with fairness: distributive justice (equity in treatment and outcomes),
procedural justice (consistency, transparency, accuracy, freedom from bias), and
interactional justice (respect, honesty, and courtesy). Customers perceive these
principles to be violated in airline or hotel programs that allow frequent customers
to bump other customers or in practices such as ‘weblining’ (Stepanek 2000)—the
cyberspace equivalent of ‘redlining,’ in which consumers are proWled on the basis of
their personal characteristics. The ability to purchase a good or service on-line
depends increasingly on supplying a host of personal information that is not
relevant to the transaction at hand. Consumers feel that their privacy is violated
and that they are judged by their predicted, not actual behavior. Higher-valueadded customers often get better discounts or treatment, while the least proWtable
customers may be ignored at best.
In addition to media accounts, websites such as planetfeedback.com and complaints.com have emerged as popular vehicles for customers to vent frustration at
companies. Similar to the popular press articles cited above, a perusal of these sites
suggests that consumers are more irritated about the service process itself than
about the quality or price of goods or services. Typical complaints focus on
frustration with automated response units that don’t provide answers to questions,
the lack of human interaction, the inability to get access to companies to resolve
complaints, the failure of companies to follow through on promises, or the lack
of courtesy, training, and competency of front-line staV. In sum, the source of
complaints appears to reside in failures of coordination between functional
departments or major deWciencies in human resource systems.
Is there any evidence that these anecdotes constitute a more general phenomenon? One of the most reliable sources is a quarterly survey of American
service strategies
441
consumers conducted by the University of Michigan (the American Customer
Satisfaction Index, ASCI), which now has over ten years of trend data (Fornell
et al. 1996). That survey shows two consistent trends. First, customer satisfaction
with manufactured goods is consistently higher than satisfaction with service
industries—averaging 10 percentage points in many cases. Second, satisfaction
with manufactured goods has generally stayed the same or increased, while there
has been a consistent downward trend in satisfaction with service industries.
Satisfaction ratings for durable goods have hovered at 79 percent over the last ten
years: for electronics, between 79 and 83 percent; automobiles, 79–80 percent; and
appliances have fallen from 85 percent to 80 percent in the same period. Satisfaction with non-durable goods is also steady at about 79 to 81 percent; and personal
care and cleaning products 83 to 84 percent in the same period. However, satisfaction with utilities fell from 75 percent to 72 percent; airlines from 74 percent to 66
percent; hotels from 75 to 72 percent; hospitals from 74 to 71 percent; Wxed line
telephones, from 80 percent to 71 percent; and wireless telephone service and cable
TV hover at 65 percent and 61 percent approval, respectively. While the ASCI does
not include call centers in its ratings, other surveys put satisfaction with call centers
at 54 percent (Purdue University 1999).
Are these good scores or bad? Most marketing experts would argue that a 70
percent rating means that a company stands to lose 30 percent of its customer base,
which suggests that both manufacturing and service industries are in trouble, but
the latter more than the former. The potential loss of customers is viewed as
a major problem because it is far more expensive to win new customers than
maintain existing ones. Moreover, loyal customers are more proWtable because over
time, they buy more products and more value-added products (Reichheld 1996),
and they are ‘human resources’ for the marketing function, through word of
mouth advertising.
What accounts for these trends? Some argue that consumers’ expectations are
rising, and so they are demanding more. However, the ASCI data shows that
company ratings vary considerably within a given product market. For example,
between 2000 and 2005, satisfaction with BellSouth wireline services fell from
75 percent to 70 percent, while satisfaction with Qwest Communications rose
from 64 to 69 percent. In the same time period, Continental Airlines saw its
approval rating jump from 62 percent to 70 percent while that of US Airways
dropped from 62 percent to 57 percent.
An alternative explanation is that service providers have shifted strategies in
response to pressures associated with industry deregulation, and more recently,
globalization. This holds true in sectors such as transportation (airlines, trucking),
banking, utilities, telecommunications, health care, and insurance. Companies
have developed diVerentiated strategies for serving customers according to the
value of their accounts. More costly strategies based on customization, relationship
management, and a professional approach to human resource management are
442
rosemary batt
reserved for high-value-added customers, particularly business clients, who are
served through business-to-business channels. This approach is consistent with the
ideas of strategic human resource management and an integrated approach to
service management, and the service-proWt-chain model. For the majority of
customers in the mass market, however, companies have adopted more costdriven strategies that emphasize technology solutions, de-emphasize investment
in employees, outsource to low-cost providers, shift labor to consumers, and
often sacriWce quality. Some management theorists even advocate segmentation
strategies designed speciWcally to eliminate the least proWtable customers (Reinartz
and Kumar 2002), in essence ‘Wring partial employees’ who do not bring in enough
proWts.
21.4.1 Customer Segmentation and Human
Resource Management
Customer segmentation strategies have grown across many industries—from
hotels and Wnancial services to telecommunications and airlines. The strategies
are well developed in the USA, where the national market is large. They are growing
in other parts of the world as well (Boxall 2003). In the USA, a 2003 national
survey of call centers found that 80 percent said they competed on the basis
of service diVerentiation and used a targeted customer approach to organizing
service. Companies were much more likely to take a professional approach
to serving business customers, but a cost-driven approach to serving the mass
market. In the professional model, the typical service agent had a college degree,
substantial levels of discretion and involvement in problem-solving groups, and
annual pay equal to $45,075. By contrast, the typical service agent in a mass market
center had one year of college beyond high school, little discretion to serve
customers, and earned $28,068 annually. In mass markets, where the overwhelming
bulk of service transactions occur, the assumption is that competitiveness depends
more on price than on quality; and hence, companies are skeptical about investing
in the capabilities of front-line employees (Batt and Kwon 2005).
Customer segmentation produces diVerentiated outcomes for employees as well,
contributing to growing wage inequality. A study of service and sales channels in
telecommunications found that customer segmentation strategies coupled with
variation in human resource practices lead to greater wage inequality, with workers
serving large business customers enjoying a 17.5 percent wage premium over those
who provided ‘universal service’ to consumers in any market (mixed market
centers), even after controlling for human capital characteristics and human
resource practices (Batt 2001). These Wndings held true in a replication study of
a nationally random sample of call center workers across all industries in the USA
(Batt and Kwon 2005).
service strategies
443
Segmentation strategies also facilitate outsourcing and oVshoring of low-skilled
service work, undermining fragile job security in these settings. Once tasks are
separated into distinct categories by level of complexity or value added, then
simpler tasks or services for less valued customers may be outsourced at lower
cost. Subcontractors, competing on costs, devise strategies to simplify tasks and
further drive down skill requirements of jobs and wages, creating high turnover
models of employment for employees, which often translate into low service
quality as well. For example, in a comparative international study of call centers,
Batt et al. (2005) found substantial diVerences in management practices between
US in-house centers, US subcontractors, and Indian oVshore subcontractors.
While the in-house centers adopted a more professional approach to service,
with high relative levels of skills and training, discretion, and pay, US subcontractors oVered the opposite: low levels of skills, discretion, and pay. Indian subcontractors had particularly contradictory systems, hiring relatively highly educated
workers with high relative pay by Indian standards, but oVering the lowest levels of
opportunity for discretion and problem-solving for customer service. These diVerences translated into signiWcantly higher levels of turnover in the US and Indian
subcontractors, compared to the in-house operations.
Segmentation strategies make two important assumptions: that there are necessary trade-oVs between cost and quality and that demand in the mass market is
driven primarily by price, and hence, investing in human resource systems doesn’t
pay oV. But what evidence exists that quality strategies that invest in the workforce
don’t pay oV in price-conscious markets? Marketing experts argue that there are
ample opportunities to compete on quality and customization in mass markets—
that mass customization characterizes the majority of consumer markets in
advanced economies (Pine 1993). A series of case studies of low-wage service
work in hospitals, hotels, banking, and telecommunications showed that investing
in human resource practices could pay oV in these markets (Appelbaum et al.
2003). A national study of US call centers showed that quit rates were lower and
sales growth higher in centers that adopted a more professional approach to
service, and that these eVects were largest for centers serving the mass market
(Batt 2002). High quit rates not only increased the costs of recruitment and
selection, but negatively aVected performance because new employees face a
learning curve. A follow-up study of sixty-four call centers in one company, all of
which served the mass market, found that centers with higher rates of training,
discretion, and incentives for sales had signiWcantly higher customer satisfaction
ratings, which in turn translated into higher net revenues (net of all labor and other
operating costs) (Batt and Moynihan 2005).
In sum, there is evidence that competing on quality and investing in human
resource systems can pay oV in price-conscious markets, but in the absence of
countervailing institutional pressures such as unions or consumer organizations,
companies have little incentive to make the eVort.
444
rosemary batt
21.5 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In this chapter, I have argued that the unique nature of service activities poses
substantial challenges for human resource management. At the level of the corporation, eVective delivery of services requires a careful integration and coordination of strategies across marketing, operations, and human resource functions. At
the level of the workplace, the role of human resource management is particularly
important because of the powerful role that employees play in shaping consumer
buying patterns, but marketing and operations management often create conXicting strategies for human resource management, leading to workplace tensions and
contradictory incentives for employees.
Many companies have, indeed, created integrated systems of service delivery by
targeting distinct customer segments and organizing their marketing, operations,
and human resource systems around these targets. Strategies that compete on
quality, customization, and innovation target high-value-added segments, typically
in business-to-business channels. Strategies that compete primarily on cost are
targeted towards the mass market. Hence, the alternative service management
models discussed in the Wrst two sections of this chapter are in full play, but
utilized for very diVerent market segments in the economy.
In the drive for strategic Wt between business and human resource strategies in mass
markets, however, it appears that companies may have put too much emphasis on cost
reduction—despite the fact that there is growing evidence that strategies of mass
customization do, in fact, pay oV. There is also growing evidence of dissatisfaction
among consumers as they put up with standardized menus and poorly trained
employees or absorb the labor costs of service themselves. And managers, themselves,
admit that they are uncertain about how to strike a balance between cost and quality.
In sum, too much focus on cost may be the wrong business model for this market.
Consumer backlash appears to be on the rise. Consumers are not only concerned
about the quality of service, but also the privacy and security of their Wnancial
information. Their jitters are exacerbated by news accounts of security leaks. The
Internet has become a powerful tool for consumer voice—a major source of negative
word-of-mouth marketing—or ‘viral marketing,’ as consumers broadcast their
venom about particular experiences with companies to millions of people around
the globe. And in some cases, consumer and labor organizations are working
together, for example, in the recent backlash against oVshoring of white-collar
jobs in the USA. Legislative initiatives in over twenty states seek to limit oVshoring
or jobs, and most target consumers’ ‘right to know’ where a service is originating
and the right to have service provided onshore.
In sum, while there is much talk about building quality service and relationships
with customers, the reality is that the construction of bad jobs and bad service is
quite pervasive. The question for the future is how much consumers will complain
service strategies
445
or organize, whether consumer-labor coalitions develop around ‘good jobs-good
service strategies,’ and how companies will respond. On the one hand, there are
many opportunities to compete on quality in mass markets—through innovative
uses of information technology or more sophisticated marketing research to
identify opportunities for customization. Moreover, the availability of Internet
databases of company-speciWc complaints provides opportunities for companies
to identify areas that particularly need improvement. On the other hand, Wnancial
pressures push companies to continually take costs out of the business. Outsourcing, oVshoring, and shifting labor to consumers are attractive quick Wxes to
remedy short-term proWts.
In either case, it is clear that the dynamics between consumers, employees, and
Wrms in the service economy have changed in important ways over the past few
decades. Research in human resource management must be reconceptualized to
take into account the inXuence of consumers in this process.
References
Appelbaum, E., and Batt, R. (1994). The New American Workplace: Transforming Work
Systems in the United States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University/ILR Press.
Bailey, T., Berg, P., and Kalleberg, A. L. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage: Why
High Performance Work Systems Pay OV. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Bernhardt, A., and Murnane, R. J. (eds.) (2003). Low Wage America: How Employers
Are Reshaping Opportunity in the Workplace. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Appiah Adu, K. (1999). ‘Marketing EVectiveness and Customer Retention in the Service
Sector.’ Service Industries Journal, 19/3: 26 41.
Appleyard, M., and Brown, C. (2001). ‘Employment Practices and Semiconductor Manu
facturing Performance.’ Industrial Relations, 40/3: 436 71.
Arthur, J. B. (1992). ‘The Link between Business Strategy and Industrial Relations Systems
in American Steel Minimills.’ Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 45/3: 488 506.
Babin, B. J., and Boles, J. S. (1998). ‘Employee Behavior in a Service Environment: A Model
and Test of Potential DiVerences between Men and Women.’ Journal of Marketing, 62/2:
77 91.
Barney, J. B. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17/1: 99 120.
Batt, R. (1999). ‘Work Organization, Technology, and Performance in Customer Service
and Sales.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 52/4: 539 64.
(2001). ‘Explaining Wage Inequality in Telecommunications Services: Customer
Segmentation, Human Resource Practices, and Union Decline.’ Industrial and Labor
Relations Review, 54/2A: 425 49.
(2002). ‘Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and
Sales Growth.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45/3: 587 97.
and Kwon, H. (2005). ‘Management Strategies and Wage Structures among Call
Center Workers.’ MS.
446
rosemary batt
Batt, R., and Moynihan, L. M. (2005). ‘Human Resource Practices, Service Quality, and
Economic Performance in Call Centers.’ Cornell ILR School.
Doellgast, V., and Kwon, H. (2005). ‘Service Management and Employment
Systems in US and Indian Call Centers.’ In Outsourcing and OVshoring White Collar
Work. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
Borucki, C. C., and Burke, M. J. (1999). ‘An Examination of Service Related Antecedents
to Retail Store Performance.’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20/6: 943 62.
Bowen, D. E. (1986). ‘Managing Customers as Human Resources in Service Organizations.’
Human Resource Management, 25: 371 84.
and Schneider, B. (1985). ‘Boundary Spanning Role Employees and the Service
Encounter: Some Guidelines for Management and Research.’ In J. A. Czepiel,
M. R. Solomon, and C. Surprenant (eds.), The Service Encounter. Lexington, Mass.:
D. C. Heath.
(1988). ‘Services Marketing and Management: Implications for Organizational
Behavior.’ In B. M. Staw, and L. L. Cummings (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior,
vol. x. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Chase, R. B., and Cummings, T. (eds.) (1990). Service Management EVectiveness:
Balancing Strategy, Organization and Human Resources, Operations, and Marketing.
Oxford: Jossey Bass.
Boxall, P. (2003). ‘HR Strategy and Competitive Advantage in the Service Sector.’ Human
Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 1 16.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Brady, D. (2000). ‘Why Service Stinks.’ Business Week: 118.
Bresnahan, T. F., Brynjolfsson, E., and Hitt, L. M. (2002). ‘Information Technology,
Workplace Technology, and the Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm Level Evidence.’
Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117/1: 339 76.
Brynjolfsson, E., and Yang, S. (1996). ‘Information Technology and Productivity:
A Review of the Literature.’ Advances in Computers, 43: 179 214.
Carayon, P. (1993). ‘EVect of Electronic Performance Monitoring on Job Design and
Worker Stress: Review of the Literature and Conceptual Model.’ Human Factors, 35/3:
385 95.
Chase, R. B. (1978). ‘Where Does the Customer Fit in Service Operations?’ Harvard
Business Review, 56/6: 137 42.
and Tansik, D. A. (1983). ‘The Customer Contact Model for Organization Design.’
Management Science, 29/9: 1037 50.
Cronin, J. J. J., Brady, M. K., and Hult, G. T. (2000). ‘Assessing the EVects of Quality,
Value, and Customer Satisfaction on Consumer Behavioral Intentions in Service Envir
onments.’ Journal of Retailing, 76/2: 193 218.
Deery, S. J., Iverson, R. D., and Walsh, J. P. (2002). ‘Work Relationships in Telephone
Call Centers: Understanding Emotional Exhaustion and Employee Withdrawal.’ Journal
of Management Studies, 39/4: 471 97.
Delery, J. E., and Doty, D. H. (1996). ‘Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and ConWgurational Performance
Predictions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 39/4: 802 35.
Deming, W. E. (1984). Out of the Crisis. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
service strategies
447
Doeringer, P. B., and Piore, M. J. (1971). Internal Labor Markets and Manpower Analysis.
Lexington, Mass.: Heath Lexington.
Dyer, L. (1983). ‘Bringing Human Resources into the Strategy Formulation Process.’
Human Resource Management, 22/3: 257 71.
Fornell, C., Johnson, M., Anderson, E., Cha, J., and Bryant, B. (1996). ‘The American
Customer Satisfaction Index: Nature, Purpose, and Findings.’ Journal of Marketing, 60/4:
7 18.
Frenkel, S., Korczynski, M., Shire, K., and Tam, M. (eds.). (1999). On the Front Line:
Organization of Work in the Information Economy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Garvin, D. (1984). ‘What Does ‘‘Product Quality’’ Really Mean?’ Sloan Management
Review, 26/1: 25 43.
Gittell, J. H. (2002). ‘Coordinating Mechanisms in Care Provider Groups: Relational
Coordination as a Mediator and Input Uncertainty as a Moderator.’ Management Science,
48/11: 1408 26.
Gronroos, C. (1990). Service Management and Marketing. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington.
Gutek, B. (1995). The Dynamics of Service: ReXections on the Changing Nature of Customer/
Provider Interactions. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Hammer, M., and Champy, J. (1992). Reengineering Work: A Manifesto for Business
Revolution. New York: Warner Books.
Hartline, M. D., and Ferrell, O. C. (1996). ‘The Management of Customer Contact
Service Employees: An Empirical Investigation.’ Journal of Marketing, 60: 52 70.
Heskett, J. L., Sasser, E. W., and Schlesinger, L. A. (1997). The Service ProWt Chain. New
York: The Free Press.
Holman, D., Chissick, C., and Totterdell, P. (2002). ‘The EVects of Performance
Monitoring on Emotional Labour and Well Being in Call Centres.’ Motivation and
Emotion, 26/1: 57 81.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turn
over, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38/3: 635 72.
Ichniowski, C., Shaw, K., and Prennushi, G. (1997). ‘The EVects of Human Resource
Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines.’ American
Economic Revies, 87/3/June: 291 313.
Johnson, J. W. (1996). ‘Linking Employee Perceptions of Service Climate to Customer
Satisfaction.’ Personnel Psychology, 49/4: 831 51.
Kane, R. L., Maciejewski, M., and Finch, M. (1997). ‘The Relationship of Patient
Satisfaction with Care and Clinical Outcomes.’ Medical Care, 35/7: 714 30.
Kochan, T. A., Katz, H. C., and Mcersie, R. (1986). The Transformation of American
Industrial Relations. New York: Basic Books.
Korczynski, M. (2002). Human Resource Management in Service Work. London: Palgrave.
(2005). ‘Skills in Service Work: An Overview.’ Human Resource Management Journal,
15/2: 3 14.
Leidner, R. (1993). Fast Food, Fast Talk: Service Work and the Routinization of Everyday Life.
Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Lepak, D. P., and Snell, S. A. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory
of Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Management Review, 24/1:
31 48.
448
rosemary batt
Levy, F., and Murnane, R. J. (2002). The New Division of Labor: How Computers Are
Creating the Next Job Market. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Lovelock, C. (2005). Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy, 5th edn. Englewood
CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48/2: 197 221.
Mills, P., Chase, R. B., and Marguiles, N. (1983). ‘Motivating the Client/Employee
System as a Service Production Strategy.’ Academy of Management Review, 8: 301 10.
Osterman, P. (1984). Internal Labor Markets. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Peccei, R., and Rosenthal, P. (2000). ‘Front Line Responses to Customer Orientation
Programmes: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis.’ International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 11/3: 562 90.
Pine, B. J. (1993). Mass Customization: The New Frontier in Business Competition. Cam
bridge, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.
Prahalad, C. K., and Hamel, G. (1990). ‘The Core Competence of the Corporation.’
Harvard Business Review, 68/3: 79 91.
Purdue University (1999). Call Center Benchmarking Report.
Quinn, J. B. (1992). Intelligent Enterprise. New York: Free Press.
Quinones, M. A., Ford, J. K., and Teachout, M. S. (1995). ‘The Relationship between
Work Experience and Job Performance: A Conceptual and Meta analytic Review.’
Personnel Psychology, 48/4: 887 910.
Reichheld, F. F. (1996). The Loyalty EVect. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Reinartz, W., and Kumar, V. (2002). ‘The Mismanagement of Customer Loyalty.’ Harvard
Business Review: 5 13.
Roach, S. S. (1991). ‘Services under Siege: The Restructuring Imperative.’ Harvard Business
Review: 82 91.
Rogg, K. L., Schmidt, D. B., Shull, C., and Schmitt, N. (2001) ‘Human Resource
Practices, Organisational Climate, and Customer Satisfaction.’ Journal of Management,
27: 431 49.
Schmit, M. J., and Allscheid, S. P. (1995). ‘Employee Attitudes and Customer Satisfac
tion Making Theoretical and Empirical Connections.’ Personnel Psychology, 48/3:
521 36.
Schneider, B., and Bowen, D. E. (1985). ‘Employee and Customer Perceptions of Service in
Banks: Replication and Extension.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 70/3: 423 33.
White, S. S., and Paul, M. C. (1998). ‘Linking Service Climate and Customer
Perceptions of Service Quality: Test of a Causal Model.’ Journal of Applied Psychology,
83/2: 150 63.
Seiders, K., and Berry, L. (1998). ‘Service Fairness: What It Is and Why It Matters.’
Academy of Management Executive, 12/2: 8 20.
Sharma, A., Levy, M., and Kumar, A. (2000). ‘Knowledge Structures and Retail Sales
Performance: An Empirical Examination.’ Journal of Retailing, 76/1: 53 69.
Singh, J. (2000). ‘Performance Productivity and Quality of Frontline Employees in
Service Organizations.’ Journal of Marketing, 64/2: 15 34.
Stepanek, M. (2000). Weblining. Business Week: 14 20.
Stewart, D. M., and Chase, R. B. (1999). ‘The Impact of Human Error on Delivering
Service Quality.’ Production and Operations Management Journal, 8/3: 240 63.
service strategies
449
Trist, E. (1981). ‘A Sociotechnical Perspective: The Evolution of Sociotechnical Systems as
a Conceptual Framework and as an Action Research Program.’ In A. H. van de Ven and
W. Joyce (eds.), Perspectives on Organization Design and Behavior. New York: John Wiley
and Sons.
Tubre, T. C., and Collins, J. M. (2000). ‘Jackson and Schuler (1985) Revisited: A Meta
analysis of the Relationships between Role Ambiguity, Role ConXict, and Job Perform
ance.’ Journal of Management, 26/1: 155 69.
Wright, P. M., and Sherman, S. (1999). ‘Failing to Find Fit in Strategic Human Resource
Management: Theoretical and Empirical Problems.’ In P. M. Wright, L. Dyer,
J. W. Boudreau, and G. Milkovich (eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource
Management, Supplement 4. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
McMahan, G. C., and McWilliams, A. (1994). ‘Human Resources and Sustained
Competitive Advantage: A Resource Based View Perspective.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 5: 301 26.
Youndt, M. A., Snell, S. A., Dean, J. W., and Lepak, D. P. (1996). ‘Human Resource
Management, Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 39/4: 836 66.
Zeithaml, V., Parasuraman, A., and Berry, L. (1990). Delivering Quality Service:
Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations. New York: The Free Press.
chapter 22
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM AND
K N OW L E D G E
WO R K E R S
....................................................................................................................................
juani swart
22.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The importance and diYculty of the management of knowledge workers has been
widely acknowledged (Alvesson 2000; May et al. 2002; Scarbrough 1999; Smith
et al. 2005) and knowledge worker management has now progressed beyond
fad status (Drucker 1999; Scarbrough and Swan 2001). A key explanation for this
development lies with the historic shift from a focus on physical and Wnancial
forms of capital as key production resources to one on human and intellectual
capital (Martin and Moldoveanu 2003). Intellectual material—knowledge, information, intellectual property, experience—that can be put to use to create wealth
(Stewart 1997) is at the heart of the contemporary business model (Starbuck 1992).
Knowledge businesses, such as design and engineering services, computer software
design, high fashion, Wnancial services, health care, and management consulting
(Lei et al. 1999), rely on the conversion of their human capital (knowledge, skills,
and talent) to intellectual capital (product and service oVerings in the market
place).
In these environments, wealth creation is less dependent on the control of resources
and more dependent on the exercise of specialist knowledge, or the management
of organizational competencies (Blackler 1995). We can no longer blame the
hrm and knowledge workers
451
mismanagement of tangible resources for failures in a knowledge-based society. We
now need to turn our attention to the management of the intangible. Managerial
systems remain important, but it is the management of intangible assets that is now
argued to be at the heart of the managerial process.
There is, however, a contradiction in what the literature oVers in terms of an
approach to knowledge management. On the one hand, there are theorists who
uphold the knowledge-based view of the Wrm that knowledge is all embracing. It is
in the routines, in the individual skills, and in the relationships. On the other hand,
knowledge is seen as a ‘possession’ of an individual or a group of employees and
presents a threat to knowledge-intensive Wrms because of the potential loss of
‘intellectual capital.’ A comparison of these two approaches raises the questions:
‘how do we know what a knowledge-based Wrm is?’ and ‘how do we diVerentiate a
knowledge worker from any other employee that uses knowledge in his or her
everyday work?’
To address these questions, this chapter develops a deWnition of the knowledge
worker and discusses the characteristics of knowledge workers and their work. It then
shifts to the organizational level and takes a closer look at the characteristics of
knowledge-based organizations and the management of knowledge work. Several
managerial and theoretical challenges arise when we combine individual and
organizational knowledge perspectives. Each of these challenges, together with
relevant knowledge-focused HR practices, is discussed and presented in Table 22.1,
which serves as a summary to the chapter. The Wnal section looks toward the
future and explores possible avenues for research, theory-building, and HRM policy
and practice development.
22.2 Developing a Definition
of Knowledge Workers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Galbraith suggested in 1967 that a powerful new class of technical-scientiWc expertise
was emerging. This new class of employee or ‘knowledge workers’ (ZuboV 1988) are,
on the whole, highly paid, high-status employees (Reich 1991) who apply their
specialized knowledge, or technical-scientiWc expertise, to high-value-added problem
solution processes. Scarbrough (1999) asserts that knowledge workers are deWned
primarily by the work that they do, which is relatively unstructured and organizationally contingent, and which reXects the changing demands of organizations more
than occupationally deWned norms and practices (p. 7). That is, having a particular set
of knowledge is not enough to be recognized as a knowledge worker. It is the active
application of the knowledge, through work, that is important.
452
juani swart
This systemic notion Wts with the socially constructed nature of knowledge: to
understand the individual knowledge worker we need to look toward the system
within which the knowledge is embedded. I suggest the following deWnition, paying
attention to the worker, the work, and the organization, and then deconstruct it to
develop linkages to managerial challenges:
Knowledge workers can be deWned as employees who apply their valuable knowledge and
skills (developed through experience) to complex, novel, and abstract problems in environ
ments that provide rich collective knowledge and relational resources.
22.2.1 Employees who Possess Valuable Knowledge
and Skills: Individual Knowledge
The ‘possession’ of knowledge and skills (developed through experience) can best
be described as ‘human capital’ (Bontis 1998; Davenport 1999; Lepak and Snell
1999) expressed through ‘embrained’ and ‘embodied’ knowledge (Collins 1993;
Blackler 1995). Embrained knowledge represents technical-theoretical knowledge,
otherwise referred to as ‘know-what’ (Ryle 1949) or ‘knowledge about’ (James
1950). Professionals are often thought to have particularly deep sets of technicaltheoretical or explicit knowledge (Polanyi 1966). Knowledge workers can be seen to
work from an in-depth knowledge base. However, ‘knowledge of ’ will be of little
use without experience of how to apply it.
Embodied knowledge plays an important role in the application of specialist
knowledge. It refers to ‘knowing how’ to do something (Ryle 1949). This is
illustrated by the lawyer who, with twenty-Wve years of experience, knows how to
win a litigious case and how to apply case law to win an argument. This deeply
specialist skill is often tacit, hence the notion of embodied knowledge: through
application or action the knowledge worker does not focus on separate aspects or
explicit parts of the skill. The embodied and embrained forms of knowledge create
the foundation of knowledge from which the knowledge worker acts. They are part
of the raw material in the knowledge conversion equation.
22.2.2 Knowledge Work: the Application of Knowledge
to Complex, Novel, and Abstract Problems
A key characteristic of knowledge work is the capacity to solve complex problems
through creative and innovative solutions: the enactment of know-what and knowhow (explicit and tacit knowledge) in novel circumstances. It is therefore not the
mere presence of human capital but also how it is applied that is important. Reed
(1996: 585) argues that employees in this category ‘specialise in complex task
hrm and knowledge workers
453
domains which are inherently resistant to incursions by the carriers of bureaucratic
rational control.’ He describes the application of the knowledge held by knowledge
workers as esoteric, non-substitutable, global, and analytical.
Rather than applying deep technical knowledge to familiar situations, the crux of
knowledge work is the ambiguous, the unfamiliar, or the esoteric. This does, of
course, provide a useful power base for the knowledge worker to develop a market
niche where his or her skills cannot be categorized and labelled. The output of the
knowledge work process is often intangible (for example, consulting advice) and its
quality is diYcult to determine. Whether a solution is ‘good’ or ‘no good’ is often
determined by factors external to the solution itself, such as changing market
forces, the interpretation of the clients buying the solution, and the degree of
trust that the sellers of the solution inspire.
22.2.3 Knowledge Production in an Environment that
Provides Collective Knowledge and Social Networks
The conversion of human capital into intellectual capital is highly reliant upon the
context for knowledge production. Knowledge workers interact with other knowledge workers to produce knowledge-intensive outcomes. Knowledge workers
work with knowledge; their own, certainly, but also the knowledge of others as
communicated through information systems and artifacts, as well as the organizational and technical knowledge encoded in programs, routines, and managerial
discourse (Scarbrough 1999). Here the ‘encultured’ knowledge (the process of
achieving shared understandings through social relationships) and embedded
knowledge (systemic organizational routines) inXuence the production of knowledge (Blackler 1995).
This process draws on ‘what others know’ as well as ‘how easily that knowledge is
shared,’ which, in turn, are inXuenced by the nature of the knowledge and the
quality of the relationships. Smith et al. (2005), in their review of the knowledge
management literature, identify three categories of organizational resources that
impact on knowledge creation capability: stocks of individual knowledge, ‘ego
networks,’ and organizational routines. These routines comprise a Wrm’s climate.
Informally, and perhaps tacitly, they establish how the Wrm develops and uses
knowledge (p. 347). The categories of resources that make the act of knowledge
work possible are sometimes seen as diVerent forms of capital. Ego networks refer
to ‘social capital’ (Nahapiet and Ghoshal 1998; Leana and van Buren 1999) and
organizational routines are attributes of ‘organizational capital.’ Both social
and organizational capital impact on the knowledge creation capability of an
organization and the ability to conduct knowledge work.
If we look at the managerial implications of the knowledge production process,
it is clear that we cannot manage knowledge workers without managing the
454
juani swart
knowledge environment within which they operate. The knowledge worker is
deWned by the nature of the work that she or he engages in. To be a knowledge
worker is therefore not an occupational category (unlike the professions) but it is
an act of producing knowledge-rich products and services. An organization cannot
logically lay claim to employ knowledge workers if they are not able to engage in
knowledge work. Hence, it is critically important to manage the knowledge environment to ensure that knowledge work is possible. This depends greatly on the
quality of the relationships that the Wrm has in its network of clients and collaborating producers. Challenging and committed clients make for challenging and
exciting work, which allows for the co-production of knowledge. To better understand this systemic process, it is important to be aware of both the characteristics of
knowledge workers and the Wrms within which they operate.
22.3 The Characteristics of
Knowledge Workers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Knowledge workers tend, on the whole, to work exceptionally long hours (Deetz
1995), with commitment related more to the nature of the work (consulting to a
client, writing software code, or solving a problem) rather than to the organization.
They have a strong sense of intrinsic motivation and are mostly interested in
challenging work which requires considerable creativity and initiative (Alvesson
2000). Knowledge workers also tend to identify with other like-minded professionals
more than the organization for which they work (von Glinow 1988) and therefore
develop strong interpersonal networks that span organizational boundaries.
Such workers, also referred to as ‘symbolic-analytic’ workers (Blackler 1995),
tend to command high rewards, often because their know-what, know-how, and
know-who is valuable and diYcult to replace or imitate (Barney 1991). The core
skills that they rely on to make this strong bargaining position possible include
problem-solving (research, product design, fabrication), problem identiWcation
(marketing, advertising, and customer consulting), and brokerage (Wnancing,
searching, contracting) (Blackler 1995: 1027). Social skills and client relationships
are also important to the process of knowledge work (Starbuck 1992) given the
social nature of knowledge production. Knowledge workers therefore tend to
develop their own social environments and professional networks within which
they can enhance and enact their unique sets of expertise.
May et al. (2002), in their research on the job expectations of 134 knowledge
workers in Australia, Japan, and the USA, found that pay was regarded as the Wrst
hrm and knowledge workers
455
or second most important aspect of the job. This was followed by the intrinsic
nature of the work in terms of variety, challenge, and learning opportunities. Other
important factors included promotion prospects, co-worker relations, and inXuence over decisions that aVect their work (p. 791). One of the reasons why pay and
rewards were so important to the knowledge workers in this study was that, unlike
the professions, status was less hierarchically or tenured based. However, the
abstract nature of the knowledge worker’s skills was priced on a perceptual basis:
‘my client cannot do what I do (they may not even know how I do this) and
because they think I’m invaluable, they’ll pay a lot for my services.’ This spiral of
reward (perception—high reward—positive perception) is also the mechanism
through which knowledge workers tend to determine their status and their ‘next
big career move.’
Knowledge in and of itself naturally becomes the focal point for the knowledge
worker’s activities. The factors that drive knowledge workers to choose some
projects over others are often related to the feedback received on their knowledge
outputs (often through performance management systems or client relationships)
and the desire to deepen technical expertise by taking on challenging projects.
Knowledge workers are often in control of the networks that they develop and the
skills that they acquire and often associate their organizational commitment with
the extent to which they are able to develop transferable skills (May et al. 2002).
Furthermore, they feel the need to be involved in decisions that will inXuence
their developmental opportunities and careers (more so than organization-wide
decisions) and tend to have a need for a high degree of autonomy (Alvesson 1995).
One of the major factors that aVects the commitment, work eVort, and job
satisfaction of knowledge workers is the way they are organized and relate to
management (May et al. 2002). Their status is based on the mastery of unique,
inimitable, and valuable skills (Barney 1991). Reed (1996) argues that, unlike
traditional professionals, knowledge workers do not rely on hierarchical systems
to establish credibility but rely on the intangible nature of their knowledge to create
market niches for themselves. In this sense, they are ‘entrepreneurial professionals’
(Reed 1996). This approach to establishing political and economic power lends
itself to organic or network-based organizational forms characterized by decentralized Xexibility and autonomy (May et al. 2002: 777).
Knowledge workers are often found not only inside organizations but across them,
drawing on their personal, professional, and expertise networks. This holds serious
implications for the management of knowledge workers. Because of the prominence
of individual and organizational networks, the organization has less control over
how it manages ‘its’ knowledge workers. Non-standard forms of employment such
as contracts for services and Wxed-term employment can therefore be more suitable
and are frequently found across knowledge-based organizations.
These characteristics of professional knowledge workers present employing
organizations with some severe challenges: knowledge-based Wrms rely on the
456
juani swart
knowledge and skills of their employees. However, they have to create the environment for this knowledge to be developed and shared (Maister 1993). They also
have to ensure that peer learning processes, which are highly valued by knowledge
workers, are facilitated both through work organization and by recruiting talented
and respected co-workers.
The simultaneous developing and sharing of knowledge presents a management
challenge in itself because knowledge workers may hold on to their knowledge in
order to secure their next career opportunity, be that within or external to
the organization. Employers need to retain valuable knowledge that has been
developed in order to create further value from their investment. The Wrm needs
to appropriate value from knowledge developed (Blyer and CoV 2003), while
minimizing the risk of excessive appropriation by the knowledge workers themselves. It needs to guard against excessive remuneration demands and the leakage of
knowledge (in terms of innovation or clients) when employees leave the Wrm.
This means Wrms need to erect ‘resource mobility barriers’ (Mueller 1996) while
satisfying the career needs of their knowledge workers by encouraging key employees to remain with the organization. When an organization is heavily reliant upon
its human capital, the risk associated with frequent career moves between organizations is far greater and the inability to manage the leakage of knowledge across
boundaries can adversely aVect Wrm viability (Swart and Kinnie 2004).
22.4 The Organizational Perspective:
Managing Knowledge Workers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Organizations that facilitate knowledge production have a number of distinctive
characteristics which are critical to the performance of the business. They operate
in a ‘pressure cooker’ type of environment where product and labour markets are
often unstable and technology is changing quickly. They tend to develop complex
and innovative internal and external structures and forms (Frenkel et al. 1999; May
et al. 2002) in comparison to other more traditional, slow-growing, and relatively
bureaucratic organizations.
These organizational and environmental characteristics challenge traditional
ways of organizing based on hierarchy and specialization and pose a whole series
of questions about the people management practices most appropriate in these
contexts. Ghoshal and Bartlett (1995: 96) suggest this may require a shift from what
they term the ‘strategy–structure–systems’ paradigm, where the managerial task is
largely concerned with allocating resources, assigning responsibilities, and then
controlling the outcomes, to one based more on ‘purpose–process–people.’ This is
hrm and knowledge workers
457
where the task is to ‘shape the behaviors of people and create an environment that
enables them to take initiative, to co-operate and to learn.’ The management of
knowledge workers has been compared to conducting a symphony orchestra
(Mintzberg 1998) where the key role of the manager is creating an environment
for the harmonious Xow of knowledge.
In many employment situations, the management of the knowledge workers is
loosely structured with Xuid project teams, rotation of leadership positions, and
low degrees of monitoring and control being present (Alvesson 1995). This often
Wts with employee needs for autonomy and self-directed development (Morris
2000). May et al. (2002) argue that the knowledge worker’s need for autonomy and
cutting-edge skill development can best be met by creating an ‘enclave’ organizational form: an independent section of experts within a larger organization. Inside
the enclave, a high degree of interdependence between knowledge workers with
complementary forms of knowledge is likely to prevail. The authors warn that this
enclave should not have absolute autonomy, but managerial control and marketbased mechanisms such as performance-based reward systems should be used to
focus knowledge workers’ eVorts on organizational and strategic objectives.
Given the Xuid nature of both knowledge work and the organization of this
work, managers often seek to use ideological controls and strive to create a strong
sense of belonging, or a strong culture (Alvesson 1993). A process of establishing an
organizational identity (Mael and Ashforth 1995) helps an organization to erect
mobility barriers and goes some way toward tying valuable knowledge workers to
the organization. Small to medium-sized knowledge-based Wrms often beneWt from
a strong sense of shared identity at the Wrm level. This is often because the ownermanager is still present in the Wrm and/or the majority of the original workforce
is still part of the organisation. In larger Wrms, however, this sense of belonging
needs to be ‘manufactured’ by using individual performance and/or organizational
rewards (Alvesson 1993), establishing a variety of community-based activities
(Swart et al. 2003), and engaging in some cultural manipulation to inXuence how
knowledge workers view themselves and their relationship to the Wrm.
Project-based work has without any doubt become the dominant form of
organizing knowledge work (Lam 2000) and a key organizational characteristic.
However, project-based working presents a danger because it is often the case that
knowledge workers build a strong sense of identiWcation with their project team,
which may replace their identiWcation with their organization. Furthermore, if the
team is client focused and client based, there is a strong possibility that valuable
competitive knowledge may leak out to the client and remain outside the boundaries of the Wrm.
It is therefore important to think relationally when seeking to understand the
management of knowledge workers (Gulati et al. 2000: 203; Granovetter 1973).
Knowledge-based Wrms often operate within larger knowledge networks where
they have frequent interaction with clients, partners, educators, and suppliers at
458
juani swart
many levels of organization and knowledge tends to Xow relatively freely across
these boundaries (Swart and Kinnie 2003). These knowledge Xows are regarded as a
key part of the knowledge production process. It is important to note that
knowledge workers work with knowledge at an inter-organizational level. This
phenomenon is often to the advantage of smaller Wrms who may be able to exploit
knowledge outside the permanent employment relationship or, indeed, any
employment relationship. A cluster of small biotechnology, life-science research,
and law Wrms may work together on a larger process of knowledge production.
Similarly, three or four law Wrms may work together on a management buyout and
a life-science research Wrm may work closely with a pharmaceutical Wrm to produce
compounds for further research. Such co-production of knowledge outputs focuses our attention on the quality of the knowledge network within which the Wrm
operates.
The management of knowledge workers is inXuenced, and sometimes controlled, by relationships with organizations in these networks (Kinnie et al. 2005).
Where Wrms have fewer and longer-term business-to-business relationships, we
need to consider how suppliers, partners, clients, and customers inXuence the way
in which people are managed in the focal Wrm.
In summary, knowledge-based Wrms often operate in volatile, fast-changing environments. Within this context, they need to manage ambiguous work through Xuid
structures. Internal (knowledge work and knowledge workers) and external (knowledge environment) forms of Xuidity are put under pressure by the nature of
network relationships. Networks determine the opportunities for challenging
knowledge work within the Wrm, such as working on exciting projects, as well as
the quality of knowledge outputs at the network level.
If we juxtapose the complexity of the wider environment with the characteristics
of the knowledge workers themselves we are in a position to illuminate particular
human resource management challenges that need to be addressed.
22.5 Integrating Individual and
Organizational Perspectives:
Management Dilemmas Associated
with Knowledge Workers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This section identiWes three key themes which cut across knowledge work,
knowledge workers, and knowledge-based organizations, to enable a discussion
hrm and knowledge workers
459
of the tensions and challenges for managing knowledge workers. Table 22.1 links the
impact of each ‘concurrent theme’ to a particular set of HR practices. It identiWes
key inXuences on the adoption of speciWc sets of HR practices and then speciWes a
key tension that exists in relation to the particular theme, which enables identiWcation of the managerial challenges in each area.
The Wrst key theme is Xuidity, or a lack of predetermined or imposed structure,
which is evident in the nature of knowledge work but also in the organization of
this work: the loosely structured projects in the enclave organizational form. Much
of this Xuidity is inherent in the application of symbolic-analytic skills to ambiguous client demands (Blackler 1995). However, the move toward Xuidity is also
driven by the market-based employment orientation of knowledge workers themselves (Reed 1996) wherein higher wages can more readily be negotiated because
they are not subject to such strict technical-hierarchical systems and they operate in
environments where less well-deWned skills are sold to clients.
The Xuid nature of knowledge work also inXuences the choice of work organization and the degree of involvement and participation. The symbolic-analytic
skills which are applied to novel, complex problems necessitate organizational
forms that enable fast change, Xow of skills across ‘project’ boundaries, and high
levels of discretionary decision-making. Firms need to allow knowledge workers to
act in a way that they see Wt at a particular moment, creating a ‘leave it up to the
experts’ form of work organization and decision-making systems.
This creates a very speciWc focus for HRM. It calls for the involvement of
HR practitioners in the resource allocation process, determining who should be
Table 22.1 Concurrent themes, HR practice impact areas, and key tensions
Concurrent themes
HR impact
Key tensions
Fluidity
Work organization
Involvement and participation
Pay and reward
Value appropriation
Market-based networks:
Personal/professional,
organizational
Recruitment
Involvement
Development
Pay and reward
Retention strategies
Performance management
Identity fragmentation
Knowledge-trading
Resourcing
Development
Reward
Work organization
Career management
Skill specificity focus
460
juani swart
allocated to which project and for what period, as well as calling for an understanding of how work organization can be used to develop key skills. The skills
development emphasis in this context is on learning-by-doing or informal
learning rather than formal ‘training.’ This holds serious implications for talent
management and the retention of key knowledge workers. If the selected work
organization does not take the development of key skills into account, knowledge
workers are more likely to leave the organization and seek employment with
a Wrm that will increase their employability, or make them more attractive in
the labor market.
A key tension which this theme represents is the dilemma of value appropriation.
The Wrm needs to appropriate value (Blyer and GoV 2003) from knowledge
developed, while minimizing the risk of excessive appropriation by knowledge
workers themselves. This is diYcult because not only is the nature of the knowledge
that is applied to a client problem hard to specify and categorize, but the boundaries between the individual’s knowledge and the Wnal, knowledge-rich service are
extremely Xuid. There is a sharp contrast here between management consultants
who sell their knowledge directly to a client and the shopXoor worker who is reliant
on the physical capital of their employer to manufacture the Wnal product. The
knowledge worker typically has a greater sense of ownership, often expressed as
intellectual property rights, over the product or service. This leads to a situation
where knowledge workers themselves feel a right to appropriate value or receive
high rents for their own knowledge. They may make excessive remuneration
demands which the employer is unable to meet. If the employer does not manage
this tension well, they can easily be in a situation where the knowledge worker
leaves the organization to sell their skills directly to the same client or sets of clients.
This phenomenon is frequently seen in advertising agencies, management consultancies, and brokerage Wrms.
The second theme noted from the characteristics of knowledge workers and the
Wrms who employ them is that of market-based networks. Personal/professional
networks and organizational networks inXuence the employment relationship.
Each of these networks can be a source of identiWcation which challenges organizational control over the management of knowledge workers (Fig. 22.1).
Personal/professional networks play a very speciWc role in both skill development and status-building. Individual knowledge workers often use their networks
to gauge their status and may use them to put pressure on their employer to
adopt certain HR practices. Often personal/professional networks are developed
through independent contract arrangements. Many Wrms rely on, and make use
of, several independent contractors who develop their own networks where
they trade information about key skills and employment opportunities. These
personal/professional networks can act as a market place for comparison and
diVusion of management practices. For example, software developers will often
meet informally and discuss their employment relationships. Comparisons of
hrm and knowledge workers
461
Professional
identity
Organizational
Identify
Knowledge
worker
Team
Identity
Client
Identity
Fig. 22.1. The multiple sources of identity of knowledge workers
Source: Swart and Kinnie, 2004.
project status (what type of work for which client), pay status (the ‘going rate’ for
a skill set), and working conditions (working hours, Xexibility, involvement)
can take place in these wider personal/professional networks and through
them employees may put pressure on their employers to adopt particular bundles
of HR practices. This pressure is very real because links within the network
also represent career opportunities and employers are well aware that a
‘better deal’ elsewhere may result in the loss of human capital. Engagement in
personal/professional networks can therefore present a threat to the Wrm’s
talent management because knowledge workers may use these networks to Wnd
alternative employment.
Organizational networks, on the other hand, largely determine the nature of
the work that knowledge workers will engage in. Here, a virtuous cycle of ‘great
client—challenging work—great talent’ can be set in motion. However, these
networks are also key determinants of the nature of the employment relationship.
Clients have the power to inXuence the employment practices (for example, pay
and reward) of the Wrm that they contract or work with (Kinnie et al. 2005; Dyer
and Nobeoka 2000). In extreme cases, the boundaries between the Wrm and the
client can be so permeable that the client may even have an impact on the
performance appraisal objectives of individual knowledge workers.
The particular set of HR practices which are inXuenced by the networked nature
of knowledge work include recruitment, involvement, development, pay and reward,
performance management, and retention. The network represents a knowledgebased labor market; it functions as a hothouse for skill development but it also
communicates which skills are available and at what price. Knowledge-based
462
juani swart
organizations rely on their networks to recruit valuable and unique talent. When
key skills become available in the network, organizations may contract or buy the
skills, regardless of the existence of an internal vacancy. Professional networks also
inXuence which skills are seen as valuable and are often used as vehicles for skill
development.
Performance management and reward systems are particularly sensitive to
network-based inXuences due to the permeability of the boundaries between the
Wrm and its professional and client networks. A key reason for this inXuence is the
abstract nature of knowledge outputs (Alvesson 2000). How can a line manager
possibly judge the quality of the knowledge output without gleaning information
from the users of the outputs such as the clients? However, the degree of network
inXuence over performance management goes beyond just the nature of knowledge
outputs. The business of knowledge production is an uncertain one and buyers
within this market may want a greater degree of control over the ambiguous, highcost products and services that they are buying. Attempts to gain control over the
process of knowledge production may impact greatly on key performance areas
within the performance management framework as well as aVecting the rewards
that are attached to performance outcomes.
The multiplicity of networks presents a very real challenge to the management of
knowledge workers. The key tension here is with identiWcation with, and commitment to, the organization. In essence, networks oVer several sources of identiWcation to the knowledge worker: they may identify with their occupation/profession
through their professional networks, with their client through their organizational
networks, and with their team through their team networks (Fig. 22.1). For most
knowledge workers, their occupation is likely to be the base of their expertise,
status, and economic advantage. As such, it is not surprising that knowledge
workers tend to be more committed to their occupation than to their organization
(May et al. 2002: 779). The alleged rivalry between occupations and organizations
as the base of employee loyalty is also a common theme in the professions like law,
medicine, and professional engineering. It is also likely that for knowledge workers,
occupational identity drives discretionary behavior rather than organizational
commitment. For example, a nurse may be motivated to ‘go the extra mile’ because
of her belief in patient care.
The nature of knowledge work means that employees will often spend considerable periods of time on a client project or at a client site. Intricate and extended
client contact most often takes place within a dedicated, client-focused project
team. Once again, the opportunity to develop a strong team identity exists.
This can work to the advantage of the Wrm if strong identiWcation with the Wrm
is also maintained. However, it is often the case that team identity overpowers
organizational identity. This is seen in a ‘them (the organization) and us (the
team)’ discourse.
hrm and knowledge workers
463
These multiple, and sometimes competing, identities challenge the management
of knowledge workers because identity is intimately linked to knowledge-sharing
(Gupta and Govindarajan 2000; Nonaka et al. 2000; Strock and Hill 2000).
Knowledge workers tend to share knowledge with others who ‘speak the same
language,’ with whom they can relate. The danger lies in having strong client, team,
and professional/occupational identities that pull away from organizational identity. Non-organizational identities signify a possible Xow of knowledge outside the
organization. In extreme cases, they also represent a possible career path. For
example, a Wnancial services team may break away from the ‘parent’ organization
and establish a rival Wrm or a software developer may use his or her professional
networks to explore job opportunities or a lawyer may be oVered an in-house
position by a client.
Successful knowledge-based Wrms tie occupational identity into organizational
identity by facilitating professional development (Swart and Kinnie 2004). The
message sent is one of: ‘identify with your profession through our organization.’
These successful organizations have less to fear from Xuid client and team identities
established through work arrangements across multiple project and client account
teams.
The third theme that can be identiWed running through knowledge-based
organizations and knowledge work is the notion of ‘knowledge-trading.’ The raison
d’être of the networks, the employment relationship and indeed the client relationship, can be seen as the development and application of human capital. This is
one area where an interdependence between the Wrm and the knowledge worker
can be identiWed. Individuals are often dependent on the organization for access to
other knowledge workers, including those with complementary skills. They also
rely on the physical and Wnancial capital in research laboratories or technology to
develop their core skills. The organization, on the other hand, relies, increasingly,
on the knowledge and skills of its human capital to create a competitive advantage.
Knowledge-trading between knowledge workers and organizations has an
impact on recruitment, development, work organization, and pay and reward. First,
managers need to take a human capital focus in employee resourcing activities by
specifying the nature of knowledge inputs that are needed within the organization:
which skills need to be developed to ensure eVective knowledge-trading. A human
capital focus also has an impact on resource allocation. For example, if a particular
skill is in demand by a client group, it is often the case that key skilled employees will
be placed across project teams to allow for dispersion of the particular skill set across
the organization. Here the organization needs to create tacit learning environments
to ensure cost-eVective skill development. Finally, the nature of knowledge-trading
may have an impact on pay and reward by putting the employer in a stronger
bargaining position. Knowledge workers often claim high rewards given the complexity and uniqueness of their skill, but if the interdependency of knowledgetrading is emphasized, the employer can argue that knowledge production would
464
juani swart
not be possible without access to organizational resources, networks, physical and
Wnancial capital, thereby undermining claims for excessive remuneration.
The knowledge-trading theme presents speciWc challenges with regard to the
development of knowledge workers. First, knowledge workers are interested in
knowledge-trading because they are highly focused on employability (Cappelli
1999) which enables them to move on to a career opportunity that will enable
them to develop further unique skills that are attractive to other employers. The
interest of the employing Wrm is, however, focused on retaining core skills that
enable value generation and competitive advantage. The tension between employees
wanting to move between organizations and the organization needing to hold on to
key talent can be termed the ‘retention-employability’ dilemma (Swart and Kinnie
2004). If an organization fails to address and manage this career dilemma, it will be
depleted of its human capital and may create a source of competitive disadvantage.
A second tension that has an impact on the retention of knowledge is the
speciWcity of skill development. Knowledge-based organizations seek to diVerentiate themselves by oVering unique services or products and thus aim to develop
organization-speciWc skills. Knowledge workers, on the other hand, wish to develop
transferable skills that will make them attractive to prospective employers. If an
organization develops predominantly Wrm-speciWc skills, the knowledge worker
may sacriWce his or her employment attractiveness. Knowledge-based Wrms therefore need to strike a balance within their skill development agenda between organization-speciWc and transferable skills, which, in turn, impacts on their approach to
the management of the knowledge workers’ careers.
Both of these tensions speak to the need for knowledge-based Wrms to retain and
develop valuable and unique human capital. Development often has an undesired
impact on retention as employees with valuable skills become more attractive to
other employers. However, if the Wrm does not develop the transferable as well as
the organization-speciWc skills of their knowledge workers, they are likely to lose
key employees. Most successful organizations therefore strike a ‘development
balance’ by ensuring that they have challenging work projects in loosely structured
work environments which are characterized by multiple teams. The development
of a particular skill set is therefore not linked to one client or one organizationspeciWc approach to problem solution.
22.6 Future Directions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The rise in importance of the knowledge worker has certainly taken center stage
over the last decade. With the increasing realization that human capital is one of
hrm and knowledge workers
465
the key resources for sustainable competitive advantage, attention is focused on
the management of knowledge workers. There has, however, been a tendency
to mystify knowledge work and subsequently the management of knowledge
workers. Some of this mysticism, attached to the symbolic-analytic nature of
knowledge production, is justiWed but if we are to better understand the ‘science’
of knowledge worker management, we need to be a lot clearer about knowledge
working and knowledge workers.
A comprehensive model of knowledge workers and knowledge working that
takes the institutional environment into account is needed. One possibility is to
build on the work of May et al. (2002), which takes into account the market-based
model of knowledge working as well as the dual-dependent relationship between
knowledge workers and the organization. This can be extended to understand the
interrelationship between the nature of the knowledge environment and the
process of knowledge production.
A key weakness in the current literature is the tendency to lump all knowledge
workers together as if they were one big occupational category. There is a real need to
disentangle the knowledge worker category. It might be beneWcial to take a close look
at the knowledge classiWcation developed by Blackler (1995) for types of organizations
and extend this classiWcation to types of knowledge workers. This would mean taking
account of Scarbrough’s (1999) view that one can only be considered a knowledge
worker if one engages in knowledge working. A more detailed approach to the
possible categories of knowledge workers would be useful in understanding which
HR practices have an impact on their motivation, commitment, and satisfaction.
The key tensions referred to in this chapter provide a fruitful avenue for future
research and practice. We need to know more about the tensions between employer
and employee in the value appropriation process. This also represents an area for
research on reward practices. Are there diVerent ways of rewarding and recognizing
knowledge workers for the direct applicability of their intellectual capital to the
client problem? Which reward strategies will better meet the appropriation needs
of the Wrm and the reward goals of the individual or teams of knowledge workers?
The possible management of knowledge worker identiWcation provides a
further opportunity for research. Social identity theory can usefully be applied to
knowledge-rich settings. One particular area that needs attention is the question of
competing identities. How can we understand the dynamic interplay between the
various identities? Should, and indeed can, organizations manage the multiple
identities of the knowledge worker?
Finally, management practitioners need to both retain and develop their knowledge workers. This challenge is intimately linked to their skill development focus.
Should a Wrm develop organization-speciWc skills to gain advantage in the market
place or should the Wrm focus more on transferable skills, thereby fulWlling
the employability need of its knowledge workers? To answer this question, a better
understanding of the nature of the skills involved in knowledge work is needed.
466
juani swart
22.7 Summary and Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This chapter has outlined the relevance and development of knowledge workers
in contemporary organizations. It followed a social constructionist approach in
developing a deWnition of knowledge workers, specifying that we need to (a) be
clear on what type of knowledge the worker brings to the knowledge conversion
process, (b) understand the nature of knowledge work, and (c) show awareness of
the knowledge production environment and the social and organizational capital
that it provides to the knowledge worker and the Wrm.
Working from this deWnition, the characteristics of knowledge workers were
explored and juxtaposed with the characteristics of employing organizations and
their managerial practices. This juxtaposition enabled the identiWcation of three
‘concurrent themes’: the Xuidity of the nature of knowledge work and the organization of knowledge work, the prevalence of market-based networks (personal,
professional, and organizational), and the focal point of knowledge-trading. Each
of these key themes inXuences the adoption of particular sets of HR practices.
Finally, each theme and subsequent set of HR practices represents a key tension
that needs to be tackled in the management of knowledge workers.
There are key messages for practice in the tensions associated with the themes of
Xuidity, networks, and knowledge-trading. They include the need to work on the
tensions that exist around value appropriation, including negotiation of intellectual property rights and the ways in which business-to-business relationships are
managed.
Managerial practice also needs to engage with how knowledge workers go about
developing occupational, organizational, client, and team identities and how
particular managerial practices can help to lessen tensions that exist among these
identities. Among these, it is important for managers to recognize that knowledge
workers often have a particularly strong need for group identity. These competing
identities exist, are powerful, and inXuence the knowledge creation process. The
managerial agenda needs to be shaped with these realities in mind.
References
Alvesson, M. (1993). ‘Organization as Rhetoric: Knowledge Intensive Companies and the
Struggle with Ambiguity.’ Journal of Management Studies, 30/6: 997 1015.
(1995). Management of Knowledge Intensive Companies. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
(2000). ‘Social Identity and the Problem of Loyalty in Knowledge Intensive
Companies.’ Journal of Management Studies, 37/8: 1101 23.
Barney, J. B. (1991). ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage.’ Journal of
Management, 17/1: 99 120.
hrm and knowledge workers
467
Blackler, F. (1995). ‘Knowledge, Knowledge Work and Organizations: An Overview.’
Organization Studies, 16/6: 1021 47.
Blyer, M., and Coff, R. W. (2003). ‘Dynamic Capabilities, Social Capital, and Rent
Appropriation: Ties that Split Pies.’ Strategic Management Journal, 24: 677 86.
Bontis, N. (1998). ‘Intellectual Capital: An Exploratory Study that Develops Measures and
Models.’ Management Decision, 36/2: 63 76.
Cappelli, P. (1999). The New Deal at Work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Collins, H. (1993). ‘The Structure of Knowledge.’ Social Research, 60: 95 116.
Davenport, T. (1999). Human Capital. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Deetz, S. (1995). Transforming Communication, Transforming Business: Building Responsive
and Responsible Workplaces. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Drucker, P. F. (1999). ‘Knowledge Worker Productivity: The Biggest Challenge.’ Califor
nian Management Review, 41/2: 79 94.
Dyer, J., and Nobeoka, K. (2000). ‘Creating and Managing a High Performance Know
ledge Sharing Network: The Toyota Case.’ Strategic Management Journal, 21: 345 67.
Frenkel, S. J., Korczynski, M., Shire, K. A., and Tam, M. (1999). On the Front Line:
Organization of Work in the Information Economy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Galbraith, J. (1967). The New Industrial State. Boston: Houghton MiZin.
Ghoshal, S., and Bartlett, C. A. (1995). ‘Changing the Role of Top Management: Beyond
Structure to Process.’ Harvard Business Review, January February: 86 96.
Granovetter, M. (1973). ‘The Strength of Weak Ties.’ American Journal of Sociology, 78:
1360 80.
Gulati, R., Nohria, N., and Zaheer, A. (2000). ‘Strategic Networks.’ Strategic Manage
ment Journal, 21: 203 15.
Gupta, A., and Govindarajan, V. (2000). ‘Knowledge Management’s Social Dimension:
Lessons from Nucor Steel.’ Sloan Management Review, 42/1: 71.
James, W. (1950). The Principles of Psychology. New York: Dover.
Johnson, B., Lorenz, E., and Lundvall, B. A. (2002). ‘Why All This Fuss about CodiWed
and Explicit Knowledge?’ Industrial and Corporate Change, 11/2: 254 62.
Kinnie, N., Swart, J., and Purcell, J. (2005). ‘InXuences of the Choice of HR Systems: The
Network Organisation Perspective.’ International Journal of Human Resource Manage
ment, 16/6: 1004 28.
Lam, A. (2000). ‘Tacit Knowledge, Organizational Learning and Societal Institutions: An
Integrated Framework.’ Organization Studies, 21/3: 487 513.
Leana, C. R., and van Buren, H. J. (1999). ‘Organizational Social Capital and Employment
Practices.’ Academy of Management Review, 24/3: 538 55.
Lei, D., Slocum, J. W., and Pitts, R. A. (1999). ‘Designing Organizations for Competitive
Advantage: The Power of Learning and Unlearning.’ Organizational Dynamics, Winter:
24 38.
Lepak, D., and Snell, S. A. (1999). ‘The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory of
Human Capital Allocation and Development.’ Academy of Management Review, 24/1:
31 48.
Mael, F. A., and Ashforth, B. E. (1995). ‘Loyal from Day One: Biodata, Organizational
IdentiWcation, and Turnover among Newcomers.’ Personnel Psychology, 48: 309 33.
Maister, D. (1993). Managing the Professional Services Firm. New York: Free Press.
Martin, R. L., and Moldoveanu, M. C. (2003). ‘Capital versus Talent: The Battle That’s
Reshaping Business.’ Harvard Business Review, July: 36 41.
468
juani swart
May, T. Y., Korczynski, M., and Frenkel, S. J. (2002). ‘Organizational and Occupational
Commitment: Knowledge Workers in Large Organisations.’ Journal of Management
Studies, 39/6: 775 801.
Mintzberg, H. (1998). ‘Covert Leadership: Notes on Managing Professionals.’ Harvard
Business Review, November December: 140 7.
Morris, T. (2000). ‘Promotion Policies and Knowledge Bases in the Professional Service
Firm.’ In M. Peiperl, M. Arthur, R. GoVee, and T. Morris (eds), Career Frontiers: New
Conceptions of Working Lives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mueller, F. (1996). ‘Human Resources as Strategic Assets: An Evolutionary Resource Based
Theory.’ Journal of Management Studies, 33/6: 757 85.
Nahapiet, J., and Ghoshal, S. (1998). ‘Social Capital, Intellectual Capital and the Organ
ization Advantage.’ Academy of Management Review, 23/2: 242 66.
Nonaka, I., Toyama, R., and Nagata, A. (2000). ‘A Firm as a Knowledge Creating Entity:
A New Perspective on the Theory of the Firm.’ Industrial and Corporate Change, 9/1: 1 20.
Polanyi, M. (1966). The Tacit Dimension. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Reed, M. I. (1996). ‘Expert Power and Control in Late Modernity: An Empirical Review and
Theoretical Synthesis.’ Organization Studies, 17/4: 573 97.
Reich, R. (1991). The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism.
London: Simon and Schuster.
Ryle, G. (1949). The Concept of Mind. London: Hutchinson.
Scarbrough, H. (1999). ‘Knowledge as Work: ConXicts in the Management of Knowledge
Workers.’ Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 11/1: 5 16.
and Swan, J. (2001). ‘Explaining the DiVusion of Knowledge Management: the Role
of Fashion.’ British Journal of Management, 12/1 3: 3 12.
Smith, K. G., Collins, C. J., and Clark, K. D. (2005). ‘Existing Knowledge, Knowledge
Creation Capability, and the Rate of New Product Introduction in High Technology
Firms.’ Academy of Management Journal, 48/2: 346 57.
Starbuck, W. H. (1992). ‘Learning by Knowledge Intensive Firms.’ Journal of Management
Studies, 29: 713 40.
Stewart, T. A. (1997). Intellectual Capital. The New Wealth of Organizations. New York:
Doubleday.
Strock, J., and Hill, P. A. (2000). ‘Knowledge DiVusion through Strategic Communities.’
Sloan Management Review, Winter: 63 74.
Swart, J., and Kinnie, N. (2003). ‘Knowledge Intensive Firms: The InXuence of the Client
on HR Systems.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 37 55.
(2004). Managing the Careers of Professional Knowledge Workers. London: CIPD.
and Purcell, J. (2003). People and Performance in Knowledge Intensive Firms.
London: CIPD.
Von Glinow, M. A. (1988). New Professionals: Managing Today’s High Technology
Employees. Boston: Addison Wesley.
Zuboff, S. (1988). In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power. New
York: Basic Books.
chapter 23
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM AND THE
N EW P U B L I C
M A NAG E M E N T
....................................................................................................................................
stephen bach
ian kessler
23.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
As Human Resource Management (HRM) has developed as a Weld of study, the
attention paid to public sector employment relations has been relatively limited.
The preoccupation with the link between HR practice and corporate performance
has been less applicable to public service organizations that are answerable to
a range of stakeholders and in which HR policy has been geared to ensuring
political accountability. There has been a recognition that the public sector confronts Wscal and political pressures that are altering HR practice (Boxall and Purcell
2003: 102–3). However, this observation has rarely been backed up by a sustained
focus on people management in the public sector. Alvesson (2004: 12), for example,
notes that many public sector organizations are knowledge intensive but, without
any apparent justiWcation, chooses to exclude them from his discussion of knowledge work.
This limited attention arises from characteristics of the sector. DeWning the
public sector is not straightforward because there are diVerences between countries
in terms of the size, scope, and role of the sector. These diVerences reXect diVerent
patterns of ownership with processes of privatization altering the size and scope of
470
stephen bach and ian kessler
the state sector. In many continental European countries health and education are
services provided by the independent sector, but in the UK these services remain
predominantly in the state sector. Along with the armed forces, the only part of the
public sector which all countries share is central government administration, i.e.
the core civil service which accounts for much comparative research (Pollitt and
Bouckaert 2004). In addition, the relative neglect of the public sector stems from its
operating according to distinctive principles and its use of employment practices
that have not been viewed as especially innovative.
This analytical gap is regrettable given the size and signiWcance of the public sector
workforce. While there are variations between countries, state employees rarely
constitute less than 12 percent of the workforce and, in Scandinavia, as much as
a quarter or even a third (Pollitt and Bouckaert 2004: 113). Individual organizations
in the UK such as the National Health Service (NHS), employ more than 1.3 million
employees, Wve times larger than the UK’s largest corporate employer, the retailer
Tesco. Moreover, services that include health, education, social welfare, and defence
are vital to individual well-being and societal competitiveness. The public sector in
the majority of developed countries also has been at the center of a continuous
programme of politically sensitive reform (Pollitt and Bouckaert 2004) with major
HR implications. As a labour intensive sector the nature and outcome of any change
program is inevitably dependent on how staV respond to reform initiatives.
This reform programme has typically been labeled and underpinned by a New
Public Management (NPM) approach. The primary purpose of this chapter is to
explore the impact of NPM on the management of human resources in the public
sector. NPM corresponds to a period of public service reform which swept through
many countries during the 1980s and 1990s. This observation generates supplementary questions. The Wrst is whether there are aspects of organizational life in the
public sector which combine to produce an enduring and distinctive form of HR
practice under any organizational or managerial regime. The second is what form
did the management of HR take before public policy attempts to pursue a NPM
approach? The third relates to whether we are now entering a post-NPM era of
public service reform. If this is the case, what does it mean for people management?
These questions provide the structure for the chapter. The argument presented is
straightforward: enduring features of the public sector lend the conduct of HRM
a distinctive form, but shifts in the prevailing organizational logic from hierarchy
through markets to networks have had important implications for people
management in terms of prescription, policy, and practice.
23.2 The Context
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Many of the characteristics of public service employment derive from the unique
role of the state as employer. The degree of public scrutiny and the amount of direct
hrm and the new public management
471
and indirect political intervention in public services has no direct equivalent in the
private sector. For example, in many countries, especially in southern Europe, the
state has been a source of patronage and acted as ‘employer of last resort’ cushioning many citizens from unemployment, but with detrimental consequences for
managerial accountability and eYciency (Bach 1999). The most direct inXuence of
the state relates to the Wnancing of public services which are funded predominantly
through mechanisms linked to central or local taxation.
For the last two decades, however, governments have been concerned about the
growth of public expenditure and have been reluctant to raise taxation because of
the fear of the response of taxpayers and concerns about the potential adverse eVect
on private investment. Although there is considerable variation, most countries
have attempted to exert tighter control on public expenditure and the burden of
adjustment has fallen disproportionately on the public sector workforce. These
pressures have been reinforced for European Union member countries by the
stability and growth pact which restricts member states’ Wscal freedom by establishing a 3 percent ceiling for public deWcits. Additional Wscal pressures on public
service providers arise from the growth in demand for services, alongside severe
constraints on income generation because of the strict limits placed on user
charges.
This picture is complicated by the distinction that is often made between the
trading and non-trading parts of the public sector (Beaumont 1992). The latter are
those services, such as education, defence, emergency services, and central government administration, which are integral to national well-being and are sheltered
from the market. In contrast, organizations in the trading sector are more marketable services such as postal, telecommunications, and transport services. They
often operate at ‘arm’s length’ from central government, but, nonetheless, their
presence in the public sector reXects a political judgement that they remain of
societal importance and should be sheltered from market competition.
For those services that remain in the public sector, the state is a distinctive
employer arising from the public accountability and transparency expected in the
use of public funds. Decisions in particular relating to selection and rewards are
open to public scrutiny and this has invariably encouraged standardized forms of
HR practice (Morris 2000). An important aspect of this accountability concerns
the pay and conditions of public sector employees; the state has to reconcile the
expectation that it should be a fair employer with its duty to taxpayers as the
guardian of the public purse.
In liberal democracies, this accountability occurs through elected party political
representatives, found at diVerent societal levels, typically national, regional, and/
or municipal. In federal states, for instance, the USA, Germany, and Australia,
lower levels of administration have considerable autonomy compared to the more
centralized control in more uniWed states such as the UK. Because funding is
designed to give eVect to party programs, representatives are concerned to ensure
472
stephen bach and ian kessler
that their political objectives are met, lending managerial decision within public
services an intrinsically political dimension. The eVect of the electoral cycle is often
prominent with politicians seeking to make their mark pressurizing managers to
focus on the achievement of short-term targets. A high-proWle example of the
consequences of political intervention in public service employment concerns the
establishment of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the USA, in
the wake of 11 September 2001. President Bush was determined that employees of
the proposed DHS should not have the right to join unions or bargain collectively
(Masters and Albright 2003).
These contextual features aVect the character of the public service workforce. First,
public services are highly labour intensive and a substantial proportion of public
expenditure comprises labour costs. It is a proportion which hovers between 50 and
70 percent in developed countries (Ingraham et al. 2000: 406). Second, the proportion
of women in the workforce has been increasing. Since 1995, across OECD countries,
women have made up more than half the public sector workforce and there has also
been a substantial growth in the proportion of women with ‘high-level responsibilities,’ which increased from 14 to 24 percent between 1990 and 2000/1 (OECD 2002:
5–6). In some services, particularly education, the predominance of women is
particularly marked. In Italy, for instance, 75 percent of the education workforce
is made up of women (Bach et al. 1999).
Third, alongside and related to the gendered nature of the workforce, there is
a relatively high proportion of part-time workers. In Denmark, there are more
part-time than full-time women workers in the public sector (Bach et al. 1999); in
the UK, a third of women in the public services are part-time (Audit Commission
2002), compared to under a quarter in the private sector; this is a pattern repeated
in France.
A fourth distinguishing feature relates to occupational composition and the
general level of educational attainment. Public servants are relatively well qualiWed.
In the UK, 44 percent have a degree or a high-level vocational qualiWcation; this
compares to barely a quarter in the private sector (Audit Commission 2002). An
equally striking picture emerges in Spain, where in the public sector 56 percent of
employees have a technical, professional, or university qualiWcation, as opposed to
26 percent in the private sector (Bach et al. 1999). The level of qualiWcations is
associated with the presence of many professions in the public sector workforce
which include doctors, nurses, social workers, and teachers.
The Wnal distinctive characteristic is associated with the values of public servants
with diVering views on what motivates them. It is a diVerence that Le Grand (2003)
highlights in categorizing public servants as ‘knaves’ or ‘knights.’ Public choice
theorists suggest that public servants engage in bureaucracy-maximizing ‘knavish’
behavior to increase their status and remuneration; a situation facilitated by the
absence of competitive pressures or systems of performance management and the
availability of a steady stream of public funding (Niskanen 1971). Others view
hrm and the new public management
473
public servants as ‘knights’ with a distinctive public service ethos comprising
a strong commitment to the public interest and a willingness to sacriWce immediate
personal gain in pursuing broader welfare goals (Perry and Porter 1982).
There is some evidence indicating that public sector employees are somewhat
distinctive from those in the private sector. Crewson (1997) suggests that public
servants in the USA are driven more by intrinsic than extrinsic rewards. It is a view
which Wnds some support in the UK, where research amongst municipal workers
indicates that a social exchange ideology is complemented by a public service
orientation (Coyle Shapiro and Kessler 2004).
23.3 Traditional Approaches
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
These features of the public sector and its workforce have encouraged the development of approaches to public service employment regulation which are distinguishable from those in the private sector. Beaumont (1992) diVerentiates between two
approaches, termed the ‘sovereign employer’ and the ‘model employer’ approach,
which have underpinned employment relations in the public sector from at least the
inception of the modern welfare state in the immediate post-Second World War
period to the 1980s. The longevity of these approaches has ensured the development
of embedded institutions for the regulation of the employment relationship.
The sovereign employer approach is founded on state control in shaping HR
practice. Under such an approach collective bargaining, incorporating the sanction
of industrial action, is often absent or modiWed, so removing this threat. France is
an illustration of this approach with the government retaining ultimate authority
to unilaterally determine pay and working conditions for established civil servants
(fonctionnaires) (Bordogna and Winchester 2001: 54). Germany is an example of a
modiWed sovereign employer model with a division between public employees
with, and those civil servants (Beamte) without, collective bargaining rights.
The model employer approach is based on the state setting an example to other
employers on how employees should be treated. The UK provides an example of
such an approach and it is reXected in tangible beneWts including high levels of job
security, good pensions and sick-leave beneWts, and a willingness to recognize trade
unions. Indeed, more generally, one legacy of this approach is that in many
countries trade union density is frequently higher amongst public than private
sector employees. In Italy, public sector union density of 45 percent is around 10
percent higher than in the economy as a whole (Bach et al. 1999). The gap is
substantially wider in the UK (60 percent compared to less than 20 percent in the
private sector (DTI 2005)) and most marked in the USA with public sector union
474
stephen bach and ian kessler
density of 38 percent compared to less than 9 percent in the private sector
(Thomason and Burton 2003: 72).
The distinction between the sovereign and model employer approaches should
not obscure shared features of public administration. There has been an enduring
emphasis on ‘fairness’ which stems from the need for public accountability and the
high degree of probity required of public servants. The search for fairness is
reXected in the diYculties of establishing market rates of pay for occupations
that have no equivalents in the private sector. In the UK, for many years public
sector workers were paid comparable rates to those undertaking similar work in the
private sector. Similar principles applied in Germany until the 1990s with changes
in pay and conditions for public sector workers covered by collective bargaining
agreements, usually transferred to the 38 percent of public sector employees with
civil servant (Beamte) status (Keller 2005).
Public sector organizations are often viewed in pejorative terms as ‘bureaucratic,’
but the use of standardized rules enabled government policies to be implemented in
a uniform manner with the intention of ensuring political accountability, preventing
corruption, and facilitating equality of access for all citizens. A number of employment practices resulted from these goals. Elaborate internal labor markets, high
levels of job security, and career progression based primarily on length of service and
initial qualiWcations ensured stability and conformance to explicit procedures.
A further dimension of the public administration tradition relates to the
signiWcance of professions in shaping HR practice. Mandated by the state, professional associations have often had a considerable grip on aspects of HR practice,
controlling entry into the profession, determining training standards, establishing
standards of performance, and in some instances, for example amongst doctors in
the UK, awarding merit payments on the basis of peer review. Consequently,
the HR issues involved in managing professions were given limited attention
because of the tradition of self-regulation and the assumption that public service
professionals were motivated by intrinsic rather than extrinsic factors.
Finally, the existence of centralized systems of pay determination usually left
little scope for managers to alter employment conditions. Involvement in HR
policy was therefore conWned to small groups of experts located at central level.
In countries in which dedicated personnel managers existed, their role was
circumscribed by detailed regulations leaving them a procedural role in implementing national employment rules (Bach 1999). For example in the USA, before
the Clinton administration introduced increased devolution into federal government HR practice, the Federal Personnel Manual ran to over 10,000 pages of
detailed personnel guidance (Moynihan 2003: 380).
This tradition was consolidated during the expansion of the public services
which occurred in many countries after 1945. Governments provided their citizens
with welfare services to cushion them from the type of economic crisis which
emerged with such devastating social consequences in the inter-war years.
hrm and the new public management
475
Economic growth provided the opportunity to fund the welfare state and the
adoption of Keynesian demand management techniques viewed public expenditure as a tool to maintain economic stability. However, as economic and political
circumstances shifted from the mid-1970s onwards, the size and scope of the public
sector and the management of the workforce was increasingly questioned.
The emergence of the new public management (NPM) has become associated
with a radical shift in the management of the public sector workforce.
23.4 New Public Management and the
Employment Relationship
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
New Public Management has been associated with a number of pressures that have
been a catalyst for public sector reform. First, Wscal and social pressures on public
services have arisen from the ageing of the population and advances in medical
technology in OECD countries. Not only has demand for welfare services increased
but there has been increased criticism of the quality of public service provision and
the failure to meet citizens’ expectations. Governments were confronted with the
diYcult challenge of ‘squaring the circle’ of higher demand in a context of Wscal
constraint (Foster and Plowden 1996).
Second, in some countries during the 1980s, notably the UK, public service
reform was underpinned by a ideological commitment to ‘roll back the frontiers’ of
the state. Such an approach drew heavily on the assumptions underpinning public
choice theory with its view of employees as ‘knaves’ working in ineYcient state
bureaucracies. Other pioneers of the NPM, especially New Zealand and Australia,
with Labour governments ostensibly opposed to the New Right agenda, also
vigorously implemented the NPM (Foster and Plowden 1996: 43). President
Clinton was also an enthusiastic advocate of some aspects of the NPM.
This combination of pressures gave rise to a set of policy prescriptions labeled
the New Public Management. Hood (1991) suggests that the term comprises the
following practices:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hands-on professional management in the public sector
Private sector styles of management
Disaggregation of units
Greater competition in service provision
Tighter and more eYcient use of resources
Explicit standards and measures of performance
Emphasis on output controls.
476
stephen bach and ian kessler
Reviews of the reform process in OECD countries reveal variation in the uptake
and application of the NPM (Pollitt and Bouckaert 2004). An OECD (1996: 23)
report reviewing developments in central government noted, ‘in the area of human
resource management . . . reform strategies are highly context speciWc and shaped
by the cultural and institutional details of each particular country.’ In some
countries NPM practices were used selectively, but in others such as the UK,
they were taken forward in combination. Deployed in this way there are some
important linkages between the diVerent practices. To highlight these links, the
HR implications are considered under three headings: management, changing
organizational structures, and resource utilization.
23.4.1 Management
A striking features of NPM has been its emphasis on the establishment of a cadre of
managers to enforce a more ‘business-like’ approach. These managers are ceded
greater operational control but are also more subject to centralized forms of audit.
To achieve their performance goals, managers were expected to change employment practices, including tighter control of staV, through clearer performance
targets linked to individual performance-related pay and more forceful management of issues such as absenteeism. In addition, pay determination was to be
devolved to enhance management authority, with rewards more closely linked to
local labor market conditions and organizational requirements.
These developments had implications for the career systems of managers as well
as for the staV. There has been the growth of senior management roles and chief
executive posts (often with experience of the private sector). The emergence of this
cadre of managers was especially marked in the UK health service, and between
1985 and 1995 the number of employees categorized as NHS managers rose from
300 to over 23,000 (Kirkpatrick et al. 2005: 91). Senior managers were expected to be
change agents, recruited on short-term contracts with substantially higher salaries,
but required to achieve demanding performance targets (Ferlie 2002: 284). This
trend signals a shift away from a predominantly career-based model of employment in which public servants remain in the public sector for their whole working
life. Instead, a position-based system has emerged in which the best-suited candidate is selected for each individual position from internal or external sources. Shifts
to position-based systems in the last two decades are most evident in Canada, New
Zealand, Sweden, and the UK. There is a danger, however, that countries which
have moved away from career-based systems for civil servants have encountered
negative consequences in terms of a loss of collective responsibility and a unifying
culture (OECD 2004a: 3).
A key aim of the introduction of professional managers was to curb the
entrenched power of professionals. It is widely assumed that a tension exists
hrm and the new public management
477
between managers and professionals who have diVering goals and orientations.
The early NPM literature noted the capacity of professional groups, such as
medical staV, to resist the budgetary goals associated with NPM. As these policies
became more embedded it is often suggested that professional staV have fared less
well in terms of their power, authority, and status (McLaughlin et al. 2002).
Evidence from the UK points to a more nuanced picture. Senior managers have
become increasingly reliant on professionals to deliver on central government
targets and professional control of services remains strong (Kirkpatrick et al.
2005). Nonetheless, professional roles have altered and in the NHS professional
staV have been required to undertake more managerial work. Moreover, NPM’s
emphasis on the development of customer-oriented skills has altered job roles away
from an exclusive focus on professionally deWned norms. Pay modernization in the
NHS is reinforcing this process by placing a premium on softer, interactive
competencies such as oral communication; which is deWned as a core skill for all
health service staV (Bach 2004: 192).
The emphasis on strengthening managerial prerogatives also has implications
for employee voice, with the potential to erode trade union inXuence. A dramatic
example of this approach occurred in the UK when the Conservative government
announced in 1984 that 4,000 workers at GCHQ (Government Communications
Headquarters) could no longer retain their trade union membership. Given an
economy-wide decline in union membership and density, it is diYcult to evaluate
the extent to which this has undermined the position of the public sector unions in
Britain. Union density in the public sector has remained relatively high, suggesting
an entrenched commitment amongst public servants to a collective voice. There
are, however, other signs that union inXuence may have waned.
The adoption of private sector styles of management is relevant in this respect as
the attention focused on performance-related pay (PRP) illustrates. Many governments including those in Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK,
and the USA adopted PRP in some form from the 1980s. Even countries such as
France, traditionally viewed as unreceptive to NPM ideas, have been experimenting
with PRP for top-level civil servants in six pilot ministries since 2004 (OECD 2005).
There are a number of reasons for the adoption of PRP practices. First, characterized by standard pay rates and service-related increments, traditional pay systems
were perceived as weak tools for the management of employee performance. PRP
was viewed as fostering individual motivation by establishing a link between
achievement and rewards. Second, PRP was seen as a means to establish tighter
control of the pay bill by reducing across-the-board pay increases and annual
increments and, instead, targeting pay increases at high performers. Third, PRP
had a political objective in demonstrating that public sector workers are not
unaccountable and only receive pay increases linked to performance (OECD 2005).
In practice, the pursuit of these objectives has proved problematic. While the UK
government was able to introduce PRP into the civil service where it remained the
478
stephen bach and ian kessler
direct employer, its application to the health service and local government was
limited. In the civil service, it is questionable whether PRP was eVective. In terms of
pay bill control, there was such a strong expectation amongst employees of an
across-the-board cost-of-living increase that any attempt to use PRP to motivate
employees required supplementary funding to the existing pay bill. Research that
examined PRP in the UK Inland Revenue Department cast major doubts on the
motivational eVects of such schemes (Marsden and Richardson 1994). Adopting
the tenets of expectancy theory, the authors found PRP was unlikely to motivate
public servants. The setting of tangible performance objectives for public servants
is diYcult given the range of stakeholders they have to serve and the nature of their
work; the clarity of the link between such objectives and pay is likely to be poor
given various pay constraints; and typically civil servants place less weight on pay
relative to other rewards, especially where the amounts of performance pay available are small.
These Wndings have been accepted by the OECD, formerly a leading advocate of
PRP, and they conclude that ‘PRP is unlikely to motivate a substantial majority of
staV, irrespective of the design’ (OECD 2005: 6). Nonetheless, inXuenced by the
work of Marsden (2004), they argue that PRP has an important role to play in
encouraging goal-setting and appraisal, in stimulating managerial change, and in
renegotiating eVort norms upwards.
23.4.2 Changing Organizational Structures
An important component of the NPM comprised changes in organizational structures and the breaking up of monolithic public service organizations into separate
units with more devolved management practice. Apart from more direct budget
responsibilities, the devolution of responsibility for HR practice to local managers
allowed greater scope to alter job roles and develop other forms of Xexibility. These
developments also enabled line managers to play a more active role in developing
workplace reforms (Bach 1999). These forms of organizational fragmentation were
often accompanied by competition between service units, designed to produce an
operational dynamic which was diVerent from that underpinning the traditional
state bureaucracy.
The most visible part of these reforms was a program of privatization in which
most of the UK nationalized industries covering gas, water, electricity, steel, and
coal had been privatized by 1997. In most cases, privatization led to substantial job
losses. Collective bargaining remained the dominant form of pay determination in
privatized companies, but it became more decentralized, management grades were
often excluded, and the ability of trade unions to mobilize their members diminished. Senior managers experimented with new forms of HRM; some developed
more abrasive styles of macho-management designed to marginalize trade unions
hrm and the new public management
479
(e.g. British Airways), whilst others (e.g. in water supply) sought to sustain
cooperative relations with unions and the workforce through ‘partnership agreements’ (O’Connell Davidson 1993; Pendleton 1997).
In the non-trading part of the public sector, the most important component of
privatization has been the contracting out or outsourcing of services; a process that
has left few countries untouched (Domberger 1998). In the UK, it was mandatory
in hospitals and local authorities to competitively tender for catering and cleaning
services, a process which placed considerable downward pressure on terms and
conditions of employment with especially detrimental eVects on the employment
conditions of women who tended to predominate in these services (Escott and
WhitWeld 1985). The process also encouraged the growth of Wxed-term employment contracts because of the time-limited nature of service contracts (Corby and
White 1999: 120).
Another way in which governments tried to stimulate competition was via the
creation of internal markets which separated the purchasers of services from the
service providers. This was the approach adopted in the UK where the government
created an internal market for health care in the early 1990s, a policy emulated by
other health services in countries such as Italy (Anessi-Pessina et al. 2004). While
a contrived form of competition, it encouraged managers to uproot traditional
patterns of HRM and experiment with changes in work organization, skill mix, and
working time (Bach 2004).
A diVerent form of structural change occurred when governments created
separate ‘agencies,’ ministerial bodies managed under contractual arrangements,
but with greater autonomy over their Wnancial and HR management. These
arrangements were adopted in civil services in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, the
Netherlands, and Sweden. In the Dutch case, it was anticipated that by 2004
approximately 80 percent of civil servants would be working in departmental
agencies (OECD 1996: 26; 2004b). The UK government established around 200
civil service agencies in the late 1980s. They were seen as analogous to private sector
subsidiaries and better able to deliver speciWc services than if they were part of
a larger, more integrated government department.
These new service units typically took on the employer role with a responsibility
for many of the policies and practices required to manage employees. This shift in
the level of responsibility for HRM had a signiWcant impact, but it is equally
apparent that the use made of these HR discretions remained constrained. In the
UK, the creation of agencies and the accompanying pay devolution led to the
break-up of national pay determination in the civil service and the development of
agency-based pay systems. This agency set-up also fragmented career pathways,
preventing the kind of seamless movement within and between departments
possible under a uniWed civil service.
More generally, the development of local HR practices in the public services was
quite limited (Kessler et al. 2000). Indeed, any local practices adopted often shared
480
stephen bach and ian kessler
similar features, suggesting mimicking or copying. The reluctance of disaggregated
service units to use their HR discretions can be related to a number of factors, as
the experience of pay determination illustrates. First, the expertise of local HR
specialists and trade unionists was limited, considering the legacy of centralized pay
determination, which restricted their scope to take advantage of devolution. There
was also inadequate specialist HR capacity and trade union organization at this
level and it is not clear that general managers were always willing to involve HR
specialists or union representatives in employment matters.
Second, many managers were unwilling to exercise their HR discretion because
they believed that local variation would cause more problems that it would resolve.
In NHS trusts and local authorities, employers successfully resisted government
calls to develop local bargaining. They saw little beneWt in implementing a policy
that was opposed by trade unions and which would antagonize the workforce. In
the absence of additional resources ‘to pay for change,’ they were also concerned
about the administrative costs associated with local pay determination and anxious
to avoid the pay ‘leapfrogging’ that might arise in a more ‘balkanized’ pay set-up
(Bach and Winchester 1994).
There were also instances where employers were unable to develop local practices. In the case of the civil service executive agencies, pay devolution remained
heavily constrained by Treasury control over pay mandates, limiting the money
available and how it could be spent. More generally, the issue of political accountability placed limits on the risks that service units were prepared to take in the
developments of new HR practices. The OECD (1996: 27) noted:
In each of the countries, traditional public sector values of merit, equity, fairness and ethical
behaviour continue to inXuence human resource policies and practices. These values
constrain the risks executives and managers are prepared to take. They remain aware that
their employment policies may become subject to closer public scrutiny than would likely
be applied to a private sector Wrm and that they must not needlessly expose their Minister
or other public oYcial to risk through unacceptable or controversial practices.
23.4.3 Resource Utilization
The values which the OECD Report suggests continue to underpin HR practice
should not obscure the emphasis on a tighter control of resources, not least staV
costs. There have been workforce reductions across a number of countries,
particularly in central government. Between the mid-1980s and 1990s, employment
in central government fell by around 30 percent in Germany and the UK, by 16
percent in Australia, and by 10 percent in Sweden (Ingraham et al. 2000: 395). These
reductions were clearly eroding the traditional job security of public servants,
particularly when allied to the growth of Wxed-term working associated with the
competitive pressures noted earlier.
hrm and the new public management
481
Drawing upon some of the distinctions made in the HR literature on management styles, this focus on the eYcient use of human resources has more in
common with a cost minimization than a high-commitment approach to HRM
(Purcell and Ahlstrand 1994). Indeed, if personnel specialists in the new disaggregated service units were involved in any activity, it was not so much devising new
HR practices which met local ‘business’ needs but in ensuring that labor costs were
reduced by tackling sickness absence and altering the composition of the workforce
(Kessler et al. 2000).
The pressures faced by the public sector workforce have been exacerbated by the
performance and audit regimes. In addition to encouraging a short-term approach
to people management, the target culture has aVected staV morale. Kirkpatrick et al.
(2005: 176) highlight Wndings from the UK’s 1998 Workplace Employment
Relations Survey which showed that public sector workers were more likely than
employees in the private sector to experience stress and be absent through illness.
Guest and Conway (2002) reported that ‘levels of satisfaction, trust and commitment are all lower in the public sector.’ Most signiWcant are the detrimental
consequences for recruitment and retention, particularly for professional groups
such as nurses, social workers, and teachers. Between 1995 and 1999, the number of
applications to social work fell by 55 percent and, between 1996 and 2003, the
vacancy rate for social workers rose from 6.4 to 11 percent (TOPSS 2003).
23.5 Beyond the NPM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In the last few years, the NPM has lost some of its potency and its contradictions
have become more visible (Hood and Peters 2004). This shift of perspective is
exempliWed in recent OECD publications which have moved from wholesale
endorsement to a much more critical stance of the key assumptions of the NPM:
While it is important to have better goals, targets and measures in government, we must
recognise that such a highly formalised approach has severe limitations for complex
activities. . . . There is a danger that the constitutional, legal, cultural and leadership factors
which together create what is important and distinctive about public services and the
people who work in them, are not considered or, worse, are dismissed as the bureaucratic
problem which must be ‘reformed.’ (OECD 2003: 4 5)
These comments reXect a belief that a ‘post NPM’ era is emerging. If the traditional
organizational logic in the public sector was based on bureaucracy and that under
NPM was founded on markets, the emergent managerial form is seen as being
underpinned by networks. The emphasis represents a shift from ‘government’ to
‘governance’ which focuses on who makes public decisions and how these decisions
482
stephen bach and ian kessler
are implemented to safeguard constitutional values. Governance signals that a
wider range of agencies and stakeholders from within and beyond the public sector
are becoming involved in service delivery. This raises new managerial challenges in
dealing with a diverse array of stakeholders, including the workforce. Three
features of this governance or network approach and their consequences for people
management are analyzed:
.
.
.
An emphasis on user-centered services
The pursuit of a ‘partnership’ approach
An increased emphasis on service quality and performance.
23.5.1 User-Centered Services
The user-centered approach to service provision marks a degree of continuity with
aspects of the NPM in focusing on a shift from a producer culture to ‘consumer’sensitive services. Many governments, extending beyond the usual NPM exemplars
to include Belgium and India, have introduced service charters and performance
pledges designed to inculcate in employees the need to serve customers. Whereas
under the NPM the emphasis was on individual citizen entitlement to services,
there has been a shift of emphasis within service charters towards collective, civic
obligations (Drewry 2005). In other words, the citizen has responsibilities (e.g. for
their health) as well as rights, perhaps reducing a concern that aggrieved
‘customers’ will take out their dissatisfaction directly on public sector workers,
a justiWable worry taking account of increases in violence against front-line public
sector workers.
The attachment of the UK government to ratings and ‘league tables’ of organizational performance is integral to this approach and seeks to enhance ‘choice.’
Such an approach also has crucial implications for work organization. This is
reXected in the establishment of ‘One Stop Shops’ providing the service user
with a single gateway to a range of services. Often accessible by telephone or
on-line, such a service not only requires diVerent skill sets, with employees now
having to deal with a wide range of queries, but it has often been provided by call
centers and in a new type of working environment.
This type of user-centered approach has challenged traditional work practices.
The NHS illustrates the degree to which national policy makers in the UK have
continued to confront the ‘privileged’ position of professionals as reXected in
protected job boundaries. For instance, in the UK, the power of doctors has been
addressed by extending the authority of nurses to dispense certain treatments.
Where recent attacks on the professions have diVered from those in the past has
been in the way in which they have alternated with a government willingness to
engage with professional concerns. It is this more placatory government approach
which can be seen as one element of the greater emphasis on ‘partnership.’
hrm and the new public management
483
23.5.2 Partnership
In recent debates on the reform of the public sector, the term ‘partnership’ has been
center stage, signifying attempts to move away from adversarial relations towards
mutuality. This was a key goal of President Clinton’s promotion of partnership
working in the federal government, a policy revoked by President Bush (Masters
and Albright 2003). The term has been used in various ways. First, it reXects
government attempts to ally itself with professionals by stressing its concern to
try to improve their working lives. The UK government has used this rationale to
justify its pursuit of more Xexible work practices, notably amongst the school
workforce. A workforce remodeling agreement has challenged professional job
boundaries by giving whole class responsibilities to a new teaching assistant role
but at the same time it has guaranteed that certain administrative ‘burdens’ are
removed from teachers.
This new relationship with professionals is part of a broader attempt to develop
a new partnership relationship with the public sector workforce. While in the UK
the user is still privileged in public policy discourse, it is now recognized that user
interests are best served not by the viliWcation of producers but by encouraging
their engagement in the delivery of better services. As the British government has
stressed, ‘we will value public service, not denigrate it’ (Cabinet OYce 1999: 7). To
this end, the ‘model’ employer approach has been resurrected, not so much as
a means of setting an example to the private sector but more by ‘using the example
of best modern employment practice’ to improve the quality of work life for its
staV (Department of Health 1998: para.2.4).
How far the UK government has delivered on this rhetoric is debatable. The pay
position of employees in local government and health has been improved. Survey
data also suggests that public sector employees are much more likely to be
communicated with and informed than those in the private sector (Kersley et al.
2005). Two-thirds of public sector workers are covered by a staV survey, while the
Wgure is barely a third in the private sector. However, this data suggests that there
has not been a major shift in levels of employee involvement across the public
services over recent years.
The term partnership has also emerged in government attempts to change its
relationship with the trade unions. The UK government’s attitude towards the
unions has vacillated, displaying a degree of ambiguity. At times the government
has suggested a Wrm commitment to working closely with the unions. ‘We recognise the contribution they [the unions] can and do make to achieving shared goals.
We will continue to work in partnership with them’ (Cabinet OYce 1999: 55). More
tangibly, recent pay agreements in health and local government have formally
endorsed union partnership working at the workplace level. However, the government has continued to push through public service reforms particularly around
private sector involvement in public services which has angered the unions, while
484
stephen bach and ian kessler
at the workplace level there is evidence to suggest that partnership working is often
based on a restricted form of union involvement (Bach 2004). Related concerns
about management commitment, the degree of union representativeness, and the
expertise of both parties have been viewed as barriers to partnership working in
the US federal government (Masters and Albright 2003: 203).
The Wnal form of partnership relates to new modes of service delivery and in
particular to an approach which is based on the provision of services by a range of
organizations working together. Within the public sector, this inter-organizational
working has been equated with a ‘joined-up’ approach within government, but it
has also embraced joint working between organizations in the public, independent, and private sectors. These forms of partnership mark a retreat from key
elements of the NPM approach with a reliance on disaggregated service units
giving way to a greater emphasis on integrated working. Moreover, the privileging
of market forces and private sector practices now succumbs to a more pragmatic,
mixed approach where ‘what works best is used.’ This approach is not conWned to
the UK as recent experience in the Netherlands and elsewhere testiWes (Kickert
2003).
Within the public sector, a ‘joined-up’ approach has heralded a reaYrmation of
national employment relations institutions. This is reXected in national pay agreements in health and local government which provide a framework for major pay
reform. It has also been apparent in the development of more coordinated and
integrated approaches to HRM in these parts of the public service with the
development of national HR strategies. In addition, greater cross-organizational
working raises possible tensions between HR values, systems, and practices. As
agencies from diVerent (sub) sectors come together, how do they align their deeply
embedded HR approaches? For example, the UK government’s attempt to develop
an integrated workforce devoted to children raises questions related to how major
procedural and substantives diVerences in pay between social workers, teachers,
and various health workers are to be addressed.
23.5.3 Performance
Public service performance has remained central to the reform agenda across
OECD countries (OECD 2003). However, there have been shifts in discourse and
practice which have seen aspects of the NPM approach deepened and others given a
diVerent emphasis. Organizational performance has been increasingly related not
only to the eYcient but also the eVective use of resources as reXected in higherquality public services. To this end, a continued, if not greater, reliance has been
placed on performance targets allied to a more explicit recognition that improved
organizational performance in a service context is dependent on improved
employee performance. The irony lies in the fact that a service culture still driven
hrm and the new public management
485
by performance measures has made it more diYcult to elicit the type of employee
performance needed to produce better-quality services.
An interest in the organizational-employee performance nexus has led to a
growing concentration on employee skills. This can be seen in attempts to develop
a more planned approach to service delivery, involving workforce planning and a
more considered approach to the development of employee skills. While the early
phases of modernization encouraged a focus on management development (Bach
1999), a wider skills deWcit has forced an emphasis on targeted overseas recruitment
and a focus on developing skills throughout the workforce. This emphasis is
reXected in the recent agreements reached in local government and health in the
UK where ‘skills escalators’ have been introduced to provide opportunities for
employee career progression.
These attempts to develop the public sector skill base Xow through to aVect
other HR practices. They require the creation of clear career pathways and the
dedicated application of performance appraisal systems which help staV with their
skills development. This is a commitment-based HR agenda which, in focusing on
employee development, contrasts sharply with the cost minimization approach of
the NPM era.
At the same time, such attempts are based on heroic assumptions about the
willingness of employees to develop their careers in these ways. More profoundly,
they sit in tension with pressures which the performance and audit framework
continue to generate. In particular, performance targets continue to structure the
working lives of public servants, generating cumbersome procedures and ‘mountains’ of paperwork which undermine morale. The principal reason for ongoing
recruitment and retention diYculties relates to perceived ‘burdens’ associated with
performance targets (Audit Commission 2002).
23.6 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In recent years, the public sector in most countries has been caught up in
a continuous process of reform that has major consequences for HR practice.
The rise of the NPM movement signiWed a rejection of traditional models of
HRM in the public sector. The establishment of a more assertive managerialism
in conjunction with tighter control of resources, forms of marketization, and
changes in organizational structures ensured that the burden of adjustment was
placed squarely on the workforce. Although in many countries the public sector
became more eYcient, for the workforce this eYciency drive was mainly associated
with more intensive working practices, downsizing, tighter control of performance,
486
stephen bach and ian kessler
and the dilution of union inXuence. In terms of HR practice, there have been
attempts to ‘deprivilege’ the employment conditions of public sector workers and
there has been a degree of convergence between employment practices in the public
and private sector.
In recent years, some of the unexpected consequences of the NPM have increasingly been acknowledged. These diYculties often stemmed from a failure of the
NPM reforms to recognize that HR practice has both to facilitate the eYcient
delivery of public services and also to enshrine deeper constitutional values that
make up an irreducible political core at the heart of the public sector. Ironically,
some of the much derided features of the traditional ‘bureaucratic’ model of HR
practice are being reinvented as the limitations of a fragmented and narrowly
focused target approach are recognized. More emphasis is being placed on valuing
the workforce and, in the UK case, the modernization agenda explicitly seeks to
shift from a cost minimization approach to one modeled on the ‘high-performance
workplace.’ The extent to which this agenda can be implemented eVectively will
shape HR practice in the years to come.
References
Alvesson, A. (2004). Knowledge Work and Knowledge Intensive Firms. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Anessi Pessina, E., Cantu, E., and Jommi, C. (2004). ‘Phasing out Market Mechanisms in
the Italian National Health Service.’ Public Money and Management, August: 309 16.
Audit Commission (2002). Recruitment and Retention. London: Audit Commission.
Bach, S. (1999). ‘Personnel Managers: Managing to Change.’ In S. Corby and G. White
(eds.), Employee Relations in the Public Services. London: Routledge.
(2004). Employment Relations in the NHS: The Management of Reforms. London:
Routledge.
and Winchester, D. (1994). ‘Opting out of Pay Devolution? The Prospects for
Local Pay Bargaining in UK Public Services.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 32/2:
264 82.
Bordogna, L., Della Rocca, G., and Winchester, D. (eds.) (1999). Public Service
Employment Relations in Europe. London: Routledge.
Beaumont, P. (1992). Public Sector Industrial Relations. London: Routledge.
Bordogna, L., and Winchester, D. (2001). ‘Collective Bargaining in Western Europe.’ In
C. Dell’Aringa, G. Della Rocca, and B. Keller (eds.), Strategic Choices in Reforming Public
Service Employment. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basing
stoke: Palgrave.
Cabinet OYce (1999). Modernising Government. London: HMSO.
Corby, S., and White, G. (eds.) (1999). Employee Relations in the Public Services. London:
Routledge.
hrm and the new public management
487
Coyle Shapiro, J., and Kessler, I. (2004). ‘Beyond Exchange.’ Paper presented to the
Academy of Management, New Orleans.
Crewson, P. (1997). ‘Public Service Motivation: Building Empirical Evidence of the
Incidence and EVect.’ Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 7: 499 518.
Department of Health (1998). Working Together. London: HMSO.
Domberger, S. (1998). The Contracting Organization: A Strategic Guide to Outsourcing.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Drewry, G. (2005). ‘Citizen’s Charters: Service Quality Chameleons.’ Public Management
Review, 7/3: 321 40.
DTI (2005). Trade Union Membership, 2004. London: DTI.
Escott, K., and Whitfield, D. (1995). The Gender Impact of CCT in Local Government.
London: HMSO.
Ferlie, E. (2002). ‘Quasi Strategy: Strategic Management in the Contemporary Public
Sector.’ In A. Pettigrew, H. Thomas, and R. Whittington (eds.), Handbook of Strategy and
Management. London: Sage.
Foster, C., and Plowden, F. (1996). The State under Stress. Buckingham: Open University
Press.
Guest, D., and Conway, N. (2002). The State of the Psychological Contract. London: CIPD.
Hood, C. (1991). ‘A Public Management for All Seasons.’ Public Administration, 69/1: 3 19.
and Peters, G. (2004). ‘The Middle Aging of New Public Management: Into the Age
of Paradox.’ Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 14/3: 267 82.
Ingraham, P., et al. (2000). ‘Public Employment and the Future of Public Service.’ In
G. Peters and D. Savoie (eds.), Governance in the Twenty First Century. Montreal:
Canadian Centre for Management Development.
Keller, B. (2005). ‘Changing Employment Relations in the Public Sector.’ European
Industrial Relations Review, 376/May: 27 30.
Kersley, B., et al. (2005). Inside the Workplace. London: DTI.
Kessler, I., and Purcell, J. (1996). ‘Strategic Choice and New Forms of Employment
Relations in the Public Service Sector.’ International Journal of Human Resource Manage
ment, 7/1: 206 29.
and Coyle Shapiro, J. (2000). ‘New Forms of Employment Relations in the
Public Services.’ Industrial Relations Journal, 31/1: 17 34.
Kickert, W. (2003). ‘Beyond Public Management: Shifting Frames of Reference in
Administrative Reforms in the Netherlands.’ Public Management Review, 5/3: 377 99.
Kirkpatrick, I.. Ackroyd, S., and Walker, R. (2005). The New Managerialism and Public
Service Professions. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Le Grand, J. (2003). Motivation, Agency and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McLaughlin, K., Osborne, S., and Ferlie, E. (eds.) (2002). New Public Management:
Current Trends and Future Prospects. London: Routledge.
Marsden, D. (2004). ‘The Role of Performance Related Pay in Renegotiating the ‘‘EVort
Bargain’’: The Case of the British Public Sector.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review,
57/3: 350 70.
and Richardson, R. (1994). ‘Performance Pay: The EVects of Merit Pay on
Motivation in the Public Services.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 32/2: 243 61.
Masters, M., and Albright, R. (2003). ‘Federal Labor Management Partnerships:
Perspectives, Performance and Possibilities.’ In J. Brock and D. Lipsky (eds.), Going
488
stephen bach and ian kessler
Public: The Role of Labor Management Relations in Delivering Quality Government
Services. Urbana: University of Illinois, IRRA Series.
Morris, G. (2000). ‘Employment in Public Services: The Case for Special Treatment.’
Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 20/2: 167 83.
Moynihan, D. (2003). ‘Public Management Policy Change in the United States during the
Clinton Era.’ International Public Management Journal, 6/3: 371 94.
Niskanen, W. (1971). Bureaucracy and Representative Government. Chicago: Aldine
Atherton.
O’Connell Davidson, J. (1993). Privatization and Employment Relations: The Case of the
Water Industry. London: Mansell.
OECD (1996). Integrating People Management into Public Service Reform. Paris: OECD.
(2002). Highlights of Public Sector Pay and Employment Trends: 2002 Update. Paris:
OECD.
(2003). Policy Brief: Public Sector Modernization. Paris: OECD.
(2004a). Policy Brief: Public Sector Modernisation: Modernising Public Employment.
Paris: OECD.
(2004b). Policy Brief: Public Sector Modernisation: Changing Organizational Structures.
Paris: OECD.
(2005). Policy Brief: Paying for Performance: Policies for Government Employees. Paris:
OECD.
Pendleton, A. (1997). ‘What Impact Has Privatisation Had on Pay and Employment?
A Review of the UK Experience.’ Relations industrielles, 52/3: 554 79.
Perry, J., and Porter, L. (1982). ‘Factors AVecting the Context for Motivation in Public
Organizations.’ Academy of Management Review, 7: 89 98.
Pollitt, C., and Bouckaert, G. (2004). Public Management Reform. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Purcell, J., and Ahlstrand, B. (1994). Human Resource Management in the Multidivi
sional Company. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ring, P., and Perry, J. (1985). ‘Strategic Management in Public and Private Organizations:
Implications of Distinctive Contexts and Constraints.’ Academy of Management Review,
10/2: 276 86.
Thomason, T., and Burton, J. (2003). ‘Unionization Trends and Labor Management
Co operation in the Public Sector.’ In J. Brock and D. Lipsky (eds.), Going Public: The
Role of Labor Management Relations in Delivering Quality Government Services. Urbana:
University of Illinois, IRRA Series.
TOPSS (2003). London Workforce Survey and Partnership Mapping Analysis. London:
TOPSS.
chapter 24
....................................................................................................................................................
M U LT I NAT I O NA L
C O M PA N I E S
A N D G LO BA L
H U M A N R E S O U RC E
S T R AT E G Y
....................................................................................................................................
william n. cooke
24.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The growth and spread of multinational companies around the world over the last
two to three decades has been nothing short of extraordinary. Indeed, since 1980
there has been a nearly twelve fold increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) and
a greater than eight fold increase in the number of multinational companies
(MNCs). As of 2004 there were over 61,000 MNCs with ownership in over
900,000 foreign aYliated operations worldwide. These foreign aYliates alone
employed more than 54 million employees, managed over $US 31 trillion in assets,
generated over $US 17 trillion in sales, and accounted for roughly 33 percent of
worldwide exports and 10 percent of gross domestic product (UNCTAD 2004: 8–9
I thank Chris Brewster, Anthony Ferner, Steve Frenkel, Paul Marginson, Sully Taylor, and the editors
for helpful suggestions in drafting this chapter.
490
william n. cooke
and Table B.3, p. 376). The ever expanding reach of MNCs in an increasingly
competitive and uncertain global market place puts the multinational enterprise
at the center of a widening public debate and scrutiny regarding the impact of
MNCs on the global economy, on the well-being of workers and communities
across the globe, and on the earth’s natural resources and environment. This
broader and heated debate notwithstanding, the continual expansion of multinational operations undoubtedly raises a host of questions about the critical role of
managing human resources across borders.
The focus of this chapter is on the salient human resource strategy issues and
dynamics that come into play as a function of the multinational reach of companies.
Although the overall objectives of formulating and implementing HR strategies as
described throughout this volume are the same for national and multinational
companies, global HR strategies must take into account factors germane to direct
investments made abroad and the management of cross-border operations.
At question herein, therefore, is: What factors or considerations are unique to
companies operating across borders and what are the implications of these factors
in regard to the successful development and deployment of global HR strategies?
The existing literature in regard to global HR strategies can be characterized as
being in an early stage of development. To date, there have been important insights
into the management of human resources on a global basis but as a body of
literature it remains somewhat fragmented in its foci and suVers from the lack of
attention to building a widely embraced and comprehensive analytical framework;
one that pulls together the varied mix of decision-making that goes into the
formulation and implementation of global HR strategies. My primary objective
in this chapter, therefore, is to oVer a reasonably coherent and comprehensive
(albeit, highly simpliWed) analytical framework that captures and integrates the
salient strategic decisions MNCs face in formulating global HR strategies. This
broader focus precludes any detailed review and analyses of the various components of such a framework and underlying issues of strategy implementation.
Nevertheless, my aim in venturing to articulate a fairly encompassing framework
is to stimulate further discussion and debate about how we can better frame our
enquiries and analyses to improve our broader theoretical and practical understanding of global strategic HR issues.
24.2 An Analytical Framework
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Understanding the decision-making and choices made by MNCs in regard to
global HR strategies requires understanding both the primary objectives that
global human resource strategy
491
motivate managerial behavior and the prominent factors that inXuence or
constrain managers as they act to achieve their primary objectives. We can begin
by assuming that companies are in business to optimize proWts. At a minimum,
companies must achieve proWtability levels suYcient to just satisfy owners
and shareholders, which at any point in time may equate to mere survival.
Optimization beyond this minimum threshold requires that companies create
competitive advantages, which translate into a range of superior and sustainable
proWtability outcomes. The ability of companies to optimize proWtability is
bounded, of course, by constraints placed on them by the broader economic
and socio-political environments within which they compete and which are
never static.
Within these constraints, we can further assume that in the pursuit of optimizing proWts, management seeks to act rationally. That is, management is calculative
in weighing the beneWts and costs associated with the formulation and implementation of alternative strategies. Invariably bounded by imperfect information and
foresight, and facing persistent changes in the broader environment, management
adjusts strategies in response to observed or anticipated changes in the broader
environment, to unforeseen circumstances encountered, to trial-and-error activities that fall short of anticipated net beneWts, and to mistakes invariably made.
Successful companies, therefore, must be Xexible and adaptable, as well as have
their eyes on continuously improving performance. Although managers may not
always act rationally in the pursuit of proWt optimization, companies that are better
able to formulate, implement, and adjust their strategies in economically rational
ways are rewarded by the market place and those that are less able to do so are
penalized by the market place. The socio-political contexts within which companies compete can also mete out penalties and rewards for failing to act or for
acting in socially responsible ways.
With these assumptions of optimizing behavior and constraints in mind, I
have attempted to diagram in Fig. 24.1 the broader context within which global
HR strategies are formulated and pursued. Central to this framework, MNCs face
the task of sorting through how best to formulate, implement, and adjust global
HR strategies that align eVectively with their more encompassing worldwide
business and investment strategies. Alignment of HR and business strategies
includes strategic assessments of human resource and technological capabilities
in regard to MNC choices about market positioning, about where to invest, and
about the diVusion of optimal HRM policies and practices; choices that necessarily span host and home locations. These global HR strategies, moreover, are
inXuenced directly by both home and host country industrial relations
(IR) systems and union strategies, as well as indirectly by the market and
socio-political contexts within which MNCs compete globally and which they
attempt to inXuence in their favor (see Frenkel 2005, for example, on this latter
point).
492
william n. cooke
Environmental context
Home and foreign
socio-political contexts
Home and foreign
market contexts
MNC business
strategies
Home country
IR systems
MNC global
HR strategies
Home operations
HR strategies
Host country
IR systems
Foreign operations
HR strategies
Home-country
union strategies Transnational inter-union strategies
Host-country
union strategies
Fig. 24.1. An analytical framework
24.2.1 The InXuence of HR Considerations on FDI Decisions
Key to any analysis of global HR strategies is FDI, investments that include
minority, joint, and majority ownership arrangements and vary by whether
they are made in ‘greenWeld’ sites or by merger and acquisition. As treated in
the economics literature, companies engaging in FDI believe they enjoy some
‘ownership’ advantage(s) over competitors operating in other countries, advantages they can exploit abroad. In exploiting ownership advantages, decisions
about where and how much to invest across alternative locations are a matter
of comparative ‘location’ advantages. Included among these potential location
global human resource strategy
493
advantages are market size, proximity to customers, infrastructure, investment
incentives, taxation, ease of divestment, and labor costs (e.g. Dunning 1993; Casson
and Buckley 1998).
Cast within the business strategy literature, ‘ownership’ advantages can be
translated into ‘competitive’ advantages, which can be exploited by MNCs strategically positioning themselves in their global markets (i.e. via cost leadership vs.
diVerentiation, defensive vs. oVensive, and narrower vs. wider scope positioning).
Regardless of the primary market-positioning objectives underlying FDI decisions,
MNCs seeking to act rationally will take into account the unit labor cost diVerences
across alternative host locations. Several recent studies yield strong and highly
consistent evidence that MNCs typically (but not always) invest less than they
would otherwise in those countries in which IR systems are characterized by factors
viewed by employers as driving up unit labor costs; either directly or indirectly by
restricting the freedom of employers to manage human resources (e.g. Cooke and
Noble 1998; Cooke 2001a; Bognanno et al. 2005).
More speciWcally, the evidence generally shows that, all else the same, MNCs
invest less in countries with lower average levels of education and higher average
hourly compensation costs. This Wnding is consistent with the expectation that
MNCs invest more in countries in which unit labor costs, not just hourly compensation costs, are lower as a result of productivity diVerences. MNCs also invest
less in countries that place more restrictive workplace policies and regulations on
management’s discretion to direct the workplace (e.g. in regard to lay-oVs and the
imposition of works councils). Furthermore, MNCs invest less than they would
otherwise in countries in which collective bargaining contexts would be perceived
as more constraining. Here, we Wnd that countries having higher levels of union
penetration and in which contract negotiation structures are centralized beyond
the company-wide level (mainly at the industry-wide level) attract less FDI than
they would otherwise. Finally, some evidence indicates that FDI is lower in
countries with records of greater labor–management conXict, as evidenced by
lost days of work due to work stoppages.
In summary, it appears that MNCs generally take into account HR considerations in deciding where and how much to invest across alternative host locations.
Although the statistical estimates in these studies indicate that IR system factors
have substantial eVects on FDI decisions, these studies do not provide much insight
into actual challenges faced when MNCs attempt to introduce new HRM policies
and practices to their foreign subsidiaries. Yet, to the extent that MNCs Wnd it more
or less costly to implement preferred HRM policies and practices in some foreign
locations than in others (treated as the ‘ease in exploiting’ ownership advantages in
the economics literature), MNCs seeking to act rationally will invest more in those
locations in which the local capacity and receptivity to organizational change are
greater.
494
william n. cooke
24.2.2 The DiVusion of Preferred HRM Strategies Abroad
To take a closer look at the issues and dynamics that unfold in managing human
resources abroad, we can turn to a growing and largely case study literature about
the diVusion of preferred HR strategies to foreign locations. At the center of
decisions regarding diVusion, the home oYces of MNCs can expect to encounter
local isomorphic pressures from foreign locations to maintain long-embedded
localized workplace policies and practices (Ferner and Quintanilla 1998). As argued
by Kostova (1999), the successful diVusion of new HRM policies and practices will
be more diYcult or costly to achieve, the greater the diVerences in workplace
cultures, norms, customary practices, laws, and institutional arrangements between
the country-of-origin and host country locations. The degree of local resistance,
therefore, will be a factor of how radical or extensive any change the parent seeks to
achieve at the subsidiary level.
It appears from numerous case studies and a few cross-sectional surveys of such
eVorts that the extent of diVusion varies widely along a continuum. At the one
extreme of the continuum, Bird et al. (1998) report that some Japanese MNCs have
been insistent on and successful in replicating home-based HRM systems across
their foreign subsidiaries. Believing that their HRM systems oVer substantial
competitive advantage, these MNCs have engaged in intensive eVorts to mold
foreign workplaces to their satisfaction via extensive recruitment and selection
activities coupled with substantial reorientation and training for both managers
and employees. By way of further example, McDonald’s has been largely successful
in diVusing its HR strategy throughout its chain of European fast-food restaurants.
According to Royle and Towers (2003), however, to minimize local resistance to the
diVusion of its uniform worldwide policies, McDonald’s has apparently circumvented long-standing, institutionalized forms of employee representation. In particular, Royle and Towers conclude that it has aggressively deterred employee
interest in union representation, has avoided compliance with collective bargaining
agreements, and has either evaded creating or maneuvered to dominate local and
national works councils.
At the other extreme of the continuum, some MNCs have apparently found that
the anticipated beneWts do not outweigh the costs of overcoming local resistance to
the diVusion of HRM practices from abroad and, thus, have decided against or
abandoned eVorts to transfer preferred HRM practices. For example, in their study
of Japanese television assembly transplants in the USA, Kenney and Tanaka (2003)
found that MNCs abandoned their eVorts to diVuse their preferred Japanese-style
‘learning bureaucracies,’ characterized as work environments placing primary
focus on creating learning environments in which all employees actively contribute
to continuously improving performance. According to the authors, American
traditions and cultures manifested in Fordist workplace systems (governed by
hierarchical job protection and seniority rights and distinct divisions between
global human resource strategy
495
management and labor) proved to be too deeply rooted in acquired plants to justify
or allow for the diVusion of preferred HR strategies that emphasized extensive
training in problem-solving, active suggestion programs, and oV-line small group
activities such as quality control circles. Similarly, Brewster and Tregaskis (2003)
found in their cross-sectional study of MNCs with operations in several European
countries that the institutional and cultural antecedents of host locations eVectively
blocked foreign MNCs from diVusing contingent employment practices (e.g. the
hiring of part-time, temporary, and Wxed-term contract employees) beyond what
was customary in given locales.
In between these extremes on the continuum, MNCs have simply maintained
some highly embedded policies and practices in their foreign locales while transferring to them other policies core to the parent’s preferred HR strategies. Policies
diVused, however, are often modiWed in practice to varying degrees to accommodate local workplace cultures and institutional arrangements. For example, in their
study of a UK–US-owned pharmaceutical MNC, Edwards et al. (2005) describe
how the corporate headquarters’ eVorts to diVuse preferred HRM practices (variable pay tied to job grading and performance) were met with local resistance. They
found, however, that locales were marked by suYcient degrees of ‘malleability,’
which allowed the MNC to structure alternative practices largely in line with its
preferred policies. In a similar vein, Gamble (2003) found that even in light of
the cultural distance between Chinese and UK workplaces, the eVorts of a Britishowned retail Wrm to transfer preferred HRM practices to China were largely
successful, but nonetheless, shaped by ‘subtle and ineluctable processes of transformation.’ A study of US-owned AT&T’s eVort to diVuse a universal, corporatewide cultural change program in its Scottish NCR subsidiary demonstrates,
furthermore, how critical it is that corporate executives create suYcient incentives
and provide convincing justiWcation for change in order to gain the support of
local managers and employees (Martin et al. 2003).
It is apparent, furthermore, that unions have played central roles in resisting the
diVusion of preferred HRM policies and practices abroad. In the Florida and
Kenney (1991) study of automobile manufacturing, US unions were unwilling to
accept the individualized pay systems based on merit and seniority sought by
Japanese-owned MNCs. In the Kenney and Tanaka (2003) study of television
assembly plants, US unions played a role in blocking the transfer of the preferred
Japanese HRM system. In their study of German subsidiaries of US- and UKowned MNCs, Schmitt and Sadowski (2003) found that subsidiaries were more
likely to retain existing collective bargaining and co-determination practices than
they were to retain existing HRM practices the parents sought to change. One can
draw from these and other analyses that unions by the nature of their function as
representatives of aVected employees and by the countervailing power they enjoy
are more inclined and/or better able to resist management initiatives at transforming workplaces than are unrepresented foreign locations.
496
william n. cooke
Based on this literature, it would appear that MNCs should anticipate encountering barriers and at least some resistance across their foreign subsidiaries to any
HRM changes sought, especially in the case of unionized sites. It follows that MNCs
need to make cost–beneWt calculations of the expected net gain derivable from
substituting preferred or modiWed HRM practices for existing practices in their
subsidiaries. Only if there were a suYcient net gain achievable after subtracting out
the costs of transforming the workplaces of their foreign locales would MNCs
rationally pursue the diVusion of preferred HRM policies and practices abroad.
24.2.3 Taking Union Representation into Account
As discussed, MNCs generally attempt to limit their exposure to union representation and collective bargaining, believing that the ‘eYciency’ gains achievable
from operating without union representation are greater than the ‘voice’ gains
achievable from operating with union representation. The presumption that
unions in general are on net costly appears to carry over into the global HR
strategies pursued by MNCs where they have invested abroad. Based on a number
of recent studies, it is apparent that many if not most MNCs attempt to avoid
union representation across their foreign operations when the costs of avoidance
are not viewed as too high. For example, Purcell et al. (1999) found that MNCs did
not strongly resist union representation in the manufacturing sector when it
appeared that the costs of avoidance outweighed the beneWts. In contrast, where
the costs of union avoidance in the Wnance and tourism sectors were not seen as
high, Japanese MNCs aggressively avoided union representation of their subsidiaries. In their study of Wve US-owned MNCs with subsidiaries in the UK, Ferner
et al. (2005), likewise, found that decisions to avoid union representation are
dependent on a mix of factors inXuencing the capacity and costs associated with
avoidance. Similarly, numerous other studies indicate that MNCs have made
concerted eVorts to avoid unions, for example, regarding German-owned MNCs
with subsidiaries in the UK (Beaumont et al. 1990) and European and Japaneseowned MNCs in the USA (Cooke 2001b). Furthermore, by pitting unionized
operations against other unionized and non-union operations as each vies for
limited investment and jobs, MNCs have positioned themselves to extract concessions from their unionized operations at home and abroad (see e.g. Marginson and
Sisson 2002; Martinez Lucio and Weston 1994).
The crux for unions representing the workforces of given MNC operations is
either to compete with each other over scarce capital investment and production or
to form transnational inter-union partnerships for the purpose of negotiating
directly with MNC headquarters, namely over the central global issues of FDI
and movement-of-work decision-making. Under the Wrst scenario, one can
surmise that only stronger unions situated in critical links within a MNC’s global
global human resource strategy
497
network of operations will be in a position to resist management’s threat of
relocating work and consequent demands for concessions. Under the second
scenario, unions have engaged in fairly limited cross-border activities to directly
confront MNCs over their FDI and transnational movement-of-work decisions.
Some global union federations have formed ‘world company councils’ comprised
of unions from diVerent nations representing workers of given MNCs, but these
councils appear to have limited themselves to cross-border information-sharing,
consultation, and modest support for each other’s struggles (see e.g. Gollbach and
Schulten 2000; Marginson and Sisson 2002). There have also been cross-border
campaigns conducted by sympathetic sister unions in the face of aggressive antiunion eVorts by MNCs (see e.g. Juravich and Bronfenbrenner 2003), but these
transnational campaigns are uncommon. Even under the exceptional opportunity
of the European Works Council Directive, which oVers a legally mandated forum
for unions representing various locations of a given MNC across European borders, few unions have taken advantage of the opportunity to forge even minimal
alliances (see e.g. Beaupain et al. 2003).
These coordinated transnational activities to date are undoubtedly too modest
for unions to mount suYcient and sustainable resistance to MNCs seeking to
weaken unions and wrest concessions from them. Whether or not unions will
eventually forge cross-border partnerships for the purpose of negotiating on
a transnational basis with MNCs depends on whether or not they can overcome
substantial barriers. Here, we Wnd that diVerences in union organizations and IR
systems across countries make the forging of inter-union partnerships diYcult to
achieve (see e.g. Gennard and Ramsay 2003; Hyman 1999; and Cooke 2005a). One
can surmise that the ability of unions to forge partnerships and engage MNCs in
transnational bargaining over FDI and movement-of-work will require that unions
Wrst recognize they are essentially in a prisoner’s dilemma in which cooperation
among them yields the greatest opportunity to inXuence the HR and investment
decisions of MNCs and, in turn, optimize gains for union members. Second, as
players in an iterated non-zero sum game, unions will need to develop strategies
that satisfy the necessary conditions and incentives of cooperation, which are not
easily satisWed but are, nevertheless, not insurmountable (see Cooke 2005a, for
elaboration). If unions eventually forge cross-border partnerships, the role of
collective bargaining would undoubtedly take on much greater importance in the
formulation and carrying out of global HR strategies.
24.2.4 The Environmental Context and Issues of Corporate
Social Responsibility
As framed herein, global business strategies and, in turn, global HR strategies are
inXuenced and constrained by both the economic and socio-political contexts
498
william n. cooke
within which MNCs compete. As discussed earlier, particularly relevant to MNC
strategic decisions regarding FDI and the diVusion of preferred HRM policies and
practices are diVerences in the labor markets, workplace cultures, collective bargaining contexts, and related laws across countries. These location diVerences are
all products of IR systems that have evolved uniquely out of the broader environmental contexts of countries.
Beyond being responsive to diVerences in IR systems and complying with
employment laws, looming large over the strategic decision-making of MNCs are
increasing demands to act as socially responsible corporate citizens both abroad
and at home. At the forefront of widespread public debate about corporate social
responsibility, along with environmental concerns, are employment and workplace
concerns; namely about improving labor standards and minimizing the loss of
good-paying jobs as MNCs from highly industrialized countries increasingly shift
investment and outsource work to low-wage developing countries. Although any
synthesis of the literature regarding these employment and workplace issues is well
beyond the intended scope of this chapter, the issues at hand are surely pertinent to
the formulation of global HR strategies. Towards at least sketching out the fundamental strategic decision-making required of MNCs, we can draw on a broader
literature about corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The concept or deWnition of CSR has been treated diVerently by authors but, in
general, we can think of CSR as a company’s actions providing some greater social
good than a company would provide otherwise were it not to take into account the
social interests of key societal stakeholders. As conceptualized by McWilliams and
Siegel (2001), for example, companies should make decisions about CSR just as
they make any investment decision; that is, with expectations of returns. ‘To
maximize proWt, the Wrm should oVer precisely that level of CSR for which the
increased revenue (from increased demand) equals the higher cost (of using
resources to provide CSR). By doing so, the Wrm meets the demands of relevant
stakeholders—both those that demand CSR (consumers, employees, community)
and those that ‘‘own’’ the Wrm (shareholders)’ (McWilliams and Siegel 2001: 125).
In their recent review and meta-analysis of the empirical literature, Orlitzky et al.
(2003) add that attention to CSR has generally resulted in positive Wnancial
performance for companies that have largely responded to the damage incurred
to their reputations by not acting socially responsibly.
With respect to global HR strategies, the question at hand for MNCs is how to
address the calls by labor and human rights NGOs, unions, other citizen interests
groups, investors, the media, and the public at large to act more socially responsibly in regard to labor standards and the shedding of workers associated with
FDI and the movement of work to low-wage countries. Following the logic and
evidence in the CSR literature, to the degree that customers, prospective employees,
and investors are inXuenced negatively by a MNC’s reputation regarding labor
standards and displacement of workers, global HR strategies should be adjusted
global human resource strategy
499
accordingly. Any adjustment Wrst requires some assessment or estimation of the
loss in proWts due to forgone sales, productivity, and needed capital attributable to
the MNC’s poor CSR reputation. Against that loss in proWts and seeking to act
rationally, MNCs can be expected to take actions to eliminate their losses. Here we
Wnd that many MNCs (especially in the clothing manufacturing and retail sector)
have attempted to protect or improve their brand reputations, as evidenced by a
proliferation of ‘company codes of conduct.’
As reviewed in some detail by Tsogas (1999), these codes range considerably in
their content. At a minimum, codes of conduct express the value and principles
guiding the MNC in its endeavor to act socially responsibly. For those that go
beyond these general statements, the types of global HR provisions covered
typically include (a) prohibitions against various forms of discrimination, child
labor, and harsh discipline and (b) guidelines laying out minimum workplace
conditions and policies. These codes apply not only to how the MNC manages
its own operations but often how the MNC expects suppliers to manage their
operations. A central criticism levied against these codes of conduct is that MNCs
fail to monitor and enforce compliance with them, a criticism or concern that has
led some MNCs to either contract with independent organizations or develop their
own internal capacity to monitor compliance (see e.g. Frenkel and Scott 2002).
The level at which MNCs set global employment and workplace standards and
the degree to which they ensure that their own operations and those of suppliers
comply with those standards is bound to vary widely. That variance would appear
to hinge on the damage to reputations and consequent loss in proWts attributable
to the reactions of customers, employees, and investors responding to public media
exposure of MNCs’ tolerances of socially substandard practices. Thus, the greater
the costs incurred for acting socially irresponsibly in regard to labor standards, the
higher the standards set and the more stringent the compliance with those standards. In developing global HR strategies, therefore, MNCs that invest in and/or
outsource to low-wage countries would rationally take into account assessments of
the demand for CSR. In turn, MNCs would set HRM policies and practices
governing their own foreign operations and those of foreign suppliers, as well as
set policies governing reductions-in-force in their domestic operations, that optimize proWtability.
24.2.5 Aligning Global HR and Business Strategies
As synthesized by Boxall (this Handbook, Ch. 3), the strategic HRM literature
generally has held that to optimize the net gain derivable from HRM, policies
and practices underpinning HRM systems need to be well aligned and these
HRM systems, in turn, need to be eVectively aligned with broader business and
organizational strategies. As synthesized by Allen and Wright (this Handbook,
500
william n. cooke
Ch. 5), the ‘resource-based’ view of the Wrm has also come to play an increasingly
important role in the business and HRM strategy literatures. Drawing on these
fundamental notions of business and HRM strategy, any analysis of the alignment
of global HR strategies with business strategies will necessarily need to take into
account (1) externally focused market-positioning priorities and (2) internally
focused resource-based assets. On the Wrst account, Boxall summarizes the strategic
HRM research in which researchers, using ‘contingency’ and ‘conWguration’
models, have shown some linkages between various market-positioning priorities
and HRM choices made by companies.
On the second account, Wright et al. (2001: 710) take a resource-based asset
perspective to make a strong conceptual case that HRM envelops a set of core
competencies ‘comprised of human capital, social capital . . . and organizational
capital (i.e., processes, technologies, data bases).’ In a similar vein, Boxall and
Purcell (2003) make a compelling case to conclude that a resource-based view is
essentially a ‘knowledge-based’ view of the Wrm. From this vantage point, the
management of HR is largely one of creating and exploiting knowledge in ways
that organizations are able to learn and adapt more quickly than competitors.
Importantly, ‘managing knowledge inevitably means managing both the company’s proprietary technologies and systems (which do not walk out the door at
the end of the day) and the people (who do). It implies management of the ongoing
interaction between these two aspects of a Wrm’s knowledge system’ (Boxall
and Purcell 2003: 88) Wright et al. and Boxall and Purcell have identiWed
a critical extension of HRM strategy, which is especially applicable to global HR
strategies.
As argued by these authors and others, human resource and technological
capabilities go hand in hand, an observation fully consistent with both the business
strategy and management of technology literatures. As conceptualized by Porter,
for example, the management of technology and human resources are discrete
but interdependent activities underlying a company’s value chain; activities that
‘involve human resources, purchased inputs, and a ‘‘technology’’ for performing
them, broadly deWned to include organizational routines.’ (Porter 1991: 102).
Achieving and sustaining competitive advantage, in turn, becomes a factor of how
well companies integrate various interdependent activities and align these integrated activities with market-positioning decisions. As synthesized by Nagarajan
and Mitchell (1998), the management of technology and innovation literature,
likewise, emphasizes that technological capabilities are the product of the management of integrated subsystems of resource-based assets, which include physical
assets, non-physical knowledge, techniques, and processes. Similarly, Teece et al.
(1997) articulate the concept of ‘dynamic capabilities’ wherein sustainable competitive advantage depends on a coordinative management process of honing integrated
technological, organizational, and managerial processes that cannot be easily
replicated by competitors.
global human resource strategy
501
Drawing on this literature, Cooke (2005b) argues that because technological and
human resources are in part substitutes, yet are inextricably intertwined, companies invariably choose which capabilities to emphasize and how best to integrate
the two. Cooke then hypothesizes that MNCs are more likely than national
companies to develop workplace strategies emphasizing technological capabilities
over HR capabilities. The basis of his argument is that because of local isomorphic
constraints to altering existing workplace cultures, norms, customary practices,
and institutional arrangements across borders, the diYculty and costs associated
with the transnational diVusion of workplace strategies emphasizing HR capabilities are greater than the diYculty and costs associated with diVusing workplace
strategies emphasizing technological capabilities. Consistent with his central hypothesis, he Wnds in his study of the automotive component supplier industry that
after taking into account diVerences in market-positioning priorities and other
factors, MNCs are indeed far more likely than national Wrms to pursue workplace
strategies emphasizing technological capabilities over HR capabilities.
It follows that essential to the successful development and deployment of global
HR strategies are strategic decisions about the optimal emphasis on and integration of HR and technological capabilities, taking into account the ease and costs
associated with diVusing alternative workplace strategies across borders. As highlighted in my broader analytical framework (Fig. 24.1), also essential to the success
of formulating global HR strategies are decisions about how best to align such
HR and technological capabilities with strategic decisions regarding marketpositioning and where to invest abroad.
24.3 Summary and Future Directions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Given the early stage of scholarly enquiry into a complex and widely encompassing
subject, there are numerous unanswered questions about various fundamental
issues and dynamics underlying the deployment of global HR strategies. An
overriding challenge before us is the development and reWnement of a general
framework that encompasses and integrates the full range of global HR strategy
decisions. Without such a framework, neither as HR scholars nor as professionals
are we able to engage in comprehensive strategic analyses requisite to the successful
deployment of global HR strategies. Towards this end, my primary objective in this
chapter has been to articulate a simpliWed but fairly comprehensive analytical
framework, one that at least captures and links the key strategic decisions MNCs
face in formulating their global HR strategies. Under an assumption that management seeks to act rationally in the pursuit of optimizing proWts, I have identiWed
502
william n. cooke
and discussed the strategic decision-making rationale underlying Wve salient interrelated components of my framework depicted in Fig. 25.1. In this Wnal section I
very brieXy recap our discussion of each component and suggest future directions
of enquiry under each.
The Wrst component of global HR strategic decision-making addressed earlier
was about the inXuence of diVerences in IR systems on FDI decisions. Surprisingly,
there has been almost no attention given to this kind of decision-making in the
global HR strategy literature. Yet, where MNCs make greenWeld investments,
acquire operations, and expand or contract their foreign subsidiaries invariably
inXuences MNCs’ global HR strategies; including decisions about the diVusion of
HR and technological capabilities abroad, about union representation, and about
CSR. Given the robustness of the evidence regarding the eVects of diVerences in IR
system factors on FDI patterns, it would be remiss of HR scholars and professionals
not to take into account more fully the critical role that diVerences in IR systems
play in overall global conWguration decisions and, in turn, in the formulation of
global HR strategies.
It is the decision-making regarding the diVusion of preferred HRM practices
abroad that was the second component of global HR strategies addressed herein.
On this issue we Wnd a rich case study literature about the challenges MNCs face in
deciding on what HRM policies and practices should be diVused, if any, and how
these get implemented. A fundamental question that goes begging in this literature
is whether or not and under what conditions the diVusion of HR strategies (in
whole or in part) yields performance gains. Although we can cull from the
literature (1) a number of important factors that inXuence the prospects for success
and (2) various types of costs incurred in eVectively diVusing any preferred HR
strategies abroad, we have not yet assessed the relative importance of either. From a
strategic analysis perspective of evaluating alternative global HR strategies, this is
a critical assessment MNCs need to make (again, assuming MNCs seek to act
rationally).
The third component of global HR strategies addressed focused on the role of
union representation and collective bargaining on MNC decisions of where to
invest abroad, about union avoidance where they have invested, and on the
diVusion of preferred HRM policies and practices across foreign operations. One
future direction of enquiry raised in our discussion is the prospect that MNCs will
need to formulate transnational collective bargaining strategies given the possible
rise of cross-border inter-union alliances or partnerships formed for the purpose of
coordinating responses to, if not negotiating over, a MNC’s FDI and cross-border
movement-of-work decisions. Some HR scholars and professionals might understandably dismiss this kind of strategic assessment and preparation as unnecessary,
believing any such collective bargaining developments are too remote. However,
MNCs with organized locations serving as critical links in their global network of
operations risk incurring unwanted and unnecessary disruption to their global
global human resource strategy
503
operations were they not to develop global HR strategies accounting for such
developments.
The fourth component addressed in this chapter dealt largely with the issue of
corporate social responsibility as it applies to global HR strategies. As the continued expansion and reach of corporate globalization is bound to lead to increasing FDI in and outsourcing to low-wage, developing countries of the world (dare I
say China and India?), the issues of labor standards and the shedding of domestic
workforces will undoubtedly stay at the forefront of public concern and debate. As
discussed, the CSR literature provides useful insight into how MNCs can frame
their strategic assessments regarding CSR more broadly. Missing in the literature,
however, are any empirical analyses of the costs incurred and beneWts derived from
MNC eVorts to accommodate public demands regarding improvements in labor
standards abroad and minimization of the loss of jobs at home. Hence, another
important future direction for scholarly enquiry and practical strategic assessment
would be the study of how MNCs have responded to calls for greater social
responsibility along these lines and evaluations of the eVects of alternative global
strategies deployed to accommodate these CSR demands on MNC performance
and worker outcomes.
The last component of strategic decision-making addressed in this chapter was
about the alignment of global HR strategies with business strategies. Although
there have been a number of empirical analyses showing some linkage between HR
and competitive positioning strategies, the literature is nearly void of any empirical
enquiry as to how MNCs go about aligning their global HR and global marketpositioning strategies. Additionally, little attention has been paid in the literature
until very recently to how MNCs integrate HR capabilities with other resourcebased asset capabilities, in particular with regard to technological capabilities.
Further study along this line wherein we examine the transnational diVusion of
HR policies and practices integrated with technology-driven policies and practices
(as well as other resource-based capabilities) would appear to be a promising and
needed line of enquiry. Importantly, the literature has yet to oVer any empirical
analyses of the eVects of alternative choices of alignment on MNC performance,
a limitation in the literature that also warrants our attention.
Finally, in addition to the future directions just identiWed, there are numerous
other issues and challenges that fall just below the strategic decision-making level
about the formulation of global HR strategies but that are, nonetheless, critical to
the success of any strategies deployed. Stated diVerently, it is one thing to ‘talk
a good game’ (strategy formulation) and another to ‘play a good game’ (strategy
implementation). With respect to strategy implementation, the Wrst set of issues
includes decisions about the actual HRM policies and practices that will be
embraced and applied. These are addressed in some detail by the authors of the
other chapters in this Handbook, albeit they have not focused on the global
dimension of HR strategy and practice. MNC choices about these actual HRM
504
william n. cooke
policies and practices would need to take into account the global dimension of HR
strategies and be tailored accordingly as companies seek to act rationally in the
pursuit of optimizing proWts. Analyses of these global HRM choices oVer yet
another important future direction for enquiry.
The second set of issues germane to the implementation of global HR strategies
includes global control, coordination, and integration at the center and related
international staYng. At the heart of this challenge is the ability to manage a
multinational enterprise that, on one hand, ‘thinks globally’ but, on the other hand,
‘acts locally’ (a well-worn mantra but a poignant one, nevertheless). At question
here is: how can the corporate center best develop and manage its human resources across multidivisional or transnational organizational structures, allowing
for appropriate degrees of variation and autonomy while integrating diverse, interdependent units via the exercise of suYcient control over and coordination of
international operations? (See, in particular, Schuler et al. 1993; Bartlett and Ghoshal
1998; and Boxall and Purcell 2003.) Especially challenging to MNCs is the control,
coordination, and integration required in managing HR disruptions incurred as a
result of joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions, the latter which have historically
accounted for much of FDI (see e.g. Aguilera and Dencker 2004; Boxall and
Purcell 2003).
An emerging literature regarding the eVective control, coordination, and integration of global HR strategies addresses the central role of building ‘social capital’
throughout the global operations of MNCs (see e.g. Tsai and Ghoshal 1998; Inkpen
and Tsang 2005). Taylor (2005: 8) summarizes the importance of global integration
via the building of social capital in the following way: ‘in order to be truly eVective,
IHR [international HR] must become a champion of an integrated HR system,
a communicator of the reasons for it, and a booster for the overarching global
vision of the Wrm that underpins the need for interdependence.’ She also makes a
strong case that MNCs seeking to act socially responsibly in regard to environmental sustainability would enhance their success in doing so by developing social
capital throughout their global operations. Applying this same logic to analyses of
CSR in regard to labor standards and the shedding of domestic workforces oVers
another potentially fruitful line of enquiry.
Invariably tied to the success of eVorts at control, coordination, and integration
are staYng decisions regarding expatriate assignments. Here the literature emphasizes that international work experience can be a vital asset to MNCs if, indeed,
a MNC’s cadre of expatriates can serve as an eVective conduit for developing
essential cross-border relationships and social capital throughout global networks,
and their unique international experiences and knowledge are fully tapped by
corporate headquarters (see e.g. Takeuchi et al. 2005; Suutari and Brewster 2003).
Future enquiries that link more closely how the development of social capital
and expatriate assignments facilitate the implementation of global HR strategies
hold promise of illuminating the role played by the center in controlling,
global human resource strategy
505
coordinating, and integrating its diverse but interdependent global network of
operations.
In closing, it goes without question that the formulation, implementation, and
persistent adjustment of global HR strategies is a highly complex, if not daunting
challenge to MNCs. It also goes without question that the impact of global HR
strategies on the bottom line of MNCs, on millions of employees, and on the wider
social good is quite substantial. With that in mind, our plate for further enquiry
and strategic analyses is surely full.
References
Aguilera, R. V., and Dencker, J. C. (2004). ‘The Role of Human Resource Management in
Cross border Mergers and Acquisitions.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 15/8: 1355 70.
Bartlett, C., and Ghoshal, S. (1998). Managing across Boundaries: The Transnational
Corporation. New York: Random House.
Beaumont, P., Cressey, P., and Jakobsen, P. (1990). ‘Some Key Industrial Features of West
German Subsidiaries in Britain.’ Employee Relations Journal, 12/6: 3 8.
Beaupain, T., Jefferys, S., and Annand, R. (2003). ‘Early Days: Belgian and U.K. Experi
ences of European Works Councils.’ In W. Cooke (ed.), Multinational Companies and
Global Human Resource Strategies. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books.
Bird, A., Taylor, S., and Beechler, S. (1998). ‘A Typology of International Human
Resource Management in Japanese Multinational Corporations: Organizational
Implications.’ Human Resource Management, 37/2: 159 72.
Bognanno, M. F., Keane, M. P., and Yang, D. (2005). ‘The InXuence of Wages and
Industrial Relations Environments on the Production Location Decisions of US
Multinational Corporations.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 58/2: 171 201.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Brewster, C., and Tregaskis, O. (2003). ‘Convergence or Divergence of Contingent
Employment Practices? Evidence of the Role of MNCs in Europe.’ In W. Cooke (ed.),
Multinational Companies and Global Human Resource Strategies. Westport, Conn.:
Quorum Books.
Casson, M. C., and Buckley, P. J. (1998). ‘Models of the Multinational Enterprise.’ Journal
of International Business Studies, 29/1: 21 44.
Cooke, W. N. (2001a). ‘The EVects of Labor Costs and Workplace Constraints on Foreign
Direct Investment among Highly Industrialised Countries.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 12/5: 697 716.
(2001b). ‘Union Avoidance and Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S.A.’ Employee
Relations Journal, 23/6: 558 80.
(2005a). ‘Exercising Power in a Prisoner’s Dilemma: Transnational Collective
Bargaining in an Era of Corporate Globalisation?’ Industrial Relations Journal, 36/4:
283 302.
506
william n. cooke
Cooke, W. N. (2005b). ‘Integrating Technology and Human Resources: The InXuence
of Global Business Strategies on Workplace Strategy Choices.’ ‘Governing the Global
Workplace’ conference, University of Minnesota (forthcoming in Industrial Relations).
and Noble, D. (1998). ‘Industrial Relations Systems and US Foreign Direct Invest
ment Abroad.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 36/4: 581 609.
Dunning, J. H. (1993). Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy. New York:
Addison Wesley.
Edwards, T., Collier, X., Orits, L., Rees, C., and Wortmann, M. (2005). ‘How Import
ant are National Industrial Relations Systems in Shaping Restructuring in Multinational
Companies?’ European Journal of Industrial Relations, 12/1 (forth coming).
Ferner, A., and Quintanilla, J. (1998). ‘Multinationals, National Business Systems and
HRM: The Enduring InXuence of National Identity or a Process of Anglo Saxonisation.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 9/4: 710 31.
Almond, P., Colling, T., and Edwards, T. (2005). ‘Policies on Union Representation
in US Multinationals in the UK: Between Micro politics and Macro Institutions.’ British
Journal of Industrial Relations (forthcoming).
Florida, R., and Kenney, M. (1991). ‘Organisation vs. Culture: Japanese Automotive
Transplants in the U.S.’ Industrial Relations Journal, 22: 181 96.
Frenkel, S. (2005). ‘Towards a Theory of Dominant Interests, Globalization and Work.’ In
M. Korczynski, P. K. Edwards, and R. Hodson (eds.), Social Theory at Work. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
and Scott, D. (2002). ‘Compliance, Collaboration and Codes of Labor Practice: The
Adidas Connection.’ California Management Review, 45/1: 29 49.
Gamble, J. (2003). ‘Transferring Human Resource Practices from the United Kingdom to
China: The Limits and Potential for Convergence.’ International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 14/3: 369 87.
Gennard, J., and Ramsay, H. (2003). ‘Strategic International Laborism: MNCs and Labor
in the Graphical Sector.’ In W. Cooke (ed.), Multinational Companies and Global Human
Resource Strategies. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books.
Gollbach, J., and Schulten, T. (2000). ‘Cross border Collective Bargaining Networks in
Europe.’ European Journal of Industrial Relations, 6/2: 161 79.
Hyman, R. (1999). ‘Five Alternative Scenarios for West European Unionism.’ In R. Munck
and P. Waterman (eds.), Labour Worldwide in the Era of Globalisation. New York:
St Martin’s Press.
Inkpen, A., and Tsang, E. (2005). ‘Social Capital, Networks, and Knowledge Transfer.’
Academy of Management Review, 30/1: 146 65.
Juravich, T., and Bronfenbrenner, K. (2003). ‘Out of the Ashes: The Steelworkers’
Global Campaign at Bridgestone/Firestone.’ In W. Cooke (ed.), Multinational Companies
and Global Human Resource Strategies. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books.
Kenney, M., and Tanaka, S. (2003). ‘Transferring the Learning Factory to America? The
Japanese Television Assembly Transplants.’ In W. Cooke (ed.), Multinational Companies
and Global Human Resource Strategies. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books.
Kostova, T. (1999). ‘Transnational Transfer of Strategic Organizational Practices: A Con
textual Perspective.’ Academy of Management Review, 24/2: 308 24.
McWilliams, A., and Siegel, D. (2001). ‘Corporate Social Responsibility: A Theory of the
Firm Perspective.’ Academy of Management Review, 26/1: 117 27.
global human resource strategy
507
Marginson, P., and Sisson, K. (2002). ‘European Dimensions to Collective Bargaining:
New Symmetries within an Asymmetric Process?’ Industrial Relations Journal, 33/4:
332 50.
Martin, A., and Ross, G. (2000). ‘European Integration and the Europeanisation of Labor.’
In M. Gordon and L. Turner (eds.), Transnational Cooperation among Labor Unions.
Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Martin, G., Beaumont, P., and Pate, J. (2003). ‘A Process Model of Strategic HRM/LR
Change in MNCs: The Case of AT&T and NCR in the U.K.’ In W. Cooke (ed.),
Multinational Companies and Global Human Resource Strategies. Westport, Conn.:
Quorum Books.
Martinez Lucio, M., and Weston, S. (1994). ‘New Management Practices in a Multi
national Corporation: The Restructuring of Worker Representation and Rights?’ Indus
trial Relations Journal, 25: 110 21.
Nagarajan, A., and Mitchell , W. (1998). ‘Evolutionary DiVusion: Internal and External
Methods Used to Acquire Encompassing, Complementary, and Incremental Techno
logical Changes in the Lithotripsy Industry.’ Strategic Management Journal, 19: 1063 77.
Orlitzky, M., Schmidt, F. L., and Rynes, S. L. (2003). ‘Corporate Social and Financial
Performance: A Meta analysis.’ Organization Studies, 24/3: 402 41.
Porter, M. E. (1991). ‘Towards a Dynamic Theory of Strategy.’ Strategic Management
Journal, 12: 95 117.
Purcell, W., Nicholas, S., Merrett, D., and Whitwell, G. (1999). ‘The Transfer of
Human Resource and Management Practices by Japanese Multinationals to Australia: Do
Industry, Size and Experience Matter?’ International Journal of Human Resource Man
agement, 10/1: 72 88.
Royle, T., and Towers, B. (2003). ‘Regulating Employee Interest Representation: The Case
of McDonald’s in the European Union.’ In W. Cooke (ed.), Multinational Companies and
Global Human Resource Strategies. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books.
Schmitt, M., and Sadowski, D. (2003). ‘A Cost Minimization Approach to the
nternational Transfer of HRM/IR Practices: Anglo Saxon Multinationals in the Federal
Republic of Germany.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14/3:
409 30.
Schuler, R. S., Dowling, P. J., and De Cieri, H. (1993). ‘An Integrative Framework of
Strategic International Human Resource Management.’ Journal of Management, 19/2:
419 59.
Suutari, V., and Brewster, C. (2003). ‘Repatriation: Empirical Evidence from a Longitu
dinal Study of Careers and Expectations among Finnish Expatriates.’ International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 14/7: 1132 51.
Takeuchi, R., Tesluk, P. E., Yun, S., and Lepak, D. (2005). ‘An Integrative View of
International Experience.’ Academy of Management Journal, 48/1: 85 100.
Taylor, S. (2005). ‘Emerging Motivations for Global HRM Integration.’ Forthcoming
in A. Ferner, J. Quintanilla, and J. Bonache (eds.), HRM Integration and Adaptation.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan Press.
Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., and Shuen. A. (1997). ‘Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic
Management.’ Strategic Management Journal, 18/7: 509 33.
Tsai, W., and Ghoshal, S. (1998). ‘Social Capital and Value Creation: The Role of IntraWrm
Networks.’ Academy of Management Journal, 41: 464 76.
508
william n. cooke
Tsogas, G. (1999). ‘Labour Standards in International Trade Agreements.’ An Assessment
of the Arguments.’ International Journal of Human Resources, 10/2: 351 75.
UNTCAD (2004). World Investment Report 2004. New York: United Nations.
Wright, P. M., Dunford, B., and Snell, S. A. (2001). ‘Human Resources and the Resource
Based View of the Firm.’ Journal of Management, 27: 701 21.
chapter 25
....................................................................................................................................................
T R A N S NAT I O NA L
FIRMS AND
C U LT U R A L
DIVERSITY
....................................................................................................................................
helen de cieri
25.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Globalization has impacted signiWcantly on many Wrms, with substantial implications for human resource management (HRM). Geopolitical, social, economic,
and technological changes have created opportunities for managers and employees
to interact with culturally diverse populations (Wong-Mingji and Mir 1997). The
development of cultural diversity in the workforce presents substantial and complex challenges for HR scholars and managers as they strive to determine the
potential implications of cultural diversity for Wrm eVectiveness. This chapter
examines cultural diversity issues, which are increasingly viewed as a critical aspect
of management in transnational Wrms.
510
helen de cieri
25.2 Understanding Culture
and Cultural Diversity
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The concept of culture refers to the beliefs, values, and attitudes shared by people
within a given group and used to guide their thoughts, reasoning, actions, and
interactions (Brown 1963). Following Kroeber and Kluckhohn’s (1952) review of
more than 160 deWnitions of culture, Kluckhohn (1954: 73) developed a deWnition
of culture that has become widely accepted:
Culture consists of patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and trans
mitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups,
including their embodiment in artefacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional
(i.e., historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values.
A substantial body of research has explored the ways in which, in diVerent
cultures, individuals construe themselves and others. Markus and Kitayama
(1991) identiWed that one’s construal of self, of others, and the interdependence
of the two, has implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Understanding the cultural context for self- and other-construal should help to explain
individual behavior and the outcomes of that behavior. An individual’s selfconstrual of culture, or cultural identity, is derived from their membership of
distinct socio-cultural groups (Cox 1993). As Ely and Thomas (2001: 231) say,
cultural identity is ‘socially constructed, complex and dynamic.’ Cultures evolve
as societies adapt to changes in their environment; globalization has brought many
opportunities, but also challenges and pressures for change.
Javidan and House (2001) advocate that managers and employees in transnational Wrms should understand and be aware of cultural diversity and its
implications, and possess the skills to deal with cultural diVerences in an appropriate way. Workforce diversity is not a new concept for scholars or practitioners,
yet the eVective management of diversity is an elusive goal in many Wrms.
Globalization of markets has brought a broadening of mindsets amongst executives
and increasing awareness of the need to understand cultural diversity (Leung
et al. 2005).
Early research on HRM in transnational Wrms was principally concerned with
expatriate selection and training, usually for expatriate management assignments
(Dowling and Welch 2004). Expatriates remain an important aspect of transnational staYng strategies. However, recent research has broadened the focus of
research, to recognize the increasing diversity of international work assignments,
moving away from long-term expatriation towards more Xexible forms of international work, such as transnational project teams, short-term assignments, and
virtual assignments. Recent evidence suggests that international assignments,
transnational firms and cultural diversity
511
particularly the non-standard types, are increasingly being undertaken
by employees outside the senior levels of management (Harris and Brewster 2003).
Other individuals are self-initiating international careers, by moving between
countries as part of their job search. Recent research also explores issues such
as HRM initiatives for host-country nationals (Bartlett et al. 2002) and the extent
to which transnational Wrms may seek to localize their HRM practices (Aycan
2005). Much of the research exploring international HRM issues has focused on
Western Wrms, those headquartered in the USA or Europe. However, there is a
growing literature examining organizations operating in non-Western regions,
and in emerging and transition economies (Ramamurti 2004). Overall, the
Weld of international HRM is evolving as researchers and practitioners seek to
understand factors such as the cultural contexts that inXuence transnational
Wrms.
25.3 Landmark Studies in
Cross-Cultural Research
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
International HRM research has been inXuenced by research in the Weld of
comparative anthropology, such as Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s (1961) framework
of cultural variation. Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck (1961) developed values orientation theory, which has been used in cross-cultural research to examine variation
in social interaction styles; they identiWed six dimensions along which a society can
be placed: relationships to nature, beliefs about human nature, relationships
among people, nature of human activity, conception of space, and orientation
to time.
Within the management Weld, landmark research by Hofstede (1980) established
a stream of research exploring the relationship between national cultural diversity
and management practices. Hofstede provided the foundation for a research
stream that views national culture as a key factor in organizational processes;
organizations are viewed as manifestations or consequences of national culture.
Hofstede identiWed Wve cultural dimensions: power distance, individualism–
collectivism, masculinity–femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and (in later research)
short-versus long-term orientation (Hofstede 2001).
Following Hofstede’s work, several researchers have sought to identify other
cultural dimensions. For example, Schwartz (1994) found seven culture-level
dimensions of values, namely aVective autonomy, conservatism, egalitarian commitment, harmony, hierarchy, intellectual autonomy, and mastery. More recently,
the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior EVectiveness) project
512
helen de cieri
has investigated national cultural diversity. The GLOBE project has involved 160
researchers who have collected data over seven years from 18,000 middle managers
in sixty-two countries (House et al. 2004). These managers were compared on nine
cultural dimensions: performance orientation, future orientation, assertiveness,
uncertainty avoidance, power distance, institutional collectivism, family collectivism, gender egalitarianism, and humane orientation. Adopting an approach somewhat similar to Hofstede’s research, and based in theory, House and colleagues
sought to provide a comprehensive view of the cultural practices of diVerent
countries. The national cultural characteristics identiWed in the GLOBE research
have implications for many areas, such as communication preferences and management style (Javidan and House 2001).
While these landmark cross-cultural studies have made valuable contributions
to our understanding of cultural diversity, several researchers have queried the
emphasis that has been placed on national culture. Nationality is often used in
research as a measure of national cultural diversity. Research has shown that
national culture has an impact on a variety of organizational activities, and
national cultural diversity continues to be an important issue for transnational
Wrms (see Earley and Gibson 2002). However, it is recognized that cultural diversity
may be observed not only at national levels but also at regional or intranational
levels. Husted (2003: 428) points out that national cultures ‘usually represent the
values and practices of the dominant groups in society, and not of the marginalized.’ Also, Leung et al. (2005) point out that it is important to be aware of the perils
of attribution errors with regard to cultural diversity. As Leung et al. (2001) note,
such errors can lead to misunderstandings and problems in the workplace, when
applied in areas such as HR practices.
Hofstede’s model has been widely applied in international management but
substantial debate surrounds the work and several theoretical and methodological
criticisms have been directed at it (e.g. Chiang 2005). On theoretical terms, major
criticisms of Hofstede’s work focus on his conceptualization of culture and labeling
of the dimensions. On methodological grounds, major concerns include the
generalizability of Hofstede’s Wndings and criticisms of his method of data collection. Gerhart and Fang’s (2005: 973) reanalysis of Hofstede’s research raises this
criticism to a new level by questioning the dominant role of national culture in
international management:
While we are certain that national culture diVerences can be critical and that insensitivity to
national culture diVerences can and does result in business failure (as well as failure and
career consequences for individual managers), one can still ask whether national culture,
deWned in terms of values, is this important and whether its eVects are this pervasive and
systematic.
transnational firms and cultural diversity
513
25.4 The Convergence–Divergence
Debate
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
While recognizing criticisms of Hofstede’s work, the importance of national
culture is an enduring issue in international business research (Peng 2004).
Much of the discussion surrounding the implications of national cultural diversity
is related to the convergence–divergence debate, which is widely viewed as an
important issue in the management of transnational Wrms (Myloni et al. 2004).
Since Kerr et al. (1960) presented the thesis that the organizational and institutional
patterns of industrial societies are converging, or becoming more similar, despite
disparate politics, ideology, and cultures, many researchers have explored not only
similarities and diVerences across cultures worldwide, but whether these are
dynamic.
The convergence hypothesis suggests that there is increasing similarity in organizations and managerial practices worldwide, based on the argument that the
common requirements of management—or a common logic of industrialism—
disregard the importance of cultural diVerences. Additionally, contextual contingencies, such as the growth in worldwide communications and travel and greater
interdependence and collaboration between organizations and nations (Doz and
Prahalad 1991), are seen to be factors eroding diVerences between organizations
and management practices.
If national cultures are indeed converging, then a universalist approach to
management practices would be expected to emerge; this would enhance the
transfer of managerial practices between units of a multinational corporation
and, therefore, global coordination. However, since the 1970s, the convergence
hypothesis has received substantial criticism and is regarded by many leading
scholars as overly simplistic and optimistic (Leung et al. 2005).
These criticisms, then, lend support to the divergence hypothesis, whereby
organizations maintain their culturally based dissimilarities (Adler et al. 1986).
In contrast to the convergence hypothesis, the divergence hypothesis postulates
that the form and content of functional specialization that develops with
growth would vary according to culture. According to the divergence hypothesis,
any attempt to integrate units of a transnational Wrm must take into account
the diVerentiation inherent between units. The divergence argument is that
diVerences in approaches to management practices are enduring; these diVerences are predominantly attributed to a ‘country of origin eVect,’ generally
assumed to be produced by the interaction of local culture and institutional factors
(Aycan 2005).
514
helen de cieri
A third view, sometimes referred to as ‘crossvergence,’ suggests that there is
convergence in some areas of international business, such as consumer values and
lifestyle preferences, although divergence of cultures persists in several signiWcant
respects. Further, several factors may simultaneously lead to convergence and
divergence. For example, information and communication technology may
facilitate global communication for many, but some ethnic groups will reject new
technologies and the related lifestyle and cultural values. ‘[T]hrough the process
of globalization, cultures inXuence each other and change, but whether or not
these changes will bring about cultural convergence is yet to be seen’ (Leung et al.
2005: 361).
25.5 Current Research Issues in
Cultural Diversity
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Cultural diversity has been studied from a variety of theoretical perspectives and
using a variety of research methods. In the last decade or so, a major area of
research interest and debate has focused on the relationship between cultural
diversity and performance. Other noteworthy research areas include the implications of cultural diversity for knowledge-sharing, transnational teams, and cultural
intelligence. Each of these research issues has implications for HR managers in
transnational Wrms.
25.5.1 The Relationship between Cultural Diversity
and Performance
There has been ongoing debate about the relationship between cultural diversity
and performance in Wrms such as transnational enterprises.
25.5.1.1 The ‘Dysfunctional Diversity’ View
Many researchers have noted problems associated with cultural diversity, such as
misunderstandings or confusion when individuals from diVerent cultures fail to
understand each other (Miroshnik 2002). Numerous studies have proposed that
diversity is related to poorer performance outcomes (Richard et al. 2004). It has
been argued that workforce diversity will lead to communication problems and
dysfunctional conXict, with negative implications for organizational performance
(e.g. Pelled et al. 1999).
transnational firms and cultural diversity
515
Cultural diversity may lead to reduced communication and to reinforcement of
existing stereotypes. For transnational Wrms, problems such as the lack of literacy
skills in the local workforce of a developing country, or an expatriate’s lack of local
language skills, may act to restrict the opportunity for eVective communication.
Whatever the reason, poor communication may lead minority group members to
feel a lack of empathy with organizational or managerial goals, and this in turn may
limit their willingness to participate in workplace processes.
At an organizational level, many Wrms have responded to globalization and
increased their diversity by using oVshoring or outsourcing strategies. The movement of jobs to locations with comparatively cheap labor, such as the ‘oVshoring’ of
jobs in the information technology industry to India and China, has led to
substantial debate. While this movement is argued to increase shareholder wealth,
there has been considerable concern raised over negative outcomes such as related
job losses in countries such as the USA and Australia (Jones 2005).
25.5.1.2 The ‘Value-In-Diversity’ View
In contrast, the ‘value-in-diversity’ approach assumes that diversity in work groups
will enhance eVectiveness (Cox 1993; Miroshnik 2002). This research stream developed in part as a response to the recognition that workforce diversity was increasing, and managers needed to develop ways to eVectively manage the diVerent views
and characteristics of the new, diverse workforce (see this Handbook, Ch. 13). This
research stream is focused to some extent on adding value by enhancing organizational eVectiveness and performance. This perspective suggests that culturally
diverse groups, such as multicultural project teams in transnational Wrms, will
generate diVerent opinions, engage in more thorough critical analysis, and thus
make better-quality decisions (Shaw and Barrett-Power 1998).
Cox (2001) identiWed Wve ways in which diversity could add value to an organization: improved problem-solving; increased creativity and innovation; increased
organizational Xexibility; improved skill variety in the workforce; and improved
marketing (e.g. increased customer base). For example, a diverse workforce is
proposed to help organizations to understand the diVerent needs and values of
the cultural groups that comprise their client base (Friday and Friday 2003;
Wentling 2000).
On the other hand, there are recognized costs associated with managing diversity
poorly. When organizations do not manage diversity well, there is increased likelihood of turnover and absenteeism among minority groups. In addition, organizations that do not manage diversity well may be in breach of legislation and may
incur associated costs. There are also indirect costs, such as the loss of organizational reputation and inability to attract high-quality employees to the organization.
While there has been considerable research exploring the ‘value-in-diversity’
approach, many questions remain unanswered. For example, the evaluation of
diversity programs remains an area for attention. While many transnational Wrms
516
helen de cieri
have implemented diversity initiatives, it is diYcult to measure the relationship
between diversity initiatives and organizational performance outcomes. Recent
research has begun to explore the factors that moderate the relationship between
diversity and performance (Grimes and Richard 2003; Richard 2000). Richard
(2000: 174) concluded that cultural diversity does add value to a Wrm but the
eVects of diversity ‘are likely to be determined by the strategies a Wrm pursues and
by how organization leaders and participants respond to and manage diversity.’
25.5.1.3 Developing an Integrated Approach
Richard et al. (2004) sought to integrate the opposing views by developing a
theoretical framework based on Blau’s (1977) theory of heterogeneity and social
identity theory (Tajfel and Turner 1985), which posits that, in groups that are
culturally homogeneous, members will communicate more frequently and in a
greater variety of ways, due to their shared views. This, in turn, increases the group
members’ satisfaction and cooperation, and decreases intra-group conXict. In
contrast, in culturally heterogeneous groups, social categorization processes lead
to the formation of divisions (or ingroups and outgroups), in turn leading to
greater conXict and creating barriers to communication. However, the relationship
between heterogeneity and conXict is not linear. Blau (1977) posited that high levels
of cultural heterogeneity could overcome barriers associated with moderate heterogeneity, as group members become more diVused over social categories of
diversity and ingroup/outgroup identities are less marked. Therefore, Richard
et al. (2004) hypothesized that cultural diversity in management groups has a
U-shaped curvilinear relationship to performance; their empirical Wndings did not
fully support this hypothesis yet raised an interesting issue for future exploration.
As discussed in section 25.6, the design and implementation of HRM practices need
to be integrated with the strategy of the transnational Wrm, to address the demands
of cultural and institutional factors in the global and local context.
25.5.2 Knowledge-Sharing
Managers in transnational Wrms face two important and sometimes conXicting
challenges related to knowledge-sharing. First, they need to create and leverage
employees’ knowledge throughout the global network (Nohria and Ghoshal 1997).
Knowledge creation and sharing largely depends on the willingness and commitment of employees to engage in the necessary yet complex tasks of coordination
and communication (Minbaeva et al. 2003). Leveraging of knowledge enables a
transnational Wrm to take advantage of worldwide access to information, learning,
and creativity, to develop competitive products or services. Further, leveraging
knowledge helps the Wrm to deal with the uncertainty related to operating in a
global, volatile environment (Suder 2004).
transnational firms and cultural diversity
517
Second, transnational Wrms face the challenge of eVectively managing employees
from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. While successful knowledge creation
and transfer depends on eVective HR strategies such as the development of
transnational teams, this task may be made more diYcult by the diversity of the
workforce. As noted earlier, cultural diversity may both add value and be dysfunctional. Knowledge-sharing depends to some extent on social cohesion, but cultural
diversity can hinder the development of social cohesion between employees
(Cramton and Hinds 2005). The geographic distribution of operations in transnational Wrms may exacerbate the diYculties of knowledge-sharing. For example,
geographic distribution makes the task of communicating a uniWed strategic vision
and set of values more diYcult (Engle et al. 2001). Hence, challenges for HR
managers include the design and implementation of eVective communication
across the Wrm and strategies to develop a shared mindset.
25.5.3 Transnational Teams
Transnational project teams, which rely on cross-cultural collaboration, are increasingly used in organizations. A study by McDonough et al. (2001) found that 22
percent of participating Wrms reported that they would use globally distributed
teams for new product development in the next few years. Transnational teams
encompass members with diVerent nationalities; team members have diVerent
national and/or cultural backgrounds and are cooperating to achieve a shared
goal (Earley and Gibson 2002). There is considerable variation within such
teams; the work patterns and circumstances may be quite varied; while some
teams will work at a shared location for the duration of the project, others will
be virtual teams or will gather at one location for only part of the project.
Cross-cultural research, such as that building on Hofstede’s research, has suggested that national culture should explain between 25 and 50 percent of variation in
attitudes (Gannon 1994). However, this has been questioned recently (Gerhart and
Fang 2005) and research exploring whether, and how, this diversity might aVect the
performance of transnational teams is inconclusive. As noted earlier, diversity may
have both positive and negative eVects on work group performance. Factors that
inXuence the eVectiveness of transnational teams include the types and magnitude
of cultural diversity, the organizational context, geographic spread and location of
team members, diVerent expectations of working practices, in addition to the
characteristics of the task itself (James and Ward 2001). Taking such factors into
consideration, it is suggested that the performance of transnational teams
will depend to some extent on the management processes; global leadership
is therefore emerging as an important area of investigation and interest. Challenges for HR managers related to transnational teams include the design and
implementation of appropriate recruitment and selection processes, programs for
518
helen de cieri
transnational leadership development, and implementation of support structures
for transnational team members, to assist when conXicts may arise.
25.5.4 Cultural Intelligence
One area of emerging research that may provide useful ways to address the
challenges of managing cultural diversity is the research led by Earley (2002; Ng
and Earley 2006) exploring the concept of ‘cultural intelligence.’ This concept
refers to ‘an outsider’s seemingly natural ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar
and ambiguous gestures the way that person’s compatriots should’ (Earley and
Mosakowski 2004: 139). Cultural intelligence includes cognitive, behavioral, and
motivational elements (Earley 2002): understanding this concept should help
individuals to manage cultural diversity in more eVective ways.
The concept of cultural intelligence can be usefully applied to transnational
teams. For example, team members with higher cultural intelligence should be able
to achieve more eVective team interactions, such as knowledge-sharing, leading to
superior team outcomes (Earley 2002). Cultural intelligence also contributes to the
eVectiveness of international work. Successful expatriation relies to some extent on
the cultural intelligence of the individual expatriate and those around him or her,
such as host-country colleagues. An expatriate with high cultural intelligence
should be able to adapt eVectively to the host culture and to select those features
of the local cultural context that will be most likely to help the expatriate spouse
and family to adjust to the foreign assignment (Earley 2002). Although research
related to cultural intelligence is embryonic, it is suggested that there is potential
for HR managers to design and implement employee selection, development, and
performance management processes to assess and enhance cultural intelligence
(Earley and Mosakowski 2004; Ng and Earley 2006).
25.6 Practical Applications:
Managing Cultural Diversity
in Transnational Firms
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Theoretical and empirical developments regarding cultural diversity have informed
and been informed by management in transnational Wrms. Many transnational
Wrms have recognized that managing cultural diversity is a critical part of strategic
management. It is particularly important for managers in transnational Wrms to
transnational firms and cultural diversity
519
balance the often conXicting needs of global eYciencies and coordination
(integration) with responsiveness to factors such as political pressures in each
local market (diVerentiation) (Doz and Prahalad 1991). To manage the global/
local dilemma, there are several important areas for HR managers’ attention, as
discussed below. For HRM in transnational Wrms, alignment between the business
and HR strategy, structure, and HR practices, and external factors such as national
culture and institutional characteristics, is argued to lead to enhanced outcomes
for individuals and organizations (De Cieri and Dowling 2006, in press).
25.6.1 HRM Practices
A stream of research has explored the transferability of HR practices from one
cultural context to another (e.g. Sparrow et al. 1994). Transnational Wrms
are particularly important vehicles for this transfer of management practices,
sometimes leading to hybrid forms of management, such as ‘HRM with Chinese
characteristics’ (Zhu et al. 2005). This transfer may be not only from headquarters
to subsidiary within a Wrm; it may cross organizational boundaries, for example,
where indigenous Wrms adopt, or mimic, the practices of foreign Wrms.
However, there is ongoing debate about the extent to which HRM strategy and
practices are transferable worldwide. According to Myloni et al. (2004), the extent
to which culture has an inXuence on HR practices varies according to the HR
practice. Further, Aycan (2005) reiterates the point that culture is not the only
inXuence on HRM practices, providing a framework and series of research propositions to guide analysis of the interaction between cultural and institutional
factors and how they inXuence the design and implementation for HRM practices.
This framework is supported by a body of research literature that has explored
cross-cultural diVerences across major areas of HRM such as strategy and planning, job analysis, recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, training and
development, and compensation.
To consider recruitment and selection as an example, it is suggested that
recruitment and selection criteria are culture bound. In the USA, emphasis is
typically placed on selection criteria that are predictive of future job performance;
in societies that are collectivist and place emphasis on high power distance,
relationships and networks (guanxi) are important in selection processes. Recruitment and selection methods are inXuenced by cultural factors; for example, while
interviews are widely used in many cultures, the way in which they are used varies
considerably. Institutional factors also inXuence recruitment and selection; the
presence of trade unions and legislation such as equal employment opportunity
laws are predicted to lead to more formal, transparent, and bureaucratic recruitment and selection processes (Aycan 2005). Industry characteristics, such as
a shortage of skilled labor, and Wrm characteristics, such as size, will also inXuence
520
helen de cieri
the recruitment and selection practices utilized by a Wrm. Larger Wrms tend to use
more standardized and formal processes.
Similarly, some aspects of performance appraisal are argued to be strongly
inXuenced by culture. Aycan (2005) suggests that what is considered ‘good performance’ is culture bound. Individualistic cultures tend to emphasize objective
and quantiWable measures that focus more on productivity, quality of work, and
eYciency. In contrast, collectivist cultures are more likely to emphasize group
harmony and relationships. Culture also aVects the type of performance evaluation
and the ways in which performance feedback may be given. Moreover, institutional
factors such as industry characteristics inXuence performance appraisal. For
example, private sector, manufacturing Wrms tend to emphasize productivity and
work outcomes.
Diversity management initiatives are argued to be an important part of transnational HRM practices, as they enhance appreciation of socio-political and
cultural diVerences and similarities (see this Handbook, Chapter 13). Diversity
management initiatives are speciWc activities, programs, policies, and any other
formal processes designed to improve management of diversity via communication, education and training, employee involvement, career management, accountability, and cultural change. For example, diversity initiatives may include practices
such as training programs to reduce stereotyping and to improve cross-cultural
sensitivity and skills (Wentling 2000). Some transnational Wrms have developed
global approaches to diversity initiatives. For example, Thomas (2004) reports that
IBM is developing a global strategy to better address diversity issues facing the
company around the world. However, researchers have suggested that diversity
management initiatives typically require a decentralized approach (Egan and
Bendick 2003), because diversity initiatives are required to be responsive to local
cultural and institutional factors, such as equal employment opportunity laws.
Further, Egan and Bendick’s (2003) research shows that diVering attitudes to
diversity management across national contexts have led some MNCs to emphasize
local responsiveness for diversity management initiatives.
25.6.2 HRM Structure
In addition to HR practices being inXuenced by culture and institutional factors,
the structure of the HR function itself is an enduring and important concern for
transnational Wrms (De Cieri and Dowling 1997). Research has shown that transnational Wrms with a variety of modes of operation, including, for example, joint
ventures and/or wholly owned subsidiary units, across a diverse range of national
contexts, are likely to have network structures. Network structures provide Xexibility by giving autonomy to local/country operations that are quite independent,
while also facilitating communication between these separate activities to enable
transnational firms and cultural diversity
521
global integration of activities (Bartlett and Ghoshal 1992). It might be argued that
the HR structure should be aligned with the organizational structure. However,
where local conditions require a high level of local responsiveness, as may be the
case for diversity initiatives, HR structures are more likely to emphasize decentralized decision-making.
25.6.3 HRM Roles
Cultural diversity is an important consideration for transnational Wrms and there
are speciWc implications for HRM. Researchers have suggested core competencies
for managers in transnational Wrms in order to deal with potential negative aspects
of diversity and to emphasize positive aspects of diversity, including empathy, an
emphasis on employee engagement, and the ability to incorporate diverse views.
Further, the complexity of operating across multiple countries and employing
multiple national categories of workers leads to speciWc role requirements for HR
managers in transnational Wrms (Dowling 1999), as discussed below.
25.6.3.1 More Human Resource Activities
In a transnational Wrm, HR managers must engage in a number of activities that
would not be necessary in a single-country operation, such as international
relocation and support for expatriates, host-government relations, or arranging
language translation services. For example, HR managers may be required to play
important roles in corporate governance, such as the design, implementation, and
maintenance of corporate codes of conduct (Beatty et al. 2003). However, training
in and enforcement of codes of conduct may be diYcult in some host-country
environments (Dowling and Welch 2004).
25.6.3.2 The Need for a Broader Perspective
HR managers in transnational Wrms face numerous challenges when designing and
implementing programs for culturally diverse groups or more than one national
group of employees working in one location (e.g. expatriates and locals working in
the Chinese operations of a US-based Wrm). Complex equity issues arise, particularly with regard to compensation policies, when employees of various nationalities
work together. Understanding the perspectives of the various employee groups is
an important aspect of developing eVective management of cultural diversity.
25.6.3.3 More Involvement in Employees’ Personal Lives
A greater degree of involvement in employees’ personal lives is necessary for the
management of employees in a transnational Wrm than would be typical in a singlecountry operation. As noted earlier, in response to the high costs and other
problems associated with expatriation, other forms of international work, such
522
helen de cieri
as short-term assignments and transnational project teams, have become more
common (Harris and Brewster 2003).
International work, such as transnational project teams, requires cross-cultural
interactions and understanding of the variations in norms and expectations between national cultural groups (Earley 2002). The HR manager’s roles may include
providing an appropriate range of services, such as pre-departure training and onsite support for international workers.
25.6.3.4 Changes in Emphasis as the Workforce Mix of Expatriates
and Locals Varies
As foreign operations mature, the emphases put on various HR activities change.
For example, over time, fewer expatriate assignments will be required. HR managers may be involved in activities such as workforce planning, selection, and
management development for local staV.
25.6.3.5 Risk Exposure
Concerns about security and global risks (Suder 2004) have led many transnational
Wrms to rethink their approaches to HR strategies and global mobility of employees
(GMAC Global Relocation Services, National Foreign Trade Council, and SHRM
Global Forum 2003). Most transnational Wrms must now consider political risk and
terrorism when planning international meetings and assignments (Czinkota et al.
2004). Terrorism has also clearly had an eVect on the way in which employees and
Wrms assess potential international assignment locations. For example, in some
locations where US expatriates have been the target of violent attacks, Wrms may
remove that group of expatriates, replacing them with other nationalities or locals.
In this context, HR managers may be involved in decisions regarding reduction of
the use of expatriates, developing emergency evacuation procedures for volatile
locations, and/or ceasing operations in a location that has become too diYcult.
25.6.3.6 More External InXuences
As a Wrm’s global spread increases, the range and complexity of external inXuences
are likely to increase. Cultural factors to be understood by managers and employees
include the generally accepted practices of doing business in each of the various
host countries in which the Wrm operates. As discussed earlier, the transferability or
culture-boundedness of HRM practices is an important concern.
25.6.4 Managerial Competencies for Cultural Diversity
Recent research and practice in transnational Wrms has focused on developing
global managers with the skills, abilities, and other characteristics (such as the
abilities to be geographically mobile and to act on their individual knowledge) to
transnational firms and cultural diversity
523
achieve organization and individual-level performance goals. Managers are increasingly realizing that for their organizations to become or remain competitive
in global markets, they need to attract, motivate, and retain people who are
accepting of diversity, have strong personal networks, and who excel in collaborative work (Tung 1993). There are increasing calls for HRM strategies to develop
managers who are Xexible, mobile, multi-skilled, and multidisciplinary, and who
possess a high degree of cross-cultural sensitivity.
It has been argued that HRM practices that incorporate diversity initiatives in
transnational Wrms lead to improvements in the Wrm’s operational and managerial
eVectiveness by helping managers and employees to adapt to diverse contexts
(Evans et al. 2002). For example, in the case of Japanese Wrms in China, Chinese
employees work with Japanese managers, despite historical rivalry between the two
nationalities. Liu et al. (2004: 730) suggest that identifying ‘co-operative goals and
applying abilities for mutual beneWt contribute(s) to eVective leadership even when
managers and employees have diVerent nationalities.’
25.6.5 Employees in Developing Countries
Countries such as China and India provide examples of nations where the ‘liberalization of the economy, and the extra competition from overseas Wrms, has put a
lot of pressure on the personnel function of . . . domestic companies to prepare
and develop their human resources’ (Budhwar and Baruch 2003: 701). In such
countries, the impact of foreign direct investment is complex and has been the
subject of considerable debate (Jones 2005). For transnational Wrms, and particularly for HRM professionals, there are opportunities to contribute to developing
countries via initiatives such as the introduction of vocational training programs
and career planning and management, the facilitation of cross-national technology
and knowledge transfers, and the provision of advice to governments, trade unions,
consumers, and communities, as well as employers in developing countries. However, such initiatives have been criticized for assuming the appropriateness of
universal application of Western approaches to HR development.
25.7 Future Directions for Theory,
Research, and Practice
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Overall, in the past, many Western researchers and managers have assumed that
Western approaches to management are universally applicable. Traditional
524
helen de cieri
approaches of dealing with cultural diversity have included eVorts to conform to
‘best-practice’ (usually Western management practice), and ‘force-Wtting standardized practices and techniques in an eVort to homogenize people and cultures in
oYces and factories around the world’ (Wong-Mingji and Mir 1997: 359). While
this tendency for universality may have been understandable, examination of HR
practices and structures in transnational Wrms has brought issues of cultural
diversity to the fore and a reconsideration of the assumption of universality is
required. As Wright and Brewster (2003: 1303) point out:
While one cannot help but recognize some universal values (e.g. people should be com
pensated for their work) or truths with regard to HR practices (e.g. people need training to
perform eVectively, etc), it is in the diversity of practices where individuals, groups and
organizations maximize their outcomes.
Cross-cultural theory and research have provided numerous important contributions to knowledge of work attitudes, employee behaviors, and management
practices in transnational Wrms. However, there remain many areas for future
investigation. Leung et al. (2005) have identiWed four themes that they suggest
should be addressed in research on culture and international business; these also
have implications for the development of theory and practice related to cultural
diversity.
First, much of the extant research has utilized a simplistic view of culture that
tends to assume stability rather than recognizing the dynamism of culture. Leung
et al. (2005: 374) propose instead ‘multi-layer, multi-facet, contextual, and systems
views of culture.’ Similarly, Huang and Van de Vliert (2003) suggest that multilevel
modeling will provide a useful theoretical perspective for researchers exploring
cross-national diversity of organizational behavior.
Second, it is suggested that there needs to be better understanding of the
complex eVects of culture (Gerhart and Fang 2005; Leung et al. 2005). While
research has shown that national culture is a predictor of numerous individuallevel outcomes, such as perceptions and behaviors, it has also been found that
culture does not explain a large amount of variance in such outcomes; other
variables are also important predictors. Culture alone does not have suYcient
power to explain individual behaviors. Leung et al. (2005: 368) suggest that ‘it is
more useful to address the issues of how and when [culture] makes a diVerence.’
These authors identify three moderators of cultural impacts, social identiWcation,
stage of group development, and technological uncertainty, suggesting that a better
understanding of such moderators will help managers to develop more eVective
HRM practices and management programs. In sum, research is needed that
explores how and when culture and cultural diversity make a diVerence to individuals and to organizational performance.
transnational firms and cultural diversity
525
Third, it is argued that researchers and practitioners need to develop a better
understanding of the complex interrelationships between cultural diversity,
cultural change, and environmental variables such as social, economic, and political factors that may moderate and/or mediate the eVects of culture (Aycan 2005;
Leung et al. 2005). HR managers in managing cultural diversity face particular
challenges. Related to this, there is a dire need to develop understanding of eVective
HR strategies for risk management in the twenty-Wrst century.
Fourth, numerous researchers have recommended improvements in research
methodologies. Multi-method approaches to research are becoming more prevalent. Further, there are developments in the operationalization and use of constructs with sound psychometric properties, and appropriateness for diVerent
cultural contexts (Cheng and Cooper 2003).
Finally, to develop our understanding of cultural diversity and transnational
Wrms, there needs to be greater integration between theory, research, and practice.
At present, there is divergence between academics and practitioners with regard to
foci and approaches to exploring the implications of cultural diversity. Academics
have tended to focus more on individual attitudes and behaviors, while practitioners have sought to understand the links with strategy and Wrm performance. In
some areas, a research–practice gap exists, with research lagging behind the current
needs of HR practitioners and managers in transnational Wrms. The gap may not
be easy to Wll, as there are complex issues to deWne, measure, and address. There is
also a practice–research gap, with management practice in some aspects lagging
behind research (Wasti and Robert 2004).
25.8 Summary and Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Overall, the emphasis and direction for the management of cultural diversity places
emphasis on the development of organizational cultures that are not only tolerant
of diversity but also encourage Xexibility and inclusion. There are diverse views
about what constitutes eVective HRM in transnational Wrms; and this diversity
should be encouraged, not ignored. HR managers in transnational Wrms face an
important challenge in managing the complexities of balancing organizationally
consistent policies with responsiveness to local conditions. To do so requires an
understanding of both global and local conditions, and the complex relationships
between them.
526
helen de cieri
References
Adler, N. J., Doktor, R., and Redding, S. G. (1986). ‘From the Atlantic to the PaciWc
Century: Cross cultural Management Reviewed.’ Journal of Management, 12: 295 318.
Aycan, Z. (2005). ‘The Interplay between Cultural and Institutional/Structural Contingen
cies in Human Resource Management Practices.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 16: 1083 119.
Bartlett, C., and Ghoshal, S. (1992). Transnational Management: Text, Cases and Read
ings in Cross Border Management. Boston: Irwin.
Bartlett, K. R., Lawler, J. J., Bae, J., Chen, S. J., and Wan, D. (2002). ‘DiVerences in
International Human Resource Development among Indigenous Firms and Multi
national AYliates in East and South East Asia.’ Human Resource Development Quarterly,
13: 383 405.
Beatty, R. W., Ewing, J. R., and Tharp, C. G. (2003). ‘HR’s Role in Corporate Governance:
Present and Prospective.’ Human Resource Management, 42: 257 69.
Blau, P. M. (1977). ‘A Macrosociological Theory of Social Structure.’ American Journal of
Sociology, 83: 26 54.
Brown, I. C. (1963). Understanding Other Cultures. Englewood CliVs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Budhwar, P., and Baruch, Y. (2003). ‘Career Management Practices in India: An
Empirical Study.’ International Journal of Manpower, 24/6: 699 721.
Cheng, J. L. C., and Cooper, D. L. (2003). ‘A Strategic Context Approach to International
Human Resource Management Research.’ Leadership in International Business Education
and Research. Research in Global Strategic Management, 8: 235 50.
Chiang, F. (2005). ‘A Critical Examination of Hofstede’s Thesis and its Application to
International Reward Management.’ International Journal of Human Resource Manage
ment, 16: 1545 63.
Cox T. H. (1993). Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Theory, Research and Practice. San
Francisco: Berrett Koehler.
(2001). Creating the Multicultural Organization: A Strategy for Capturing the Power of
Diversity. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Cramton, C. D., and Hinds, P. J. (2005). ‘Subgroup Dynamics in Internationally Distrib
uted Teams: Ethnocentrism or Cross national Learning?’ Research in Organizational
Behavior, 26: 231 63.
Czinkota, M. R., Knight, G. A., and Liesch, P. W. (2004). ‘Terrorism and International
Business: Conceptual Foundations.’ In G. G. S. Suder (ed.), Terrorism and the International
Business Environment: The Security Business Nexus. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
De Cieri, H., and Dowling, P. J. (1997). ‘Strategic International Human Resource
Management: An Asia PaciWc Perspective.’ Management International Review, 37/1: 21 42.
(2006, in press). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management in Multinational
Enterprises: Developments and Directions.’ In I. Björkman and G. Stahl (eds.), Handbook
of International HRM Research. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Dowling, P. J. (1999). ‘Completing the Puzzle: Issues in the Development of the Field of
International Human Resource Management.’ Management International Review, 39
(Special issue 3): 27 43.
and Welch, D. E. (2004). International Human Resource Management: Managing
People in a Multinational Context, 4th edn. London: Thomson.
transnational firms and cultural diversity
527
Doz, Y., and Prahalad C. K. (1991). ‘Managing DMNCs: A Search for a New Paradigm.’
Strategic Management Journal, 12: 145 64.
Earley, P. C. (2002). ‘RedeWning Interactions across Cultures and Organizations: Moving
Forward with Cultural Intelligence.’ Research in Organizational Behavior, 24: 271 99.
and Gibson, C. (2002). Multinational Teams: A New Perspective. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.
and Mosakowski, E. (2004). ‘Cultural Intelligence.’ Harvard Business Review,
October: 139 46.
Egan, M. L., and Bendick, M., Jr. (2003). ‘Workforce Diversity Initiatives of U.S. Multi
national Corporations in Europe.’ Thunderbird International Business Review, 45: 701 27.
Ely, R. J., and Thomas, D. A. (2001). ‘Cultural Diversity at Work: The EVects of Diversity
Perspectives on Work Group Processes and Outcomes.’ Administrative Science Quarterly,
46: 229 73.
Engle, A. D., Mendenhall , M. E., Powers, R. L., and Stedham, Y. (2001). ‘Conceptu
alizing the Global Competency Cube: A Transitional Model of Human Resources.’ Journal
of European Industrial Training, 25: 346 53.
Evans, P., Pucik, V., and Barsoux, J. L. (2002). The Global Challenge: Frameworks for
IHRM. New York: McGraw Hill Irwin.
Friday, E., and Friday, S. S. (2003). ‘Managing Diversity Using a Strategic Planned Change
Approach.’ Journal of Management Development, 22: 863 80.
Gannon, M. J. (1994). Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys through 17
Countries. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Gerhart, B., and Fang, M. (2005). ‘National Culture and Human Resource Management:
Assumptions and Evidence.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16:
971 86.
GMAC Global Relocation Services, National Foreign Trade Council, and SHRM Global
Forum (2003). Global Relocation Trends 2002 Survey Report. Warren, NJ: GMAC Global
Relocation Services.
Grimes, D. S., and Richard, O. C. (2003). ‘Could Communication Form Impact Organ
izations’ Experience with Diversity?’ Journal of Business Communication, 40: 7 27.
Harris, H., and Brewster, C. (2003). ‘Alternatives to Traditional International Assign
ments.’ In W. Mayrhofer, G. Stahl, and T. Kuhlmann (eds.), Innovative Anstatze im
Internationalen Personalmanagement (Innovating HRM). Munich: Hampp Verlag.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s Consequences: International DiVerences in Work Related
Values. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage.
(2001). Culture’s Consequences, 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., and Gupta, V. (2004). Culture,
Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies. Thousand Oaks, Calif.:
Sage.
Huang, X., and Van de Vliert, E. (2003). ‘Comparing Work Behaviors across Cultures: A
Cross level Approach Using Multilevel Modeling.’ International Journal of Cross cultural
Management, 3: 167 82.
Husted, B. W. (2003). ‘Globalization and Cultural Change in International Business
Research.’ Journal of International Management, 9: 427 33.
James, M., and Ward, K. (2001). ‘Leading a Multinational Team of Change Agents at Glaxo
Wellcome (now Glaxo SmithKine).’ Journal of Change Management, 2/2: 148 59.
528
helen de cieri
Javidan, M., and House, R. J. (2001). ‘Cultural Acumen for the Global Manager: Lessons
from Project GLOBE.’ Organizational Dynamics, 29: 289 305.
Jones, M. T. (2005). ‘The Transnational Corporation, Corporate Social Responsibility and
the ‘‘Outsourcing’’ Debate.’ Journal of American Academy of Business, 6/2: 91 7.
Kerr, C., Dunlop, J. T., Harbison, F., and Myers, C. A. (1960). Industrialism and
Industrial Man. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Kluckhohn, C. (1954). Culture and Behavior. New York: Free Press.
and Strodtbeck, K. (1961). Variations in Value Orientations. Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood.
Kroeber, A. L., and Kluckhohn, C. (1952). Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and
DeWnitions. Boston: Harvard University Press.
Leung, K., Su, S. K., and Morris, M. (2001). ‘Justice in the Culturally Diverse Workplace:
The Problems of Over and Under Emphasis of Culture.’ In S. Gilliland, D. Steiner, and
D. Skarlicki (eds.), Theoretical and Cultural Perspectives on Organizational Justice. Green
wich, Conn.: Information Age Publishing.
Bhagat, R. S., Buchan, N. R., Erez, M., and Gibson, C. S. (2005). ‘Culture and
International Business: Recent Advances and their Implications for Future Research.’
Journal of International Business Studies, 36: 357 78.
Liu, C., Tjosvold, D., and Wong, M. (2004). ‘EVective Japanese Leadership in China:
Co operative Goals and Applying Abilities for Mutual BeneWt.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 15: 730 49.
McDonough, E. F., Kahn, K. B., and Barczak, G. (2001). ‘An Investigation of the Use of
Global, Virtual, and Colocated New Product Development Teams.’ Journal of Product
Innovation Management, 18: 110 20.
Markus, H. R., and Kitayama, S. (1991). ‘Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition,
Emotion and Motivation.’ Psychological Review, 98: 224 53.
Minbaeva, D., Pedersen, T., BjOrkman, I., Fey, C. F., and Park, H. J. (2003). ‘MNC
Knowledge Transfer, Subsidiary Absorptive Capacity and HRM.’ Journal of International
Business Studies, 34: 586 99.
Miroshnik, V. (2002). ‘Culture and International Management: A Review.’ Journal of
Management Development, 21: 521 44.
Mollica, K. A., Gray, B., and TreviÑo, L. K. (2003). ‘Racial Homophily and its Persistence
in Newcomers’ Social Networks.’ Organization Science, 14/2: 123 46.
Myloni, B., Harzing, A. W., and Mirza, H. (2004). ‘Human Resource Management in
Greece: Have the Colours of Culture Faded Away?’ International Journal of Cross cultural
Management, 4: 59 76.
Ng, K. Y., and Earley, P. C. (2006). ‘Culture þ Intelligence: Old Constructs, New Fron
tiers.’ Group & Organization Management, 31/1: 4 19.
Nohria, N., and Ghoshal, S. (1997). The DiVerentiated Network: Organizing Multinational
Corporations for Value Creation. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Pelled, L. H., Eisenhardt, K. M., and Xin, K. R. (1999). ‘Exploring the Black Box: An
Analysis of Work Group Diversity, ConXict, and Performance.’ Administrative Science
Quarterly, 44: 1 28.
Peng, M. W. (2004). ‘Identifying the Big Question in International Business Research.’
Journal of International Business Studies, 35: 99 108.
Ramamurti, R. (2004). ‘Developing Countries and MNEs: Extending and Enriching the
Research Agenda.’ Journal of International Business Studies, 35: 277 83.
transnational firms and cultural diversity
529
Richard, O. C. (2000). ‘Racial Diversity, Business Strategy, and Firm Performance:
A Resource Based View.’ Academy of Management Journal, 43: 164 77.
Barnett, T., Dwyer, S., and Chadwick, K. (2004). ‘Cultural Diversity in Manage
ment, Firm Performance, and the Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation
Dimensions.’ Academy of Management Journal, 47: 255 66.
Schwartz, S. H. (1994). ‘Beyond Individualism/Collectivism: New Dimensions of Values.’
In U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S. C. Choi, and G. Yoon (eds.), Individualism
and Collectivism: Theory, Method and Applications. Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage.
Shaw, J. B., and Barrett Power, E. (1998). ‘The EVects of Diversity on Small Work Group
Processes and Performance.’ Human Relations, 51: 1307 25.
Sparrow, P., Schuler R. S., and Jackson, S. E. (1994). ‘Convergence or Divergence:
Human Resource Practices and Policies for Competitive Advantage Worldwide.’ Inter
national Journal of Human Resource Management, 5: 267 99.
Suder, G. G. S. (ed.) (2004). Terrorism and the International Business Environment: The
Security Business Nexus. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Tajfel, H., and Turner, J. (1985). ‘The Social Identity of Intergroup Behavior.’ In
S. Worchel and W. Austin (eds.), Psychology and Intergroup Relations. Chicago: Nelson
Hall.
Thomas, D. A. (2004). ‘Diversity as Strategy.’ Harvard Business Review, September: 98 108.
Tregaskis, O., Heraty, N., and Morley, M. (2001). ‘HRD in Multinationals: The Global/
Local Mix.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 11/2: 34 56.
Tung, R. L. (1993). ‘Managing Cross national and Intra national Diversity.’ Human
Resource Management, 32: 461 77.
Wasti, S. A., and Robert, C. (2004). ‘Out of Touch? An Evaluation of the Correspondence
between Academic and Practitioner Concerns in IHRM.’ In J. L. C. Cheng and M. Hitt
(eds.), Managing Multinationals in a Knowledge Economy: Economics, Culture and Human
Resources. London: JAI Press.
Wentling, R. M. (2000). ‘Evaluation of Diversity Initiatives in Multinational Corpor
ations.’ Human Resource Development International, 3: 435 50.
Wong Mingji, D., and Mir, A. H. (1997). ‘How International is International Manage
ment? Provincialism, Parochialism, and the Problematic of Global Diversity.’ In P. Prasad,
A. J. Mills, M. Elmes, and A. Prasad (eds.), Managing the Organizational Melting Pot:
Dilemmas of Workplace Diversity. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Wright, P. M., and Brewster, C. V. (2003). ‘Editorial: Learning from Diversity: HRM is
Not Lycra.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14: 1299 307.
Zhu, C. J., Cooper, B., De Cieri, H., and Dowling, P. J. (2005). ‘A Problematic Transition
to a Strategic Role: Human Resource Management in Industrial Enterprises in China.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16: 517 35.
part iv
...................................................................................................................................................
MEASUREMENT
AND OUTCOMES
...................................................................................................................................................
chapter 26
....................................................................................................................................................
HRM AND
BUSINESS
PERFORMANCE
....................................................................................................................................
john purcell
nicholas kinnie
26.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The search for causal links between strategic HRM and business performance
has dominated both academic and practitioner debate for over two decades.
Boselie et al. (2005) found 104 research papers published in reputable academic
journals over a ten-year period up to the end of 2003. A continuing stream has
Xowed since then. This focus on one issue in HRM has led it to be described as ‘the
HRM Holy Grail.’ If an unambiguous causal connection can be established between
HRM practices and organizational performance then it will have signiWcant and
positive implications for the subject. The practitioner’s search for legitimacy and a
place at the board table will be enhanced. In business schools, HRM academics will
be on a par with colleagues in Wnance rather than being the poor relations, as is too
often the case.
Unfortunately, this state of nirvana remains a long way oV. Numerous review
papers (at least eleven have been published since 2000) have found this Weld of
research often wanting in terms of method, theory, and the speciWcation of HR
practices to be used when establishing a relationship with performance outcomes.
The function of this chapter is not to review all of the methodological and
534
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
theoretical challenges. This can be found elsewhere, for example in Wright
and Gardner (2003) and Wall and Wood (2005), nor to summarize the evidence:
Boselie et al. (2005) have done an excellent job here. Rather, we pose more
fundamental questions such as what is meant by performance, how an HR system
is to be conWgured, how the causal chain between HR practices and performance
outcomes is to be modeled, and what this means for research in the area.
Most importantly, it challenges what we mean by Human Resource Management.
What should be included and what aspects of organizational life are beyond
the scope of the subject? Recent research is reviewed to argue that culture,
leadership, line manager behavior, and operational management all need to fall
within our area of interest. Before getting into the substance of these points, it
is necessary to say something about the type of problems that have bedeviled
research in the area.
26.2 Problems of Method
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Wright and Gardner (2003: 312) summarize these problems:
While evidence mounts that HR practices are at least weakly related to Wrm performance,
signiWcant methodological and theoretical challenges exist . . . Methodologically, there is
no consensus regarding which practices constitute a theoretically complete set of HR
practices; how to conceptually categorize these practices; the relevance of business strategy;
the appropriate level of analysis; or how HR performance and Wrm performance are to be
measured . . . Theoretically, no consensus exists regarding the mechanism by which HR
practices might impact on Wrm outcomes.
Many, if not most, studies have used postal surveys sent to single responders
such as a senior HR manager. They are asked from a predetermined list of HR
practices to indicate which are in use and, often but not always, to estimate the
proportion of employees covered by each practice. Often the same respondent is
asked to estimate the productivity, performance, or proWtability of their Wrm
relative to others in their sector. Alternatively, published accounting data is used.
Statistical techniques of varying degrees of sophistication are then used to explore
the nature of the relationship between the two sets of variables. One of the earliest
studies here and the most notable was that of Huselid (1995) and few subsequently
have reached his level of sophistication. The general conclusion is that there is a
clear observable relationship between the adoption of HR practices and performance outcomes with generally the greater the number of practices in place, the
stronger the positive relationship. Gerhart (2005: 175) summarizes some of the
evidence:
hrm and business performance
535
One standard deviation increase in HR system practices (relative to the mean) designed to
enhance workforce ability, motivation and opportunity to contribute was associated with
roughly 20% better Wrm Wnancial performance. Consider that this Wnding means that Wrms
one standard deviation above the mean are 120% of mean performance, while those one
standard deviation below the mean are at 80% of mean performance, making for a 120/80 ¼
50% advantage of being þ1 standard deviation versus 1 standard deviation. This is a large
difference.
Gerhart (2005: 177) goes on to rather spoil the story by suggesting that the
‘eVect size is so large as to perhaps not be credible.’ Large-scale databases of multiple
numbers of Wrms or branches of large organizations have been able to establish representative data showing the nature of this relationship. ‘Sophisticated’ HRM, often
referred to as High-Performance Work Systems (HPWSs) or High-Commitment
Management (HCM), has been associated with better performance.1 What, of
course, is not at all clear is the direction of the relationship. Cross-sectional research
can only reveal associations, not causality, and it is equally plausible that excellent
Wrms will both be able to aVord sophisticated HR systems and wish to invest in them.
The methodological downside to this type of research, which some say is fatally
Xawed (Wall and Wood 2005), can be summarized in three ways. First, respondents
may have incomplete knowledge, for example of how many employees are covered
by a particular practice, especially if the respondent is located at the corporate
oYce of a Wrm with numerous business units. There is also the diYculty of
assuming that HR practices are translated into actual practices, as discussed later.
If multiple respondents are used to try to overcome this problem there is surprisingly little consensus between them (Gerhart et al. 2000). The overall reliability of
HR practice measures is ‘frighteningly low’ (Wright and Gardner 2003: 316). There
is also an attribution problem where the HR respondent in a successful Wrm may
assume that a practice exists or how else could the Wrm be successful? Second, one
cannot rely on the same person to estimate HR practices and performance. This
‘common method variance’ is equally frightening. Third, no account is taken of the
lag eVect. How long does it take for an HR practice to impact on performance?
Measuring HRM and performance in the same time period cannot possibly show
that HRM drives performance (or the reverse that good performance drives better
HRM). Wright et al. (2005: 412) are even harsher. They note that ‘by far the
most prevalent design [in the sixty-six studies they reviewed] is what we call
‘‘post-predictive’’ because it measures HR practices after the performance period
resulting in actually predicting past performance’ (their emphasis). Thus, overall,
‘the literature on the HRM-performance relationship has (a) universally reported
signiWcant relationships between HRM and performance, (b) almost exclusively
used designs that do not logically allow one to draw causal conclusions, and (c) very
seldom actually tested for a reverse causal order’ (Wright et al. 2005: 416).
1
We discuss the limitations of this approach, especially the importance of contextual factors (Guthrie
2001; Arthur 1994; Datta et al. 2005; Capelli and Neumark 2001; Way 2002), in more detail below.
536
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
These same authors then argue that three criteria need to be used to establish
cause. First, cause requires that the eVect be present when the cause is present and
be absent when the cause is absent. Second, the proposed cause must exist in time
prior to the proposed outcome and, third, all other variables that might cause the
outcome are controlled for (Wright et al. 2005: 411). These are tough criteria and,
when used as far as possible by Guest et al. (2003) and by themselves, no unambiguous HR-performance eVect is uncovered (but by the same token one cannot
‘suggest that HR practices do not have a positive impact on performance’) (Wright
et al. 2005: 433, their emphasis).
26.3 The Problem of Performance
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Interestingly, Guest et al.’s study used both ‘objective’ (i.e. published) performance
data and their respondents’ subjective evaluation of their Wrms’ performance
relative to their competitors. Using this subjective test, HRM was associated with
‘high comparative performance’ (2003: 311). It is premature to write oV such
subjective evaluations and rely exclusively on objective performance or proWt
measures. In multisector studies, such as Guest et al. (2003), it is necessary to
control for sectoral variances in proWtability. Some sectors generate much higher
returns than others. Informed respondents may have a better idea of sectoral
conditions than revealed by simple published returns. It is also extraordinarily
diYcult to meet the third criterion for causal studies, that of controlling for all
other potential causal inXuences. As Hitt et al. note in their study in professional
service Wrms, ‘Wrm performance is a function of many variables both inside and
outside a Wrm . . . Thus, for one set of variables (human capital in their study) to
explain 3.6% of the variance in Wrm performance may be signiWcant’ (2001: 25).
Published corporate accounts are problematic since they cover diVerent business
units and perhaps countries where diVerent HR systems are likely to be in place in
part because of diVerent regulatory or institutional regimes (Paauwe 2004).
There are two much more fundamental problems with the use of Wnancial
performance data. First, it is far removed from HRM inXuence—too distal.
Second, it takes for granted that Wrms seek to structure their HR systems to
maximize Wnancial outcomes, often in the short term seen in shareholder value.
The problem with published Wnancial measures is that no convincing explanation
can be provided as to why, or indeed how, HR practices have an inXuence. As such,
the research is remarkably uninformative from a practitioner point of view beyond
the knowledge that the ‘more’ HR practices the better (the so-called ‘Huselid
curve’). This has led many researchers to use, or at least call for, the adoption of
hrm and business performance
537
more proximal measures of performance which seem more likely to be directly
inXuenced by, or an outcome of, worker behavior. Typical here would be employee
turnover and absence, scrap rates, sales per employee, and customer satisfaction.
Harter et al. (2002: 273) found that there was a rank ordering in their correlations
between overall employee satisfaction/engagement and measures of performance.
The highest were with customer satisfaction, loyalty, and employee turnover followed, in rank order, by safety, productivity, and, lastly, proWtability. Proximal
measures are not without their diYculties. They too need to be adjusted for sectoral
variants. Typical measures of labor management performance like turnover and
absenteeism are highly variable between sectors with nursing and teaching, for
example, exhibiting higher than average sickness rates. Retail Wrms and call centers
have higher than average labor turnover, at least in the UK. Useful work in retail
banking involving comparisons between large numbers of branches using identical
HR practices has been done by Gelade and Ivery (2003) and Bartel (2004). An
increasing number of large Wrms in sectors where staV are customer related now
collect their own data from surveys of employees and customers mixed with
operational measures and Wnancial performance to develop sophisticated models
of HR and performance for their own purposes. The seminal work undertaken in
Sears in the USA in the late 1990s has been a major inXuence (Rucci et al. 1998).
The assumption that proWtability and Wnancial performance is (or should be)
the end goal of HRM is a more profound issue. There are a number of reasons for
questioning such a belief. First, as Jacoby (2005) had shown in his comparison of
US and Japanese Wrms, there are major diVerences of emphasis with the former
dominated by shareholder value and the latter using more of a stakeholder
approach. The work of Paauwe (2004) leads credence to the view that we need to
take account of ‘varieties of capitalism,’ as noted too by Godard (2004). The focus
almost exclusively on shareholder value may be a case of ‘US exceptionalism.’ Even
if shareholder value were accepted as the dominant and legitimate end goal for
HRM this use of short-term Wnancial indicators may fail to satisfy shareholders in
the longer term. OstroV and Bowen (2000: 216) draw attention to ‘the persistent
Wnding that organizational eVectiveness is multi-dimensional.’ Emphasis on organizational agility and the search for sustained competitive advantage places diVerent
requirements on HRM in its contribution to organizational success. Wright and
Snell (1998) neatly summarize the need for ‘Wt and Xexibility’ and note the tensions
between the two. Fit is related to competitive strategy now, and thence to Wnancial
performance; Xexibility is building adaptability for future purposes. Increasing
turbulence in the business environment and seemingly growing frequency of
exogenous shocks places a premium on the latter. Boxall and Purcell (2003) add
a third fundamental goal for HRM, social legitimacy. This can be seeking to be ‘an
employee of choice’ or meeting social expectations enshrined in law and social
practice. While attempts are often made to justify certain HR practices in terms of
their bottom line contributions, the ultimate purpose of some, like diversity
538
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
policies, is the eradication of discrimination. This is not to deny the importance of
HRM contributing to performance; merely to note that Wnancial performance is
only one dimension of eVectiveness.
26.4 The Problem of the Scope
of HR Practices
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Having dealt with problems concerning the dependent variable, performance, we
now need to consider the input to the model of HRM: the HR practices used in
analyses. Alas, many problems abound here too. There is no agreement on what
constitutes ‘HR practices’ let alone a full set of them. Boselie et al. (2005) identiWed
twenty-six general categories of practices used by researchers. Most researchers
construct a list of practices but there is no agreement on what or which practices to
include. While core practices associated with recruitment and selection, training
and development, and performance management (appraisal and variable pay) are
nearly always included, others like job design and involvement are much more
sporadic.
There is little debate on where lists of practices come from or what criteria to use
in their construction. The lists appear to emerge from sets of practices normally
associated with activities undertaken by well-staVed, sophisticated HR departments in large Wrms often linked to so-called ‘transformational’ approaches to
the management of labor. These predetermine what type of HR practices are
hypothesized to lead to outcomes of higher performance as made clear by PfeVer’s
list of seven practices ‘for building proWts by putting people Wrst’ (1998). Behind
such choices is the long-standing debate of whether HRM requires ‘a distinctive
approach to employment management’ (Storey 1995: 5), sometimes referred to as
‘developmental humanism’ or ‘soft’ HR, or a generic term covering all aspects of
the management of labor (Boxall and Purcell 2003: 4). The former tends to focus
on ‘innovative’ HR policies while the latter takes a broader perspective to include,
for example, collective work relations often excluded from American studies
(Deery and Iverson 2005). Godard’s (2004) review of the ‘high-performance
paradigm’ (HPP) Wnds little support for links with performance but notes increases
in work stress (an outcome not usually included in studies). He observes that ‘it is
again possible that practices traditionally considered to yield positive outcomes for
workers such as traditional group work or information sharing are as eVective or
even more eVective than practices associated with HPP’ (2004: 360). We need to
Wnd a list which does not assume positive outcomes and may reveal negative
associations with performance, or no links at all.
hrm and business performance
539
Attempts to resolve this ‘list’ problem have led to a focus on ‘HR architecture’
(Becker and Gerhart 1996; Wright and Gardner 2003). This proposes that ‘HR
practices . . . be classiWed into four levels, including guiding principles, policy
alternatives (diVerent practices), products (competences and behaviors that practice promotes) and practice-process (the eVectiveness of execution of the practice)’
(Wright and Gardner 2003: 314). Researchers need to choose the level or levels of
practice to investigate rather than rely on an undiVerentiated list.
The Wrm’s overall approach to HRM is established in guiding principles. Wright
and Boswell (2002: 253) suggest that there is now ‘a consensus . . . emerging around
conceptual categories of employee skills, motivation and empowerment.’ This
allows for a broad conception of HR architecture to cover policies designed to
build and retain human capital and to inXuence employee behavior (motivation
and empowerment). This is now usually referred to as ‘ability, motivation and
opportunity’ (AMO) (Boxall and Purcell 2003).
AMO broadens the architecture dimensions to cover ‘knowledge, skills, ability’
(KSA) (e.g. Delery and Shaw 2001), motivationally based policies implied in
intrinsic and extrinsic incentive structures and rewards, and opportunities to
contribute and participate on and oV the job. Once AMO is used as an analytical
structure, the policy alternatives (second level) and ‘products’ (third level) can be
speciWed. They will vary from Wrm to Wrm. No deWnitive list of ‘best practices’
suggested by those advocating a universalistic model of HRM can be predicted.
Rather, a range of policy alternatives appropriate to the Wrm in its sector (or
country) can be identiWed (Datta et al. 2005) and diVerent mixes of policies may
have the same performance outcome (‘equiWnality’). This neatly sidesteps the
problem of ‘horizontal Wt’ which requires the number, strength, and combination
of practices to be identiWed, which is especially troublesome where the hypothesis
is that the eVect of combinations of practices is multiplicative (see Ch. 19). Bowen
and OstroV (2004: 206) note that ‘diVerent sets of practices may be equally eVective
so long as they allow a particular type of climate to develop (e.g. climates of
innovation or service).’ Thus, the use of an analytical structure such as AMO
helps us to deal with the problems of deciding which HR practices should be
studied. This is especially so since the need is to focus on the combined impact of
HR practices rather than the utility of each individual practice.
26.5 The Problem of Theory
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The use of AMO begs the question of how the choice of appropriate practices
inXuences performance. This is the problem of theory. Even if robust causal
540
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
correlations are found between the adoption of a certain mix of practices and
performance we do not know why this occurs. We have no evidence on the nature
of any intermediary processes that need to occur to produce such relationships.
Not for nothing is this referred to as the ‘HR black box.’ Boselie et al. (2005: 77)
conWrm ‘the impression that the ‘‘linking mechanism’’ between HRM and performance and the mediating eVects of key variables are largely disregarded. Indeed,
while we found plenty of acknowledgement of the existence of the ‘‘black box’’
and some speculation on its possible contents, few studies tried to look inside’
(emphasis in the original).
Looking inside the black box requires specifying an HR causal chain. At the
centre of the chain are employee attitudes and behavior and it is this which raises
the most vital question in the HR–performance debate. If ‘the distinctive feature of
HRM is its assumption that improved performance is achieved through people in
the organisation’ (Guest 1997: 269), why is it that so few researchers actually study
the people: the employees and their attitudes and behavior? While Delery and
Shaw (2001: 190) argue that ‘HRM practices and job design have the most signiWcant direct inXuence on the skills, motivation and empowerment of the workforce,’ they go on to say that ‘measuring the most important aspects of workforce
characteristics may, however, be beyond our capabilities.’ They do not say why.
Only three out of twenty-Wve studies examined by Wall and Wood (2005) and
eleven of the 104 reviewed by Boselie et al. (2005) used employee survey data.
Edwards and Wright (2001: 570) correctly assert that ‘it remains rare for studies to
assess links in the chain, with eVects on employee commitment being a particularly
rarely studied issue.’ This absence is hard to understand, let alone justify, given the
tradition of employee-centered research in organizational behavior and industrial
relations. It stems, almost certainly, from the use of multiple-Wrm datasets where
single management respondents are only able to indicate the intended practices
and their coverage. They cannot reliably report on employee perceptions of these
practices as they experience them. Thus, the usual steps in research, of theory
determining the research questions and thence the choice of method, have
been reversed. Methodological considerations have determined what questions
can be asked while factors beyond the reach of the chosen method, however
important, have been ignored. As Guest (2001: 1095) candidly put it, ‘almost
inevitably, both for the sake of brevity and to increase the chances of publication,
many published papers tend to play down a number of methodological and
analytical concerns.’
Wright and Nishii (2004) address this issue by proposing an elaborated model of
the HR causal chain which is divided into Wve steps, moving from intended, to
actual, to perceived HR practices, followed by employee reactions, and then
performance. This model provides an excellent basis for understanding the links
between HRM and performance, but it needs further development. First, we
examine the subsets of the casual chain in more detail. We then go on to look at
hrm and business performance
Intended
practices
Actual
practices
Perceived
practices
Attitudinal
outcomes
541
Behavioral
outcomes
Fig. 26.1. Revised HR causal chain
the role of line managers and then place the causal chain within its wider organizational context.
The purpose of Fig. 26.1 is to identify the key causal steps in the chain from
intended HR practices to performance outcomes. It does not seek to show all
interconnections, nor map in any accurate way the HRM experience of a given Wrm
and its employees. The model allows attention to be focused on critical steps that
have to be taken if HRM is to have a performance outcome.
Our principal development of the Wright and Nishii model subdivides employee
reactions into employees’ attitudinal reactions and their subsequent behavior. Three
types of behavior need to be speciWed, namely the competencies needed to perform
the job, discretionary behavior, and turnover and absence (or retention and
attendance). These types of employee behavior are highly interelated yet are logically
and empirically distinct. These lead to a model which then has the following key
features:
.
.
.
.
Intended HR practices are those designed by senior management to be applied
to most or all of the employees and concern employees’ ability, motivation,
and opportunity to participate. These practices will be inXuenced by the
articulated values of the organization and found in the HR manual or the
appropriate web pages. These also include the ways work is structured and
organized since this has an impact on employee attitudes and behavior.
Actual HR practices are those which are actually applied, usually by line
managers (discussed in more detail below). There may often be a substantial
diVerence between the espousal and the enactment of HR practices in an
organization (Hutchinson and Purcell 2004).
Perceived HR practices require that attention is focused on how employees
experience and then judge the HR practices that are applied to them. What
they perceive may be diVerent from, or the same as, intended and may be
judged through a lens of fairness and organizational justice. Perceived HR
practices can again be classiWed using the AMO model. This needs, also, to
cover perceptions of overall work climate seen, for example, in levels of trust
(Whitener 2001) and employees’ job experience (pace, eVort, autonomy,
challenge, stress, etc.).
Attitudinal outcomes include attitudes employees hold toward their job and
their employer and/or levels of morale or motivation. This especially includes
employees’ willingness to cooperate and their overall satisfaction with their job.
542
.
.
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
Behavioral outcomes Xow in the main from these attitudinal dimensions. This
can be learning new methods of working, engaging in behavior which is
beyond that required, such as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)
(Coyle-Shapiro et al. 2004a), or seen in levels of attendance and remaining
in the job (or their opposites).
Performance outcomes can be distal or proximal and can be restricted to shortterm deWnitions of performance or can be expanded to include measures of
eVectiveness.
Relating employee attitudes to behavior and thence to performance is relatively
new in HRM but there are a growing number of studies that have done this (for
example OstroV and Bowen 2000 and Judge et al. 2001). ‘This line of research,’
concludes Gerhart (2005: 179), ‘suggests that positive workforce attitudes create
value.’ In seeking to understand this downstream connection between attitudes and
performance, and upstream between HR practices and attitudes, there is much to
be gained from social exchange theory (Coyle-Shapiro et al. 2004b). In summary,
social exchange applied to HRM theory suggests ‘HR practices are viewed by
employees as a ‘‘personalized’’ commitment to them by the organization which is
then reciprocated back to the organization by employees through positive attitudes
and behavior’ (Hannah and Iverson 2004: 339). Perceived organizational support
(POS) may be linked to particular policies of salience to employees but it is the
overall eVect, or the ‘strength’ of the HR system (Bowen and OstroV 2004), and
employees’ broader conceptions of the employment relationship which are critical.
This discussion of social exchange theory reopens the debate of what HRM is.
26.6 The Problem of What is HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
If it is the overall eVect of the HR system, or its ‘strength’, which employees respond
to, then the parameters of such a system need to equate as closely as possible to the
employees’ experience of the world of work and the range of practices the employer
uses to structure this. What are the features of organizational life which are likely to
inXuence employee attitudes and behavior? HR practices, as we have traditionally
viewed them, will be a necessary, but never a suYcient, component. The role of line
managers as agents enacting HR practices, and the transmission of organizational
culture (sometimes referred to as ‘climate’), will need to be included. Both of these
touch on questions of leadership and the nature of the relationship between
manager(s) and employee(s). Critical features of the Wrm’s operational system as
it aVects employees, seen in staYng levels, job design, and the ‘social relations of
production’ (Edwards and Wright 2001: 581), will be relevant since these determine
hrm and business performance
543
how many employees are required, the interface with technology, skill levels
required, and strongly inXuence what people actually do at work. Beyond these,
factors such as organizational values and culture will be inXuential.
Scholars have only recently begun to apply these features of organizational
behavior to HRM and its eVects on performance. Wright et al. (2005: 419) give
examples of leadership, organizational culture, and line management enactment
inXuencing performance. They argue that ‘a ‘‘spurious’’ relationship might exist if
there were an actual true co-variation between the measures of HR practice and
performance yet, there was no direct causal relationship between the two variables.’
HR practice measures may be acting as proxies for these wider variables of
leadership, culture, and manager behavior. They conclude that ‘studies that do
not control for a full set of variables that might cause performance may lack the
data necessary for making valid causal inferences’ (ibid.: 420). However, to be able
to apply controls, the variables must be measured. The justiWcation for collecting
such data merely to control for variances, alongside the usual suspects of Wrm age,
sector, size, and certain workforce characteristics, can only be made if there is
a clear, unambiguous, agreed deWnition of what HRM is. This is far from the case.
From a practitioner perspective, questions of leadership, culture, and managerial
behavior are commonly seen to fall within the HR manager’s area of activity with
growing roles in the management of change and organizational transformation.
Thus, on grounds of theory, and from both employee and HR manager perspectives, it is argued that a wider deWnition of HRM is necessary. Some use the wider
term ‘people management’ (Paul and Anantharaman 2003; Purcell et al. 2003). This
has some merit since it signals a wider research agenda and avoids one of the
pitfalls in HR–performance research where respondents erroneously believe the
research is about the eYcacy or the importance of the HR department. This is a very
diVerent question from that considered here.
We need, therefore, to develop our causal chain model further if we are to capture
these key additional features discussed in the most recent research. Figure 26.2 pays
attention to the experience of HRM by employees, especially to the role of the line
manager when implementing HR practices, and sets this within the wider context of
the operational system and the culture and climate of the organization. The model
does not predict a particular research method. Indeed, as many review papers have
noted, there is a need for qualitative and quantitative research at unit level, Wrm
level, sector, and country if we are to understand both the relationship between HR
practices and performance outcomes and the dynamics of the interconnections.
26.6.1 The Vital Role of Line Managers
The omission of line managers as HRM agents, and more broadly in managing or
leading employees, is seen as ‘curious’ by Delery and Shaw (2001: 136) ‘given the
Organizational culture
Intended
practices
Actual
practices
Articulated
values
HR policies
• Ability
• Motivation
• Opportunity
Work
structure
Perceived
practices
Behavioral
outcomes
Willingness
to cooperate
Competencies
HR
Processes
Ability
Motivation
Organization
commitment
Discretionary
behavior
Job
experience
Job
satisfaction
Work
climate
Line
manager
enactment
leadership
Attitudinal
outcomes
Operational strategies
Fig. 26.2. People management, HRM, and organizational effectiveness
Turnover/
retention
Absence/
attendance
Performance
outcomes
Organization
effectiveness
(lagged)
hrm and business performance
545
success of many practices often considered ‘‘high performance’’ hinges on the
nature of the inter-personal relations in the organisation.’ Truss (2001: 1136) uses
the concept of agency and shows qualitatively and quantitatively in Hewlett
Packard that ‘managers act as a powerful mediator between the individual and
HR practices’. Social exchange theory (Whitener et al. 1998) has been used to
examine the antecedents of managerial trustworthy behavior and, more recently,
uses the term ‘leader–member exchange’ (LMX) and applies it to the HRM–
performance debate. LMX is seen to be critical since ‘more eVectively developed
relationships are beneWcial for individual and work unit functioning and have
many positive outcomes to Wrm performance’ (Uhl-Bien et al. 2000: 138). Managers as agents can play important roles in the transmission of values and climate.
Becker et al. (1996) showed that there is a stronger relationship between commitment to supervisors and performance than found between commitment to the
organization and performance. This ‘more cognitively proximal focus’ exerts
greater inXuence on employee behavior (Redman and Snape 2005: 304). Perceptions of LMX provide evidence of the quality of the relationship, which may then
show the extent of ‘alignment or congruence between individual and managerial
goals’ (Bowen and OstroV 2004: 209) while simultaneously being more direct in
their inXuence over employee attitudes.
In our HRM causal model the distinction between ‘intended practices’ and
‘actual practices’ draws attention to the frequently experienced gap between
espoused HR practices and their enactment. While some HR practices may impact
on employees directly, most rely on line manager action or support. Employee
perceptions of HR practices are thus likely to be strongly shaped by how their
managers apply these HR practices, and inXuence the immediate work climate
where they work. Indeed, since the line manager is the dominant inXuence in both,
it is likely to be hard for employees to distinguish between them in any meaningful
way. There are numerous examples of line managers modifying HR practices and
of their diYculty or unwillingness to enact a whole range of HR policies (Whittaker
and Marchington 2003). Both Purcell and Hutchinson (2006) and Guest and
Conway (2004) observe that there is much greater variance in employee perceptions of their line manager’s ‘leadership behavior’ than in satisfaction with HR
practices. Guest and Conway (2004: 19–32) show that supervisory leadership is the
strongest factor associated with organizational commitment and work satisfaction
as well as with other attitudinal factors such as loyalty to consumers. It is not just
the quality of the LMX relationship but also the extent to which line managers are
perceived to be the providers of eVective HR practices. This dual role leads Bowen
and OstroV (2004: 216) to suggest that ‘a strong HRM system coupled with a visible
supervisor may foster stronger relationships among HRM, climate and performance than each would individually.’
546
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
26.6.2 Operational Management Systems
Research which focuses exclusively on HR practices has the eVect of isolating HRM
from other aspects of organizational life. HPWS research, especially in manufacturing (see Chapter 20), necessarily broadens the research agenda to cover Xexible
production, work systems, and HPWS practices. ‘The argument’, writes Wood (1999:
369), ‘is that high-performance systems that are integrated with the wider organization will yield stronger results than those that are not.’ This is where the concept of
‘embeddedness’ is important. ‘HR creates value when it is embedded in the operational system of an organization that enhances the Wrm’s capabilities’ (Becker and
Gerhart 1996: 782). These authors use other terms, such as ‘operational fabrics’
(1996: 788) and ‘Wrm infrastructure’ (1996: 794), suggesting that HR practices must
be aligned with the Wrm’s unique business problems. At one level, this is a question of
Wt with operational strategies. At another level, the very choices Wrms make on
operational strategies have a direct impact on workers—their jobs and task variety,
staYng levels and thus eVort, work time and social relations at work—and strongly
inXuence line management roles in directing workers. Boxall (2003) shows in the
service sector how the type of markets served inXuences the knowledge content of
jobs required for service, the type of work design, competitive dynamics, and types
of strategic HRM. Batt (2002) provides detailed examples of this in call centers while
Appelbaum et al. (2000) show this in manufacturing industry.
It can be argued that operational strategy, in the same way as business strategy,
can be seen as a major inXuence over choices of HR systems but it is unnecessary to
include it within research focused upon the impact of HR on performance.
However, some features of operational management relating to the organization
of work are so inXuential on employees that they need to be included, as shown in
our model. In particular, aspects of perceived job design like eVort, autonomy,
challenge, and stress need to be included (Ramsay et al. 2000). As does teamwork
(Harley 2001). Boselie et al. (2005) found that a minority of studies (forty in the
case of teamwork, twenty-Wve in the case of job design) included some aspects of
operational management. These job features are so central to work experience, and
are likely to be strongly related to job satisfaction and commitment, that their
exclusion will probably be the cause of covariance. This means that they are
variables which need to be controlled for or which have to be included within
the research, either as part of the HR system or as moderating variables.
26.6.3 Organization Culture, Climate, and Values
Guest et al. (2003: 291) adopt a resource-based view of strategy (RBV) in searching
for the HR–performance link. They note the importance of ‘the management of
organisational culture’ but do not research it or control for it. Yet culture is usually
hrm and business performance
547
seen as a critical intangible asset in RBV (Barney and Wright 1998). Culture, often
deWned as embedded assumptions and shared values (O’Reilly and Chapman
1996), ‘function(s) both as [an] antecedent to the HRM system and as a mediator
of its linkage to Wrm performance . . . [These] organizational assumptions and
values shape HRM practices which, in turn, reinforce cultural norms and routines
that can shape individual and Wrm performance’ (Bowen and OstroV 2004: 205).
Gordon and DiTomaso (1992) use consistency of value-sharing as a test of strong
cultures. Values are likely to be articulated by senior management in part as a
reXection of their own, or the organization’s inherited, value system. It is these
values which, in part at least, are likely to shape HR architecture and HR practices.
Thus, the starting point is to identify these articulated values and then assess the
extent to which they are shared. This is similar, but not identical to, organizational
‘climate.’ This is deWned by Bowen and OstroV (2004: 205) as being ‘a shared
perception of what the organization is like in terms of practices, policies, procedures, routines and rewards, what is important and what behaviours are expected.’
While Bowen and OstroV suggest that ‘HRM practices and the HRM system will
play a critical role in determining climate perceptions’ (2004: 205), it is just as likely
that culture and climate inXuence both the choice of HR practices and how these
practices are perceived by employees. This is an empirical question which has yet to
be answered. We need to measure culture/climate if we are to assess the relative
importance of these and HR practices and assess how the one mediates the other in
linking to performance. We have therefore placed it as a contextual ring outside the
central HRM causal chain, as shown in Fig. 26.2.
26.4 Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
This chapter has focused on the problems experienced in seeking to assess the extent
to which HRM impacts on organizational performance. Paradoxically, many
researchers report positive associations but are unable to do so in a way which is
suYciently convincing to meet strict tests in the theory of causality or generate
suYciently robust evidence of either HR practices or performance. Four types of
substantive problems have been considered. First is the problem of performance
measures. These range from distal Wnancial measures to proximal indicators, which
are more likely to be directly inXuenced by employees, and are thus more obvious
outcomes of HR practices. It is doubtful whether objective measures of performance
are necessarily the only outcomes of interest since longer-term Wrm viability and, for
some, the maintenance of sustained competitive advantage is likely to require
Xexibility and agility. These requirements may inXuence the design of HR systems
as much as achieving shorter-term performance outcomes. In some cases, they may
548
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
even be the dominant outcome requirement. A third end goal of HRM is the pursuit
of social legitimacy and the requirement to meet societal expectations and
regulations which vary from country to country. In practice, all three outcomes—
productivity, Xexibility, and legitimacy—are likely to be required to a greater or
lesser extent. ‘A superior performance in HRM . . . implies an outstanding mix of
outcomes across these three areas’ (Boxall and Purcell 2003: 8) (see Chapter 3).
The second cluster of problems concerns the choice of HR practices. There is an
extraordinary lack of agreement among researchers on what practices to include and
a paucity of explanation on why particular lists are chosen. The use of ‘HR architecture’ identifying four diVerent levels of HRM provides some logic and order in the
choice of practices. The use of generic categories of practice such as KSA and AMO is
particularly helpful since diVerent combinations may have the same outcome.
Third, progress in HRM–performance research can only be made if theory is
focused on the causal chain between practice and outcome. Employees are at the
heart of all casual chains because they are the focal point of HR practices and they
deliver performance. Employee responses to HR practices have not been included
in most research designs, until recently, and this has impoverished the Weld. Once
employees are put center stage, involving very diVerent research designs and
datasets, it becomes possible to advance the theory of HRM and performance.
Social exchange theory oVers one possible avenue for development within HRM.
The focus on employees’ reactions to HR practices—their perceptions of them,
not just as practices, but in terms of fairness and justice, motivation and eVectiveness in inXuencing attitudes and behavior—takes us back to the debate on what
HRM really is. Other features of organizational life are likely to inXuence employee
attitudes and behavior so much that they cannot be excluded. These are the role
line managers play in the delivery of HR practices and in establishing relationships
with employees, features of the operational management system which aVect job
design and job experience, and organizational culture and its sub-area, climate.
The covariance problem is so strong that either these factors need to be controlled
for or, and this is the route preferred here, they need to be incorporated in our
deWnition of HRM. Once we have a robust, theoretically sound, model of HRM
and a clear view of the causal chain, it will be possible, with research focused mainly
on employees, their responses to people management, and organizational outcomes, to move to the next step in the search for the HRM Holy Grail.
References
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., and Kallebergh, A. (2000). Manufacturing Advan
tage: Why High Performance Systems Pay oV. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.
Arthur, J. (1994). ‘EVects of Human Resource Systems on Manufacturing Performance
and Turnover.’ Academy of Management Journal, 37: 670 87.
hrm and business performance
549
Barney, J., and Wright, P. (1998). ‘On Becoming a Strategic Partner: The Roles of Human
Resources in Gaining Competitive Advantage.’ Human Resource Management, 37: 31 46.
Bartel, A. (2004). ‘Human Resource Management and Organizational Performance:
Evidence from Retail Banking.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 57/2: 181 203.
Batt, R. (2002). ‘Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and
Sales Growth.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45: 587 97.
Becker, B., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.’ Academy of Management Journal,
39/4: 779 801.
Becker, T., Billings, R., Eveleth, D., and Gilbert, N. (1996). ‘Foci and Bases of
Employee Commitment: Implications for Job Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 39: 464 82.
Boselie, P., Dietz , G., and Boon, C. (2005). ‘Commonalities and Contradictions in
Research on Human Resource Management and Performance.’ Human Resource Man
agement Journal, 13/3: 67 94.
Bowen, D., and Ostroff, C. (2004). ‘Understanding HRM Firm Performance Linkages: The
Role of the ‘‘Strength’’ of the HRM System.’ Academy of Management Review, 29: 203 21.
Boxall, P. (2003). ‘HR Strategy and Competitive Advantage in the Service Sector.’ Human
Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 5 20.
and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Cappelli, P., and Neumark, D. (2001). ‘Do ‘‘High Performance’’ Work Practices Improve
Establishment Level Outcomes?’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 54: 737 75.
Coyle Shapiro, J., Kessler, I., and Purcell, J. (2004a). ‘Exploring Organizationally
Directed Citizenship Behaviour: Reciprocity or ‘‘It’s my Job’’ ’. Journal of Management
Studies, 41/1: 85 106.
Shore, L., Taylor, S., and Tetrick, L. (eds.) (2004b). The Employment Relationship:
Examining Psychological and Contextual Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Datta, D. K., Guthrie, J. P., and Wright, P. M. (2005). ‘Human Resource Management and
Labor Productivity: Does Industry Matter?’ Academy of Management Journal, 46/1: 135 45.
Deery, S., and Iverson, R. (2005). ‘Labor Management Cooperation: Antecedents and
Impact on Organizational Performance.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 58/4:
588 601.
Delery, J., and Shaw, J. (2001). ‘The Strategic Management of People in Work Organiza
tions: Review, Synthesis and Extension.’ Research in Personnel and Human Resources
Management, 20: 165 97.
Edwards, P., and Wright, M. (2001). ‘High Involvement Work Systems and Performance
Outcomes: The Strength of Variable, Contingent and Context Bound Relationships.’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 124: 568 85.
Gelade, G., and Ivery, M. (2003). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management and
Work Climate on Organizational Performance.’ Personnel Psychology, 56: 383 404.
Gerhart, B. (2005). ‘Human Resources and Business Performance: Findings, Unanswered
Questions, and an Alternative Approach.’ Management Revue, 16/2: 174 85.
Wright, P., McMahan, G., and Scott, S. (2000). ‘Measurement Error in Research
on Human Resources and Firm Performance: How Much Error is There and does it
InXuence EVect Size Estimates?’ Personnel Psychology, 53: 803 34.
Godard, J. (2004). ‘A Critical Assessment of the High Performance Paradigm.’ British
Journal of Industrial Relations, 42/2: 439 78.
550
john purcell and nicholas kinnie
Gordon, G., and DiTomaso, N. (1992). ‘Predicting Corporate Performance from Organ
izational Climate.’ Journal of Management Studies, 26/6: 783 98.
Guest, D. (1997). ‘Human Resource Management and Performance: A Review and
Research Agenda.’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8/3: 263 76.
(2001). ‘Human Resource Management: When Research Confronts Theory.’ Inter
national Journal of Human Resource Management, 12/7: 1092 106.
and Conway, N. (2004). Employee Well Being and the Psychological Contract: A Report
for the CIPD. London: CIPD.
Michie, J., Conway, N., and Sheehan, M. (2003). ‘Human Resource Management
and Corporate Performance in the UK.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41/2:
291 314.
Guthrie, J. P. (2001). ‘High Involvement Practices, Turnover and Productivity: Evidence
from New Zealand.’ Academy of Management Journal, 44: 180 90.
Hannah, D., and Iverson, R. (2004). ‘Employment Relationships in Context: Implications
for Policy and Practice.’ In J. Coyle Shapiro, L. Shore, S. Taylor, and L. Tetrick (eds.), The
Employment Relationship: Examining Psychological and Contextual Perspectives. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Harley, B. (2001). ‘Team Membership and the Experience of Work in Britain: An Analysis
of the WERS98 Data’. Work, Employment and Society, 15/4: 721 42.
Harter, J., Schmidt, F., and Hayes, T. (2002). ‘Business Unit Level Relationship between
Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement and Business Outcomes: A Meta analysis.’
Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 268 79.
Hitt, M., Bierman, L., Shimizu, K., and Kochhar, R. (2001). ‘Direct and Moderating
EVects of Human Capital on Strategy and Performance in Professional Service Firms:
A Resource Based View Perspective’. Academy of Management Journal, 44/1: 13 28.
Huselid, M. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover,
Productivity, and Corporate Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38: 635 72.
Hutchinson, S., and Purcell, J. (2003). Bringing Policies to Life: The Vital Role of Front
Line Managers. London: CIPD.
Jacoby, S. (2005). The Embedded Corporation: Corporate Governance and Employment
Relations in Japan and the United States. New York: Princeton University Press.
Judge, T., Thoresen, C., Bono, J. and Patton, G. (2001). ‘The Job Satisfaction Job
Performance Relationship: A Qualitative and Quantitative Review’. Psychological Bulletin,
127: 376 407.
O’Reilly, C., and Chapman, J. (1996). ‘Culture as Social Control: Corporations, Culture
and Commitment’. Research in Organizational Behaviour, 18: 157 200.
Ostroff, C., and Bowen, D. (2000). ‘Moving HR to a Higher Level: HR Practices and
Organizational EVectiveness.’ In K. Klein and S. Kozlowski (eds.), Multilevel Theory,
Research and Methods in Organizations: Foundations, Extensions and New Directions. San
Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Paauwe, J. (2004). HRM and Business Performance: Achieving Long Term Viability. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Paul, A., and Anantharaman, R. (2003). ‘Impact of People Management on Organiza
tional Performance: Analysis of a Causal Model.’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 14/7: 1246 66.
Pfeffer, J. (1998). The Human Equation: Building ProWts by Putting People First. Boston:
Harvard Business School Press.
hrm and business performance
551
Purcell, J., and Hutchinson, S. (2006). ‘Front Line Managers as Agents in the HRM
Performance Causal Chain: Theory, Analysis and Evidence’. Human Resource Manage
ment Journal (forthcoming).
Kinnie, N., Hutchinson, S., Rayton, B., and Swart, J. (2003). Understanding the
People and Performance Link: Unlocking the Black Box. London: CIPD.
Ramsay, H., Scholarios, D., and Harley, B. (2000). ‘Employees and High Performance
Work Systems: Testing inside the Black Box.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38/4:
501 31.
Redman, T., and Snape, E. (2005). ‘Unpacking Commitment: Multiple Loyalties and
Employee Behaviour’. Journal of Management Studies, 42/2: 301 28.
Rucci, A., Kirn, S., and Quinn, R. (1998). ‘The Employee Customer ProWt Chain at Sears’.
Harvard Business Review, 76/1: 82 97.
Storey, J. (1995). Human Resource Management: A Critical Text. London: Routledge.
Truss, K. (2001). ‘Complexities and Controversies in Linking HRM with Organisational
Outcomes’. Journal of Management Studies, 38/8: 1121 49.
Uhl Bien, M., Graen, G., and Scandura, L. (2000). ‘Indicators of Leader Member
Exchange (LMX) for Strategic Human Resource Management Systems.’ Research in
Personnel and Human Resources Management, 18: 137 85.
Wall, T., and Wood, S. (2005). ‘The Romance of HRM and Business Performance, and the
Case for Big Science’. Human Relations, 58/4: 429 62.
Way, S. (2002). ‘High Performance Work Systems and Intermediate Indicators of Firm
Performance within the US Small Business Sector.’ Journal of Management, 28/6: 765 85.
Whitener, E. M. (2001). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Activities on Employee Trust.’
Human Resource Management Review, 7/4: 389 404.
Brodt, S. E., Korsgaard, M. A., and Werner, J. M. (1998). ‘Managers as Initiators of
Trust: An Exchange Relationship Framework for Understanding Managerial Trustworthy
Behaviour.’ Academy of Management Review, 23/3: 513 30.
Whittaker, S., and Marchington, M. (2003). ‘Devolving HR Responsibility to the Line:
Threat, Opportunity or Partnership?’ Employee Relations, 36/3: 245 61.
Wood, S. (1999). ‘Human Resource Management and Performance.’ International Journal
of Management Reviews, 1/4: 367 413.
Wright, P., and Boswell, W. (2002). ‘Desegregating HRM: A Review and Synthesis of
Micro and Macro Human Resource Management Research.’ Journal of Management, 28/3:
247 76.
and Gardner, T. (2003). ‘The Human Resource Firm Performance Relationship:
Methodological and Theoretical Challenges.’ In D. Holman, T. Wall, C. Clegg, P. Sparrow,
and A. Howard (eds.), The New Workplace: A Guide to the Human Impact of Modern Work
Practices. London: John Wiley.
and Nishii, L. (2004). ‘Strategic HRM and Organizational Behaviour: Integrating
Multiple Level Analysis.’ Paper presented at the ‘What Next for HRM’ conference,
Rotterdam.
and Snell, S. (1998). ‘Towards a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and Flexibility
in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review, 23/4: 756 72.
Gardner, T., Mojnihan, L., and Allen, M. (2005). ‘The Relationship between
HR Practices and Firm Performance: Examining Causal Order.’ Personnel Psychology,
58: 409 46.
chapter 27
....................................................................................................................................................
MODELING
HRM AND
PERFORMANCE
L I N KAG E S
....................................................................................................................................
barry gerhart
27.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
My focus here is on methodology in the literature on human resources
(HR) management and performance.1 Whenever a theoretical model of HR and
performance is tested and estimated using empirical data, a binary decision
regarding whether the model is supported (yes or no) is typically made. If support
is found, it is either because the model is correct or the method is wrong (i.e. a false
positive, or Type I, error of inference). If support is not found, it is either because
the model is wrong or the method is wrong (i.e. a false negative, or Type II, error of
inference).
I thank Ingo Weller for his helpful comments on an earlier version.
1
‘Performance’ often refers to Wnancial or operating performance in the literature. The models
discussed here apply equally well to performance as deWned by stakeholders other than shareholders
(e.g. Brewster 1999; Paauwe 2004). Obviously, diVerent stakeholders’ (shareholders, employees,
customers, public) interests are not identical, but there is often a substantial shared interest in the
ongoing viability of the organization.
modeling hrm and performance linkages
553
Either type of error, of course, causes problems. Research may incorrectly deem
an eVective HR system as ineVective or an eVective HR system as ineVective.
Incorrect research inferences may stiXe research in a fruitful area or create a cottage
industry in an area not worth the bother. If, as we hope, research has some eVect on
managerial policy and practice, these errors of inference could likewise lead to
errors in the adoption or retention of HR systems in organizations.
I have two general goals in this chapter. First, I hope to help readers better
evaluate the contribution of published research on HR and performance. Second,
I hope to help authors in preparing their work for publication and avoid problems
that may otherwise lengthen the review process or adversely aVect the publication
decision. I begin with a simple model.
27.2 A Simple Model of HR
and Performance
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The typical approach in HRM and performance is to use a model like the following:
Perf ¼ â0 þâperfhr hrþå
where population parameters are: â0, the intercept, âperfhr, an unstandardized
regression coeYcient representing the performance–HR relationship, and å, the
error or disturbance term, which captures all unspeciWed causes of Perf. This is the
classical linear regression model. Estimation using sample data, by ordinary least
squares (OLS), for example, yields:
Perf ¼ b0 þbperfhr hrþe
Under standard assumptions, the OLS/classical regression estimator is unbiased
and eYcient among the class of linear estimators (the Gauss–Markov theorem).
Unbiased means that the mean (or expected value) of the distribution of b across
repeated samples is equal to the population parameter, â. EYcient (or best) means
that b has minimum variance (relative to other estimators in the class) across the
distribution of repeated samples.2 Adding the assumption that the disturbance
term is normally distributed turns the model into the classical normal regression
model, which facilitates hypothesis-testing and formation of conWdence intervals
(e.g. Greene 1993: ch. 10). In empirical work on HR and performance, this basic
model can and should, of course, be expanded to include other determinants of
performance.
2
EYciency is only meaningful in conjunction with bias because any constant (e.g. b ¼4 , the
uniform number for hockey players Bobby Orr and Chris Gerhart) will be an eYcient estimator, but
of course, is likely to be a biased estimator.
554
barry gerhart
27.3 Estimating and Interpreting
Effect Sizes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In the model above, the unstandardized regression coeYcient is the primary eVect
size estimate. However, HR research draws from multiple disciplines, and its
methodology reXects this fact. Likewise, the approach to eVect size varies across
disciplines. For many in HR, the main foundation is in psychology. Psychologybased research has traditionally focused, sometimes exclusively, on statistical signiWcance testing. However, psychologists have increasingly recognized the problems
with this approach (Cohen 1994; Schmidt 1995). Statistical signiWcance tests alone
tell us whether our statistical estimates meet some minimum level of precision,
which is important, but it is only a binary index. Knowing that a relationship is nonzero is, by itself, not terribly interesting. With a suYciently large sample size, even
relationships that are so small as to be trivial with respect to practical relevance can
be statistically signiWcant.
In studies of HR–performance, where large sample sizes are diYcult to obtain,
given the unit or Wrm level of analysis, the opposite problem, that practically
important relationships may be missed because of inadequate statistical power, is
more common. Standard practice in statistical signiWcance-testing is to Wx the Type I
error rate (usually at p ¼ .05), thus forcing an increase in Type II error (i.e. a
decrease in statistical power) rates as sample size decreases. Rosnow and Rosenthal
(1989) show that in the case of a population r ¼ .10 (a reasonable estimate for the
HR-performance correlation)3 and using a signiWcance level of p ¼ .05, the ratio of
Type II to Type I error is 2 with N ¼ 1000, 10 with N ¼ 400, and 17 with N ¼ 100.
Likewise, Cohen (1992) shows that with a population r ¼ .10 and p ¼ .05, to have
a .80 probability of detecting the eVect (i.e. statistical power) would require N ¼ 783,
a sample size much larger than typically used in the HR–performance literature.
Thus, statistical signiWcance-testing is not enough. What we really need in an
area like HR and performance, which aspires to have practical implications, is (a) a
meaningful index of eVect size (Becker and Gerhart 1996), typically an unstandardized regression coeYcient, if the dependent variable is measured on a ratio
scale (e.g. proWtability, shareholder return, turnover, uptime), and (b) a conWdence
interval placed around the eVect size that conveys the precision of the estimate.
Both are important because investing in an HR system having a mean eVect that is
smaller, but less variable/uncertain, could, for example, be preferred to investing in
an HR system having a larger mean, but also a higher variance, eVect. Smaller
variance (i.e. the standard error of the regression coeYcient) is achieved as
3
Based on Gerhart et al. (2000a: 809), r ¼ .10 is a realistic estimate of the HR performance
correlation when examining the Huselid (1995) study.
modeling hrm and performance linkages
555
the sample size and R2 for the performance equation increases and as the
collinearity of HR with other independent variables decreases (e.g. Cohen and
Cohen 1983: 109).4
When eVect sizes are expressed in unstandardized regression coeYcient terms
and the variables are in ratio scale form (e.g. dollars), it changes the discussion of
research Wndings and the discussion of implications from what it is when a binary
test of statistical signiWcance is the focus (Becker and Gerhart 1996). Indeed, many
of the issues I discuss below may not matter a great deal if the inference goal is to
simply make a binary statistical signiWcance decision. In contrast, when one begins
to estimate and report policy-relevant eVect sizes (for instance, Wrms using HR
system A have 20 percent higher proWts than Wrms using HR system B, e.g. Huselid
1995—see below), one Wnds that conclusions can change signiWcantly, depending
on methodological issues such as the level of reliability (which, in turn, depends on
estimating reliability correctly). Therefore, once one interprets point-estimate
eVects of HR-related variables on natural metric outcomes like proWts and total
shareholder return, one is forced to a much greater degree to think about whether
the eVect sizes are plausible or not.
There are other advantages as well to using unstandardized regression coeYcients rather than standardized regression coeYcients. First, whereas unreliability
in the dependent variable biases the standardized regression coeYcient, it does not
bias the unstandardized regression coeYcient. (Unreliability in the independent
variable biases both types of regression coeYcients and unreliability in either the
independent or dependent variable also leads to downward bias in R2.) Second,
range restriction in the independent variable (variance in the sample is less than its
variance in the population) biases the standardized regression coeYcient toward
zero, but does not bias the unstandardized regression coeYcient (Cain and Watts
1970; Cohen and Cohen 1983; Darlington 1990).5 This bias in the standardized
coeYcient is a major drawback, and, as Cain and Watts observe, stems from this
eVect size estimate being ‘dependent upon the particular policies pursued when the
data were collected’; and if these policies have restricted variance, using the
standardized coeYcient ‘runs the risk of declaring a policy feeble simply because
historically it was not vigorously applied’ (199: 236). (Range restriction in the
independent variable does lead to downward bias in R2. Range restriction in y
biases both standardized and unstandardized regression coeYcients. See discussion
of sample selection bias.)
4
Sometimes an author claims that when a regression coeYcient is not statistically signiWcant, ‘if we
had used a larger sample size, the coeYcient would have reached statistical signiWcance.’ This is not
necessarily correct because the regression coeYcient varies across samples, meaning it could be smaller
in a diVerent sample. So, while it is correct that the conWdence interval around the coeYcient would
be smaller in a larger sample, ceteris paribus, it is unlikely that the conWdence interval would be
centered around the same coeYcient estimate in that larger sample.
5
Range enhancement, by contrast, leads to an upward bias in the standardized coeYcient.
556
barry gerhart
Not surprisingly then, guidelines for statistical methods (even) in psychology
journals now admonish researchers that ‘if the units of measurement are meaningful
on a practical level . . . then we usually prefer an unstandardized measure (regression coeYcient or mean diVerence) to a standardized measure (r or d)’ and that ‘it
helps to add brief comments that place these eVect sizes in a practical and theoretical
context’ (Wilkinson and the Task Force on Statistical Inference 1999: 599). Likewise,
a recent article on meta-analysis (Bond et al. 2003) calls for cumulating eVect sizes in
terms of ‘raw mean diVerences’ whenever meaningful, rather than using standard
deviation units or other standardized eVect sizes (e.g., d, r).
27.4 Challenges in Inferring Causality
and Potential Solutions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Cook and Campbell, drawing on John Stuart Mill, give three necessary conditions
for inferring causality: (a) covariance between cause and eVect (i.e. a non-zero
eVect size), (b) time precedence (cause occurs in time before the eVect), and (c) ‘rule
out alternative interpretations for a possible cause and eVect connection’ (1979: 31).
It is useful to keep in mind, however, the following points. First, eVect size
estimation and ruling out alternative causal models is often not separable. The
wrong causal model (e.g. omitting variables, ignoring reciprocal causation) often
results in biased eVect size estimates. As another example, a statistically signiWcant
and credible causal relationship may be of trivial magnitude. Second, the requirement to ‘rule out’ alternative models may have the unfortunate eVect of leading
researchers to believe that they must choose between two models, rather than
combining elements of both. This is especially a problem with reciprocal causation,
where researchers sometimes seem determined to show that causation runs one
way or another, but not in both directions. I return to this point later.
The three speciWc issues I have chosen to address below arise from the violation
of one assumption of the earlier described classical regression/OLS model (Duncan
1975; Wooldridge 2002: 50–1): that the independent variable (HR here) and e are
independent, or cov(HR,e) ¼ 0.6 These three issues are: measurement error (‘errors
in variables’), speciWcation error (usually referring to omitted variables), and
simultaneity (i.e. reciprocal or non-recursive causation).7 Sample selection bias
6
There are other important assumptions (e.g. homoskedasticity, lack of autocorrelation).
Wooldridge (2002: 50) observes that in applied econometrics, the term ‘endogenous’ is used to
refer to any right hand side variable that that is correlated with the disturbance term. He also notes,
however, that the term endogenous has a more traditional meaning (Alwin and Hauser 1975): any
7
modeling hrm and performance linkages
557
can be viewed as a form of the omitted variable problem (Heckman) and is
therefore discussed in that section.
When the cov(HR,e) ¼ 0 assumption is violated, OLS is no longer unbiased and
a search for alternative estimators may be undertaken. While other estimators, in
theory, are capable of providing less biased (or in large samples, more consistent)
estimates,8 it is important to remember that these estimators make their own
assumptions, which if not suYciently met, can lead to no better, or even worse
estimates than provided by OLS.
27.4.1 Measurement Error and Construct Validity
27.4.1.1 Random Measurement Error
The standard paradigm for studying HR and performance has been to deWne and
measure HR in terms of HR practices, by either asking the percentage of employees
covered by a practice or by using a likert-type rating scale that asks the degree to
which a practice is used, important, etc. The strength of implementation of
practices has not generally received much attention (Bowen and OstroV 2004),
nor have employee descriptions of practices been used. Rather, for better or worse,
a single managerial respondent typically provides the HR practice information.
For some reason, the HR and business performance literature has been Wxated
on internal consistency (e.g. Cronbach’s alpha) reliability, which provides an
estimate of how much error in responses stems from the sampling of items from
the universe of items in a particular construct domain, given the traditional
reXective measurement model. Although this aspect of reliability is important,
recent evidence indicates that the far more serious source of measurement error in
measuring HR is the sampling of raters. This fact has been either (a) ignored, or
(b) mistakenly addressed using an index, rwg, that is not a reliability and which gives
an overly optimistic view of measurement error (Gerhart 1999). Gerhart, Wright,
and colleagues (Gerhart et al. 2000a, 2000b; Wright et al. 2001) have documented
that measurement error due to raters in studies using the Wrm level of analysis is
substantial. For example, in their Wrst study, Gerhart et al. reported an interrater
reliability of no more than .30 and probably more like .20.
What are the consequences? First, such low interrater reliabilities mean that the
HR practice scores a researcher obtains for a particular Wrm depend more on the
variable that is explained within a set of equations, or in a path model, any variable that has a
unidirectional arrow leading into it. Likewise, an exogenous variable is one that is not explained in the
system, and in a path diagram, has no unidirectional arrows leading into it. To avoid confusion, I use
the terms exogenous and endogenous in the latter sense.
8
Roughly speaking, consistency means that in large samples, an estimator’s probability density
function (or distribution) approaches that of the population parameter as the sample size increases.
558
barry gerhart
particular person completing the survey than on what practices are actually used in
the Wrm because the HR practice scores are idiosyncratic, rather than being
consistent across diVerent managerial respondents.
Second, the correction for attenuation in an unstandardized regression coeYcient, though little discussed, diVers from the correction for attenuation in a
correlation (Gerhart 1999; Gerhart et al. 2000a). The corrected regression coeYcient is equal to the observed regression coeYcient divided by the reliability of HR,
whereas the corrected correlation is obtained by dividing by the square root of HR’s
reliability and performance’s reliability. Therefore, unreliability in the independent
variable, HR has a larger impact on the unstandardized regression coeYcient than
on the correlation.9
Thus, the 20 percent eVect of HR on Wrm performance (for an increase in 1 SD in
HR practices) found by Huselid and others (see Gerhart 1999), once corrected,
becomes a 67 percent (.20/.30) eVect size using the .30 reliability estimate. That is
the eVect size compared to the mean. If comparing low (1 SD) and high Wrms (þ1
SD), the high Wrms are 167 percent of the mean and the low Wrms are at 33 percent
of the mean, which implies that the high Wrms have 167/37 ¼ 4.5 times higher
performance. Is this eVect size credible? (Keep in mind that other inXuences on
Wrm performance, e.g. Wnance, marketing, operations, etc. are typically not included in obtaining such estimates.) If not, it may indicate a need to re-examine
the entire approach. With a more positive assessment, it is still clear that methodology (reliability estimation in this example) matters a great deal in quantifying the
impact of HR.10
In research on HR and performance, there are multiple sources of measurement
error (both items and raters in the case here). This is best addressed by estimating a
generalizability coeYcient (Cronbach et al. 1972), which is equivalent to a reliability
that recognizes multiple sources of error. Gerhart et al. (2000a) provide a tutorial
and example.11 One standard econometric approach to correcting for measurement
9
In the case of more than one x variable, the eVects of measurement error are more complex. In
fact, in the multivariate case, it is mathematically possible for measurement error to result in upward
bias in a regression coeYcient. We discuss two predictor scenarios later in this chapter.
10
When using the plant/facility as the level of analysis, which is the typical unit of analysis in
industry level studies (e.g. Batt 2002; Hunter and Lafkas 2003; MacDuYe 1995), evidence suggests that
reliability may be signiWcantly better (Gerhart et al. 2000b). This Wnding makes sense because plant
practices are easier to observe, both because plants are smaller on average than Wrms, and because
there is less likely to be variation in actual HR practices within a plant compared to within a Wrm with
multiple sites (and many employees).
11
A nicely done study by Wall et al. (2004) that might (incorrectly in my view) be interpreted as
showing that reliability is less of an issue than we have suggested. Wall et al.’s approach in measuring
HR practices included the following steps: (a) three diVerent people per company were interviewed,
(b) ‘evidence from each interviewee was cross checked with that from others (emphasis added), and
with additional information from company documents and a tour of the manufacturing facility’
(2004: 101). Finally, (c) ‘based on this information, two researchers, unaware of company perform
ance, independently rated the extent of use of each of the practices’ (p. 101). This process essentially
modeling hrm and performance linkages
559
error is the use of instrumental variables, usually using two-stage least squares
estimation (discussed later). In the multivariate case, LISREL is very useful.
In our own recent work (Fulmer et al. 2003), we have talked about employee
relations as a source of competitive advantage, conceptualized and measured in
terms of (multiple) employee (not a managerial informant’s) views. A methodological advantage of this approach is that multiple responses from each organization are averaged, which, with enough responses, virtually eliminates measurement
error due to sampling of raters. What employees perceive, think, and feel about HR
and employee relations may also have more theoretical credibility as a cause of
business performance than what Purcell (1999) described as ‘crude’ measures of HR
practices.
27.4.1.2 Non-random Measurement Error
Single-respondent reports of HR practices can cause additional problems, especially if the same respondent also serves as the source of performance data. This
design may result in measurement errors in HR and performance being correlated.
For example, a respondent may consistently have positive or negative response
errors across scales. Or, Wrms having better performance may over-report levels of
HR eVectiveness or even use of practices thought to be desirable (Gerhart 1999).
There has been much debate about whether this common method variance
makes a diVerence in management research Wndings. While method variance
may not make much diVerence in binary tests of statistical signiWcance (Doty
and Glick 1998), it does inXuence eVect size. SpeciWcally, Doty and Glick’s metaanalysis found that correlations between an array of measures used in organizational behavior were 25 percent higher, on average, when both measures were based
on single source self-reports than when they were not. They also found that this
diVerence was larger still when the study design was cross-sectional.
Strategies for control of common methods variance include the use of the
multitrait-multimethod matrix (Campbell and Fiske 1959) to assess convergent
and discriminant validity, with later approaches applying structural equation
modeling (e.g. Alwin 1974). In the absence of multiple methods (and thus the
ability to identify and remove method variance this way), a more recent suggestion
is to use a marker variable (Lindell and Whitney 2001), which theory says should
have no relationship with other constructs in the study. Any observed relationship
is thus assumed to be due to common method variance only. This relationship is
then partialed from the relationships of substantive interest. As discussed later,
eliminates any measurement error by (apparently) permitting no disagreement and then once any
disagreement in interviewee data is eliminated or reduced, giving this homogenized data to two raters.
Not surprisingly, their ratings of the same, homogenized information are highly similar. It should also
be noted that Study 1 in Wall et al. was at the plant level of analysis (where the second Gerhart et al.
2000b study found that reliabilities were generally higher).
560
barry gerhart
longitudinal data can also be used to remove person-speciWc, time-invariant
omitted variables of this sort. Finally, when conducting aggregate-(e.g. organization-) level analyses, OstroV et al. (2002) have developed a method where diVerent
subsamples are used to measure diVerent constructs, eliminating within-person
correlations.
27.4.1.3 Construct Validity
The empirical methods discussed above are important in assessing construct
validity. However, construct validity cannot be established by empirical methods
alone. Rather, they must be interpreted in the context of a careful deWnition of the
construct and its role in a nomological network (Schwab 1980). Indeed, Schwab (p. 34)
notes that ‘Since the criterion in construct validity is conceptual, direct tests are not
possible.’ Therefore, one must Wrst decide whether the conceptual deWnition of the
construct is adequate, then consider the empirical evidence. One could argue that
early studies of HR and performance did a reasonable job of deWning the HR
construct, but the correspondence of the chosen measures with the deWnition was
not always what one might have liked. For example, Huselid (1995) essentially
conceptualized HR as having an impact on ability, motivation, and opportunity to
contribute (see also Appelbaum et al. 2000). (I would add cost as a fourth
mediating variable, Gerhart in press.) However, his two HR scales were only
indirectly related to these sub-constructs, or perhaps more accurately, mediating
variables. Consider, for example, that the two highest-loading items on his Wrst HR
scale, ‘employee skills and organization structures,’ were: ‘What is the proportion
of the workforce whose job has been subjected to formal job analysis?’ and ‘What is
the proportion of the workforce who are included in a formal information sharing
program (e.g. a newsletter)?’ The question is whether these items are critical
components of the HR domain and are they the major drivers of ability, motivation, opportunity to contribute, and cost.
27.4.1.4 Summary
To accurately describe the magnitude of the HR–performance relationship, one
must report a practically meaningful eVect size estimate, typically an unstandardized regression coeYcient, as well as its precision (e.g. the conWdence interval).
Further, the deWnition and measurement of ‘HR’ (and performance, for that
matter) can greatly inXuence observed eVect size estimates.
27.4.2 Omitted Variable Bias
Many factors presumably inXuence performance, but most empirical studies
include a short set of right-hand-side variables beyond those related to HR.
Huselid and Becker (2000) argued that omitted variable bias was likely the major
modeling hrm and performance linkages
561
statistical challenge in HR and performance research. They suggest, for example,
that ‘Wrms that understand the advantages of high performance HR are also good
at other types of management (e.g., marketing, operations)’ (p. 851). Another
variable that must be included in research on HR and performance is industry,
with narrower (three-digit or four-digit SIC code) being preferable to more coarse
categories (one-digit or two-digit SIC code). The use of ‘industry studies’ in
automobile assembly plants (MacDuYe 1995), telecommunications (Batt 2002),
and Wnancial services (Hunter and Lafkas 2003) uses single industry samples as a
way to control omitted variables and to understand the industry-speciWc institutional workings of HR and performance. Recent evidence provides further support
for the idea that this relationship may vary by industry (Datta et al. 2005).
To estimate the magnitude of bias from omitting a relevant variable (e.g.
industry, management quality/expertise in non-HR areas), call it ‘control,’ take
the fully (i.e. correctly) speciWed equation to be (Kmenta 1971: 392–93):
perf ¼ b0 þ bperfhr:control hr þ bperfccntrol:hr control þ e,
but we omit control and estimate instead:
perf ¼ a0 þ bperfhr hr þ e
Then the expected value of bperfhr will equal not bperfhr.control, but rather:
bperfhr ¼ bperfhr:control þ bperfcontrol:hr dcontrolhr
where dcontrolhr is the regression coeYcient from the auxiliary regression of control
on the included independent variables (hr only in this example):
control ¼ d0 þ dcontrolhr hr þ residual:
The bias in estimating bperfhr:control grows more severe as dcontrolhr and
bperfcontrol:hr become more diVerent from .00. In this two-variable example,
dcontrolhr hr is a direct function of æcontrolhr . However, with more independent
variables, it would be mathematically possible for æcontrolhr to be ‘large,’ but for
dcontrolhr to be ‘small’ due to the inclusion of other independent variables. This then
means that it is incorrect to say that omitted variable bias exists when the omitted
variable ‘is correlated with’ the dependent variable and any of the included
independent variables. Rather, it is the partial relationship of the omitted variable
with the included variable that matters.
There are two traditional approaches to reducing omitted variable problems.
The Wrst is the randomized experiment, which has the major advantage, in
suYciently large samples, of achieving what Cook and Campbell (1979) refer
to as equivalent groups. By deWnition, cov(hr,e) ¼ 0 under successful random
assignment. Moreover, this equivalence can be achieved without any knowledge
562
barry gerhart
whatsoever or statistical control of potential omitted variables. Although this is a
unique advantage, some evidence indicates that non-experimental designs can
produce results quite similar to experimental designs if the studies are similar in
other design characteristics such as degree of attrition, type of control group, size of
pretest diVerences between groups, and degree of self-selection (Heinsman and
Shadish 1996).
A second approach is statistical control using regression analysis, or equivalently
when the treatment is a group variable, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). A
problem with ANCOVA, however, is that the researcher must not only be able to
identify and include all variables that, if excluded, (signiWcantly) bias the eVect
estimate, she or he must also measure them reliably because partialing unreliable
control variables results in undercorrection for group diVerences (e.g. Cohen and
Cohen 1983). In the multivariate case, the most practical way to correct for
measurement error is to use a structural equation model (SEM) such as LISREL.
As also noted below in our discussion of matching and propensity scores, even if
relevant variables are included and measured without error, conclusions may still
be diYcult if the groups diVer signiWcantly on these control variables. Cochran
(1957), in an example cited by Rubin (2001), uses the following example to
demonstrate this point:
suppose that we were adjusting for diVerences in parents’ income in comparison of private
and public school children, and that the private school incomes ranged from $10,000
$12,000, while the public school incomes ranged from $4,000 $6,000. The covariance
[analysis] would adjust results so that they allegedly applied to a mean income of $8,000
in each group, although neither group has any observations in which incomes are at or near
that level. (pp. 265 6)
Three other approaches to omitted variable bias may be less familiar to readers
of this chapter and are thus covered in somewhat more depth.
27.4.2.1 Propensity Scores
Fulmer et al. (2003) used matching in their study by comparing the Wnancial
performance of companies on the Fortune list of 100 Best Companies to Work
For with that of a set of companies matched on industry, size, and previous
Wnancial performance. A more sophisticated approach to matching is propensity
scores (Rosenbaum and Rubin 1983). In the two-group case (treatment, control),
the propensity score is the probability, conditional on a set of covariates, that a
subject receives a treatment.12 It is derived by regressing the binary treatment
12
Estimating the eVect of HR on performance really requires knowledge of what would have
happened to the same employees or companies had they been covered during the period by a diVerent
HR system. This is not a new idea, but it has received much attention in the statistics literature of
late, much of it around Rubin’s work (‘Rubin’s causal model’ or ‘Rubin’s model of potential
outcomes’). Much of its application has been to experimental designs where intended treatment
modeling hrm and performance linkages
563
variable (e.g. using logistic regression) on a set of covariates. Rosenbaum and
Rubin show that, in large samples, the propensity score approach ensures that ‘if
treatment and control groups have the same distribution of propensity scores, they
have the same distribution of all observed covariates, just like in a randomized
experiment’ (Rubin 2001: 171). (Consistent with Cochran’s example, Heinsman and
Shadish 1996 found that the size of pretest diVerences between groups was one of
the most important factors in leading to diVerent Wndings from experiments versus
non-experiments.)
The advantage of using propensity scores over matching on multiple covariates
is that the latter can become unwieldly as the number of covariates increases.
Compared to simply including covariates in a regression model, propensity scores
also use fewer degrees of freedom. Also important is that propensity scores, when
used as recommended, are used only to compare groups and subgroups with very
similar propensity scores, thus addressing the concern raised in the Cochran (1957)
quote above.
The limitations of propensity scores are similar to those for the classical regression of ANCOVA model. Although only similar propensity scores are compared,
these continue to be based only on known/observable covariates. Any nonresponse is assumed to be random/ignorable (Rubin 1976) and it is also assumed
that the treatment variable is exogenous to the outcome or Y variable. Another
assumption is that the responses in one treatment group are not aVected by the
treatment received by respondents in other groups (e.g. as in the case where the
groups compete for resources or access to treatment), referred to as the stable unittreatment value assumption (SUTVA, Rosenbaum and Rubin 1983). Finally,
although they can be used in the case of a continuous treatment variable (for an
example, see Hirano and Imbens 2004), propensity scores have been primarily used
in cases where the independent variable is categorical (as in an ANOVA design).
The propensity score approach is currently receiving a great deal of attention in
econometrics and has been used in medical research as well. Some evidence
suggests that propensity scores can produce treatment eVect estimates from
quasi-experimental designs close to those of randomized experiments (Dehejia
and Wahba 1999; Hirano et al. 2003). Not surprisingly, the method works best when
characteristics of the non-equivalent groups are similar and when variables are
measured in the same way for both groups (Heckman et al. 1997), but there is a
debate regarding how typical that situation is and thus how broadly useful propensity score matching is (see point-counterpoint, Journal of Econometrics, March/
April 2005). To date, there appear to be no applications of propensity scores in the
management literature.
(e.g. training, no training) may diVer from experienced treatment (e.g. some in training condition
may not attend, whereas some not in the training condition may gain knowledge of what is taught).
An application of this model to the HR performance literature may be where intended HR policy
diVers from experienced HR policy.
564
barry gerhart
27.4.2.2 Selection Bias Correction
Sample selection bias refers to the case where observations above or below a certain
threshold on y are not observed. The result is bias in the regression coeYcient.
(Similar selection on the independent variable does not ordinarily cause this
problem. Rather, it is a range restriction problem, as discussed earlier.) Heckman
(1979: 155) shows that sample selection bias is a special case of omitted variable bias.
Thus, as noted below, the correction involves creating a new variable to add to the
model.
In the HR and performance literature, sample selection bias may arise, for
example, because Wrms or plants having less eVective HR strategies may be less
likely to survive than those having more eVective HR strategies (Gerhart et al.
1996). The consequence of observing only Wrms/plants that survive might be a
downward bias in the estimate of the HR and performance relationship.
The Heckman two-step correction procedure (Heckman 1979) estimates a selection equation and a substantive equation. The selection equation (often using
probit or logit) models the probability that observations from a population are
included in the sample at hand. Based on the selection equation, the inverse Mills
ratio, the probability of being excluded from the sample, is estimated and then
added as a variable to the substantive equation, which here would be the relationship between HR and performance. (See Berk 1983 for a primer on selection bias.)
Whether this ‘correction’ produces improved estimates depends, however, on the
speciWc characteristics of the data and the nature of the estimates obtained from the
selection equation (Stolzenberg and Relles 1997). Thus, whenever a selection bias
correction is used, it is necessary to report the full selection equation results
(variables, coeYcients, and Wt).
27.4.2.3 Fixed EVects
A Wxed eVects model can be considered where there are longitudinal data on both
HR and performance, as well as suYcient variance in changes in HR and performance over time. This estimator is also known as the dummy variable, withinsubjects, or Wrst diVerence (in the special case of two time periods only) estimator.
To see the potential advantage, specify equations for the relationship between HR
and performance for time t1 and time t, respectively with bt 1 ¼ bt:
perft ¼ hrt b þ et
perf t
1
¼ hrt 1 b þ et
1
Decompose the residuals into a time-varying, v, and time-invariant, u, parts:
perft ¼ hrt b þ vt þ u
modeling hrm and performance linkages
perf t
1
¼ hrt 1 b þ vt
1
565
þu
Subtract the second equation from the Wrst:
(perft perf t 1 ) ¼ (hrt hrt 1 )b þ (vt vt 1 )
The key result is that u, the omitted, time-invariant (i.e. ‘Wxed’) component, is
eliminated. Thus, any bias due to time-invariant omitted variables is also eliminated. With more than two waves of data, it is mathematically equivalent to pool
cross-sections and include dummy variables for each Wrm (in this example).
Huselid and Becker (1996) used a Wxed eVects model and reasoned that if this
estimate for the HR–performance coeYcient was similar to the estimate based on
cross-sectional data, it would reduce any concern about omitted variable bias in
studies that have used cross-sectional data. Recognizing that Wxed eVects estimates
(operationalized as diVerence scores with two waves of data) are often smaller than
the cross-sectional estimates because of more serious measurement error problems
in the former,13 Huselid and Becker (1996) wisely corrected for unreliability in their
Wxed eVects estimates. However, they did not correct their cross-sectional estimates. Gerhart (1999) found that upon additionally correcting the coeYcient
derived from the cross-sectional data, it was nearly twice as large (.240) as the
comparable Wxed eVects coeYcient of .125. This suggests, in contrast to Huselid and
Becker’s conclusion, that omitted variables may be a problem in cross-sectional
studies.
There are (other) costs (beyond measurement error) in using Wxed eVects. One is
that time-invariant variables fall out of the model described. Another is that
degrees of freedom are lost from the denominator. This is most easily seen in the
dummy variable speciWcation where n1 dummy variables are added to the
equation (where n ¼ number of Wrms). This leads to less eYciency. Thus, it is
recommended that a test be conducted to determine whether Wxed eVects belong in
the model before using the estimates from the Wxed eVects model. If not, the
recommended model is the error components model (Hausman 1978) and is
estimated using generalized least squares (GLS), which accounts for the dependence of the disturbance terms across time.
27.4.2.4 Control Variables: Sometimes ‘Too Much of a Good Thing’
Because omitted variable bias arises from using a model that omits relevant
variables, the natural inclination may be to add ‘control’ variables to a model
13
It has long been known that reliability problems are exacerbated by using diVerence scores
(Cronbach and Furby 1970), though these can be corrected for unreliability using structural equation
models (e.g. Gerhart 1988). Other studies probably underestimate the magnitude of the HR per
formance relationship because they use diVerence scores without correcting for measurement error
(e.g. Cappelli and Neumark 2001).
566
barry gerhart
whenever possible in a regression/ANCOVA approach. However, as Blalock (1961:
871), building on work by Simon (1954), observed, ‘the question of when and when
not to control for a given variable seems to be more complex than is often
recognized.’ Duncan (1975: 22) likewise cautions against adding control variables
‘not for any clearly deWned purpose, but simply because it is a ‘‘good idea’’ to look
at partial’ relationships.
The problem is that whether to control for a variable depends on the causal
model. Consider, for example, two of the causal models that can be used in a threevariable case. Two variables are HR and performance. Let the third variable be a
composite of ability, motivation, and opportunity to contribute (AMO). A ‘partial
mediation’ model is:
HR
performance.
AMO
Another model (‘control’) is
HR
performance
AMO
Use the hypothetical correlation matrix:
HR
AMO
Performance
HR
1.00
0.40
0.20
AMO
Performance
1.00
0.40
1.0
With the partial mediation model, the direct eVect of HR on performance is .048
and the indirect eVect (via AMO) is .152. Thus, the total eVect of HR is .200. In
contrast, using the control speciWcation, the total eVect of HR is .048 (direct
eVect ¼ .048, no indirect eVect). Thus, using the mediation speciWcation leads to
the total eVect of HR being estimated as roughly Wve times larger in magnitude
than when using a control speciWcation. (The estimates here can be obtained using
LISREL or by using the Alwin and Hauser 1975 approach.)
27.4.2.5 Summary
There are several approaches that may reduce omitted variable bias. However, some
of these approaches (e.g. Heckman’s procedure) rest on assumptions that may not
always be supported by the data. It was also noted that including more control
variables does not always make for better estimates, but rather depends on the
theoretical model.
modeling hrm and performance linkages
567
27.4.3 Simultaneity
In a recursive model, causation runs in one direction. In a non-recursive model,
causation is reciprocal (Duncan 1975). In other words, there is simultaneity. To
illustrate, consider the following model and example adapted from Duncan (1975:
ch. 5), which has two exogenous variables, x1 and x2, and perf and hr as endogenous
variables (variables in standard score form to simplify things):
perf ¼ bperf1 x1 þbperfhr hrþv
hr ¼ bhr2 x2 þbhrperf perf þu
Thus, in this model, hr ! perf and perf ! hr.
Ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates of the regression coeYcients in this
model are biased because the disturbances/residuals are no longer independent
of the right-hand-side variables in the model (see Duncan 1975: 77). For example,
given that perf ! hr, then v, the disturbance term in the perf equation, must also be
related to hr. Thus, cov(hr,v)6¼0, which will lead to bias in estimating bperfhr .
SpeciWcally, Duncan shows that (as applied here) rather than bperfhr , the OLS
estimate will equal:
bperfhr þ rhrv =(1 r2hr1 ):
The second part of this equation is referred to as simultaneity bias.
27.4.3.1 Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) and Instrumental Variables (IV)
One approach to dealing with simultaneity (or endogeneity in a purportedly
exogenous variable) is instrumental variables (IV), often estimated using twostage least squares (2SLS). (As previously noted, IV/2SLS can also be used to address
omitted variable and measurement error problems.) Consider again the equations:
perf ¼ bperf1 x 1 þ bperfhr hr þ v
hr ¼ bhr2 x 2 þ bhrperf perf þ u
The basic idea of instrumental variables is to replace a right-hand-side variable,
hr, suspected of being correlated with the error term with a predicted value, hr
hat, which is not correlated with the error term. Using 2SLS, hrhat is obtained by
regressing hr on the full set of exogenous variables, which must include at least one
instrument. This is the Wrst stage of 2SLS. The second stage is re-estimating the
perf-equation by replacing hr with hrhat.
An instrument is a variable that is included in the equation for hr, but is
excluded from (or Wxed to zero in) the equation for perf and thus inXuences
perf only through hr. This zero/exclusion restriction is necessary to identify the
568
barry gerhart
equation (i.e. be able to meaningfully estimate its parameters). A necessary condition for identiWcation, the order condition, requires that the number of exogenous
variables excluded from an equation must be at least as large as the number of
endogenous variables included in the equation (Greene 1993: 592). (A condition
suYcient for identiWcation, the rank condition, is beyond the scope of the present
discussion, but is deWned in most econometrics texts.) In our example, the perf
equation is likely identiWed, even though hr is included, because x2 is excluded and
serves as an instrument for hr.
The key is that the IV/2SLS procedure, if successfully implemented, results in
hrhat (unlike hr) being independent of v, eliminating the source of the problem.
The IV/2SLS estimator is consistent, rather than unbiased. The Hausman (1978)
test for endogeneity is often used. The logic is that if endogeneity is a problem,
then the IV/2SLS estimator should diVer from the OLS estimator. The test involves
adding the residual, uhat, from the HR equation to the perf equation (and
keeping HR in the perf equation also). If the standard t or z statistic for the
coeYcient on uhat is signiWcant, there is evidence of endogeneity (Wooldridge
2002: 118–20).
The success of the IV/2SLS procedure depends on the theoretical justiWcation for
the instrument (i.e. the credibility of the assumption that cov(perf =x 2 jhr) ¼ 0) or
equivalently that cov(u, x2 ) ¼ 0, as well as a suYciently large partial R2 (i.e.
partialing the other exogenous variables) between the instrument, x 2 , and the
variable being replaced using the Wrst-stage regression, hr (Bound et al. 1995;
Larcker and Rusticus 2005; Staiger and Stock 1997). This has two clear implications
for researchers. First, a convincing conceptual rationale must be made for using the
instrument. Second, the full results of the equation used to obtain the predicted/
instrumental variable values must be reported. Bound et al. (1995: 449) conclude
that ‘the use of instruments that jointly explain little of the variance in the
endogenous variable can do more harm than good’ and note that their results
‘emphasize the importance of examining characteristics of the Wrst-stage estimates’,
especially the ‘partial R2 and F statistic on the excluded instruments in the Wrststage regression.’ Both Bound et al. and Staiger and Stock (1997) also note that
despite the consistency property (a large-sample or asymptotic property) of
IV/2SLS, even large samples cannot compensate for a low R2, as demonstrated by
their re-analysis of the Angrist and Krueger (1991) study, which used IV/2SLS in a
sample of 300,000 to 500,000 observations.
In the HR and performance literature, a search turned up three studies (Bae and
Lawler 2000; Huselid 1995; Huselid et al. 1997) that have taken the possibility of
simultaneity between HR (practices) and performance seriously enough (and
judged instruments to be available) to use IV/2SLS.14 The latter two studies
14
IV/2SLS is rare in the psychological literature. An introduction (James and Singh 1978) and an
example (Schmitt and Bedeian 1982) appeared years ago, but as recently as 1996, Psychological Methods
modeling hrm and performance linkages
569
reported that they used a Hausman test for endogeneity, but did not report speciWc
results.15 None of the three studies reported results of the Wrst-stage regression,
which as we have seen, are necessary to evaluate the IV/2SLS procedure. Only Bae
and Lawler reported what they used (company years in operation, log of number of
employees, whether a joint venture Wrm) as instruments. We should note, however,
that this increased emphasis on the Wrst-stage results did not appear in the
literature until after some of these studies of HR and performance were already
completed.
Another potential use of IV/2SLS would be to examine the relationship between
attitudes and performance discussed below. However, in the case of the performance equation, what variable would make sense as an instrument for attitude?
Many texts are silent on the question of where one might look for possible
instruments. Kennedy (1992) suggests some general candidates for instruments,
most relevant here being the lagged value of an independent variable. One possibility would be to use attitude from an earlier time period as an instrument
for current attitude. Wooldridge (2002: ch. 5) provides several examples of how
IV/2SLS has been used in economics studies (e.g. on education and wages) and
the ingenuity required to Wnd a good instrument.
Finally, the 2SLS estimator will have a larger variance across samples than the
OLS estimator. For this and other reasons, it is important to test whether this loss
of eYciency is oVset by an increase in consistency. Wooldridge (2002) provides a
helpful discussion of how to proceed in this regard.
27.4.3.2 LISREL
A SEM approach such as LISREL (Joreskog and Sorbom 2002) can also be used to
estimate parameters of simultaneous equation models. LISREL is most useful when
there are (a) measurement error issues or signiWcant work to be conducted on the
dimensionality and validity of constructs, (b) simultaneity issues, or (c) where a
system-wide/full-information estimator (e.g. maximum-likelihood) is useful either
to increase eYciency (by recognizing cross-equation error term correlations) or to
provide for a goodness of Wt test for a system of equations.
If none of these conditions hold, then LISREL may be unnecessary and the
American Psychological Association Guidelines on statistical methods (Wilkinson
et al 1999) recommendation of ‘choosing a minimally suYcient analysis’ should be
kept in mind. In addition, econometricians have long relied more heavily on
limited information/single-equation estimators such as 2SLS to a greater degree
published an article entitled ‘An Illustration of the Use of Instrumental Variables’ by Foster and
McLanahan, implying some novelty of IV/2SLS.
15
The Hausman test (e.g. Wooldridge 2002: ch. 6) compares the OLS and 2SLS estimates. If the
estimates are the same, they should diVer only by sampling error. If the estimates are diVerent (not just
statistically, but practically), there may be reason for concern with endogeneity.
570
barry gerhart
than full-information/system estimators such as maximum-likelihood because the
latter (Bollen 1996; Curran et al. 1996; Kennedy 1992): (a) assume multivariate
normality, (b) while having superior asymptotic/large-sample properties, may not
perform as well in Wnite samples, which empirical research uses, and (c) allow a
speciWcation error in one equation (e.g. an incorrectly speciWed zero path) to bias
parameter estimates for other equations.
27.4.3.3 Longitudinal Data and Time Precedence
As noted earlier, Cook and Campbell (1979) identiWed time precedence of cause
and eVect as a necessary condition for causal inference. Longitudinal data is
necessary to satisfy this condition. Interestingly, a recent review Wnds that this
condition is not only rarely met in the HR and performance literature, but worse,
HR is typically measured after performance (Wright et al. 2005). So, there is clearly
a great deal of room for improvement on this front.
Wright et al. (2005) also raise the possibility of reciprocal causation, especially
when HR is deWned in terms of employee attitudes. They do not estimate a model
with reciprocal causation, but do present correlations of an HR practice index and
an employee attitude measure with performance outcomes collected both before
and after the HR/attitude measures in 45 to 62 units of an organization. They then
seek to determine whether (a) research design (causal ordering of HR and performance) and (b) controlling for concurrent performance diminishes the correlation between past HR practices and subsequent performance (i.e. in a design
having correct time precedence if interested in the HR ! performance path).
For some reason, their results do not seem to show any eVect of design (i.e.
whether correct time precedence exists) on the correlations. As one might expect,
when concurrent performance is controlled, the relationship of HR/attitude with
later performance is substantially diminished. The question is why. Wright et al.
consider a number of explanations: the relationship is non-recursive, the relationship is spurious, or that it is due to temporal stability in both sets of variables.
The Wrst and third explanations seem quite similar. As Gerhart and Milkovich
(1990) noted, if the causal model is something like:
hrt
2
! perf t
1
! hrt ! perf tþ1
then, yes, controlling for perf at t1 will reduce the relationship between hr at time
t and perf at tþ1, especially if hr and perf are stable over time and have stable
reciprocal eVects on one another over time. But, by controlling perf at t1, one is
also removing the earlier eVect of hr at t2. So, they warned against over-control.
Controlling for the lagged value of performance almost never yields empirical
estimates that correspond to the conceptual model. Indeed, it is a mis-speciWcation
to control for the lagged value of performance in a model that seeks to explain
diVerences in the level of performance across Wrms or units. By including a lagged
modeling hrm and performance linkages
571
value, the model, in fact, becomes a change model. To see this, begin with the
model:
perf tþ1 ¼ b1 perf t þb2 hrt þetþ1
Then, impose the restriction, b1 ¼ 1, and rearrange terms to obtain:
perf tþ1 perf t ¼ b2 hrt þetþ1
Thus, by regressing Wrm performance at time t þ 1 on Wrm performance at time
t and HR at time t, the model estimates the eVect of HR level at t on the change in
Wrm performance between times t and t þ 1. This is Wne if this empirical speciWcation coincides with the conceptual model. For example, change in performance
would be the appropriate dependent variable if during the period between time t
and time t þ 1, some companies changed their HR practices and the researcher was
able to measure HR at these two time periods. However, this is almost never the
case in HR and performance research. Rather, HR is usually measured at a single
point in time. In that case, it is not clear that one would expect an unchanging set
of HR practices to lead to a change in performance.
A recent study by Schneider et al. (2003) uses longitudinal data on both Wrm
performance and HR (measured as aggregate employee attitude, speciWcally job
satisfaction). For each facet of job satisfaction and overall job satisfaction, they
estimate (a) sat ! perf, the correlation of job satisfaction measured at time 1 with
proWtability variables measured at time 2, time 3, and so forth, and (b) perf ! sat,
the correlation of proWtability variables measured at time 1 with job satisfaction
measured at time 2, time 3, and so forth. They Wnd that the correlations in the
(b) analyzes are generally larger than those obtained in the (a) analysis. They
conclude from this that proWtability is more likely to cause job satisfaction than
job satisfaction is to cause proWtability. Likewise, a look at their proposed research
model (that follows the empirical portion of their study) portrays job satisfaction
almost solely as an outcome variable, not as a key cause of behaviors or Wrm
performance.16
In my view, however, there is no need for a contest here. Consistent with the
simultaneous equation model discussed earlier, employee attitude can be both a
cause and a consequence of Wnancial performance. While Wnancial performance in
year t may precede employee attitude for year t þ 1, it is also true that employee
attitude in year t1 precedes Wnancials for year t and so on. (See the above
discussion on whether to control for a lagged dependent variable.) To say that
causality runs in only one direction may not be accurate.
16
Their model also shows high performance work practices inXuencing production eYciency and,
in turn, Wnancial performance with no mediating variables (or moderators for that matter). This
seems to move us in the wrong direction. We should be focusing on opening the proverbial ‘black box’
(Becker and Gerhart 1996), not hypothesizing its existence.
572
barry gerhart
Note also that Schneider et al.: (a) rely exclusively on bivariate correlations,
meaning no control variables are used, (b) provide no eVect sizes in dollar terms, so
it is diYcult to interpret the policy relevance of their Wndings, (c) do not explain
why the correlation of satisfaction with Wnancial outcomes is sometimes stronger
the longer the lag until the Wnancial outcomes are measured, (d) use only shortterm Wnancial performance, rather than long-term measures, which might better
capture employee attitudes/relations as a source of sustained competitive advantage (e.g. Fulmer et al. 2003), and (e) few of the sat ! perf and perf ! sat
correlations discussed above actually diVered statistically.
27.4.3.4 Summary
It is unlikely that causation runs in only one direction between HR and performance.
Simultaneous equation models oVer the prospect of a more accurate and nuanced
description of this relationship. However, the challenging assumptions of these
models, for example, regarding instrumental variables, may be diYcult to satisfy.
27.4.4 Causal Inference and Mediators
Becker and Gerhart (1996) emphasized the importance of specifying and testing
intervening causal mechanisms as a way to better understand how HR inXuences
performance, as well as its importance in assessing the credibility/causality of the
relationship. However, as Purcell (1999: 29) observed, the Weld has tended to ‘take
for granted’ that ‘often very crude’ measures of HR practices are mediated by things
like ‘worker eVort, morale, cooperation, attitudes, and behaviour.’ More recently,
workforce ability, motivation, and opportunity to contribute (AMO) have been
hypothesized as key mediators (Appelbaum et al. 2000; Boxall and Purcell 2003).
Again, however, this hypothesis is largely untested (Gerhart in press).
The classic approach to testing and estimating mediation, described by Alwin
and Hauser (1975), begins with the reduced form of the model, which refers to an
equation for each endogenous variable that includes only purely exogenous variables on the right-hand side.17 This is contrasted with the structural model, which
includes all right-hand-side variables, exogenous or otherwise. The total eVect is
deWned as the coeYcient on the exogenous variable in the reduced form equation.
The direct eVect is deWned as the coeYcient on the exogenous variable in the
structural equation. The indirect eVect is deWned as the total eVect minus the direct
eVect.
A later paper by Baron and Kenny (1986) uses a similar logic in testing for
mediation, but with greater emphasis on statistical signiWcance testing. However,
17
Recall that endogenous variables have determinants in the model, whereas exogenous variables
have no determinants (i.e. are unexplained) in the model.
modeling hrm and performance linkages
573
they are careful to note that mediation is not an all or nothing phenomenon and
thus statistical signiWcance testing is not suYcient for assessing the degree of
mediation. Rather, one must focus also on the percentage change in the regression
coeYcient when the mediator is added to the equation (moving from the reduced
form to the structural equation), consistent with Alwin and Hauser. Recent work
comparing tests of mediation further demonstrates the drawback of relying exclusively on statistical signiWcance tests, in part, because of their very poor statistical
power in most mediation tests (MacKinnon et al. 2002).
27.4.5 Testing for Fit or Moderation
Few seem to believe that the ‘best practice’ or ‘universal’ model of HR is valid. Most
of us Wnd that unlikely and can make plenty of persuasive arguments for why HR
practices must display (a) internal/horizontal Wt among themselves, (b) external/
vertical Wt with strategy, and (c) Wt with the institutional (including country)
environment (Boxall and Purcell 2003; Dowling and Welch 2004; Paauwe and
Boselie 2003).
The fact, however, is that there is precious little (formal research) evidence that
(a), (b), or (c) make much diVerence to business performance (Dyer and Reeves
1995; Gerhart in press; Gerhart et al. 1996; Wright and Sherman 1999). This is not to
say there is no evidence on any of these three aspects of Wt. For example, with
respect to (c) above, the regulatory environment may preclude or mandate certain
HR practices, depending on the country.
In the case of horizontal Wt, however, a case can be made that there is evidence,
but it has been misinterpreted as supportive evidence (Gerhart in press). For
example, an important study by Ichniowski et al. (1997) used monthly observations
on thirty steel Wnishing lines.18 Their dependent variable was line uptime and their
independent variables were HR practices, either alone, or combined via cluster
analysis into HR systems. Their key conclusion was that ‘Systems of HRM policies
determine productivity. Marginal changes in individual policies have little or no
eVect on productivity. Improving productivity requires substantial changes in a set
of HRM policies’ (p. 37).
For each HR individual practice, Ichniowski et al. (1997) estimated a separate
equation. Each HR practice’s coeYcient was then compared, with and without HR
system dummy variables in the equation. The individual HR practice coeYcients
were smaller when the HR system dummy variables were in the model. This
formed the basis for Ichniowski et al.’s conclusion that changes in sets of HR
policies are necessary. However, as Gerhart et al. (1996) noted, the fact that the
18
Note that a working paper version of this article was available in 1993, meaning the inXuence of
the study was felt before 1997.
574
barry gerhart
HR system variables (see 1996: 28) were derived on the basis of the individual HR
practices using a clustering algorithm likely means that the HR system variables
were collinear with the individual practices. As such, the fact that the coeYcients
on individual HR practices are diminished when the HR system variables could just
show collinearity. It is not clear why such evidence indicates Wt or complementarities between individual HR practices.19
The Ichniowski et al. (1997) method of testing internal Wt continues to be used.
For example, like Ichniowski et al., the research reported in Appelbaum et al.
(2000) is well done and interesting. However, their approach to testing for Wt has
similar problems. They conclude that ‘The synergies created by bundling these [HR
and work] practices together have a stronger eVect on performance than do the
individual practices’ (1997: 142). My re-examination of their results, however, turns
up nothing that really supports this claim.20
The concern here is that unwarranted claims regarding Wt/synergy have unwanted consequences for research and policy. From a policy point of view, we do
not want to tell companies that they have to ‘buy the whole package’ of HR system
practices to obtain improvement if, in fact, that is not necessary. This general issue
is one that very much needs to be addressed more carefully.21
Finally, there are three other areas where researchers sometimes do not follow
recommended practice. First, when testing for interactions by entering a crossproduct term, it is necessary to have all lower-order eVects in the model that
involve those variables. For example, to test a three-way interaction between HR,
business strategy, and country, one must include not only the three-way crossproduct, but also the three main eVects and the three two-way cross-product terms.
Second, it is recommended that when testing an interaction, one rules out the
possibility that an observed interaction is due to a quadratic eVect (MacCallum
and Mar 1995). Third, when plotting an interaction (always recommended), care
must be taken to include only values that actually exist in the dataset. So, for
example, it is necessary to Wrst verify that there are Wrms two standard deviations
19
Ichniowski et al. do not report the R2 for the equations using (a) separate HR practices, and
(b) HR practices combined into clusters/systems. Thus, there is no means of comparing the Wt of
(a) versus (b) based on their article.
20
When I simply add the linear eVects of the individual HR and work practices variables, I obtain
predicted values of their uptime dependent variable that are quite similar to those obtained using the
system variables (derived using cluster analysis). In addition, the adjusted R2 for the performance
equation containing the separate HR practices is larger (.81 in their table 8.7) than the R2 in the
corresponding performance equation containing the HR clusters/systems (.75 in their table 8.8). This
provides no support for synergy.
21
A broader issue is whether Wt is an overly static concept, which has received too much attention,
to the detriment of related issues, such as ‘sustainable Wt,’ which ‘can be achieved only by developing a
Xexible organization’ (Wright and Snell 1998: 758). Useful here would be longitudinal data on how
Wrms are able to respond in HR areas (practices, employee skills, employee behaviors, p. 758) over time
to changes in their competitive environments.
modeling hrm and performance linkages
575
above the mean on HR practices and two standard deviations below the mean on a
diVerentiation business strategy before including such a point in the Wgure.
27.4.6 MultiLevel Models and Concepts
Sometimes the goal of a paper is to study the eVect of HR policy on performance,
but it uses a design where there is no organization-level or unit-level variance in
HR. The typical approach in such cases seems to be to regress a perceptual measure
of eVectiveness (e.g. employee attitude) on a perceptual measure of HR (e.g.
opportunity to contribute). However, this analysis is a person-level analysis and
any relationship between HR and performance in this design is likely due to
common method variance if a single unit or organization has a single HR policy.
The exception would be if it can be shown that what appears to be a single policy is
implemented diVerently in diVerent parts of the organization, perhaps by supervisors. But, to do this, one must show that at this supervisor/work group level of
analysis, there is suYcient between relative to within group variance (using the
appropriate ICC index), and then conduct the study at that level of analysis, not at
the person level of analysis. Whatever the level of analysis, it must be shown that
self-reports are not idiosyncratic to the respondent, but rather reXect a higher level
(unit or Wrm) property. It is very diYcult to publish a paper that uses a single
source for all measures, but many such papers continue to be submitted to
journals.
Hiearchical linear modeling (HLM, Raudenbush and Bryk 2002) is increasingly
used for multilevel data and has application to the HR and performance literature
where individual data nested within organizations/units is used (OstroV and
Bowen 2000). Typically, data at the person level is nested within units or organizations and thus is not independent, contrary to the assumption made by the
classical regression/OLS model. HLM has the advantage of incorporating ICC
analyses and of estimating standard errors that are corrected for the dependence
of observations nested within units/organizations. However, many statistical packages accomplish the same thing by allowing estimation of robust standard errors.
27.5 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
My goal here has been to identify challenges in estimating eVect sizes and drawing
causal inferences in research on HR and performance and to consider possible
solutions to these problems. In each of the areas discussed, researchers regularly
576
barry gerhart
engage in methodological practices that could be improved and that may result in
incorrect conclusions regarding theory and practice. Guest et al.’s (2003) summary
concluded that:
Despite the positive thrust of most published empirical Wndings, Wood (1999) among
others has noted that the quality of the research base supporting the relationship between
HR and performance is relatively weak. . . . questions remain about the measurement of
both HR and performance, and about the weight and relevance of tests of association and
causation. (p. 295)
While there is often a (well-motivated) call for better theory in HR, it is just as
important to improve methodology. Some improvements require additional
resources (e.g. multiple raters, longitudinal data), but others do not (e.g. presenting
meaningful eVect size estimates and interpretation, testing for Wt correctly, correcting for random measurement error when the relevant reliability information is
available, using alternative estimators). If we are to draw policy inferences from our
research, we need to be as conWdent as possible in our Wndings and conclusions.
Keeping a focus on methodology is an important requirement to do so.
References
Alwin, D. H. (1974). ‘Approaches to the Interpretation of Relationships in Multitrait
Multimethod Matrix.’ In H. L. Costner (ed.), Sociological Methodology, 1973 74. San
Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Hauser, R. M. (1975). ‘The Decomposition of EVects in Path Analysis.’ American
Sociological Review, 40: 37 47.
Angrist, J. D., and Krueger, A. B. (1991). ‘Does Compulsory School Attendance AVect
Schooling?’ Quarterly Journal of Economics, 106: 979 1014.
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., and Kalleberg, A. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage:
Why High Performance Systems Pay oV. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Bae, J., and Lawler, J. J. (2000). ‘Organizational and HRM Strategies in Korea: Impact on
Firm Performance in an Emerging Economy.’ Academy of Management Journal, 43/3:
502 17.
Baron, R. M. and Kenny, D.A. (1986). ‘The Moderator Mediator Variable Distinction in
Social Psychological Research.’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51: 1173 82.
Batt, R. (2002). ‘Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and
Sales Growth.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45: 587 97.
Becker, B., and Gerhart, B. (1996). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management on
Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.’ Academy of Management Journal,
39: 779 801.
Berk, R. (1983). ‘An Introduction to Sample Selection Bias in Sociological Data.’ American
Sociological Review, 48: 386 98.
Blalock, H. M. (1961). ‘Evaluating the Relative Importance of Variables.’ American
Sociological Review, 26: 866 74.
modeling hrm and performance linkages
577
Bollen, K. A. (1996). ‘An Alternative Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) Estimator for Latent
Variable Equations.’ Psychometrika, 61: 109 21.
Bond, C. F., Wiitala, W. L., and Richard, F. D. (2003). ‘Meta analysis of Raw Mean
DiVerences.’ Psychological Methods, 8: 406 18.
Bound, J., Jaeger, D., and Baker, R. (1995). ‘Problems with Instrumental Variables
Estimation when the Correlation between the Instruments and the Endogenous Explana
tory Variables is Weak.’ Journal of the American Statistical Association, 90: 443 50.
Bowen, D. E. and Ostroff, C. (2004). ‘Understanding HRM Firm Performance Linkages:
The Role of the ‘‘Strength’’ of the HRM System.’ Academy of Management Review, 29:
203 21.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Basing
stoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Brewster, C. (1999). ‘DiVerent Paradigms in Strategic HRM: Questions Raised by Com
parative Research.’ In P. Wright et al. (eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources
Management, Supplement 4. Greenwich, Cann.: JAI Press.
Cain, G. G. and Watts, H. W. (1970). ‘Problems in Making Policy Inferences from the
Coleman Report.’ American Sociological Review, 35/2: 228 42.
Campbell, D. T., and Fiske, D. W. (1959). ‘Convergent and Discriminant Validation by the
Multitrait Multimethod Matrix.’ Psychological Bulletin, 56: 81 105.
Cappelli, P., and Neumark, D. (2001). ‘Do High Performance Work Practices Improve
Establishment Level Outcomes?’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 54: 737 75.
Cochran, W. G. (1957). ‘Analysis of Covariance: Its Nature and Uses.’ Biometrics, 13: 261 81.
Cohen, J. (1992). ‘A Power Primer.’ Psychological Bulletin, 112: 155 9.
(1994). ‘The Earth is Round (p<.05).’ American Psychologist, 49: 997 1003.
and Cohen, P. (1983). Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behav
ioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Cook, T. D., and Campbell, D. T. (1979). Quasi experimentation. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Cronbach, L. J., and Furby, L. (1970). ‘How Should we Measure Change or Should we?’
Psychological Bulletin, 74: 68 80.
Gleser, G. C., Nanda, H., and Rajaratnam, N. (1972). The Dependability of
Behavioral Measurements: Theory of Generalizability of Scores and ProWles. New York:
John Wiley.
Curran, P. J., West, S. G., and Finch, J. F. (1996). ‘The Robustness of Test Statistics to
Nonnormality and SpeciWcation Error in ConWrmatory Factor Analysis.’ Psychological
Methods, 1: 16 29.
Darlington, R. B. (1990). Regression and Linear Models. New York: McGraw Hill.
Datta, D. K., Guthrie, J. P., and Wright, P. M. (2005). ‘Human Resource Management
and Labor Productivity: Does Industry Matter?’ Academy of Management Journal, 48/1:
135 45.
Dehejia, R., and Wahba, S. (1999). ‘Causal EVects in Non experimental Studies:
Re evaluating the Evaluation of Training Programs.’ Journal of the American Statistical
Association, 94: 1053 62.
Doty, D. H. and Glick, W. H. (1998). ‘Does Common Methods Variance Really Bias
Results?’ Organizational Research Methods, 1: 374 406.
Dowling, P. J., and Welch, D. E. (2004). International Human Resource Management, 4th
edn. London: Thomson.
Duncan, O. D. (1975). Introduction to Structural Equation Models. New York: Academic Press.
578
barry gerhart
Dyer, L, and Reeves, T. (1995). ‘Human Resource Strategies and Firm Performance: What
do we Know and Where do we Need to Go?’ International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 6: 656 70.
Foster, E. M., and McLanahan, S. (1996). ‘An Illustration of the Use of Instrumental
Variables: Do Neighborhood Conditions AVect a Young Person’s Chance of Finishing
School?’ Psychological Methods, 1: 249 60.
Fulmer, I. S., Gerhart, B., and Scott, K. S. (2003). ‘Are the 100 Best Better? An Empirical
Investigation of the Relationship between Being a ‘‘Great Place to Work’’ and Firm
Performance.’ Personnel Psychology, 56: 965 93.
Gerhart, B. (1988). ‘Sources of Variance in Incumbent Perceptions of Job Complexity.’
Journal of Applied Psychology, 73: 154 62.
(1999). ‘Human Resource Management and Firm Performance: Measurement Issues
and their EVect on Causal and Policy Inferences.’ In P. Wright, L. Dyer, J. Boudreau, and
G. Milkovich (eds.), Strategic Human Resources Management in the Twenty First Century.
Supplement to G. R. Ferris (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Manage
ment. Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.
In press. ‘Human Resource Systems.’ In C. OstroV and T. Judge (eds.), Perspectives on
Organizational Fit. Frontiers of Industrial and Organizational Psychology series.
and Milkovich, G. T. (1990). ‘Organizational DiVerences in Managerial Compensa
tion and Firm Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 33: 663 91.
and Rynes, S. L. (2003). Compensation: Theory, Evidence, and Strategic Implications.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Trevor, C., and Graham, M. (1996). ‘New Directions in Employee Compensation
Research.’ In G. R. Ferris (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management.
Greenwich, Cann.: JAI Press.
Wright, P. M., McMahan, G. C., and Snell S. A. (2000a). ‘Measurement Error in
Research Human Resources and Firm Performance: How Much Error is There and How
Does it InXuence EVect Size Estimates?’ Personnel Psychology, 53: 803 34.
(2000b). ‘Measurement Error in Research on the Human Resources and
Firm Performance Relationship: Further Evidence and Analysis.’ Personnel Psychology, 53:
855 72.
Greene, W. H. (1993). Econometric Analysis. London: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Guest, D., Michie, J., Sheehan, M., and Conway, N. (2003). ‘A UK Study of
the Relationship between Human Resource Management and Corporate Performance.’
British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41: 291 314.
Hausman, J. A. (1978). ‘SpeciWcation Tests in Econometrics.’ Econometrica, 46: 1251 71.
Heckman, J. J. (1979). ‘Sample Selection Bias as a SpeciWcation Error.’ Econometrica, 47: 153 61.
Ichimura, H., and Todd, P. E. (1997). ‘Matching as an Econometric Evaluation
Estimator: Evidence from Evaluating a Job Training Programme.’ Review of Economic
Studies, 64: 605 54.
Heinsman, D. T. and Shadish, W. R. (1996). ‘Assignment Methods in Experimentation:
When Do Nonrandomized Experiments Approximate Answers from Randomized Ex
periments?’ Psychological Methods, 1: 154 69.
Hirano, K., and Imbens, G. W. (2004). ‘The Propensity Score with Continuous Treat
ments.’ Working Paper, Economics Department, University of California Berkeley.
and Ridder G., (2003), ‘EYcient Estimation of Average Treatment EVects Using
the Estimated Propensity Score.’ Econometrica, 71: 1161 89.
modeling hrm and performance linkages
579
Hunter, L. W. and Lafkas, J. J. (2003). ‘Opening the Box: Information Technology, Work
Practices, and Wages.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 56: 224 43.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38: 635 72.
and Becker, B. E. (1996). ‘Methodological Issues in Cross sectional and Panel
Estimates of the Human Resource Firm Performance Link.’ Industrial Relations, 35:
400 22.
(2000). ‘Comment.’ Personnel Psychology, 53: 835 54.
Jackson, S. E., and Schuler, R. S. (1997). ‘Technical and Strategic Human Resource
Management EVectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance.’ Academy of Manage
ment Journal, 40/1: 171 88.
Ichniowski, C., Shaw, K., and Prennushi, G. (1997). ‘The EVects of Human Resource
Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines.’ American
Economic Review, 87/3: 291 313.
James, L. R., and Singh, B. K. (1978). ‘An Introduction to the Logic, Assumptions, and Basic
Analytical Procedures of Two Stage Least Squares.’ Psychological Bulletin, 85: 1104 22.
JOreskog, K. G., and SOrbom, D. (1999). LISREL 8: Structural Equation Modeling with the
SIMPLIS Command Language. Lincolnwood, Ill.: ScientiWc Software International.
Kennedy, P. (1992). A Guide to Econometrics, 3rd edn. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Kmenta, J. (1971). Elements of Econometrics. New York: Macmillan.
Larcker, D., and Rusticus, T. (2005). ‘On the Use of Instrumental Variables in Accounting
Research.’ Working paper, University of Pennsylvania.
Lindell, M. K. and Whitney, D. J. (2001). ‘Accounting for Common Method Variance in
Cross sectional Research Designs.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 86: 114 21.
MacCallum, R. C., and Mar, C. M. (1995). ‘Disinguishing between Moderator and
Quadratic EVects in Multiple Regression.’ Psychological Bulletin, 18: 405 21.
MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48: 197 221.
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., and West, S. G. (2002). ‘A
Comparison of Methods to Test Mediation and Other Intervening Variable EVects.’
Psychological Methods, 7: 83 104.
Ostroff C., and Bowen, D. E. (2000). ‘Moving HR to a Higher Level: HR Practices and
Organizational EVectiveness.’ In K. Klein and S. Kozlowski (eds.), Multilevel Theory,
Research, and Methods in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Kinicki, A. J., and Clark, M. A. (2002). ‘Substantive and Operational Issues of
Response Bias across Levels of Analysis: An Example of Climate Satisfaction Relation
ships.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 87: 355 68.
Paauwe, J. (2004). HRM and Performance: Unique Approaches in Order to Achieve Long
Term Viability. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
and Boselie, J. P. (2003). ‘Challenging ‘‘Strategic HRM’’ and the Relevance of
Institutional Setting.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 13/3: 56 70.
Purcell, J. (1999). ‘Best Practice and Best Fit: Chimera or Cul de Sac?’ Human Resource
Management Journal, 9/3: 26 41.
Raudenbush, S. W. and Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical Linear Models. Thousand Oaks,
Calif: Sage.
580
barry gerhart
Rosenbaum, P., and Rubin, D. (1983). ‘The Central Role of the Propensity Score in
Observational Studies for Causal EVects.’ Biometrika, 70: 41 55.
Rosnow, R. L. and Rosenthal, R. (1989). ‘Statistical Procedures and the JustiWcation of
Knowledge in Psychological Science.’ American Psychologist, 44: 1276 84.
Rubin, D. B. (1976). ‘Inference and Missing Data.’ Biometrika, 63: 581 602.
(2001). ‘Using Propensity Scores to Help Design Observational Studies: Application
to the Tobacco Litigation.’ Health Services & Outcomes Research Methodology, 2: 169 88.
Schmidt, F. L. (1995). ‘Statistical SigniWcance Testing and Cumulative Knowledge in Psych
ology: Implications for the Training of Researchers.’ Psychological Methods, 1/2: 115 29.
Schmitt, N., and Bedeian, A. G. (1982). ‘A Comparison of LISREL and Two Stage Least
Squares Analysis of a Hypothesized Life Job Satisfaction Reciprocal Relationship.’ Journal
of Applied Psychology, 67: 806 17.
Schneider, B., Hanges, P. J., Smith, B., and Salvaggio, A. N. (2003). ‘Which Comes
First: Employee Attitudes or Organizational Financial and Market Performance.’ Journal
of Applied Psychology, 88: 836 51.
Schwab, D. P. (1980). ‘Construct Validity in Organizational Behavior.’ Research in Organ
izational Behavior, 2: 3 43.
Simon, H. A. (1954). ‘Spurious Correlation: A Causal Interpretation.’ Journal of the Ameri
can Statistical Association, 49: 467 79.
Staiger, D., and Stock, J. H. (1997). ‘Instrumental Variables Regression with Weak
Instruments.’ Econometrica, 65: 557 86.
Stolzenberg, R. M., and Relles, D. A. (1997). ‘Tools for Intuition about Sample Selection
Bias and its Correction.’ American Sociological Review, 62: 494 507.
Wall, T. D., Michie, J., Patterson, M., Wood, S. J., Sheehan, M., Clegg, C. W., and
West, M. (2004). ‘On the Validity of Subjective Measures of Company Performance.’
Personnel Psychology, 57: 95 118.
Wilkinson, L., and the Task Force on Statistical Inference (1999). ‘Statistical Methods in
Psychology Journals.’ American Psychologist, 54 August: 594 604.
Wood, S. (1999). ‘Human Resource Management and Performance.’ International Journal of
Management Reviews, 1: 397 413.
Wooldridge, J. M. (2002). Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data. Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
Wright, P. M. and Sherman, W. S. (1999). ‘Failing to Find Fit in Strategic Human
Resource Management: Theoretical and Empirical Problems.’ In P. Wright et al. (eds.),
Strategic Human Resources Management in the Twenty First Century. Supplement to G. R.
Ferris (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management. Stanford, Conn.:
JAI Press.
and Snell, S. A. (1998). ‘Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and
Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management.’ Academy of Management Review,
23: 756 72.
Gardner, T. M., Moynihan, L. M., Park, H. J., Delery, J. R., and Gerhart, B.
(2001). ‘Measurement Error in Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance:
Additional Data and Suggestions for Future Research.’ Personnel Psychology, 54: 875 901.
and Allen, M. R. (2005). ‘The Relationship between HR Practices and
Firm Performance: Examining the Causal Order.’ Personnel Psychology, 52: 409 46.
chapter 28
....................................................................................................................................................
FA M I LY- F R I E N D LY,
E Q UA L O P P O RT U N I T Y,
AND HIGHI N VO LV E M E N T
M A NAG E M E N T
I N B R I TA I N
....................................................................................................................................
stephen wood
lilian m. de menezes
28.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Family-friendly, equal-opportunity, and high-involvement initiatives have increasingly been at the forefront of discussions of human resource management
since the 1990s. They are widely viewed by academics and policy makers as critical
ways of simultaneously improving the well-being of workers and the eYciency of
organizations. Moreover, they are often presented as related practices. In this
582
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
chapter we Wrst discuss how they are perceived to be related and the research thus
far on their links to organizational performance. We then report a study designed
to test these associations.
28.2 Theoretical and Research
Background
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Family-friendly, equal-opportunity and high-involvement management are perceived to be related for a number of reasons. On the one hand, the work enrichment that is central to Lawler’s (1986, 1991) and Walton’s (1985) high-involvement
management is expected to enhance workers’ satisfaction and well-being at work
and reduce the spillover of negative emotions from work to family life. On the
other hand, it has been argued, on the basis that ‘personal time is a legitimate
employee need,’ that the equality and diversity agendas imply that any eVective
high-involvement management must be extended from employee involvement to
embrace issues of working time (Bailyn 1993: 87). In a similar vein, Guest (2002)
argued that many presentations of high-involvement management or related
concepts have been employer-centered, and concludes that a truly worker-centered
approach will include family-friendly practices. The implication is that models of
high-involvement management have so far focused on labor Xexibility and skill
acquisition in order to create the social system that will support the requirements
of modern technical systems rather than addressing workers’ concerns as a top
priority (Guest 2002: 338). This problem of neglecting worker interests has been
accentuated by the increasing marginalization of work enrichment in the literature
that tests the link between high-involvement management and performance, as the
emphasis has been placed on skill acquisition and motivational methods such as
variable pay (Wood and Wall 2007). It is important to restore work enrichment to a
central place in human resource management if we are to capture the core of the
high-involvement concept and also to pursue family-friendly management and
equal opportunities. The pursuit of family-friendly management and the achievement of equal opportunities can in turn help to create the conditions in which
people can work in a more highly involved way. Crucially, this may signify to
employees that management views the workforce as a major asset and is concerned
about its well-being, as well as allow them to work unimpeded by family pressures.
Such arguments are normatively oriented, concerned with what should be. On the
one hand, they may be taken to imply that a serious move towards any of the triad of
types of management—family-friendly, equal-opportunity, and high-involvement—
will involve the other two and in so doing create an authentic high-commitment
management in britain
583
management. We might then expect, if employers are institutionalizing the practices
associated with these forms of management, that they are doing so in an integrated
way, as part of an overall approach to human resource management. The extreme of
the normative argument implies that the three sets of practices will only have a
signiWcant eVect on performance when they are used in conjunction with each
other. Anything short of this integrated package will not work. Taking a less extreme
version, the argument implies that the eVect of one type of management will enhance
the eVect of the others, and their eVect, if used in isolation, will be limited.
The link between family-friendly management and equal opportunity is typically made on the basis that the achievement of the latter depends on reducing the
constraints on equal access to opportunities and the full utilization of people’s
talents. Women are particularly disadvantaged, so the argument goes, by their
childcare responsibilities, and any attempt to aid these should therefore reduce
constraints on their achievement of parity with men. Family-friendly management,
we should expect, would focus initially on women and their childcare issues, as
opposed, for example, to eldercare.
The association between high-involvement management and family-friendly
management is typically made on the grounds that the latter is an important means
of gaining the motivation and commitment required to make high-involvement
working the norm (Berg et al. 2003: 172; Osterman 1995: 685). Satisfying demanding
work should also reduce work-to-family conXict, while family-friendly practices may
reduce family-to-work conXict (Batt and Valcour 2003). Equal-opportunity management is linked to high-involvement management because it is seen to ensure the
development and utilization of human resources to their maximum potential.
In reality, however, the theoretical associations that underlie the integration
thesis may not be shared by managers or tally with their perspectives on human
resource management. At the extreme, it is often argued that managers, at least in
the Anglo-Saxon world, have tended to select human resource practices on a
piecemeal basis. Their reasons for picking one practice are thus diVerent from
those that inXuence their choice of others, and hence their choice of all practices is
not guided by an underlying approach. This argument has been made particularly
in relation to high-involvement practices by Sisson (1995: 106) and Appelbaum and
Batt (1994: 124). It has often been justiWed by the observation that the use of such
practices is low across the whole economy. However, low adoption does not
necessarily mean a lack of coordination in the use of practices. It could be that
the same organizations are the main users of all or a signiWcant set of practices.
Moreover, if there were such a pattern in the use of practices, this could indicate an
underlying approach to the management of the workforce.
The emphasis in the literature on any of family-friendly, equal-opportunity, or
high-involvement management has not, however, been on examining the empirical
relationship between the practices that are associated with them. Rather it has been
centered, particularly in the case of high-involvement management, on links to
584
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
performance. Furthermore, while the attention has been on treating these practices
as a system or bundle (see e.g. Huselid 1995; MacDuYe 1995), there has been a lack
of appreciation of the diVerent meanings of such terms. Appelbaum et al. (2000:
33–4) interpreted this focus on bundles or clusters of practices as meaning that
(a) practices are complementary; (b) synergies exist between practices that lead to
positive interaction eVects on performance; and (c) the practices form a coherent
set or integrated system. They summarize the key studies of the human resource
management–performance link as suggesting that ‘bundles, systems, or conWgurations of internally coherent practices can be identiWed, and that such systems of
practices do a better job of explaining establishment performance than the individual practices do.’
However, such an overview conXates three diVerent approaches to the relationship between practices and hence perspectives on the human resource
management–performance link. It treats the complementary nature of practices,
synergistic relationships, and integrated approache as if they were equivalent, when
they are diVerent. First, a complement of practices consists of all those practices
that individually have a positive association with performance. As such, a complement of human resource practices would be made up of the practices that are best
in the main domains of human resource management (such as recruitment,
selection, and training). Each would not detract from the performance of the
others. Consequently, negative interactions between practices are not expected.
Second, synergistic practices are those that enhance the eVect on performance of
another. A high-performance synergistic set would be one in which all the practices
interact positively with each other, so that the combined use of the practices has ‘a
greater eVect on performance than the sum of eVects of the individual practices’
(Appelbaum et al. 2000: 134). At the extreme, all the n-way interactions between a
set of n practices are signiWcantly positively related to performance. Third, an
integrated approach implies that the practices reXect an underlying distinctive
orientation on the part of management towards human resource management,
and that it is this orientation that is positively associated with performance. The
individual practices are more than simply complements. Adopting practices in a
pre-speciWed form may not be crucial, but having key practices in some form or
another is important. The absence of one or more such practices may undermine
the whole approach.
The extreme form of the family–work integration approach implies the third
perspective. It is the underlying orientation of management, embedded to such an
extent that it is reXected in the organization’s culture, that will make for a highperforming organization based on workers having a good balance between work
and non-work. However, in the absence of such a holistic approach, it may be that
discrete orientations underlie the use of each set of practices: family friendly, equal
opportunity, and high involvement. In this case, it may be that the underlying
orientations have a synergistic relationship with organizational performance.
management in britain
585
Most of the empirical studies of the links between performance and the three
types of practices have focused on high-involvement management and have
largely tested the complementary perspective. The few studies of family-friendly
practices have concentrated largely on individual practices (e.g. Bewley and Fernie
2003; Dex and Smith 2002; exceptions include Perry-Smith and Blum 2000), while
equal-opportunity practices have been neglected. Few studies have tested synergistic
eVects (see Wood 1999a; Wall and Wood 2005 for a summary of the high-involvement
management and associated studies) and even fewer have tested the integrated
perspective. The studies of both family-friendly and high-involvement practices reveal
a mixed picture, as there is diversity across practices, performance measures and
samples. There are certainly no strong grounds on the basis of the studies for expecting
a universal positive link between any of the three management forms and performance. There are even arguments that suggest we might Wnd some negative
relationships. For example, following Hochschild (1997), there is the argument that
high-commitment management achieves its performance eVects through creating an
overcommitted workforce and that family-friendly practices are needed to overcome
the negative eVects of this on non-work life. If this is the case, family-friendly practices
may have a negative eVect on performance.
The few exceptions to the focus on performance that have stepped back and
examined the use of human resource practices have also produced uneven results.
Some suggest that there is no clear pattern to the use of these practices (Osterman
1994; Gittleman et al. 1998); others suggest that there is some coherency to the use
of practices and that one or more orientations may well underlie this (Wood and
Albanese 1995; Wood and de Menezes 1998; Wood 1999b; Wood et al. 2003; de
Menezes and Wood 2006). The diVerence in results may well reXect diVerent
analytical methods, as de Menezes and Wood (2006) show that investigations
based on cluster analysis may be less powerful than those based on statistical
models.
In the next section, we report our study, which illustrates how the three types of
management can be jointly investigated. It particularly focuses on exploring the
integration argument, and thus assesses whether there is a tendency towards an
integrated worker-and-family-centered on high-involvement management and
whether it heralds superior organizational performance.
28.3 Our Study
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
We designed a study to explore whether family-friendly, equal-opportunity, and
high-involvement practices are being used in an integrated way or reXect discrete
586
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
managerial approaches and to assess the nature of their links to organizational
performance. We explored these questions using a British dataset that covers all
sectors of the economy, private and public.1
The data is from the Workplace Employee Relations Survey of 1998 (WERS98),2
which is the fourth in a series of surveys aimed at achieving a ‘better understanding
of the processes which underlie employment relationships’ (foreword to Millward
et al. 1992). Questions on family-friendly management and equal-opportunity
practices were included in the survey for the Wrst time in 1998, and the range of
questions in the 1998 survey on high-involvement practices increased from previous surveys in the series. Our study used data from a structured interview with
the senior manager at the site responsible for employee relations. The 1998 survey
was of a sample of 2,191 workplaces with ten or more employees across the whole
economy. This was achieved through a response rate of 80.3 percent.
28.3.1 The Use of Family-Friendly, Equal-Opportunity,
and High-Involvement Practices in WERS98
Family-friendly management involves employers having an underlying commitment to help employees obtain a balance between work and family obligations.
Equal-opportunity management is oriented towards eliminating any diVerentiation
of opportunities, resources, and rewards based on the membership of a sociological
group, for example based on gender, ethnicity, or age. It is thus concerned to ensure
that jobs, wages, promotions, and employment beneWts in the organization are
fairly distributed. High-involvement management is oriented towards work
enrichment and Xexible working methods and ensuring that employees have the
skills and motivation to use their discretion and decision-making powers for the
beneWt of the organization. These three approaches to aspects of management are
expressed in management practices, and if they exist we ought to see a pattern in
the use of a range of practices associated with them. For example, if family-friendly
management is an identiWable managerial approach in the UK, we would expect
practices concerned with childbirth to coexist with those related to child rearing. If
this is more than simply a parent-oriented family-friendly policy, these in turn will
1
The United Kingdom’s Economic and Social Research Council funded this research (Grant
number R000238112).
2
The 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey is a survey that is jointly sponsored by the UK’s
Department of Trade and Industry, the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service, the Economic
and Social Research Council, and the Policy Studies Institute. The National Centre for Social Research
was commissioned to conduct the survey Weldwork on behalf of the sponsors. WERS98 is deposited at
the Data Archive at the University of Essex, UK. Neither the sponsors nor the Data Archive have any
responsibility for the analysis or interpretation of the material contained in this chapter.
management in britain
587
be accompanied by practices associated with eldercare and other such problems.
Similarly, if an integrated orientation towards family-friendly, equal-opportunity,
and high-involvement management exists, we would expect that practices,
for example related to childbirth, will coexist with work enrichment or equalopportunity practices.
Two types of family-friendly practices may be identiWed: (1) those that create
Xexibility in the timing and location of work so the employee can more readily
accommodate family demands, and (2) those that provide a substitute carer for the
employee (Bailyn 1993: 67; Bond et al. 1998). Because of our focus on their connection with high-involvement management, we are particularly interested in their
provision for non-managerial employees. Of those practices measured in WERS98,
the Wrst type concerned with Xexible working is most commonly used (Table 28.1).
But none of these practices is adopted in the majority of the workplaces across the
whole economy. The most frequently available practice is the entitlement to work
part-time (46 percent of all workplaces in the economy, 58 percent of the sample);
this is followed by parental leave (34 percent, 43 percent) and job-sharing (28 percent,
38 percent). The provision of a workplace nursery and childcare subsidies is very rare,
the Wgures for the whole economy being 3 percent and 4 percent respectively
(8 percent and 7 percent in the sample).
The equal-opportunity practices included in WERS98 are: maintenance of workplace records on the ethnic origin of employees; collection of statistics on
posts held by men and women; monitoring of promotions by gender, ethnicity,
etc.; reviews of selection and other procedures to identify indirect discrimination;
reviews of the relative pay of diVerent groups; and adjustments to accommodate
disabled employees. The most adopted practices are records on ethnic origin and
Table 28.1 The provision of family-friendly practices for non-managerial
employees
In WERS98 (unweighted
percentage)
In the economy
(weighted percentage)
Parental leave
43
34
Working from home
18
13
Term-only contracts
20
16
Working part-time
58
46
Job-sharing
38
28
Workplace nursery
8
3
Childcare subsidies
7
4
588
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
Table 28.2 The provision of equal-opportunity practices for non-managerial
employees
In WERS98 (unweighted
percentage)
In the economy (weighted
percentage)
Records on ethnic origin
46
30
Statistics on posts held by men and
women
Promotions monitored by gender,
ethnicity, etc.
44
25
21
11
Reviews of selection to identify
indirect discrimination
35
21
Reviews of relative pay between
groups
22
14
Adjustments to accommodate
disability
47
26
adjustments to accommodate disability, which are nonetheless only adopted by just
over a quarter of the workplace population in Britain (see Table 28.2).
High-involvement practices can be classiWed according to Bailey’s work organization–skills–motivation triad (Appelbaum et al. 2000; Batt 2002; Huselid 1995;
de Menezes and Wood 2006), which is centered on the way work is organized
and jobs are deWned (cf. Parker et al. 1997) with human resource practices acting
as supports to the successful implementation of high-involvement work systems.
These entail work practices that enrich jobs, enhance the Xexibility of workers,
and increase the involvement of workers, particularly in idea generation. They are
often deWned in terms of their opposite, Taylorism, so for example Gittleman et al.
(1998: 100) see them as representing ‘a movement away from a traditional, hierarchical structure in which employees have rigid, narrowly deWned roles’. Accordingly,
they are associated with practices such as teamworking, self-directed or otherwise;
‘on-line’ or ‘in-work’ practices such as functional Xexibility, self-inspection, and
empowerment; and ‘oV-line’ or ‘out-of-work’ practices, which are mainly connected
with idea-capturing, such as suggestion programmes and quality circles.
The two other dimensions are viewed as supporting human resource practices
for this work organization. Skill acquisition practices are the means by which
individuals are given training and information that increases their knowledge
and capabilities and equips them to engage with Xexible work practices. The
motivational practices are designed to ensure that the organization recruits and
retains people who are motivated to work in a highly involved manner, and are
typically taken to include incentive payment systems, job security guarantees, and
the use of internal recruitment to Wll jobs.
management in britain
589
In WERS98, three variables relating to job autonomy and enrichment are
included: job variety, method control, and timing control, alongside four other
relevant work organization practices: teamworking; functional Xexibility; quality
circles; and suggestion schemes. The skill acquisition practices included in our
study are: induction procedures; team brieWng; information disclosure; appraisal;
and training oriented towards human relations. In WERS98, the motivational
practices are: survey feedback method; motivation as a major selection criterion;
internal recruitment; single status between managers and non-managers; job
security guarantees; and variable pay. We also analyzed a general training measure,
whose distribution is nearly uniform in the sample and thus does not vary enough
for tests of its association with other variables. The most adopted practices are team
brieWng (87 percent in the sample and 82 percent in the economy) and motivation
as a selection criterion (87 percent in the sample and 86 percent in the economy).
The least adopted practice is job security (15 percent in the sample and 10.6 percent
in the economy). All in all, we observe a signiWcant variation in adoption levels but
only a few practices are widely used (Table 28.3). The most used practices are
concerned with information-sharing.
Table 28.3 The provision of high-involvement practices for non-managerial
employees
In WERS98 (unweighted
percentage)
In the economy (weighted
percentage)
Job variety
41
47
Method control
22
28
Timing control
19
24
Teamworking
69
59
Functional flexibility
51
46
Quality circles
55
37
Suggestion schemes
39
32
Team briefing
87
82
Induction
84
73
Training for human relations
49
39
Information disclosure
85
86
Appraisal
56
50
Survey feedback
33
22
Internal recruitment
35
25
Motivation as a selection criterion
87
86
Job security
16
11
Single status
58
57
Variable pay
37
26
590
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
All family-friendly practices are positively associated with each other, but this
association varies signiWcantly between pairs of variables (e.g. the correlation between
job-sharing and part-time contracts is equal to 0.51, while the correlation
between parental leave and childcare subsidies is equal to 0.10). All equal-opportunity
practices are positively associated and the correlation is slightly stronger, on average,
than that among family-friendly practices. Most of the high-involvement practices are
also associated with each other with the exception of the three work-enrichment
measures and motivation as a selection criterion. The three variables concerned with
work enrichment—job variety, method control, and timing control—are weakly
correlated with each other and with most of the other variables in the sample. This
pattern of correlations means that no practices are being used as substitutes for each
other. Even workplace nursery provision and childcare subsidy are not alternatives.
The associations across types of practices vary signiWcantly, but the majority are
statistically signiWcant, though some practices are not associated or negatively
associated. For example, the correlation between adjustments to accommodate
disability and job-sharing is 0.35, that between statistics on gender composition
and parental leave is 0.26, while that between variable pay and workplace nursery is
an example of a negative correlation (r ¼ 0.10), as is that involving internal
recruitment and term-only contracts (r ¼ 0.11).3
28.3.2 An Integrated Employee-Centered Management?
An integrated approach to management implies more than the fact that practices tend
to coexist; it means that their association reXects an underlying orientation on the part
of management. The correlations that exist between practices are then explained by this
underlying orientation. In other words, if this orientation did not exist, all the practices
would not be associated with each other. It could, for example, be that an association
between appraisal and variable pay simply reXects the fact that appraisal results are fed
into a performance-related pay system. Similarly, an association between job security
and quality circles or suggestion schemes might exist simply because managements
introduced the employment guarantees to aid idea-capturing. We can assess whether an
orientation underlies the whole set of family-friendly management, equal-opportunity,
and high-involvement practices by using latent variable analysis, the generic name for a
family of statistical models used for testing for common factors (of which factor analysis
is the best known).4 (We do, however, exclude from this analysis those practices that we
have already seen are unrelated to other practices of a similar type in this study: work
enrichment and motivation as a selection criterion.)
3
The non parametric correlation coeYcients and their signiWcance are available at www.shef.
ac.uk/iwp/wers.html
4
For an introduction to the latent variable model used see Wood (1999b: 411 14).
management in britain
591
We Wnd that the three types of management are discrete from each other.
However, an orientation does underlie the equal-opportunity practices (reliability
R ¼ 0.83), and some but not all of the family-friendly and high-involvement
practices (Wood et al. 2003: 237–9). In the case of family-friendly management,
we Wnd that the subset of practices concerned with Xexible working are explained
by an underlying orientation, which we call ‘family-oriented Xexible management’
(reliability R ¼ 0.75). Those concerned with childcare—workplace nursery and
childcare subsidies—are discrete from this, which may partly reXect the low use
of these two practices. Of the high-involvement practices, excluding work-enrichment, work-organization and skill-acquisition practices reXect an underlying
orientation, which we can treat as a measure of high-involvement management
(reliability R ¼ 0.68). This, it should be stressed, is distinct from work enrichment
and the motivational practices.
Although positively correlated, a latent variable model does not Wt the motivational practices, and thus these do not reXect an underlying orientation, for
example a management orientation towards providing high-quality jobs or creating a strongly motivated workforce through locking employees into internal labor
markets and rewarding good performance.
One-dimensional patterns in the use of speciWc subsets of practices have therefore been found: one type of family-friendly practice that is connected with Xexible
working arrangements; all equal-opportunity practices; and the work-organization
and skill-acquisition high-involvement practices. What we have termed familyoriented Xexible management is distinct from the provision of childcare help, and
work enrichment is not a part of the dominant model of high-involvement
management being practiced in the UK. The selection of motivational methods
is not determined in general, if at all, by whether management is pursuing a highinvolvement approach. Finally, there is no evidence of an underlying holistic
orientation that combines family friendliness, equal opportunity, and high involvement into an integrated employee-centered high-commitment management.
However, the three orientations are correlated to some extent. The correlation
coeYcient is 0.46 for family-oriented Xexible management and equal-opportunity
management, 0.40 for equal-opportunity management and high-involvement management; 0.36 for family-oriented Xexible management and high-involvement
management. When we control for other variables (e.g. the size and nature of the
workforce and sector of the economy) using regression analysis,5 all three are
signiWcantly related to each other, but the relationship between family-oriented
Xexible management and high-involvement management is not particularly strong.
The regression analysis also conWrms the distinctiveness of the three concepts as
the variables with which they are associated diVer. The only variable that is
5
The results of all the regression analyses reported in this chapter are available from the Wrst
author,
[email protected]
592
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
associated with all three is whether management takes a consultative approach to
employees, measured by the extent to which it regularly consults through a formal
channel on a range of issues (such as health and safety, productivity, training,
technology, and work organization). Yet its relationship to family-oriented Xexible
management is not particularly strong. There are also sectoral diVerences. Both
family-oriented Xexible management and equal-opportunity management are
signiWcantly more likely to be found in the public sector. In contrast, highinvolvement management is less likely in the public sector. Within the private
sector itself, high-involvement management is signiWcantly more prevalent in
Wnancial services and signiWcantly less likely to be used extensively in manufacturing, construction, hotels and restaurants, transport and communication, other
business services, and other community services.
In addition, organizations with human resource departments are more likely to
have family-oriented Xexible management and equal-opportunity management,
but are less likely to have high-involvement management. The size of the workplace, as measured by the number of employees, is positively related only to equalopportunity management. But the size of the larger organization, of which the
workplace is a part, is related to both family-oriented Xexible management
and high-involvement management. In the case of family-oriented Xexible
management, organizations with over 5,000 employees are signiWcantly more likely
to adopt it, while in the case of high-involvement management, organizations with
100 or more employees are more likely to practice it than organizations with
less than 100 employees. The proportion of the workforce that consists of managers
is positively associated with both equal-opportunity and high-involvement
management, while the proportion of the workforce that consists of women is
positively linked to family-friendly management, and weakly related to highinvolvement management.
28.3.3 The Association Between Family-Friendly, EqualOpportunity, and High-Involvement Management
and Performance in WERS98
We can only test the impact of identiWable phenomena. It is thus not possible to
assess whether the integrated approach is associated with superior performance.
We therefore tested the associations involving family-oriented Xexible management, equal-opportunity management, high-involvement management, and the
individual work-enrichment and motivational measures. We assessed these associations on three economic performance measures—Wnancial performance, labor
productivity, and change in labor productivity—and two human resource outcome
measures—labor turnover and absenteeism.
management in britain
593
In the absence of any independently sourced measures, all the economic
outcomes considered are based on an assessment made by the managerial respondent according to Wve-point scales. Wall et al. (2004) have nonetheless shown that
such data are consistent with the assumed more ‘objective’ audited accounting
data. The three performance measures are not strongly related to each other
(the Spearman correlation coeYcient is 0.48 for Wnancial performance and labor
productivity, 0.26 for labor productivity and change in labor productivity, and 0.20
for Wnancial performance and change in labor productivity), and certainly cannot be
summarized in one overall organizational performance scale.
Using regression analyses, we found that high-involvement management has a
signiWcant independent association with Wnancial performance (P-value ¼ 0.042)
and labor productivity (P-value ¼ 0.001). Equal opportunity and family-oriented
Xexible management are not related to either, and none of the orientations is
associated with the change in labor productivity. Of the motivational and other
practices excluded from the orientation, variable pay is associated with one economic outcome, change in productivity (P ¼ 0.03). Moreover, this association
between variable pay and productivity change is strengthened by high-involvement
management, which means that high-involvement management only has a signiWcant eVect when employees’ pay varies with performance.
In addition, equal-opportunity management may have a positive eVect on
Wnancial performance if high-involvement management is practiced in the workplace. Equal-opportunity management may also have a positive eVect on the level
of productivity where high-involvement management exists, but this only holds for
the private sector.
Labor turnover is measured as the ratio of the number of employees who
resigned from the establishment in the twelve months prior to the interview as a
proportion of the total employees at the time of the interview; and absenteeism is
the percentage of work days lost through employee sickness or absence in the
workplace over the last twelve months.
Equal-opportunity (P ¼ 0.034) and high-involvement management (P ¼ 0.049)
are associated with lower levels of labor turnover. The presence of both does not
strengthen these associations. Family-oriented Xexible management is, however,
not related to labor turnover. Nor are any of the motivational or work-enrichment
practices, including job security guarantees.
Equal-opportunity management is associated with lower levels of absenteeism
(P ¼ 0.05). Moreover, its beneWcial eVects on absence are intensiWed where highinvolvement management is practiced. Family-oriented Xexible management is
only related to lower levels of absenteeism (P ¼ 0.04) when it is underpinned by
top management valuing family–work balance. Without this, it will have no
impact. Of the motivational supports, job security is positively associated with
absence levels. This implies that people who are more secure in their jobs are less
worried about having time oV, as they feel that doing so will not jeopardize their
594
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
career prospects. This conclusion is also supported by the fact that absence is also
higher in workplaces where there are hard-to-Wll vacancies, which may suggest to
employees that they are not readily dispensable, so taking time oV is seen as less
costly.
Finally, to assess whether the impact of any of the forms of management is
contingent on other factors, rather than universal, we tested to see if any associations between the orientations and the outcome variables are moderated by the
size of the workplace or a larger organization of which it is a part or by the extent to
which the organization faces a turbulent market environment. No such moderated
relationships were discovered. We also considered, in the light of the claims that
trade-union voice should enhance the eVectiveness of high-involvement management (see e.g. Kochan and Osterman 1994: 105–7), whether the presence of a
recognized union strengthens any of the associations between the orientations
and the outcomes, and again found no evidence of this.
In summary, of our three orientations, high-involvement management is most
strongly associated with organizational outcomes. It is related to Wnancial performance, labor productivity, and labor retention, as well as to change in labor productivity when variable pay is used in conjunction with it. In addition, where it is
practiced, equal-opportunity management is associated with Wnancial performance
and, in the private sector only, the level of productivity. High-involvement management also intensiWes the tendency for equal-opportunity management to lower
absence. Family-oriented Xexible management has little or no eVect on outcomes,
but where top management values a family–work balance, it can reduce absence.
28.4 Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The chapter has shown that in Britain there is no evidence yet of an integrated
high-commitment management. Nonetheless, there appear to be discrete orientations underlying the use of family-oriented Xexible, equal opportunity, and core
(work and skill acquisition) high-involvement practices. Moreover, there is a
tendency for these orientations to coexist, but this reXects idiosyncratic local
factors.
The performance results provide little support for the ‘business case’ in favor of
family-friendly and equal-opportunity initiatives, which is the argument for
employee-centered methods on the grounds that they are supportive of key
organizational objectives. But, equally, neither set of practices has a negative
eVect on performance. We have nonetheless found that high-involvement management is positively associated with Wnancial performance, labor productivity,
management in britain
595
and labor retention. In addition, where high-involvement management is adopted,
equal-opportunity management will have a positive eVect on Wnancial performance. Equal-opportunity management is associated with lower absence levels, and
again this is strengthened when high-involvement management is adopted. When
family-oriented Xexible management is underpinned by top management valuing
employees having a balance between work and family responsibilities, it is also
associated with lower absenteeism.
The limited number of associations between organizational performance and
family-friendly and equal-opportunity managements may be used to reinforce the
arguments for a holistic approach. It could be precisely because the employee
involvement, equality, and diversity issues are not integrated that the current
approaches are not as successful. Moreover, the lack of recognition that the
potential beneWts of such an integrated approach may be high may very well
explain the relatively low take-up of many of the practices that we have studied.
Alternatively, there are other possible explanations for the results. For example,
one is that family-friendly and equal-opportunity policies neither symbolize to
employees any wider ‘corporate concern’ for employees (Grover and Crooker 1995:
274) nor create within employees a ‘generalized sense of obligation to the workplace’ (Lambert 2000: 811). Or it may be that, while policies are manifest in
practices, these practices are not so eVectively implemented or operated as to
have a telling impact on the lives, commitments, and perceptions of employees.
Taking the results at face value, the Wrst implication is that a high-involvement
approach to management should have positive eVects on economic performance
and labor stability. This is likely to be so regardless of whether it includes a
signiWcant element of work enrichment. The second implication is that we should
be directing attention to equality, diversity, and family–work conXict, and even
work enrichment on equity grounds alone. Yet, our focus has been on short-term
economic outcomes and, as Boxall and Purcell (2003: 6–13, 242–5) remind us so
forcibly, human resource initiatives, from an employer’s perspective, need to be
judged by other criteria as well. Salience should also be given to longer-term
economic objectives concerned with innovation and adaptation, which Boxall
and Purcell call organizational Xexibility, and the need for organizations to have
social legitimacy.6
Certainly, making arguments on the basis of the impact of employee-centered
approaches on short-term economic outcomes ignores their potential contribution to
other goals. The argument that approaching family friendliness, equal opportunity,
and high involvement in a holistic, high-commitment way may help to ensure that
6
The institutional theory argument that organizations need to respond to pressures for both
eYciency and legitimacy has been a particularly important consideration in the studies of the use of
family friendly practices (see e.g. Goodstein 1994, 1995; Ingram and Simons 1995; Milliken et al. 1998),
but as yet no attempt has been made to test their impact over the long term or on the legitimacy of the
organization.
596
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
they are tackled successfully and contribute to all three criteria remains intuitively
appealing. Moreover, our results do not deny the possibility that even short-term
economic eVects might be more pronounced were more employers to adopt this
holistic approach. But, in the absence of such evidence, we should avoid getting
entrenched on the business case terrain as it encourages the mindset that issues of
equality, fair treatment, and work–non-work conXict only need to be addressed
insofar as they have immediate eVects on company proWts.
References
Appelbaum, E., and Batt, R. (1994). The New American Workplace. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press,
Cornell University Press.
Bailey, T., Berg, P., and Kalleberg, A. L. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage: Why
High Performance Work Systems Pay oV. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Bailyn, L. (1993). Breaking the Mold. New York: The Free Press.
Batt, R. (2002). ‘Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and
Sales Growth.’ Academy of Management Journal, 45/3: 587 97.
and Valcour, P. M. (2003). ‘Human Resources Practices as Predictors of Work
Family Outcomes and Employee Turnover.’ Industrial Relations, 42/2: 189 220.
Berg, P., Kalleberg, A. L., and Appelbaum, E. (2003). ‘Balancing Work and Family: The
Role of the High Commitment Environment.’ Industrial Relations, 42/2: 168 88.
Bewley, H., and Fernie, S. (2003). ‘What do Unions do for Women?’ In H. Gospel and
S. Wood (eds.), Representing Workers. London: Routledge.
Bond, J., Galinsky, E., and Swanberg, J. (1998). The 1997 National Study of the Changing
Workforce. New York: Families & Work Institute.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Hound
mills: Palgrave Macmillan.
de Menezes, L., and Wood, S. (2006). ‘Identifying Human Resource Management in
Britain Using the Workplace Employee Relations Survey.’ International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 17/1: 1 33.
Dex, S., and Smith, C. (2002). The Nature and Pattern of Family Friendly Employment
Policies in Britain. Bristol: The Policy Press.
Gittleman, M., Horrigan, M., and Joyce, M. (1998). ‘ ‘‘Flexible’’ Workplace Practices:
Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey.’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review,
52/1: 99 113.
Goodstein, J. (1994). ‘Institutional Pressures and Strategic Responsiveness: Employer
Involvement in Work family Issues.’ Academy of Management Journal, 37/2: 350 82.
(1995). ‘Employer Involvement in Eldercare: An Organizational Adaptation Perspec
tive.’ Academy of Management Journal, 38/6: 1657 71.
Grover, S. L., and Crooker, K. J. (1995). ‘Who Appreciates Family Responsive Human
Resource Policies: The Impact of Family Friendly Policies on the Organizational Attach
ment of Parents and Non parents?’ Personnel Psychology, 48/2: 271 88.
Guest, D. (2002). ‘Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee
Well Being: Building the Worker into HRM.’ Journal of Industrial Relations, 44/1: 335 58.
management in britain
597
Hochschild, A. R. (1997). The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes
Work. New York: Metropolitan Books.
Huselid, M. A. (1995). ‘The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Turnover, Productivity and Corporate Financial Performance.’ Academy of Management
Journal, 38/3: 635 72.
Ingram, P., and Simons, T. (1995). ‘Institutional and Resource Dependence Determinants
of Responsiveness to Work Family Issues.’ Academy of Management Journal, 5: 1466 82.
Kochan, T., and Osterman, P. (1994). The Mutual Gains Enterprise. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press.
Lambert, S. J. (2000). ‘Added BeneWts: The Link between Work Life Programs on Firms’
Productivity.’ Academy of Management Journal, 43/5: 801 15.
Lawler, E. (1986). High Involvement Management. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
(1991). ‘Participative Management Strategies.’ In J. W. Jones, B. W. SteVy, and
D. W. Bray (eds.), Applying Psychology in Business. The Handbook for Managers and
Human Resource Professionals. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books.
MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production System in the World Auto Industry.’
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48/2: 197 221.
Milliken, F. J., Martins, L., and Morgan, H. (1998). ‘Determinants of an Organization’s
Responsiveness to Work Family Issues: An Integration of Competing Theories.’ Academy
of Management Journal, 41/5: 580 92.
Millward, N., Stevens M., Smart, D., and Hawes, W. R. (1992). Workplace Industrial
Relations in Transition. Aldershot: Dartmouth.
Osterman, P. (1994). ‘How Common is Workplace Transformation and How can we
Explain Who Does it?’ Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 47/2: 173 88.
(1995). ‘Work/Family Programs and the Employment Relationship.’ Administrative
Science Quarterly, 40/4: 681 700.
Parker, S., Wall, T., and Jackson, P. (1997). ‘That’s not my Job: Developing Flexible
Employee Work Orientations.’ Academy of Management Journal, 40/4: 899 929.
Perry Smith, J. E., and Blum, T. C. (2000). ‘Work Family Human Resource Bundles and
Perceived Organizational Performance.’ Academy of Management Journal, 43/6: 1107 17.
Sisson, K. (1995). ‘Human Resource Management and the Personnel Function.’ In J. Storey
(ed.), Human Resource Management. London: Routledge.
Wall, T., and Wood, S. (2005). ‘The Romance of Human Resource Management and
Business Performance and the Case for Big Science.’ Human Relations, 58/4: 429 62.
Michie, J., Patterson, M., Sheehan, M., Wood, S., Clegg, C., and West, M.
(2004). ‘On the Validity of Reported Company Financial Performance.’ Personnel Psych
ology, 57/1: 95 118.
Walton, R. (1985). ‘From Control to Commitment in the Workplace.’ Harvard Business
Review, 63/2: 77 84.
Wood, S. (1999a). ‘Human Resource Management and Performance.’ International Journal
of Management Reviews, 1/4: 367 413.
(1999b). ‘Getting the Measure of the Transformed Organization.’ British Journal of
Industrial Relations, 37/3: 391 418.
and Albanese, M. (1995). ‘Can you Speak of a High Commitment Management on
the Shop Floor?’ Journal of Management Studies, 32/2: 215 47.
598
stephen wood and lilian m. de menezes
Wood, S. and de Menezes, L. (1998). ‘High Commitment Management in the UK:
Evidence from the Workplace Industrial Relations Survey and Employers’ Manpower
and Skills Practices Survey.’ Human Relations, 51/4: 485 515.
and Wall, T. (2007). ‘Work Enrichment and Employee Voice in Human Resource
Management Performance Studies.’ International Journal of Human Resource Manage
ment, forthcoming.
de Menezes, L., and Lasaosa, A. (2003). ‘Family Friendly Management In Great
Britain: Testing Various Perspectives.’ Industrial Relations, 42/2: 221 50.
chapter 29
....................................................................................................................................................
SOCIAL
L E G I T I M AC Y
OF THE HRM
P RO F E S S I O N
A US PERSPECTIVE
....................................................................................................................................
thomas a. kochan
29.1 Introduction
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The human resource management profession faces a crisis of trust and a loss of
legitimacy in the eyes of its major stakeholders. The two-decade eVort to develop a
new ‘strategic human resource management’ (HR)1 role in organizations has failed
to realize its promised potential of greater status, inXuence, and achievement. This
chapter focuses on these developments in the USA by putting the current situation
in a longer historical and comparative context and outlines the values, power
relationships, and institutional factors that shape the role of HR. I then suggest a
Portions of this chapter build and expand on Kochan 2004.
1
For the sake of simplicity I will use the term HR in a generic fashion in referring to those
responsible for managing employment relations, recognizing the speciWc terms have changed over the
years from personnel, to industrial relations, to human resource management, and perhaps to other
terms yet to come.
600
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
number of steps that HR professionals might take to redeWne their role and
professional identity and rebuild their legitimacy. The central task is to achieve a
better balance between employer and employee interests at work. The starting
point for this task is to undertake an explicit examination of the values and norms
that underlie the HR profession and its associations. The chapter argues that HR
professionals need to treat business strategy as an endogenous variable, be more
externally focused and skilled at building networks and productive alliances with
other groups and institutions, become more analytical and able to document the
beneWts associated with eVective HR policies and practices to Wrms and employees,
and be skilled at managing in an increasingly transparent society and information
savvy workforce. The changing gender composition of the HR profession may
aVect its success in making these changes and meeting these challenges. Ironically,
however, signiWcant change in the status and legitimacy of the HR profession may
require a rebalancing of power in employment relations.
29.2 Challenge to Legitimacy: the
Breakdown in the Social Contract
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
A regime which provides human beings no deep reason to care about one
another cannot long preserve its legitimacy.
(Sennett 1998: 1)
The Wrst sentence of Richard Sennett’s critique of contemporary workplace
relations should serve as a rallying cry for the human resource management
(HR) profession. HR derives its social legitimacy from its ability to serve as an
eVective steward of a social contract in employment relationships capable of
balancing and integrating the interests and needs of employers, employees, and
the society in which these relationships are embedded (Boxall and Purcell 2003;
Lansbury 2004; McGregor and Cutcher-Gershenfeld 2005).
At no time since the founding of the HR or personnel profession is this challenge
more diYcult and yet more critical, especially in the USA. There is an unfortunate but
broad consensus among American researchers, policy analysts, and business leaders
that the social contract that allowed workers and employers to prosper together in the
decades that followed the Second World War broke down in the past two decades
(Kochan 2001). The visible signs of this breakdown varied from one country and
setting to another. In the case of the USA it could be seen in multiple trends:
.
.
increased use of lay-oVs, not as a last resort, but as part of organizational
restructuring or movement of work to lower-cost locations;
increased working hours for individuals and family units;
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
.
.
.
.
601
increased inequality of income and stagnant or declining real wages for
a majority of the workforce and a break in the historic relationship between
proWts, productivity, and real wage growth;
loss of retirement income and shifts in the pension risk to employees as Wrms
shifted from deWned beneWt to various forms of deWned contribution plans;
declining health care coverage and shifts of cost increases to employees, and
loss of employee voice at work and in political and social aVairs as labor
movement membership and power declined to pre-1930 levels.
These trends were well established before the US stock market’s Internet bubble
burst and the corporate scandals erupted in the early years of the twenty-Wrst
century. Following these latter two developments, trust in American corporations
fell precipitously (USA Today 2002). Given all of this, it is not surprising that in
recent years how to restore trust in management has become a central topic of
discussion among corporate executives, leaders of government bodies and international agencies, and management researchers (Bartunek 2002; Lewis 2002; New
York Stock Exchange 2002; Kochan and Schmalensee 2003).
The US HR profession faces the same crisis of trust as does management in
general, in part because it is (or should be) part of senior management in corporations and even more so because it always has had a special professional responsibility to balance the needs of the Wrm with the needs, aspirations, and interests of
the workforce and the values and standards society expects to be upheld at work.
How the HR profession responds to the challenge of rebuilding a viable social
contract at work will shape not only its legitimacy but also its future inXuence in
organizations and in society, and for HR researchers, their status in the social
science community.
This chapter focuses on HR in the USA While the extent to which the developments discussed here apply to other countries is best left to the judgement of
those most knowledgeable about their own settings, brief historical comparisons
are made with HR in several other countries to place HR in the USA in a broader
global and historical context and to demonstrate that the HR profession is shaped
in part by diVerences in national institutions.
29.3 How We Got Here: From Personnel
to Strategic HRM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Like other professions, HR is shaped by a mixture of values, pressures, and
institutional arrangements. Child (1969) shows how the early stages of HR in
602
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
Britain were shaped by the Quaker traditions of its founders. They saw their role as
attending to the welfare of the workforce. Their Quaker traditions also led them to
take what Fox (1971) labeled a pluralist as opposed to a unitary view of the Wrm,
pre-dating those who would later view the corporation from a multiple stakeholder
rather than a shareholder perspective. Those values were reinforced by a strong and
growing labor movement in Britain up until 1970 and by the corresponding rise of
labor relations considerations and specialists to the top of the HR agenda and
function in corporations (CIPD 2005). The eVects of the Thatcher government
policies and the steady decline of British unionism have eroded these pluralist
views among British HR professionals. However, the return of a Labour government and various corporate governance commission reports have kept alive debate
over the responsibilities of corporations and HR (CIPD 2005).
In Japan, HR professionals are embedded in corporate governance structures
that give greater weight to balancing employee and shareholder interests
(Aoki 1988). As a result, HR is viewed as one of the most inXuential functions
within Japanese Wrms and the top HR executive typically is a member of the board
in large corporations. While recent economic pressures have led Japanese Wrms to
adapt some of their employment practices, HR executives continue to have greater
inXuence and status in their Wrms than do their American counterparts (Jacoby
2005).
In Germany and other countries within the European Community, labor and
social policies and corporate governance structures require greater employee consultation and representation, and society expects a higher level of attention to
employee and community interests (Wever 1995). These arrangements reXect, in
part, pressures exerted on Germany in particular following the Second World War
to strengthen its democratic institutions to avoid a return to fascism. In recent
years, pressures to increase Xexibility in European labor markets led to some
changes in labor laws and regulations, but recent European Community rules
and regulations reinforce the importance of the ‘triple bottom line’ (economic,
social, and environmental performance) (PriceWaterhouseCoopers 2002) and information and consultation rights of workers (Marginson et al. 2004). These
historic and current institutional features make it more necessary for HR professionals in these contexts to be able to achieve a balance of employee and employer
and societal expectations and interests at work than is the case in the USA. Whether
these institutional features continue to play this role in the future or erode in the
face of further changes in labor market and social policies remains a topic of
considerable debate and uncertainty.
The origins of the personnel and HR profession in the USA are generally traced
back to the rise of ScientiWc Management in the early years of the twentieth century
(Kaufman 1994; Jacoby 2005). These roots gave US HR a stronger focus on
eYciency than employee welfare. Business and personnel historians (Bendix 1956;
Brown and Myers 1957; Jacoby 1985) also emphasize the strong unitarist and
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
603
deep-seated anti-union ideology of American management. Moreover, the US
model of corporate governance is based on a shareholder maximizing principle
leaving no formal role or informal norm for employees as stakeholders. So it is not
surprising that the commitment to balancing worker and employer interests has
been somewhat weaker in the values of HRM professionals in the USA than in
other countries.
Over time, however, the pressures of trade unions, tighter labor markets for
professional and technical talent, and expansion of government regulations also
aVected the views and approaches of HR and other managers in American corporations. As the power of these external forces grew, managers made pragmatic
adaptations, took a more multiple stakeholder view of the Wrm and their role,
and developed the skills and organizational practices needed to accommodate the
power of these forces (Kochan et al. 1984; Jacoby 1985; Baron et al. 1988; Dobbin and
Sutton 1998). As in Britain, labor and industrial relations specialists rose to the top
of the HR function in the decades following the Second World War. So by 1970, at
what was perhaps the pinnacle of the power of US unions and pressure from newly
enacted and enforced government regulations, one HR historian concluded:
A humane and satisfying organization, as well as proWtable operations, has become a
criterion of successful executive performance [sic]. . . . Today most executives are aware the
wants and needs of workers extend far beyond wages, and they have accepted that the
responsibility of helping workers fulWll the psychological needs requires them to make
employment a more rewarding and satisfying experience. . . . . Sound personnel relations
are highly desirable, not merely as a requisite to an eYcient and proWtable business
operation, but as a contribution to society in general, as a fulWllment of moral and ethical
demands. (Milton 1970: 1 2)
Since 1970, however, changes in the US and the global economy shifted the
dominant view of the Wrm espoused by corporate executives, labor movement
power and commitment to vigorous enforcement of government regulations
declined, and the view and approach of HR professionals has been transformed.
Recent decades of HR scholarship and professional activity in the USA have been
dominated by eVorts to shift from a functional, personnel administration approach
to a strategic human resource management perspective. The largest professional
association in the country changed its name and focus accordingly from the
American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA) to the Society for
Human Resource Management (SHRM). This change symbolized a deeper shift
in the professional identity and role of HR. As union power and pressure from
government enforcement agencies declined and international and domestic competitive pressures intensiWed, HR professionals slowly lost their ability to challenge
their organizations to balance employee and Wrm interests. Power over employment strategies and practices shifted from labor and industrial relations specialists
to HR generalists and increasingly to line managers and executives (Kochan 1980;
Freedman 1990).
604
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
As a result, HR professionals sought to ‘partner’ with line managers and senior
executives in developing and delivering human resource policies that supported
the Wrm’s competitive strategies. The dominant eVect of this inward shift in
perspective was to more closely align HR professionals with the interests and
goals of the Wrm, at least the goals as articulated by the top executives with
whom HR professionals sought to align. Indeed, one of the most respected of
America’s HR professionals (Doyle 1993) once described this development as HR
professionals becoming what he called ‘perfect agents’ of top management (a not
too complementary analogy to the Peter Sellers character who sought to be the
alter ego of his boss). By the end of the twentieth century, the transformation in the
American HR role was largely complete. As a result, HR professionals lost any
semblance of credibility as stewards of the social contract because most HR
professionals had lost their ability to seriously challenge or oVer an independent
perspective on the policies and practices of the Wrm.
Perhaps the clearest indicator of the inability of HR professionals to challenge
their CEOs or other top executives is the fact that in the USA CEO pay relative
to the average worker exploded over this time period, moving from a ratio of 40 : 1
in the 1960s and 1970s to over 400 : 1 today. Another indicator comes from surveys
of HR professionals themselves. Surveys asking HR leaders in the 1990s to rank
their profession’s most important goals and priorities reported that six of the seven
most important priorities reXected the needs of their organizations or their HR
unit. The Wrst workforce concern to make it on this list (promoting diversity) came
in seventh on their list (Eichinger and Ulrich 1996). A Wnal indicator comes from
the harsh critique titled ‘Why we Hate HR’ (Hammonds 2005) that presents survey
data from an HR consultancy Wrm (the Hay Group) showing a majority of
employees feel performance appraisals are unfair and only about half of nonmanagerial employees believe their Wrms have interests in their employees’ wellbeing. Based on these data and interviews with HR academics and practitioners,
Hammonds (2005: 40) sums up the state of the profession as follows:
After close to 20 years of hopeful rhetoric about becoming ‘strategic partners’ with a ‘seat
at the table’ where the business decisions that matter are made, most human resources
professionals aren’t nearly there. They have no seat, and the table is locked inside a
conference room to which they have no key. HR people are, for most practical purposes,
neither strategic nor leaders.
Meanwhile, as (and perhaps in part because) the HR profession was turning
inward, pressures on the workforce slowly began to mount, one by one. Over the
past decade workers and families have endured longer working hours in the face of
stagnant or declining wages, lost or had dramatically diminished pensions, rising
health insurance costs, and spreading job insecurity. Even in 1999, at the peak of the
dot.com boom, a national survey conducted by Business Week found that threefourths of Americans believed the beneWts of the ‘new economy were unequally
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
605
distributed, only a third saw it as increasing their own incomes, and only about half
saw the boom as making their own lives better’ (Business Week 1999). By 2003,
another business organization, the Conference Board, reported its national surveys
showed that fewer than half of workers were satisWed with their jobs. Less than 40
percent were satisWed with their wages, health insurance, or pensions (Boston Globe
2003). With the arrival of the Bush administration came a shift to a more probusiness and anti-worker government policy. Overtime coverage was reduced, rules
allowing states to fund paid family leave were repealed, briefs opposing aYrmative
action were Wled in key Supreme Court cases, labor–management partnership
agreements in the federal sector and on large-scale construction projects were
disbanded, and thousands of federal workers’ rights to participate in collective
bargaining were cancelled by an Executive Order making the Orwellian claim that
collective bargaining would be a ‘threat to national security.’
The net result of these diverging HR priorities, government policy shifts, and
workforce pressures is that we now have perhaps a wider gulf between the perceived
needs and interests of Wrms and their employees than at any time since the Great
Depression of the 1930s. Indeed, the cumulative eVects of these pressures and the
breakdown in trust in corporations suggests the American workplace may be like
a pressure cooker about to blow (Kochan 2005).
These pressures and the decline in the ability or willingness of the HR profession
to address them are perhaps more acute in the USA than in other countries where
cultural norms and institutional arrangements enforce a stronger sense of corporate responsibility and commitment to balancing the interests of multiple stakeholders and where labor power has not declined to as low a level as in the USA. If
the US HR profession is to rebuild its status, legitimacy, and trust, it will need to
achieve more equitable balance among the diVerent stakeholders at work and to do
so it will need to reassess what values underlie it, break out of its internal focus, and
rebuild relationships and alliances with the workforce and other external stakeholders.
29.4 Meeting the Challenge: What
can be Done?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
29.4.1 Starting Point: Values and Professional Norms
As a card-carrying member of the US-based SHRM and the National Academy of
Human Resources (NAHR), I often Wnd myself at odds with the knee-jerk reaction
and opposition these organizations and my fellow members take toward any
606
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
proposals to update and modernize public policies governing work and employment relations. This is the case even though many of us have documented the
need to update policies that were enacted to support the industrial and largely
domestic economy and male breadwinner workforce of the 1930s to catch up with
the changing economy and workforce of today (Osterman et al. 2001; Kochan
2005). The dominant HR policy stance reXects the lack of a clearly articulated set
of professional standards for the HR profession. While one must be realistic in
recognizing that HR professionals are ultimately employed by and represent
management, the absence of such a code or set of standards leaves HR professionals with little basis for challenging or questioning the dominant values and
ideologies of the more senior and more powerful corporate executives within the
individual Wrms that employ them. At a very minimum, HR professionals should
hold each other accountable for enforcing legal standards and principles
embodied in national legislation and the fundamental human rights at work
recognized by the International Labor Organization. Even this is problematic in
the USA where a large body of empirical evidence has demonstrated that US labor
law no longer is eVective in protecting one of these basic rights, namely freedom of
association (Commission on Worker Management Relations 1994). Yet, for the past
quarter-century, HR leaders have steadfastly resisted all eVorts to Wx these problems
and to update and modernize American labor law (Mills 1979; Kochan 1995).
If the strength of a profession in part is judged by the strength of the professional
norms enforced and promoted by professional societies, the HR profession, at least
in the USA, must rank among the weakest (Jacoby 2005). Accountants, lawyers,
physicians, and other health care professionals are all subject to professional
certiWcation and/or other standards that embody clear principles for guiding
professional behavior regardless of the particular Wrm or organizational setting in
which they work. While there are various certiWcation exams that are available to
HR professionals, there is no evidence that they are treated as requirements for
entry-level positions or for advancement within the HR function of most Wrms. In
the absence of a collectively developed, shared, and enforced set of professional
standards that reXect a clear set of values, no individual HR professional is able to
challenge his or her more powerful seniors on sensitive Wrm or public policy issues.
Thus, developing a stronger HR professional set of standards is a necessary
condition for restoring its social legitimacy.
29.4.2 Reframing the Role of Strategy in Strategic HR
Paralleling the movement from personnel management to strategic HRM has come
a debate in the scholarly HR literature over whether there exists a common set of
best HRM practices capable of achieving high levels of organizational performance
or whether strategic HRM requires a contingent approach (Chadwick and Cappelli
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
607
1999). The contingency view argues that Wrms that want to compete on the basis of
innovation, growth, and quality need matching human resources strategies that
invest heavily in their human resources and implement state-of-the-art highperformance work organization practices while Wrms that choose to compete on
the basis of low costs need to follow more traditional command and control, highturnover strategies that require little human resource investment and result in low
wages and labor costs (Wright and Sherman 1999). Others have argued that mixed
strategies are possible so that even competing on the basis of low costs does not
necessarily require the full range of traditional low wage and command and control
practices (Boxall and Purcell 2003).
I believe this fully or partially contingent view of strategic HR further reduces the
credibility and trust of HR professionals and researchers. It is the wrong way to
frame the role HR professionals should play in strategic debates within their Wrms
or in broader social policy debates. In a global or domestic market economy with
variability in wages, the only way that Wrms and employees can prosper together is
to compete on the basis of high-productivity, high-human resource investment
strategies. This in turn requires adoption and successful management of highperformance human resource practices.
Earlier industrial relations researchers implicitly took this view of their role.
Slichter et al. (1960) used the term the ‘shock eVect’ to describe in detail how
industrial relations professionals helped their organizations adapt to negotiated
wage and beneWt improvements that reXected the power of unions from the 1940s
through the 1960s. That is, union pressures led to higher wages which had to be
recouped by higher productivity. The central task of industrial relations and
personnel managers was to advise management on how to professionalize their
operations and adapt strategies in other aspects of management practice (pricing,
marketing, operations, technological change, etc.) to achieve higher productivity.
Dobbin and Sutton (1998) documented the same eVect for government policies
enacted in the 1960s and 1970s.
Thus, rather than take corporate strategies as an exogenous determinant of HR
strategies, HR researchers and professionals should be advocating adoption of
corporate strategies that can sustain good and improving employment practices
and outcomes and achieve high levels of organizational performance. That is the
view of strategy that is now embedded in most contemporary models of industrial
relations (Kochan et al. 1986; Boxall and Purcell 2003).
29.4.3 Human Resource Strategies in a Knowledge Economy
Conceptualizing the role of strategy in this way allows one to then consider and
take up the challenge of translating the rhetoric about building a ‘knowledge
economy’ and promoting ‘lifelong learning’ into tangible beneWts for the economy
608
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
and society, for individual Wrms, and for the workforce. This will not be as easy as
some thought it would be.
The twenty-Wrst century burst upon us in an era of seemingly unbounded
optimism about the future. This was expected to be the century in which knowledge and skills, or more technically, human capital, Wnally found its place as the
most critical resource and strategic asset to organizations. Yet Wve years into the
new century, a new worry has arisen. Even knowledge work is now at risk of being
outsourced to independent contractors or ‘oVshored’ to lower-cost employees in
developing countries. How is the need to invest in and treat knowledge workers as
valuable assets to be reconciled with cost pressures that put them at risk of being
outsourced? Clearly, some of the more routine knowledge-intensive work will
move to lower-cost environments. Blanket opposition is neither feasible nor, in
the long run, good for either developing or highly industrialized economies.
Instead, the key lies in staying on and pushing out the frontiers of knowledge,
invention, and innovation in products and processes. But what can HR professionals do to help their Wrms overcome the concern that following a strategy of
investing in, while others are oVshoring, their work will put them at a competitive
disadvantage?
The only viable answer to this question is for the HR profession to reach out
to external parties and build the collective eVorts needed to develop the necessary skill base. No individual Wrm has adequate incentives to invest in the
general training and education needed to support a knowledge-based economy.
This is even more true today as modern communications technologies make it
easier to move work to where the talent is most abundant and cheapest and the
expected tenure of employees in a single Wrm (for voluntary and involuntary
reasons) is shorter than in the past. This implies that HR professionals need to
work together to help schools and universities to graduate people with the
capabilities both to invent the next generation of products and services and to
move quickly and eVectively from invention through the innovation process to
the market.
While support for schools is important, industry will remain an important
source of ‘lifelong’ education, training, and human capital development. But
individual Wrms will under-invest in education and training if their competitors
are not contributing their fair share to the workforce development process. This is
another reason why the profession must look outward at rebuilding linkages with
professional associations, unions, local colleges and universities, and government
agencies to generate support for and deliver the general training needed to fuel
a knowledge-based economy.
Another reason why HR professionals need to become more externally focused
as knowledge becomes more important is that managing knowledge work and
workers increasingly involves multiple organizations, contracting relationships,
and informal networks. The move to outsource non-core activities (ironically
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
609
including a good deal of HR training, record-keeping, and other functional
tasks) increases the portion of work done by contractors, suppliers, or in other
non-standard employment relationships. As movement of work to oVshore
contractors increases, so too does the complexity of monitoring and managing
these relationships and ensuring that the core knowledge and skills needed
to remain competitive are maintained within the organization or available
from a network of trusted, proven suppliers. Managing these mixed types of
employment arrangements and multi-party networks in which they are
embedded will likely be an increasingly important and challenging aspect of
HR work.
29.4.4 From Knowledge Workers to Knowledge-Based
Work Systems
Too often the terms ‘knowledge worker’ or ‘the knowledge economy’ are equated
with the elite professional, managerial, and technical workforce. Yet we know that
front-line workers likewise can, and must, be mobilized to contribute their knowledge and skills for an organization and its employees to prosper in a knowledge
economy. A great deal of eVort, experience, and evidence has been amassed in the
past two decades over how to build knowledge-based work systems that allow
front-line workers to develop and utilize their skills. This is the signal achievement
of HR scholars and practitioners of the strategic HR era. And the way it was
achieved illustrates another feature of what is needed for the next generation of
HR professionals to achieve legitimacy and inXuence in their organizations and
society: a deeper analytical focus.
A key study in the automobile industry undertaken in 1982 showed strong
relationships between work and labor relations practices and processes and plant
performance (Katz et al. 1983). Then, a few years later, a major breakthrough in
communicating this potential to executives came when study of the Toyota-GM
joint venture known as the New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) led
to a methodology for comparing work hours per car and defects per car at that
plant with others in the industry. The diVerences reported were startling, showing a
2 to 1 diVerential in productivity and quality between NUMMI and sister plants
with old and new technology but traditional labor relations, human resource, and
production systems (Krafcik 1988). This data laid the foundation for the bestselling book The Machine that Changed the World (Womack et al. 1990). Later
would come the international comparisons of assembly plants (MacDuYe 1995;
MacDuYe and Pil 1997), documenting the generalizability of these Wndings and
outlining the features of the integrated set of production, human resource,
work organization, and labor relations practices that produced these high
610
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
levels of performance. By the late 1990s, this new paradigm was generally
accepted in the industry. Organizations around the world were engaged in eVorts
to adapt its features to Wt their diVerent cultural and institutional settings (Kochan
et al. 1995).
Over the course of the 1990s, similar analyses were also carried out in a wide
variety of industries including apparel, computers, telecommunications, steel,
oYce equipment, and airlines. While the diVusion of these new practices and
knowledge-based systems is not universal, Huselid and Becker (2001) extended
this analysis across industries and produced estimates that moving from the mean
to one standard deviation in use of high-performance practices was associated with
an average 23 percent higher rate of return and 8 percent higher market value.
These types of numbers, even if oV by a signiWcant fraction, get managers’
attention.
This data has a number of well-documented methodological limitations (Purcell
1999; Gerhart et al. 2000) that caution against the view that there is a single best set
of HR or work system practices that will produce high performance in all settings.
My own view of this evidence and the various methodological critiques is that there
are signiWcant potential returns to productivity and quality from implementing
knowledge-based work systems that are well tailored to the speciWc technical and
organizational settings. However, there are also costs associated with implementing, sustaining, and diVusing these work systems across large organizations and
considerable diYculty and likely error in measuring their eVects. The lesson from
this is the need for HR professionals to be more analytical and skilled in understanding how to design and implement tailor-made systems wherever there is
potential for enhancing performance by better drawing in the knowledge of the
full workforce. By doing so, more environments where this potential exists will be
identiWed.
Will employees automatically beneWt from implementation of these systems?
Here the evidence is also mixed. While there is clear evidence that most employees
prefer jobs that use their skills and provide them discretion over how to do their
jobs, and Weld studies showing positive correlations between job satisfaction and
implementation of knowledge-based work systems (Appelbaum et al. 2000), there
are also case studies and critiques documenting that these systems can increase
stress and do not necessarily translate into higher pay or greater job security
(Godard 2004; Ramsay et al. 2000). On balance, however, the evidence shows
that if employee concerns are taken into account in implementing these systems
or they, and/or their representatives, are directly involved in their design and
oversight, they hold considerable potential for narrowing the gap between the
interests of Wrms and those of employees (Batt and Appelbaum 1995; Black and
Lynch 2001; Kochan et al. 2005).
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
611
29.4.5 Looking Beyond Workplace Performance: The Dual
Work–Family Agenda
As much as signiWcant progress has been made in understanding and implementing knowledge-based work systems, the singular focus on workplace outcomes
(productivity, quality, etc.) needs to expand to take into account the changing
labor force and the increasingly close interdependences between work and personal/family life. As Bailyn and Fletcher (2003) argue, today’s work systems and
processes have to be held accountable for achieving a dual agenda: high levels of
performance at the workplace and the ability to meet personal and family needs. To
do so will once again require HR professionals to engage a wider set of stakeholders.
The growing need to better balance or integrate work and family needs has not
gone unnoticed in American Wrms. Indeed, over the past decade or so many Wrms
have implemented ‘family friendly’ policies. Experience shows, however, that these
policies suVer from a fundamental problem: they are underutilized for fear that
using them will hurt one’s career prospects (Eaton 2003; Drago et al. forthcoming).
A study of Boston law Wrms found that over 90 percent had policies on the books
that allowed associates (young lawyers not yet promoted to be partners) to work
reduced hour or part-time schedules. Yet only 4 percent of those eligible in fact
took up this option (Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts 2000). The same
survey explained why so few took the option: one-third of the lawyers surveyed
believed that taking this option would seriously damage their careers because they
would be stigmatized as less than ‘fully committed’ professionals. Drago et al.
(forthcoming) found a similar eVect among college faculty with again one-third
engaging in what they call ‘bias avoidance’ behavior to keep from hurting their
career. Thus, both professional norms and organizational cultures need to change
along with the formal policies.
Engaging the workforce and their professional societies in rethinking how work
and careers are structured is only the Wrst, necessary step in engaging the broader
set of stakeholders that will need to be engaged if the challenge of integrating work
and family responsibilities is to be met. Debate over these issues will eventually
shift to the public policy arena. If the HR profession takes the same knee-jerk
oppositional stance to new public policies to provide the Xexibility and income
supports (i.e. paid family leave modern workers and families need to meet their
dual responsibilities), it will perpetuate and extend the long-standing business–
labor impasse into this area of social policy. In this case, however, it will not just be
organized labor that the HR profession Wnds itself opposing. It will be the women
and family advocates, a group that will be much harder to label as a ‘special
interest’ or some ‘outside third party.’ The question in my mind, therefore, is
whether HR professionals will engage in constructive dialogue, analysis, and
612
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
negotiations with women and family advocates and policy experts to design a
sensible approach to this and other aspects of work–family policy, or hunker down,
continue to oppose new policies, and then have to live with whatever new policies
are eventually enacted.
29.4.6 Restoring Voice at Work
There is an irony associated with the general decline in organized labor experienced
around the world in recent decades, and its precipitous decline in the USA. HR
professionals have, at least in the USA, been vocal in their support of ‘union-free’
strategies and policies within their corporations. Yet as union power declines, so
too does the power and inXuence of HR professionals within their Wrms. Thus,
while each party is reluctant to recognize it, HR and labor unions are tied together
in a symbiotic relationship in which one’s power is a direct function of the other’s.
This suggests that a return to higher status and legitimacy of HR professionals
depends on the success of eVorts to revitalize the labor movement and other
worker advocacy groups.
More is at stake, however, than considerations of power. No democratic society
can prosper (some would say survive) if employee voice is suppressed at work or
silent in political discourse. That is why strong institutional roles for labor were
implanted in the laws and structures of post-war Germany and Japan by British
and American occupational governments. That is also why freedom of association
is now accepted as a universal and fundamental right by the international business,
labor, and government representatives to the International Labor Organization and
is embedded in nearly all codes of conduct negotiated between industry groups,
corporations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working together to
enforce common labor standards through global supply chains (Mamic 2004).
History suggests that the void in worker representation now present in American
society is not likely to remain unWlled in perpetuity. Indeed, a wide variety of
increasingly active employee advocacy groups are emerging in attempts to Wll this
void. These include student and NGO groups advocating global labor standards
and accountability for the actions of Wrms’ overseas contractors, religious, immigrant, and ethnic-based community organizations, some of which work in coalition with traditional unions and some of which operate independently, identity
groups functioning within organizations to mentor and advocate for their members, and, as mentioned above, women and family advocacy groups (Kochan 2005).
Moreover, there are signs of a more militant resurgence within existing labor
movements in the USA, Britain, and Australia.
How the HR profession responds to these emergent eVorts to restore worker
voice will have a profound impact on the future of worker/labor management
relations. Because only 8.5 percent of the private sector workforce is now
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
613
unionized, the vast majority of American HR professionals also have little or
no experience in working or negotiating with employee representatives. The
evidence is clear that a simple return to traditional arm’s-length labor management
relations would not well serve the workforce, employers, or the larger economy
and society. Thus, the question is whether HR professionals will have the skills
and experience base to help build the types of constructive and modern labor
management relationships and partnerships that are required in settings where
employees are represented. A simple oppositional stance to any forms of independent worker voice or representation will clearly decrease the likelihood that
constructive and eVective labor management models will emerge. The more likely
result of this type of defensive and oppositional stance will be another phase
of adversarial relationships that are poorly suited to the needs and desires of
the contemporary economy and workforce (Freeman and Rogers 1999; Kochan
2005).
29.4.7 Rebuilding Trust with an Information-Hungry
and Savvy Workforce
A generation of young people watched as their parents put in long hours of work
only to be rewarded with increased insecurity or actual loss of jobs and/or pension
savings in the wake of the breakdown of the post-war social contract. The next
generation of HR professionals will confront a skeptical workforce that is not ready
to simply bestow its trust in top management and is well prepared to use the tools
of modern information technology and social networks to move when job conditions do not meet their expectations.
How can trust at work be rebuilt with this type of workforce? It can only be done
by providing the transparency and openness and opportunities for development
that young people want from their jobs, and over time the fairness and equity they
will come to expect with age, tenure, and growing family responsibilities. Employees will be expecting the same rights and access to information as do Wnancial
investors. Most young people today are highly skilled in using the Internet to satisfy
their information needs. This implies that HR professionals will have to become as
skilled as the people employed by their organizations.
The need to modernize HR processes to Wt the Internet age will aVect all
functional areas of HR, including collective bargaining negotiations. Recent
experiences in the US airline industry illustrate how the workforce can be out in
front of developments in this area. Labor and management negotiators in the
airline industry in the USA have experienced a great deal of diYculty in ratifying
collective bargaining agreements in recent years with approximately 18 percent of
agreements having been rejected by rank and Wle employees (von NordenXycht and
Kochan 2003). In a number of these cases, rank and Wle groups have built their own
614
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
websites to comment on negotiations and critique tentative agreements, sometimes
by sending out information even before the oYcially designated negotiating teams
could describe the terms of the agreement. In conversations about this development, a number of labor and management professionals lamented it, almost in
hopes that somehow they could return to the old days where they controlled all
communications with the media and to constituents. Instead of lamenting the new
phenomena, HR and labor relations professionals will need to Wgure out ways to
use the new technologies in negotiations to keep members informed with accurate
and current information.
29.5 Changing Demographics
of HR Professionals
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
In the twentieth century, when labor relations was the dominant functional
specialty in employment relations departments, the Weld was largely the province
of men. Today, women constitute an increasing proportion of professionals
entering and working in our Weld. For example, in the USA from 1987 to 2002,
the number of women in the HR profession increased from 64 to 76 percent.
The same trend is visible in the number moving up into higher managerial
positions in the HR and labor relations profession; 53 percent in 1987 to 65 percent
in 2002 (Keefe 2004). The same trends can be seen in our best university programs
that are producing the people most likely to become the next-generation HR
leaders. Women account for 56 percent of the 2003 entering Masters’ class at
Cornell’s School of Labor and Industrial Relations, for example. The British CIPD
reports that women now account for 53 percent of its membership (CIPD 2005).
What eVects will the feminization of the HR function have on the profession?
One unfortunate eVect, if the American data is an indication, is that the feminization of the profession may lead to a relative decline in salaries. As more women
were entering the profession between 1983 and 2002 in the USA, real wages of HR
professionals declined by 8 percent while real wages of other professionals with
college degrees grew by approximately 23 percent (Economic Policy Institute 2005).
On a more positive note, another possible (but not guaranteed) eVect could be a
greater sensitivity to the need for Xexible policies that support eVorts to integrate
work and family responsibilities. Perhaps it will take this demographic shift for the
HR profession to strike a better balance between the interests of Wrms and the
workforce.
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
615
29.6 Conclusions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The key lessons from this overview of the recent history of the US HR profession
can be summarized quite simply:
1. The quest for greater acceptance and inXuence with top management has
gone too far and accounts for some of the inability of the HR profession to
discipline top management excesses that produced the corporate scandals,
runaway CEO compensation, and the overall breakdown in trust in corporations that now prevails.
2. The pressures building in workplaces following the breakdown in the social
contract at work call for leadership from the HR profession to help better
balance worker and Wrm needs and interests, rebuild trust, and help shape a
new social contract capable of achieving and supporting mutual gains for
Wrms, employees, and society. This will require reframing the approach to
strategy and contingency in HR models and practices.
3. The substantive areas with the most potential for contributing to a new social
contract that Wts the needs and realities of today’s economy and workforce include:
(a) Making knowledge work and work systems pay oV for Wrms and employees;
(b) Integrating work and family/personal concerns by evaluating all HR
policies and practices against the ‘dual agenda’ of workplace and family
outcomes; and
(c) Supporting eVorts to restore voice and transform labor–management
relations to serve as an innovative force in society and help improve the
performance of organizations, industries, and the overall economy.
4. To address these substantive challenges, the next generation of US. HR
professionals will need to be:
(a) More externally focused and skilled in building and maintaining alliances and productive relationships not only with line managers and
senior executives but also with each other, educational institutions,
professional associations and networks, labor market intermediaries,
unions, and government policy makers;
(b) More analytical and able to justify support for progressive HR policies
based on their demonstrated and documented bottom line results, and:
(c) More skilled in using information and principles of transparency to
deliver and communicate HR polices and the range of information that
employees want and need.
These changes can only be achieved if the HR profession redeWnes its values and
holds itself accountable for building an employment system that is judged to be fair
616
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
by all the stakeholders involved. Whether this shift in professional norms will
evolve gradually or will have to await the passing of the torch to a new generation
or the resurgence of more militant forms of worker voice and representation
remains to be seen.
References
Aoki, M. (1988). ‘Toward an Economic Model of the Japanese Firm.’ Journal of Economic
Literature, 28/1: 1 27.
Appelbaum, E., Berg, P., and Kalleberg, A. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage. Ithaca,
NY: Cornell/ILR Press.
Bailyn, L., and Fletcher, J. K. (2003). ‘The Equity Imperative: Reaching EVectiveness
through the Dual Agenda.’ CGO Insights, Simmons Graduate School of Management.
www.simmons.edu/som/cgo.
Baron, J., Dobbin, F., and Jennings, P. D. (1988). ‘Mission Control? The Development of
Personnel Systems in U.S. Industry?’ American Sociological Review, 53: 497 514.
Bartunek, J. M. (2002). ‘How Can We in the Academy of Management Respond to
Corporate Scandals?’ Academy of Management Executive, 16/3: 138.
Batt, R., and Appelbaum, E. (1995). ‘Worker Participation in Diverse Settings: Does the
Form AVect the Outcome, and if so, Who BeneWts.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations,
33/3: 353 77.
Bendix, R. (1956). Work and Authority in Industry. New York: Wiley.
Black, S. E., and Lynch, L. M. (2001). ‘How to Compete: Impact of Workplace Practices
and Information Technology on Productivity.’ Review of Economics and Statistics, 83/3:
434 45.
Boston Globe (2003). ‘Workers are DissatisWed with their Jobs.’ Sunday Boston Globe, 26
October: D1.
Boxall, P., and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management. London:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Brown, D. V., and Myers, C. A. (1957). ‘The Changing Industrial Relations Philosophy of
American Management.’ In Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Winter Meetings of the
Industrial Relations Research Association. Madison: Industrial Relations Research Asso
ciation.
Business Week (1999). ‘Hey, What about Us?’ Business Week, 27 December.
Chadwick, C., and Cappelli., P. (1999). ‘Alternatives to Generic Strategy Typologies.’ In
P. M. Wright, D. Dyer, J. W. Boudreau, and G. T. Milkovich (eds.), Strategic Human
Resource Management: Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management,
Supplement 4. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2005). ‘Personnel Manage
ment: A Short History.’ www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/hrpract/hrtrends/pmhist
Child, J. (1969). British Management Thought. London: Allen and Unwin.
Commission on the Future of Worker Management Relations (2004). Fact Finding Report.
Washington: Departments of Commerce and Labor.
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
617
Dobbin, F., and Sutton, J. (1998). ‘The Strength of a Weak State: The Employment Rights
Revolution and the Rise of Human Resource Management Divisions.’ American Journal
of Sociology, 104: 441 76.
Doyle, F. (1993). ‘GE’s Doyle Urges HR to Embrace a World of Change.’ Work in America
Report, 18/March: 3.
Drago, R., Colbeck, C., Stauffer, D., Varner, A., Burkum, K., Fazioli, J., Guzman, G.,
and Habasevich T. R. (forthcoming). ‘The Avoidance of Bias against Caregiving.’
American Behavioral Scientist.
Eaton, S. C. (2003). ‘If You Can Use Them: Flexibility Policies, Organizational Commit
ment, and Perceived Performance.’ Industrial Relations, 42/2: 145 67.
Economic Policy Institute (2005). ‘Datazone.’ www.epinet.org/datazone05/wagebyed
Eichinger, B., and Ulrich, D. (1996). Human Resource Challenges. New York: The Human
Resource Planning Society.
Fox, A. (1971). A Sociology of Work and Industry. London: Collier Macmillan.
Freedman, A. (1990). The Changing Human Resource Function. New York: The Conference
Board.
Freeman, R. B., and Rogers, J. (1999). What do Workers Want. Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University/ILR Press.
Gerhart, B., Wright, P. M., McMahan, G. C., and Snell, S. A. (2000). ‘Measurement
Error in Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: How Much Error is
there and How Does it InXuence EVect Size Estimates?’ Personnel Psychology, 53/4 Winter:
803 34.
Godard, J. (2004). ‘A Critical Assessment of the High Performance Paradigm.’ British
Journal of Industrial Relations, 42/2 June: 349 78.
Hammonds, K. (2005). ‘Why we Hate HR.’ Fast Company, August: 40 2.
Huselid, M., and Becker, B. (2001). The HR Scorecard. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press.
Jacoby, S. M. (1985). Employing Bureaucracies. New York: Columbia University Press.
(2005). The Embedded Corporation. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and Women of the Corporation. New York: Basic Books.
Katz, H., Kochan, T. A., and Gobeille, K. (1983). ‘Industrial Relations Performance,
Economic Performance and the Quality of Working Life.’ Industrial and Labor Relations
Review, 37: 3 17.
Kaufman, B. E. (1994). The Origins and Evolution of the Field of Industrial Relations. Ithaca,
NY: Cornell University ILR Press.
Keefe, J. (2004). Personal correspondence: Current Population Data on HR Professionals,
1987 2002.
Kochan, T. A. (1980). Collective Bargaining and Industrial Relations. Homewood, Ill.: Irwin.
(1995). ‘Using the Dunlop Report for Mutual Gains.’ Industrial Relations, 34: 350 66.
(2001). ‘Rebuilding the Social Contract at Work.’ Perspectives on Work, 4/1: 1 25.
(2004). ‘Restoring Trust in the Human Resource Management Profession.’ Asia PaciWc
Journal of Human Resources, 42/2: 132 46.
(2005). Restoring the American Dream: A Working Families Agenda for America.
Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
and Schmalensee, R. L. (eds.) (2003). Management: Inventing and Delivering the
Future. Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press.
618
t h o m a s a. k o c h a n
Kochan, T. A., McKersie, R., and Cappelli, P. (1984). ‘Strategic Choice and Industrial
Relations Theory.’ Industrial Relations, 23/1: 16 39.
Katz, H., and McKersie, R. (1986). The Transformation of American Industrial
Relations. New York: Basic Books.
Lansbury, R. D., and MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). After Lean Production. Ithaca, NY:
Cornell University/ILR Press.
McKersie, R. B., Eaton, A., Adler, P., Segal, P., and Gerhart, P. (2005). ‘The Kaiser
Permanente Labor Management Partnership: 2002 2004.’ http://mitsloan,mit.edu/iwer.
Krafcik, J. F. (1988). ‘Triumph of the Lean Production System.’ Sloan Management Review,
30: 41 52.
Lansbury, R. D. (2004). ‘Work, People, and Globalization: Toward a New Social Contract
for Australia.’ Journal of Industrial Relations, 46/1: 102 9.
Lewis, R. (2002). ‘The CEO’s Lot is Not a Happy One.’ Academy of Management Executive,
16/4: 38 42.
MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). ‘Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance:
Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry.
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48: 197 221.
and Pil, F. (1997). ‘Changes in Auto Industry Employment Practices: An International
Overview.’ In T. A. Kochan, R. D. Lansbury, and J. P. MacDuYe (eds.), After Lean
Production. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University/ILR Press.
McGregor, D. and Cutcher Gershensfeld, J. (2005). The Human Side of the Enterprise,
annotated edn. New York: McGraw Hill.
Mamic, I. (2004). Implementing Codes of Conduct. Geneva: International Labor OYce.
Marginson, P., Hall, M., Hoffman, A., and Muller, T. (2004). ‘The Impact of European
Works Councils on Management Decision Making in UK and US Based Multinationals:
A Case Study Comparison.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 42/2: 209 34.
Mills, D. Q. (1979). ‘Flamed Victory in Labor Law Reform.’ Harvard Business Review, 53:
99 102.
Milton, C. R. (1970). Ethics and Expediency in Personnel Management. Columbia: Univer
sity of South Carolina Press.
New York Stock Exchange (2002). ‘Corporate Governance Rules and Proposals.’ www.
nyse.com, 7 October.
Osterman, P., Kochan, T., Locke, R., and Piore, M. (2001). Working in America: A
Blueprint for the New Labor Market. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2002). ‘PWC Barometer Survey Results on Triple Bottom
Line Reporting.’ www.srimedia.com/artman/publish/article 169.shtml.
Purcell, J. (1999). ‘The Search for ‘‘Best Practice’’ and ‘‘Best Fit’’: Chimera or Cul De Sac?’
Human Resource Management Journal, 9/3: 26 41.
Ramsay, H., Scholarios, D., and Harley, B. (2000). ‘Employees and High Performance
Work Systems: Testing inside the Black Box.’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38/4
December: 501 31.
Sennett, R. (1998). The Corrosion of Character, New York: W. W. Norton.
Slichter, S., Healy, J. J., and Livernash, E. R. (1960). The Impact of Collective Bargaining
on Management. Washington: The Brookings Institution.
USA Today (2002). ‘Poll: Trust in Corporations Waning.’ www.usatoday.com/money/2002
07 15 trust poll x.htm
social legitimacy of the hrm profession
619
von Nordenflycht, A., and Kochan, T. A. (2003). ‘‘Labor Contract Negotiations in the
Airline Industry.’’ Monthly Labor Review, 7: 18 28.
Wever, K. (1995). Negotiating Competitiveness. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Womack, J. P., Jones, D. T., and Roos, D. (1990). The Machine that Changed the World.
New York: Rawson.
Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (2000). More than Part Time. A report of
the Employment Issues Committee of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts.
Boston.
Wright, P. M., and Sherman, W. S. (1999). ‘Failing to Find Fit in Strategic Human
Resource Management: Theoretical and Empirical Problems.’ In P. M. Wright,
L. D. Dyer, J. W. Boudreau, and G. T. Milkovich (eds.), Strategic Human Resources
Management in the Twenty First Century, Supplement 4. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Index
........................
Note: The following abbreviations are used:
HR: Human Resource.
HRM: Human Resource Management
Abegglen, J. 412
Abell, D. F. 389
ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) 539
Abrahamson, M. 113
Academy of Human Resource Development
(USA) 332, 333
Ackroyd, S. 152
acquisitions, and selection procedures/
practices 314
adaptability, and the Wrm 58 9, 70
Adler, N. J. 513
Adler, P. 408 , 410, 418
adverse impact:
and employment discrimination 253 4
and selection procedures/practices 305 6
see also equal opportunity and diversity
management
adverse treatment, and employment
discrimination 253
see also equal opportunity and diversity
management
advertising, and recruitment 280
aesthetic labor 159
aYrmative action 254, 266
and selection procedures/practices 308 9
see also equal opportunity and diversity
management
Agence Nationale Pour l’Emploi 335
agency theory, and pay incentives 346, 348
Aguilera, R. V. 504
Aguinis, H. 303, 307
Ahlstrand, B. 48, 118, 245, 481
Ailon Souday, G. 161
Aiman Smith, L. 349
Ajzen, I. 308
Akerlof, G. A. 356
Albanese, M. 410, 585
Albright, R. 472, 483, 484
Albrow, M. 116
Alchian, A. 84
Alder, G. S. 370
Alesson, M. 120
Alge, B. J. 370
alignment, see Wt
Allen, D. G. 245, 246, 293
Allen, N. 129, 201
Allscheid, S. P. 436
Alvesson, M. 154, 450, 454, 455, 457, 462, 469
Alwin, D. H. 556 n7, 559, 566, 572, 573
Amable, B. 83
Ambrose, M. L. 370
American Management Association 23
American Society for Personnel
Administration 603
American Society of Personnel
Administrators 37
American Society of Training and
Development 333
analytical human resource management 4 7
and importance of context 4 6
and model construction 6
and outcome assessment 6 7
and scepticism of universal claims 5
Anantharaman, R. 543
Anderson, C. A. 313
Anderson, J. R. 329
Anderson Connolly, R. 415
Anessi Pessina, E. 479
Angrist, J. D. 568
AnsoV, H. Igor 35
622
index
Aoki, M. 83, 602
appearances, and aesthetic labor 159
Appelbaum, E. 130, 139, 140, 155, 158, 234, 236,
245, 407, 408, 409, 415, 430, 431, 443, 546,
560, 572, 574, 583, 584, 588, 610
Appiah Adu, K. 435
Appleyard, M. 415, 431
Argote, L. 101
Argyris, C. 199
Aron, R. 217, 218
Aronson, E. 373
Arthur, J. B. 92, 210, 219, 349, 391, 396, 397, 408,
415, 430, 431, 535 n1
Arthur, M. 133
Ash, R. A. 349
Ashforth, B. E. 457
Ashton, D. 329, 332, 337
Asia PaciWc Economic Cooperation (APEC),
and training and development 325, 326
Association of Welfare Workers 22
AT&T 22, 495
Athey, T. R. 334
Athos, A. 412 n6
Atkinson, J. 130, 391
Attewell, P. 336
Au, K. Y. 198
audit culture, and public sector 481, 484 5
Austin, J. T. 305, 306, 366
Australia:
and HRM:
in contemporary period 39, 40
origins and early development of 24
and New Public Management 475
authority, and bureaucracy 109
autonomy, and management 61 2
Avolio, B. J. 198
Axtell, C. M. 198
Aycan, Z. 511, 513, 519, 520, 525
Azfar, O. 350
B F Goodrich Co. 21
Babbage, Charles 110, 194
Babin, B. J. 435
Bach, S. 471, 472, 473, 474, 477, 478, 479, 480,
484, 485
Backhaus, K. B. 294
Bacon, N. 39
Bae, J. 92, 253, 267, 406 n2, 568, 569
Bahrain 332
Bailey, D. E. 200
Bailyn, L. 582, 587, 611
Bain, P. 152 , 153
Baird, L. 53, 95, 96, 170
Bakke, E. Wright 29, 34
balanced scorecard 8
Balzer, W. K. 371, 375
Bamforth, K. W. 199
Banker, R. D. 201
Barbash, J. 49
Barber, A. E. 273, 274, 276, 288, 289, 291, 292, 294,
295, 357
Baritz, L. 21
Barker, J. R. 201, 236, 410
Barksdale, K. 136
Barnard, Chester 110, 111
Barney, G. 158
Barney, J. B. 71, 89, 90, 91, 93, 97, 98, 128, 167, 213,
222, 275, 387, 388, 454, 455, 547
Baron, J. N. 179, 190, 193, 202, 222, 391, 392, 603
Baron, R. 51 2, 70, 78, 572 3
Barratt, E. 119, 120
Barrett, G. V. 307, 311, 334
Barrett Power, E. 515
Barrick, M. R. 334
Bartel, A. 58, 537
Bartlett, C. A. 456
Bartlett, C. J. 369, 375, 376, 504, 521
Bartlett, K. R. 511
Bartol, K. M. 200
Barton, H. 409, 421
Bartunek, J. M. 601
Baruch, Y. 523
baseball teams:
and pay level 357
and pay structure 352, 355
Bass, B. 35
Batt, R. 57, 59, 92, 130, 131, 139, 154, 197, 201, 236,
239, 246, 304, 415, 430, 434, 436, 442, 443,
546, 558 n10, 561, 583, 588, 610
Bazerman, M. H. 377
Beamish, T. 420
Beatty, R. W. 521
Beaumont, P. 471 , 473, 496
Beaupain, T. 497
Becker, B. 5, 36, 96, 97, 98, 99, 131, 174, 210, 281,
303, 352, 385, 388, 389, 390, 391, 393, 394,
396, 397, 398, 400, 408, 409 n3, 539, 545,
546, 554, 555, 560, 565, 571 n16, 572, 610
index
Becker, G. 157
Bedeian, A. G. 568 n14
Beekun, R. I. 200
Beer, M. 3, 34, 50, 51, 52, 55 6, 167, 169, 189,
193, 199
Beetham, D. 116
Begin, J. 38
behavioral observation scales (BOS) 367,
368 70
behaviorally anchored rating scales
(BARS) 367 9
Bell, M. P. 303 , 308
Benders, J. 234
Bendick, M. 520
Bendix, Reinhard 61, 117, 602
Bennett, R. J. 306, 312, 313
Benson, G. 232, 236, 240, 242, 244, 409
Benson, J. 231
Berg, P. 583
Berger, J. 293
Berk, R. 564
Bernardin, H. J. 369, 373
Berner, M. 55
Berry, L. 440
BertalanVy, L. von 113
best Wt 55, 166
best practice 166
and equal employment opportunity
policies 262 8
Bewley, H. 585
Bhattacharya, M. 102
Biggart, N. 420
Binning, J. F. 311
Bird, A. 494
Bjørnåvold, J. 333
Black, S. E. 610
Blackler, F. 450, 452, 453, 454, 459, 465
Blalock, H. M. 566
Blasi, J. R. 398
Blau, P. M. 116, 516
Bloom, M. 352, 353, 355, 357
Blount, S. 74
Blum T. C. 585
Blyer, M. 456, 460
Blyton, P. 246 , 407
Bobko, P. 306 , 307, 314
Bognanno, M. F. 267
Bognanno, M. L. 352, 493
Boje, D. M. 293
623
Boles, J. S. 435
Bollen, K. A. 570
Bolton, S. 154
Bomber, W. 199
Bond, C. F. 556
Bond, J. 587
Bontis, N. 452
Bordogna, L. 473
Borman, W. C. 303, 305, 306, 310
BoroV, K. E. 231, 238
Borucki, C. C. 436
Borys, B. 410
Boselie, P. 5 , 56, 92, 102, 117, 166, 167, 168, 169,
239, 533, 534, 538, 540, 546, 573
Boston Employment Managers Association 21
Boswell, W. 3 , 4, 6, 128, 135, 232, 239, 304, 539
Bosworth, D. 73
Bouckaert, G. 470, 476
Boudreau, J. W. 275 , 300, 302
Boulding, K. E. 113
Bound, J. 568
boundaryless organization 364
bounded rationality 69
Bowen, D. 135, 137, 141, 151, 239, 395, 431, 432, 435,
436, 437, 537, 539, 542, 545, 547, 557, 575
Bowles, S. 74
Boxall, P. 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 35, 40, 41, 49, 50, 54 5, 57,
58, 59, 61, 70, 71, 77, 88, 92, 94, 95, 97, 101,
117, 118, 129, 148, 149, 167, 170, 178, 179, 199,
202, 211, 212, 216, 222, 225, 227, 247, 274,
292, 294, 304, 337, 389, 392, 416, 422, 430,
442, 469, 500, 504, 537, 538, 539, 546, 548,
572, 573, 595, 600, 607
Boyatzis, R. E. 334
Boyer, E. 8
Brady, D. 440
Brass, D. J. 223
Braverman, H. 118, 149
Breaugh, J. A. 274, 275, 293, 294, 295
Bresnahan, T. F. 431
Bretz, R. D. 349, 357
Brewster, C. 3 4, 5, 41, 92, 168, 495, 504, 511, 522,
524, 552 n1
Bridges, W. 133
Brief, A. 191, 305, 312, 390
Briggs, V. M. 328
Briner, R. 134, 135, 136, 137, 138
Broedling, L. A. 116
Bronfenbrenner, K. 497
624
index
Brown, C. 415, 431
Brown, D. V. 602
Brown, I. C. 510
Brown, J. 418
Brown, M. P. 354 , 355, 357, 358, 359, 399
Brown, P. 158 , 159, 160
Brown, T. C. 375
Brown, V. D. 29
Brynjolfsson, E. 433
Bryson, A. 231, 232, 239, 240
Buckley, P. J. 493
Budhwar, P. 523
Burawoy, M. 152
bureaucracy 109, 116
Burke, M. J. 436
Burns, T. 24
Burr, R. 193
Burrell, G. 111, 112
Burton, J. 474
Bush, George W. 483
business performance, see Wrm performance
Butler, Harold 24
Butler, J. 71, 90, 94, 100, 281
Cable, D. M. 274, 282, 283, 289, 293, 295, 349, 357
Cain, G. G. 555
call centers:
and control methods 432
and customer dissatisfaction 434
and customer segmentation strategies 443
and impact of HR practices 443
and mechanistic work systems 195
and motivational work systems 196 7, 199
Callaghan, G. 154, 160
Camerer, C. F. 74
Cameron, J. 347
Campbell, D. T. 556, 559, 561, 570
Campbell, J. 24, 302 3, 305, 312, 366, 375
Campion, M. A. 190, 193, 195, 199, 200, 202, 310
Cannella, A. A. Jr 101
capital markets, and dominance of 161
capitalism:
and Marxist analysis of 117 19
and nature of contemporary 422
Cappelli, P. 29, 38, 95, 158, 237, 241, 258, 273, 293,
294, 295, 356, 408, 409, 464, 535 n1,
565 n13, 606
Carayon, P. 432
Cardy, R. L. 366
Carlson, K. D. 275
Carpenter, M. A. 303, 398
Carroll, G. R. 59
Carter, P. 111
Cascio, W. E. 293, 306
Casson, M. C. 493
Castells, M. 420
Chadwick, C. 606
Champy, J. 433
Chan, D. 302, 311
change, and institutional theory 175 7
and deinstitutionalization 176 7
Chapman, J. 547
Chase, R. B. 431, 433
Chauvin, K. 356
Chee, Y. 92
Chen, G. 376
Chen, J. J. 312
Cheng, J. L. C. 525
Chiang, F. 512
Child, J. 115, 171, 601
China:
and impact of foreign direct investment 523
and oVshoring 217
citizenship behaviors, and selection procedures/
practices 305 6
Civil Rights Act (USA, 1964) 253
Clark, K. D. 223
class, and manager worker relations 110
Clegg, C. W. 188
Clegg, H. A. 171
Clegg, S. R. 110
Clinton, Bill 475, 483
cluster analysis, and internal Wt 396 7
Coase, R. 76
Cobb Douglas production function 75, 77
Cochran, W. G. 562, 563
CoV, R. 118, 226, 314, 456, 460
Coghill, M. A. 110
cognitive evaluation theory, and pay
incentives 346 7
Cohen, D. 419
Cohen, J. 554 , 555, 562
Cohen, L. 26
Cohen, P. 555, 562
Cohen, S. G. 200
Colbert, A. E. 313
Colbert, B. A. 281, 393
Cole, R. 410, 412
index
Colella, A. 253
Coleman, V. I. 305
collaborative HR systems, and idiosyncratic
knowledge 215
collective bargaining, and origins of human
resource management 26 7, 29
Colling, T. 49
Collins, C. J. 223, 273, 274, 275, 280, 281, 290, 291,
294, 295
Collins, H. 452
Collins, J. M. 435
Colomy, P. 113 , 177
Colquitt, J. A. 179 80
Commission for Racial Equality (UK) 254
commitment oriented HR systems 49, 210
and core knowledge 213 14
Commons, John 23
communities of practice:
and development of 419
and manufacturing 407, 418 19
compensation policy, see remuneration
competence, and training and development 325,
333 6
and criticism of approach 336
and drivers of approach to 333 4
and France 335
and future of 338
and Germany 335 6
and lack of deWnition 334
and United Kingdom 335
and United States 334 5
and widespread adoption of approach 336
competitive advantage:
and dynamic capabilities 500
and equal employment opportunity
policies 261 2, 266 7
and Wrm’s resources 71
and foreign direct investment 493
and HRM 59 61, 128, 129, 388
sustainability 97 9
and human capital 88, 101, 167, 210,
464 5
knowledge stocks 222 3
and knowledge management 212
and proWtability 491
and recruitment 275 6
and resource based view of Wrm 89 90,
91 2, 222
and strategic HRM 92, 385
625
competitive strategy:
and HRM goals 53 5
and services management 438 9, 444
compliance based HR systems, and ancillary
knowledge 215
concertive work systems 199 201
Conference Board 605
context:
and best Wt vs best practice 166
and employee voice systems 233, 242 4, 247
and external economic conditions 71
and HRM goals 51 2, 53 6
and importance of 4 6
and knowledge production 453 4
and national diVerences:
employment systems 81 2
institutional settings 168
varieties of capitalism 82 3
and new institutionalism 173 4
deinstitutionalization 176 7
institutional theory and change 175 7
and performance appraisal/management 371,
373 4
and recruitment 282 91
and strategic contingency approaches 169 71
and strategic HRM 94
HR practices and Wt 95 6
human capital and Wt 94 5
potential pitfalls of Wt 96 7
see also societal embeddedness
Conti, R. 415
contingency theory:
and organization theory 114 15
and strategic contingency approaches 169 71
contracts, see psychological contract
Contu, A. 419
Conway, N. 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 141,
481, 545
Conyon, M. J. 352
Cook, T. D. 556, 561, 570
Cooke, P. 408
Cooke, W. N. 62, 266 7, 493, 496, 497, 501
Cool, K. 212, 223
Cooper, D. L. 525
Cooper, J. 153
Corby, S. 479
Cordery, J. 191, 192, 193, 197, 198, 199, 201
core knowledge, and location of 211
corporate culture, and managerial control 152
626
index
corporate social performance, and
recruitment 280
corporate social responsibility:
and codes of conduct 499
and deWnition of 498
and multinational companies 498 9, 503
Cortina, L. M. 312
Costco Wholesale Corporation 344 5, 357, 358
cost eVectiveness:
and employee motivation 58
and HRM goals 57 8
counterproductivity, and selection procedures/
practices 311 14
Cousins, R. 139
Cowherd, D. M. 353
Cox, A. 240, 241
Cox, T. 255, 261, 510, 515
Coyle Shapiro, J. 58, 134, 136, 137, 473, 542
Craig, D. 33
Cramton, C. D. 517
creative destruction 71
Crewson, P. 473
Crichton, A. 331
critical incident technique 368
Cronbach, L. J. 558, 565 n13
Cronin, J. J. J. 435
Crooker, K. J. 595
Crouch, C. 327
Cully, M. 140
cultural diversity:
and convergence divergence debate 512 13
and cross cultural research 511 12
and globalization 509
and management practice 511 12
and multinational companies 510, 518 19
diversity management initiatives 520
employees in developing countries 523
expanded role of HRM managers 521 2
future research on 524 5
HRM practices 519 20
HRM structure 520 1
integrated approach to 516, 525
managerial competencies 522 3
performance appraisal/management 520
recruitment/selection 519 20
universalistic assumptions 523 4
and national culture 512
and performance 514
cultural intelligence 518
integrated approach to 516
knowledge sharing 516 17
negative impact of 514 15
positive impact of 515 16
transnational teams 517 18
cultural identity 510
cultural intelligence 518
culture:
and concept of 510
and deWnition of 510
and dynamic nature of 524
and eVects of 524
and organizational culture 546 7
Curran, P. J. 570
customer satisfaction:
and complaint websites 440
and consumer backlash 444
and consumers’ expectations 441
and customer segmentation strategies 441 3
and decline in 428, 440, 444
consumer reaction 444 5
and impact of eYciency improvements 434
and importance of 429
and inXuences on 435 6
and service climate 436
and service fairness 440
and service/manufacturing comparison 441
and survey on 440 1
Cutcher Gershenfeld, J. 600
Czinkota, M. R. 522
Dacin, M. T. 173 , 175, 177
Danford, A. 153, 155, 159, 418
Daniel, T. L. 347
Danninger, S. 350
Darbishire, O. 233, 242, 407, 417
d’Arcimoles, C. 92
Darlington, R. B. 555
Das, T. K. 377
Datta, D. K. 535 n1, 539, 561
Davenport, T. 452
Davidson, R. 371
Davis, L. E. 187
Davis Blake, A. 399
Day, D. V. 373
Day, J. 109
Day, R. A. 109
De Cieri, H. 519, 520
De Corte, W. 306
index
De Saá Pérez, P. 396, 397
de Vos, A. 136
Deal, T. 158
Dean, J. 54, 214, 408, 413
DeBrock, L. 352, 355
Deci, E. L. 196, 346, 347
decision making:
and institutional mechanisms 174 5
and performance appraisal/management
365, 376 7
Deckop, J. 2, 33
DeCotiis, T. A. 368
Deephouse, D. L. 178, 181
Deery, S. J. 432, 538
Deetz, S. 152, 454
Dehejia, R. 563
deinstitutionalization 176 7
Delamare Le Deist, F. 334
Delaney, J. 57, 276, 304, 414
Delbridge, R. 153, 241, 245, 408, 409, 410, 412, 414,
416, 418, 421
Delery, J. 3, 53, 92, 94, 95, 96, 99, 169, 211, 212,
221, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391,
392, 393, 395, 396, 397, 400, 430, 539,
540, 543
Dell 218
Delta Airlines 241
Deming, Edward 30, 430
Demsetz, H. 84
Dencker, J. C. 504
DeNisi, A. S. 375
Denmark, and public sector 472
Dennison Manufacturing 22
Depinet, R. L. 334
Derrida, J. 120
Desai, M. 118
DeShon, R. P. 200 , 310
Devanna, M. 36, 91
developing countries, and employees in 523
development, see training and development
developmental humanism 538
deviance, and selection procedures/
practices 311 14
Dex, S. 585
Diamantopoulou, A. 254
Dicken, P. 420
Dickinson, T. L. 306
Dickson, W. J. 110
Dierickx, I. 212, 223
627
DiMaggio, P. 117, 166, 168, 173 4, 175, 180
Dineen, B. R. 293
Dipboye, R. 253
direct discrimination 253
discourse theory, and organization
theory 119 20
discretion:
and task based participation 234
and work content 191
discrimination, employment 253, 266
and selection procedures/practices 307 9
see also equal opportunity and diversity
management
distributive justice 179
DiTomaso, N. 547
diversity, see cultural diversity; equal
opportunity and diversity management
diversity management, see cultural diversity;
equal opportunity and diversity
management
diversity training 261, 266
Dobbin, F. 603 , 607
Dobbins, A. 415
Doellgast, V. 57, 415
Doeringer, P. B. 79, 430
Domberger, S. 479
Donaldson, L. 112, 114, 293
Dore, R. 25, 412
Doty, D. 3, 53, 92, 94, 96, 99, 169, 386, 387, 388,
389, 391, 393, 430, 559
Douglas, C. 200
Dovidio, J. 253
Dowling, P. J. 4, 40, 510, 519, 520, 521, 573
Doyle, F. 604
Doyle, R. A. 308
Doz, Y. 513 , 519
Drago, R. 611
Drazin, R. 290
Dreher, Bill 344
Dreher, G. F. 276, 280
Drewry, G. 482
Dreyfus, H. L. 336
Dreyfus, S. E. 336
Drucker, Peter 29, 450
dual labor market theory 79 80
DuBois, C. L. Z. 307
Dubois, D. A. 334
Duguid, P. 418
Duncan, O. D. 556, 566, 567
628
index
Dundon, T. 231
Dunlop, J. T. 167, 171
Dunnette, M. 35
Dunning, J. H. 493
Dunphy, D. 412
Dupont 22, 294
Dutta, A. 329
Dutta, S. 101
Dyer, J. 461
Dyer, L. 3, 51, 52, 59, 63, 93, 94, 99, 178, 389,
430, 573
Eagly, A. H. 374
Earley, P. C. 512, 517, 518, 522
Eaton, S. C. 611
economics:
and dominant focus of mainstream 70
and ‘engineering’ approach to 74
and Wrm strategy 69
and HRM 84 5
Cobb Douglas production function 77
internal labor market theory 79 80
make or buy decisions 76 8
methodological diVerences 70 1
post war divorce between 33
renewed interest in 37 8, 72
selection of practices 76 8
and methodological individualism 70
and national diVerences:
employment systems 81 2
varieties of capitalism 82 3
and new institutional economics 79
and organizations 69
and personnel economics 72 6
approach of 73
claims of 72
Cobb Douglas production function 75
incentive theory 73 5
transaction costs 75 6
and separation from moral philosophy 74
and theory of the Wrm 68 9
heterogeneity of Wrms 69
resource based view of 69, 71
and transaction costs 79
Edwards, P. K. 150, 155, 156, 540, 542
Edwards, R. 118
Edwards, T. 495
Egan, M. L. 520
ego networks 453
Ehrenberg, R. G. 352
Eichinger, B. 604
Eilbirt, H. 20
Eisenberger, R. 135, 347
Eldridge, J. E. T. 116
electronic performance monitoring
(EPM) 370 1
Elger, T. 150, 412
Elias, P. 330
Ellis, A. P. J. 200
Ely, R. 256, 262, 510
embeddedness, and HR practices 546
see also societal embeddedness
emotional labor, and work content 191
employee behavior:
and deviance and counterproductivity
311 14
and Wrm strategy 95
employee voice systems 231
and ability to aVord 247
and context of 233, 247
and direct voice 232
fair treatment 233, 237 8
framework for analyzing 234 8
task based participation 232, 234 6
upward problem solving techniques
232 3, 236 7
and embedding at work 238 41
assessment of 239
breadth of 239 40
depth of 240 1
implementation 239, 240
and employee perceptions 241
and employer/employee interests in 247
and employers’ attitudes 241
and factors inXuencing 242
institutional/national context 242 4
labor market and industrial relations 245
management style/supervisory skills 245 6
product markets 244
technology/skill/staYng levels 244 5
worker interests 246
and Wrm performance 246 7
and indirect voice 231 2
and lack of deWnition 231
and manufacturing 409
and micro HRM 3
and New Public Management 477
and representative voice 238
index
and requirements for eVective 241
and restoration of 612 13
and tensions over 233
and trade unions 231, 232, 245
employees:
and HRM 128
core propositions of 148 9
criticisms of 140 2
impact of 131 2
and managerial control:
Xexible approaches to 130 1
high commitment management 129 30,
139 40
high performance work systems 131
performance management 130
and psychological contract 128, 142
breaches of 134, 137 8
challenges posed by 134 5
changing nature of 133 4
communication of 136
deWnition of 133
employee characteristics 136 7
idiosyncratic contracts 134 5
impact on behavior 135 6
organizational climate 135
presence of HR practices 137, 138 40
relational contracts 134
role of 132 5
transactional contracts 133 4
violations of 134, 137 8
worker well being 138 40
and work organization 155 7
and worker well being 131, 132
criticisms of HRM 140 2
presence of HR practices 138 40
see also employee voice systems
employment:
and contingent nature of 71
and rationale to 49 50
employment management:
and industrial relations 22
and origins of HRM 21
Employment Managers Association 21
employment regulation, and growth of 36 7
employment relations, see industrial relations
employment subsystems 210
and architectural perspective on 215 16
and choice of 227
and diversity within Wrms 212 13, 215 16
629
tensions over 216
and externalization of labor 211, 213
and Xexibility 225
and globalization 211 12, 216 17, 227
research implications 218 19
and increasing use of 211
factors inXuencing 211 12
and inner/outer core division 212 13
and justiWcation of 211
and knowledge Xows 222 5, 227
research implications 225 6
and location of critical knowledge 211
and psychological contract 213
and strategic direction 219 21
research implications 221 2
and structure of HR systems 213
ancillary knowledge 215
compulsory knowledge 214 15
core knowledge 213 14
idiosyncratic knowledge 215
impact of globalization 219
knowledge Xows 224 6
strategic considerations 219 20, 221 2
and tensions over use of 211, 226 7
employment systems:
and industrial relations approaches 430 1
and national diVerences 81 2
and organizational basis of 407
and varieties of capitalism approach 82 3
see also employment subsystems
empowerment, and motivational work
systems 196 9
see also employee voice systems
Engestrom, Y. 338
Engle, A. D. 517
Epstein, L. D. 200
Equal Opportunities Commission (UK) 254
equal opportunity and diversity
management 268, 586
and beneWts of 258 62
and best practices/strategies 262 8
aYrmative action 266, 308 9
cross national comparative studies 267 8
diversity training 266
Wnancial competitiveness 266 7
mentoring programs 266
organizational inclusion 262 6
recruitment 262 6
reducing discrimination 266
630
index
equal opportunity and diversity management
(cont.)
and core concepts:
aYrmative action 254
employment discrimination 253
equal opportunity employment
policies 253 4
inclusion 255 6
multiculturalism 256
workforce diversity 255
and fairness 252
and family friendly management 581 2
relation to 582 3
and high involvement management 581 2
relation to 582 3
and HR practices 587 8, 590
associations between 592 4, 595
integrated approach to 590 2
and increase in workplace diversity 251 2
and international labor force trends 257 8
immigration 258
labor shortage rates 257 8
sources of diversity 257
women 257
work life balance 257
and multinational companies 520
and performance 583 5, 594 5
and requirements of 251
and reviewing existing practices 252
and selection procedures/practices 307 9
see also cultural diversity
Equal Pay Act (UK, 1970) 254
equiWnality:
and Wt 388
and HRM practices 387, 539
equity theory, and psychological contracts 136
Erhart, M. G. 310
Eriksson, T. 352
Escott, K. 479
Esser, J. K. 347
Estey, M. 32
Europe, and institutional variations 168
European QualiWcations Framework 325, 338
European Union:
and equal employment opportunity
policies 254
and stability and growth pact 471
and training and development 325, 326
Barcelona agenda 328
Lisbon agenda 328
skill formation 327
Evans, D. P. 373
Evans, P. 4 , 5, 58, 61, 118, 420, 523
executive pay, and pay dispersion 352
expectancy theory:
and high performance work systems 131
and pay incentives 346, 348, 478
and performance management 130
externalization of labor 211, 213, 273
Eylon, D. 198
factor analysis, and HRM systems 397
fairness:
and customer satisfaction 440
and diversity management 252
and employee voice 233, 237 8
and organizational justice 179 80
and performance appraisals 266
and public sector 474
Fairris, D. 414
family friendly management 586
and equal opportunity management
581 2
relation to 582 3
and high involvement management 581 2
relation to 582 3
and HR practices 586 7, 590
associations between 592 4, 595
integrated approach to 590 2
and performance 583 5, 594 5
Fang, M. 347, 512, 517, 524
Farnham, D. 20 1
Fay, C. H. 368
feedback:
and performance appraisal/
management 374 6
and work content 191
Feldman, D. 137
Fenton O’Creevy, M. 246
Ferlie, E. 476
Fernández Sánchez, E. 396
Ferner, A. 242, 494
Fernie, S. 585
Ferrell, O. C. 435
Wnancial markets, and dominance of 161
Findlay, P. 120, 155, 159
Finegold, D. 188, 203, 327
Fiol, C. M. 102
index
Wrm, theory of:
and Wrm strategy 69
and heterogeneity of Wrms 69
and HRM 68 9
see also resource based view of Wrm
Wrm performance:
and coherent HR systems 431
and core competencies 437
and cultural diversity 514
cultural intelligence 518
integrated approach to 516
knowledge sharing 516 17
negative impact of 514 15
positive impact of 515 16
transnational teams 517 18
and employee voice 246 7
and employment subsystems 216, 227
and high commitment management 536
and high performance work systems 536, 546
and HR practices 92, 386, 583 5, 594 5
integration of 584
testing of 93 4
and HRM, causal links between 547 8
causal chain 540 1, 548
criteria for causal relationship 536
deWning HR practices 538 9, 543, 548
embeddedness 546
employee attitudes/behavior 540 2, 548
factors aVecting 542 3, 548
intended/actual practices 541, 545
methodological problems 534 6
operational management systems 546
organizational culture 546 7
performance measurement
problems 536 8, 547 8
role of line managers 543 5
search for 533
theoretical problems 539 42, 548
and HRM, modeling linkages 575 6
construct validity 560
control variables 565 6
eVect sizes 554 6
Wxed eVects 564 5
inferring causality 556, 572 3
instrumental variables 567 9
LISREL 569 70
mediators 572 3
multilevel models 575
non random measurement error 559 60
omitted variable bias 560 2
631
propensity scores 562 3
random measurement error 557 9
selection bias correction 564
simple model of 553
simultaneity 567 72
testing for Wt 573 5
time precedence 570 2
two stage least squares 567 9
types of error 552 3
and manufacturing 408 9
lean manufacturing 413, 414 15
and organizational diversity 308
and recruitment:
evaluation of practices 276
recruitment intensity 276
and remuneration policy:
basis of pay 354 5
employee ownership 398
pay dispersion 352 4, 398
pay incentives 346 50, 398
pay level 356 8
sorting eVects 349 50
top management team pay 398
and selection procedures/practices 303 5
and work organization 155 6
see also performance appraisal/management
Wrm size, and recruitment 288
First World War, and origins of human
resource management 21
Fishbein, M. 308
Fisher, S. R. 102
Fiske, D. W. 559
Wt:
and external Wt 53, 221, 386, 389
and Xexibility 537
and goals of HRM 51, 53
and high performance work systems 413
contradictions in 421
and strategic HRM 385, 386, 387, 429 30
HR practices and Wt 95 6
human capital and Wt 94 5
potential pitfalls of Wt 96 7
and testing for 573 5
see also internal Wt
Fitts, P. M. 329
Flanagan, J. C. 368
Flanagan, M. 336
Flecker, J. 159
Fleddérus, Mary 24
Fleming, P. 158 , 159
632
index
Fletcher, C. 374
Fletcher, J. K. 611
Xexibility 178
and employment subsystems 225
and the Wrm 58 9, 70
and Wt 537
and managerial control 130 1
and person based pay 354 5
and selection procedures/practices 314
Fligstein, N. 420
Florida, R. 408, 409, 413, 416, 495
Fombrum, C. 169
Ford Motor Co. 338
foreign direct investment:
and factors aVecting 493
and global HR strategy 492 3, 502
and growth in 489
and labor regulation 267
Fornell, C. 441
Forrester, R. 199
Fortmann, K. 313
Foster, C. 475
Foster, E. M. 568 n14
Foucault, M. 119
Foulkes, F. 29
Fox, A. 602
Fox, S. 313
Foxan, M. J. 334
frame of reference training (FOR) 373
France:
and HRM 21
and public sector 473
and training and development:
competence 335
vocational education and training 330
Francis, H. 120
Frederick, S. 376
Freedman, A. 603
Freeman, R. 20, 38, 231, 232, 236, 238, 613
French, J. L. 41
French, S. 81
Frenkel, S. J. 191, 435, 456, 491, 499
Frese, M. 375
Frick, B. 357
Friday, E. 515
Friday, S. S. 515
Friedman, F. 251
Friedmann, A. L. 118
Fruin, M. 408
Fryer, D. 24
Fryer, G. 55
Fucini, J. 410, 415
Fucini, S. 410, 415
Fuller, L. 153
Fulmer, I. S. 559, 562
Furby, L. 565 n13
gain sharing, and pay for performance 348 9
Galbraith, John Kenneth 451
Gamble, J. 495
game theory 74
Gangani, N. T. 335
Gannon, M. J. 517
Garcı́a Falcón, J. M. 396, 397
Gardner, T. M. 290, 534, 535, 539
Gardner, W. L. 200
Garvin, D. 435
Gatewood, R. D. 280
Geare, A. J. 57
Geary, J. 155, 415
Gelade, G. 135, 537
Gelfand, M. J. 252
Genadry, N. 58, 118
gender 110
and HRM 614
and performance appraisal/management 374
General Electric 22
General Motors 28
Gennard, J. 497
George, E. 76
Georgiadis, K. 232, 239, 245
Gerhart, B. 5, 6, 36, 97, 98, 99, 139, 210, 345 n2,
347, 348, 352, 355, 356, 357, 359, 385, 386,
390, 395, 396, 398, 400, 408, 409 n3, 512,
517, 524, 534 5, 539, 542, 546, 554, 555, 557,
558, 559, 560, 564, 565, 570, 571 n16, 572,
573 4, 610
Germany:
and HRM 602
origins and early development of 21, 24
and public sector:
employment relations 473
pay and conditions 474
and training and development:
competence 335 6
skill formation 327
vocational education and training 330
Ghorpade, J. 116
index
Ghoshal, S. 223, 453, 456, 504, 516, 521
Gibson, C. 512, 517
Giddens, A. 49
Gilbreth, Frank 194 5
Gill, C. 240 1, 415
Gilliland, S. W. 314
Gittell, J. H. 436
Gittleman, M. 585, 588
Glick, W. H. 559
global human resource strategy, and
multinational companies 490
and alignment with business
strategy 499 501, 503
and analytical framework for 490 1, 501 2
and context of 491
and corporate social responsibility 498 9,
503
codes of conduct 499
deWnition of 498
and diVusion of preferred strategies 494 6,
502, 519 20
and economic/socio political context
497 8
and foreign direct investment 492 3, 502
and implementation 503 4
and international staYng 504
and research on 490
and social capital 504
and trade unions 495, 502 3
cross national cooperation 497
resistance to 496
Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior
EVectiveness project 511 12
globalization:
and employment subsystems 211 12, 216 17,
227
research implications 218 19
and impact of 509
and selection procedures/practices 314
goals of human resource management 5 6,
48 50, 63
and best Wt 53
and business strategy 51
and context of:
employee characteristics 55 6
Wrm’s competitive strategy 53 5
impact of dominant technology 54 5
labor market 56
national environment 56
633
and diversity of 537 8
and economic objectives of 57 61
business viability 57
cost eVectiveness 57 8
employer/employee tensions 58
organizational Xexibility 58 9
sustained competitive advantage 59 61
and Wrm’s policies 48 9
and goal frameworks 50 2
context of 51 2
external environment 52
Harvard framework 50 1
inXuences on 51 2
labor management styles 51, 52
and goal theories 53 6
and labor management 49
and socio political objectives of 61 2
internal Wt 61
managerial autonomy 61 2
social legitimacy 61, 537
goal setting theory:
and pay incentives 346, 348
and performance appraisal/
management 375 6
and performance management 130
and psychological contracts 136
Godard, J. 55, 56, 57, 241, 246, 247, 407, 415, 537,
538, 610
GoYn, R. D. 366, 371
Gollbach, J. 497
Gomez Mejia, L. R. 348
Gonzales, S. M. 215, 216
Gooch, L. 110
Gooderham, P. 5 , 61, 290
Goodman, D. J. 116
Goodman, J. 254, 260
Goodstein, J. 595 n6
Gordon, A. 25
Gordon, G. 547
Gordon, R. 32
Gospel, H. 20, 31, 49, 56, 61, 168, 232
Gouldner, A. 136
Government Communications Headquarters
(GCHQ, UK) 477
Govindarajan, V. 463
Graham, L. 410, 415
Grandey, A. A. 191
Granovetter, M. 457
Grant, D. 120
634
index
Grant, R. M. 90, 101, 223
Gratton, L. 48, 88
Great Depression 26
Green, F. 140 , 159
Greenberg, J. 166, 179
Greene, W. H. 553, 568
Greenhouse, S. 345 n1
Greening, D. W. 280
Greenwood, M. R. 115
Greenwood, R. 173, 175, 176
Greller, M. 135
grievance procedures, and employee voice 233,
237 8
GriYn, R. W. 311 , 312
Grimes, D. S. 516
Grimshaw, D. 49, 57, 61, 75, 233, 244
Gronroos, C. 431, 432, 433
Grover, S. L. 595
Grugulis, I. 5, 49, 118
Guest, D. E. 6, 7, 40, 49, 53, 58, 92, 115 16, 131, 133,
136, 137, 138, 140, 141, 148, 154, 156, 171, 245,
252, 481, 536, 540, 545, 546, 576, 582
Guillén, M. 24
Guion, R. M. 302
Gulati, R. 457
Gunderson, M. 37
Gupta, N. 347, 399, 463
Gutek, B. 433
Guthrie, J. 53, 210, 348, 350, 355, 357, 535 n1
Guzzo, R. A. 347
Hackman, J. R. 190, 191, 193, 196, 198, 200
Hahn, F. 68, 70
Hakel, M. D. 307
Hakim, C. 391
Hall, P. 56 , 80, 82
Hamblett, J. 150
Hamel, G. 333, 437
Hammer, M. 433
Hammonds, K. 604
Han, J. 280, 281, 290
Handel, M. 237, 240
Hannah, D. 542
Hannan, M. T. 59
Hansen, D. G. 349, 350, 351
Hanssens, D. M. 288
Hardy, C. 110
Harley, B. 150, 154, 155, 156, 157, 415, 546
Harris, H. 3 4, 21, 511, 522
Harris, L. C. 311, 312, 313
Harrison, D. A. 349 50
Harter, J. 537
Hartline, M. D. 435
Harvard framework:
and context 169
and HRM goals 50 1
and models of HRM 51
Harzing, A. W. 4
Hassard, J. 111, 112
Hatch, M. J. 111
Hattrup, K. 306
Hauser, R. M. 556 n7, 566, 572,
573
Hausman, J. A. 565, 568
Haworth, N. 326
Hay Group 604
Haynes, P. 55 , 231
Hazama, H. 25
‘healthy workplace’ 139
Hebl, M. 253
Hecht, T. D. 201
Heckman, J. J. 557, 563, 564
Heilman, M. E. 308, 312
Heinsman, D. T. 562 , 563
Heller, F. 234
Hemerijck, A. 168
Henderson, R. 371
Hendry, C. 40, 58, 116, 170
Hendry, J. 153
Heneman, H. 29
Heneman, R. L. 391
Heron, P. 102
Herrigel, G. B. 327
Herriot, P. 133 , 158
Herzberg, Frederick 196
Hesketh, A. 158, 159, 160
Heskett, J. L. 8, 436
Heslin, P. 364 , 373
heterogeneity theory 516
Hewlett Packard 57, 545
Hickson, D. J. 169 n1
high commitment work systems 75
and beneWts of 139 40, 143
and concertive work systems 199 201
and employee voice 242, 246
and Wrm performance 536
and managerial control 129 30
and person based pay 354 5
index
and problem solving 236
and task based participation 234 6
high involvement human resource
management 586
and equal opportunity management 581 2
relation to 582 3
and family friendly management 581 2
relation to 582 3
and HR practices 588 9
associations between 592 4, 595
integrated approach to 590 2
and performance 583 5, 594 5
high performance paradigm (HPP) 538
high performance work systems 3, 35, 57 8, 131,
210
and beneWts of 143
and diYculties in implementing 420 1
and Wrm performance 536, 546
and industrial relations approaches 431
and integration of practices 413
and manufacturing 407, 408
lean manufacturing 414 16
and person based pay 354 5
and task based participation 234
see also lean manufacturing
Hill, C. W. L. 211, 226
Hill, P. A. 463
Hinder, E. 24
Hinds, P. J. 517
Hinings, C. R. 173, 175, 176
Hirano, K. 563
Hirono, R. 30
Hirschman, A. O. 74, 233, 237
history and development of human resource
management 19, 601 6
in contemporary period 32 41, 603 6
academic developments 32 6
ambiguity of 40
criticisms of 39, 40
desperation 38 9
divorce from economics 33
emergence of new conception of 33 6
employment regulation 36 7
internationalization of 32, 41
organizational theory/behavior 33,
34 5
outside America 39 41
problem areas 41 2
reality of business practices 38
635
return of economists 37 8
strategic management 35 6
universities 37, 39
and middle period (1930 65) 25 32
in 1930s 25 7
collective bargaining 26 7, 29
Great Depression 26
human relations movement 28 9
low status 29
outside America 30 1
post war period 28 32
Second World War 27 8
universities 31 2
and origins and early development of 20 5,
601 3
in 1920s 21 5
creation of employment oYces 20 1
impact of First World War 21
industrial relations 22
industrial welfare work 20
outside America 24 5
personnel management 21 2
scientiWc management 21
universities 23 4
Hitt, M. 90, 101, 304
Hochschild, A. R. 585
Hofbauer, J. 159
Hofstede, G. 511
Hogan, J. C. 307
Holder, G. 51, 52
Hollenbeck, J. R. 310
Hollensbe, E. C. 348
Holman, D. 195, 196, 432
Holmes, S. 345 n1, 357
Holmstrom, B. 84
Holzer, H. 308
Hood, C. 475, 481
Hope, V. 153
Hope Hailey, V. 40
horizontal Wt 91, 95 6
see also Wt
Hornsby, J. 58
Hotchkiss, W. 23
Hough, L. M. 306, 307
Houlihan, M. 154
House, R. J. 510, 512
Howell, J. 32
Huang, X. 524
Hui, C. 134
636
index
human capital:
and ancillary knowledge 215
and competitive advantage 101, 167, 210, 464 5
knowledge stocks 222 3
and compulsory knowledge 214 15
and conversion to intellectual capital 450
and core knowledge 213 14
and Wt 94 5
and global approach to managing 212
and HRM 157 9
and idiosyncratic knowledge 215
and labor process theory 159 60
and lean manufacturing 414
as production resource 450
and strategic HRM 101
and strategic value 213
and uniqueness 213
see also recruitment; selection
human relations movement 28 9
and organizational theory/behavior 33
Human Resource Development 3, 332 3
and training and development 325
human resource management:
and alignment of functions 91
and analytical HRM 4 7
importance of context 4 6
model construction 6
outcome assessment 6 7
scepticism of universal claims 5
and architecture of 390, 539
and best Wt vs best practice 166
and contingency approach 129
and core propositions of 148 9
questioning of 160 2
and cross disciplinary integration 7 8
and deWnition of 1, 34
and diversity of 48, 148
and feminization of 614
and Wrm performance, causal links
between 547 8
causal chain 540 1, 548
criteria for causal relationship 536
deWning HR practices 538 9, 543, 548
embeddedness 546
employee attitudes/behavior 540 2, 548
factors aVecting 542 3, 548
intended/actual practices 541, 545
methodological problems 534 6
operational management systems 546
organizational culture 546 7
performance measurement
problems 536 8, 547 8
role of line managers 543 5
search for 533
theoretical problems 539 42, 548
and Wrm performance, modeling
linkages 575 6
construct validity 560
control variables 565 6
eVect sizes 554 6
Wxed eVects 564 5
inferring causality 556, 572 3
instrumental variables 567 9
LISREL 569 70
mediators 572 3
multilevel models 575
non random measurement error 559 60
omitted variable bias 560 2
propensity scores 562 3
random measurement error 557 9
selection bias correction 564
simple model of 553
simultaneity 567 72
testing for Wt 573 5
time precedence 570 2
two stage least squares 567 9
types of error 552 3
and industrial relations 171 2
and institutional settings 168
and integrated approach to 584, 590 2
and labor process theory 147
and lack of theory 108
and legitimacy of 599 600
breakdown in social contract 600 1
building knowledge economy 607 9
changes required to restore 615 16
crisis of trust 601
development of professional norms 605 6
knowledge based work systems 609 10
origin and development of 601 6
rebuilding trust 613 14
reframing role of strategy 606 7
restoring employee voice 612 13
work family agenda 611 12
and management of work and people in
organizations 7
and maturation of discipline 2
and methodological limitations 161
index
and models of:
bureaucratic 51
clan 51
market 51
and national diVerences:
employment systems 81 2
varieties of capitalism 82 3
and necessity of 1
and new institutionalism 173 7
and organizational theory/behavior 2, 6
and practices of, diYculty in deWning 538 9
and signiWcance of 7 8
and social action categories 172
and strategic contingency approaches 169 71
and sub domains of:
international HRM 3 4
micro HRM 2 3
strategic HRM 3, 35 6
see also goals of human resource management;
history and development of HRM
human resource theory 178
Hunter, J. E. 293, 300, 301, 334
Hunter, L. 59, 201, 558 n10, 561
Hunter, R. F. 334
Huntley, C. L. 349
Huselid, M. 36, 75, 92, 94, 96, 155, 210, 211, 276,
281, 282, 302, 303, 304, 352, 385, 388, 389,
393, 397, 408, 414, 430, 534, 554 n3, 555,
558, 560, 565, 568, 584, 588, 610
Hussey, D. E. 332
Husted, B. W. 512
Hutchinson, S. 201, 541
Hyman, R. 58, 71, 118, 231, 497
Ibarra, H. 256
IBM 28
Ichniowski, C. 386, 387, 391, 394, 415, 431, 573, 574
Iles, P. 338
Imai, M. 411 n5
Imbens, G. W. 563
implicit person theory (IPT) 373
incentive theory, and personnel economics 73 5
incentives:
and compulsory knowledge 214 15
and core knowledge 213 14
and pay form/system 346 9
sorting eVects 349 50
see also remuneration
637
inclusion, and diversity management 255 6,
262 6
India, and impact of foreign direct
investment 523
indirect discrimination 253 4
induction, and micro human resource
management 2
industrial democracy 231
and origins of movement 21
see also employee voice systems
industrial psychology 24
industrial relations:
and breakdown in social contract 600 1
and coherent HR systems 430 1
and employee voice 245
and high performance work systems 431
and HRM 171 2
and Japan 412
and origins of 22
post war period 29
and strategic choice 171
and strategic HRM 3
Industrial Relations Association of America
23
Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc 23
inequality, and internal labor market
theory 79
informational justice 180
Ingraham, P. 472 , 480
Ingram, P. 595 n6
inimitability:
and competitive advantage 98
and resources 90
Inkpen, A. C. 101, 504
Innes, P. 159
innovation:
and intellectual capital 223
and manufacturing 406, 407
lean manufacturing 411, 413, 415 16
Institute of Labor Management 22
Institute of Personnel Management 31
Institute of Welfare Work 24
institutional theory 102
institutions, and national diVerences:
and employment systems 81 2
and varieties of capitalism 82 3
see also new institutionalism
integrity tests, and counterproductive
behavior 313
638
index
intellectual capital:
and deWnition of 223
as production resource 450
interdependence, and work content 191
internal Wt 61
and basic assumption of 387, 400
and competitive advantage 388
and complexity of 388
and eVects of:
additive eVects 393
interactive/synergistic eVects 393 4
negative synergistic eVects 394
positive synergistic eVects 394
substitutable eVects 394
and empirical evidence on 396, 400 1
inter HRM activity area Wt 396 8
intra HRM activity area Wt 398 9
and internally coherent HRM systems 389 90
competitive strategy 389
HRM architecture 389 90
organizational Xexibility 389
and meaning of 386 7
and multilevel perspective 394 5
and theory behind 386 7
competitive advantage 388
resource based view of Wrm 387 8
and types of 390 3, 400
between HRM system Wt 391 2
complex interactivity 392 3
inter HRM activity area Wt 391
intra HRM activity area Wt 391
strategic tensions 391 2
within HRM system vertical Wt 390 1
see also Wt
internal labor markets 79 80
and decline in 158, 273
internal markets, and New Public Management
(NPM) 479
international human resource management
(IHRM) 3 4, 510 11
and cross cultural research 511 12
and employment subsystems 216 19
and evolution of 511
and international work assignments 510 11
see also cultural diversity; global human
resource strategy
International Industrial Relations
Association 25, 27
International Industrial Welfare (Personnel)
Congress (1925) 25
International Labor OYce 332
and training and development 325,
326 7
International Labor Organization 254, 267,
606, 612
International Monetary Fund 332
Internet, and recruitment 293 4
interpersonal justice 179 80
isomorphism 173 4
Italy:
and public sector 473
and training and development 330
Iverson, R. 538, 542
Ivery, M. 135, 537
Izumi, H. 201
Jackson, A. 266
Jackson, N. 111
Jackson, S. 5, 53, 54, 94, 167, 170, 219, 222, 244,
252, 408
Jacoby, S. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, 29, 38, 80, 537, 602,
603, 606
Jacques, R. 110, 115
JaVee, D. 173 , 177
James, L. R. 568 n14
James, M. 517
James, W. 452
Japan:
and economic success of 37
and employment relations 412
and HRM 602
origins and early development of 24 5,
30
and lean manufacturing 411 12
and training and development 333
Jaros, J. 149
Javidan, M. 510, 512
Jelf, G. S. 349
Jenkins, D. G. 347 8, 351
Jensen, M. C. 73, 346
Jewell, R. T. 352
Jimmieson, N. 198
job design 188
job enrichment, and motivational work
systems 196
job performance:
and performance appraisal/
management 365 6
appraisal instruments 367 8
behavioral observation scales 367, 368
index
behaviorally anchored rating scales 367 9
context 371, 373 4
decision making 376 7
deWning job performance 365 71
electronic performance monitoring 370 1
feedback/goal setting 374 6
gender 374
observation of performance 372 4
practicality of instruments 368 70
requirements of appraisers 369 70
teams 376
theoretical framework 366
training for 372 3
trait scales 368 9
use of technology 370 1
and selection procedures/practices 305 7
adaptive behaviors 306 7
changes in meaning of 305
non task behaviors 305 6
job rotation, and work content 191
John Lewis Partnership 57
Johnson, J. W. 436
Johnson, S. 332
Jones, D. P. 307
Jones, M. T. 515 , 523
Jordan 332
Joreskog, K. G. 569
Judge, T. A. 349, 357, 542
Juravich, T. 497
justice, and organizational justice 179 80
just in time production, see lean manufacturing
Kahn, R. L. 190
Kahneman, D. 376
Kalberg, S. 116
Kalleberg, A. 412
Kamoche, K. 112
Kane, R. L. 435
Kang, S. C. 212, 224
Kaplan, R. 8
Karasek, R. 140
Karreman, D. 120
Katz, D. 190
Katz, H. 49, 233, 242, 407, 417, 609
Kaufman, B. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33,
38, 69 n2, 70, 71, 76, 158, 241, 292,602
Keefe, J. 614
Keefe, T. J. 366
Keenoy, T. 58, 128, 141
639
Keep, E. 337
Keleman, M. 112
Keller, B. 474
Kelloway, E. K. 306, 312
Kelly, D. 39, 40
Kendall, L. M. 367
Kennedy, A. 158
Kennedy, D. 22
Kennedy, P. 569 , 570
Kenney, M. 408, 413, 416, 494, 495
Kenny, D. A. 572 3
Keown Gerrard, J. L. 370, 375
Kepes, S. 387, 390, 391, 392, 395
Kerr, C. 80, 513
Kersley, B. 483
Kessler, I. 58, 134, 233, 236, 244, 473, 479, 481
Kickert, W. 484
Kim, D. O. 406 n2
Kinnie, N. 101 2, 245, 456, 458, 461, 463, 464
Kinzley, W. 25
Kirkman, B. L. 193, 200
Kirkpatrick, D. 331
Kirkpatrick, I. 476, 477, 481
Kitayama, S. 510
Klaas, B. S. 357 8
Klarsfeld, A. 335
Klein, K. J. 309, 311, 376, 395
Klemp, G. O. 334
Kluckhohn, C. 510, 511
Kluger, A. N. 375
Kmenta, J. 561
Knights, D. 149, 201
knowledge:
and communities of practice 418 20
and embodied knowledge 452
and embrained knowledge 452
and location of critical 211
and strategic value 213
and uniqueness 213
knowledge, skills, ability (KSA) 539
knowledge economy 158, 607 9
knowledge management:
and ancillary knowledge 215
and challenges of 455 6
and competitive advantage 212
and compulsory knowledge 214 15
and contradictory views of 451
and core knowledge 213 14
and cultural diversity 516 17
640
index
knowledge management (cont.)
and employment subsystems:
knowledge Xows 222 5, 227
research implications 225 6
and idiosyncratic knowledge 215
and increasing importance of 211
and knowledge environment 453 4
and strategic HRM 228, 500
knowledge workers:
and characteristics of 454 6, 466
and classiWcation of 465
and deWnition of 451 2, 466
application of knowledge 452 3
context of knowledge production 453 4
possession of knowledge 452
and management of 450, 458 9
challenges of 455 6
Xuid nature of work 457, 459 60
identity formation 457, 462 3, 465, 466
importance of 450 1
knowledge networks 457 8
knowledge trading 463 4
market based networks 460 3
mystiWcation of 465
organizational networks 461
organizational perspective 456 8
paradigm shift required 456 7
performance management 462
personal/professional networks 460 1
project based work 457
resource mobility barriers 456
retention employability dilemma 464
skill development 464, 465
value appropriation 460, 465
knowledge based work systems 609 10
Knudsen, C. 112
Koch, M. J. 276, 281, 289
Kochan, T. 27, 29, 141, 151, 167, 168, 171, 172, 245,
255, 406 n2, 410, 430, 594, 601, 603, 605,
606, 607, 610, 612, 613
Kogut, B. 223
Kohn, A. 347
Kopelman, R. 369
Korczynski, M. 153, 245, 434, 435, 436
Kossek, E. 255, 257, 260, 261
Kostova, T. 494
KozloV, Emme 344 5
Kozlowski, S. W. J. 307, 309, 311, 376, 395
Kraatz, M. S. 177
Krafcik, J. F. 609
Kravitz, D. A. 308
Kreps, D. 51 2, 70, 78, 179, 190, 193, 202, 222, 392
Krieger, H. 240 1
Kroeber, A. L. 510
Krueger, A. B. 568
Krupp 21
Kruse, D. L. 348, 349, 350, 398
Kucera, D. 267
Kumar, V. 442
Kunda, G. 161
Kuratko, D. 58
Kusterer, K. C. 336
Kuwait 332
Kwan, K. M. 293
Kwon, H. 442
Kyochokai (Society for Harmonious
Cooperation) 25
labor management:
and high commitment model of 49
and HRM 49
labor market:
and dual labor market theory 79 80
and employee voice 245
and impact on HRM goals 56
and internal labor market theory 79 80
and international labor force trends 257 8
and national diVerences 81 2
and recruitment 288
and training and development 327
training policy 330
and varieties of capitalism approach 82 3
labor process, a Marxian thinking about 118
labor process theory (LPT)
and core propositions of 149 51
and HRM 147
managerial control 151 3
skill formation/human capital 157 9
work organization 154 6
and lean manufacturing 410
and managerial control:
continuity of practices 153
extension of controls 154
hybridity of control structures 154
soft controls 152
worker resistance 153
and skill formation/human capital 159 60
and work organization 155 7
index
Laczo, R. M. 308
Lado, A. A. 92
Lafkas, J. J. 558 n10, 561
Lam, A. 457
Lambert, S. J. 595
Lammers, C. J. 174
Lance, C. E. 372
Landsbergis, P. 415
Langfred, C. W. 198, 200
Langton, N. 353, 399
Lansbury, R. D. 600
Larcker, D. 568
Lashley, C. 55
Latham, G. 130, 136, 191, 275, 295, 364, 365, 367,
368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 375
Latham, S. D. 370, 375
Lave, J. 418
Lawler, E. 35, 130, 151, 188, 200, 203, 232, 236, 240,
242, 244, 348, 354 5, 398, 409, 410, 582
Lawler, J. J. 92, 253, 267, 568, 569
Lawrence, J. W. 167, 169 n1
Lawrence, P. 41
Lazear, Edward 37, 72, 73, 74, 75 6, 348, 349, 351,
352, 353
Le Creusot 21
Le Grand, J. 472
Leach, D. J. 200, 310
leader management exchange theory 134
leader member exchange (LMX) 545
leadership:
and performance appraisal/management 364,
365
and role of line manager 543 5
and work systems 192
lean manufacturing 153, 407
and alternatives to 416 17
HRM 417
Japanese oriented 417
joint team based 417
low wage 417
and demands of 412
as dominant system 406
and Wrm performance 413, 414 15
and HRM 412 14
and human capital 414
and innovation 413
problems with 415 16
and key argument of 409 11
critical assessments of 410 11
641
human centered model 410
and key characteristics of 411 12
and research on practice of 414 16
Wrm performance 414 15
problems with 415 16
and skill formation/development 413 14
and workers in 408 9
impact on 415 16
Leana, C. R. 453
learning, and theories of 329
Learning and Skills Council (UK) 328
learning factory 408, 418
learning organizations 102
Leck, J. 266
Ledwith, S. 110
Lee, J. 92
Lee, K. 177
Lee, M. B. 92
Lees, S. 5, 55, 61, 117
Lefkowitz, J. 374
Legge, K. 2, 4 5, 7, 40, 49, 114, 119, 120, 141, 167,
407, 421
legitimacy:
and HRM 599 600, 603 6
breakdown in social contract 600 1
building knowledge economy 607 9
changes required in 615 16
crisis of trust 601
development of professional norms 605 6
knowledge based work systems 609 10
origin and development of 601 6
rebuilding trust 613 14
reframing role of strategy 606 7
restoring employee voice 612 13
work family agenda 611 12
and HRM strategy 61, 537
and organizational justice 179 80
and organizational legitimacy 180
and strategic balancing 178
Lei, D. 450
Leidner, R. 429
Leiserson, W. 23, 25 6, 27
Lengnick Hall, C. A. 91, 96, 101
Lengnick Hall, M. L. 91, 96, 101
Leonard, J. S. 308, 352, 356 8
Leonard Barton, D. 219, 408
Lepak, D. 77 8, 95, 131, 210, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216,
222, 225, 226, 292, 296, 304, 387, 389, 391,
395, 414, 437, 452
642
index
LePine, J. A. 305
Lepsinger, R. 335
Leung, K. 510, 512, 513, 514, 524, 525
Levien, H. A. 288
Levine, D. 237, 240, 353, 357
Levy, F. 434
Lewin, D. 231, 238
Lewis, R. 601
Lichtenstein, N. 21
Liden, R. 240
Lievens, F. 314
lifelong learning 327, 328, 332, 338, 608
Lifson, K. A. 372
Liker, J. 412
Lim, S. 312
Lincoln, J. 412
Lindell, M. K. 559
line managers, and role of 543 5
Linstead, S. 119
Littler, C. R. 159
Liu, C. 523
Livingstone, L. P. 349
Lloyd, C. 55, 59
Lobel, S. 260, 261
Locke, E. 130, 136, 191, 195, 346, 368, 371,
375
Logan, M. S. 76
Long, R. J. 349, 351
Lorsch, P. R. 167, 169 n1
Lovelock, C. 431, 432, 434, 437
Lovrich, N. P. 308
Lowe, J. 414
low wage practices, and manufacturing 417
Luchak, A. 231, 238, 239
Lucia, A. D. 335
Luecke, S. B. 307
Luhmann, N. 293
Lyles, M. A. 102
Lynch, L. M. 610
Mabey, C. 40, 135, 338
McCabe, D. 201
MacCallum, R. C. 574
McClelland, D. 334
McClendon, J. A. 357 8
McClough, A. C. 310
McCloy, R. A. 305
McDonald’s 494
McDonough, E. F. 517
MacDuYe, J. P. 75 , 92, 94, 193, 386, 387, 391, 397,
407, 408, 409, 410, 413, 414, 415, 430, 431,
558 n10, 584, 609
McEvoy, G. M. 293
McFadyen, M. A. 101
McGivney, V. 332
McGoldrick, J. 333
McGrath, R. G. 102, 276, 281, 289
McGregor, D. 35 , 196, 600
McHenry, J. J. 305
McIntyre, R. M. 306, 374
McKinlay, A. 119, 154, 418, 419
MacKinnon, D. P. 573
McLagan, R. A. 332
McLanahan, S. 568 n14
McLaughlin, K. 477
McLean, G. N. 335
McMahan, G. 36, 88, 91, 213, 220, 274, 387
McNabb, R. 355
McWilliams, A. 498
Macy, B. A. 201
Mael, F. A. 457
Mahoney, T. 2, 33
Main, B. 352
Maister, D. 456
Malaysia 332
Malm, F. T. 30 1
Malos, S. 238
Mamic, I. 612
management of work and people in
organizations (MWP) 7
management theory, and academic
specialization 7 8
managerial control:
and Xexible approaches to 130 1
and high commitment management 129 30,
139 40
and high performance work systems 131
and HRM 151 3
and labor process theory:
continuity of practices 153
extension of controls 154
hybridity of control structures 154
soft controls 152
worker resistance 153
and performance management 130
and task based participation 236
Mangan, M. 348, 349
Mann, S. 375
index
MansWeld, B. 333
manufacturing:
and communities of practice 407, 418 20
and cost based competition 406
and employment systems, organizational basis
of 407
and future prospects of 421
and high performance work systems 407, 408
diYculties in implementing 420 1
and innovation 406, 407
lean manufacturing 411, 413
and lean manufacturing 407
alternatives to 416 17
critical assessments of 410 11
demands of 412
as dominant system 406
Wrm performance 413, 414 15
HRM. 412 14
human capital 414
human centered model 410
innovation 411, 415 16
key argument of 409 11
key characteristics of 411 12
problems with 415 16
research on practice of 414 16
skill formation/development 413 14
and learning factory 408, 418
and management of human resources 420 1
and multinational companies 405 6
and organizational developments in 406
and relative importance of 405
and work organization 408
and work practices 416 17
HRM 417
Japanese oriented 417
joint team based 417
low wage 417
and workers in 408 9
employee involvement 409
impact of lean manufacturing 415 16
organizational performance 408 9
as sources of ideas 408
Marchand, A. 196
Marchington, M. 5, 49, 58, 78, 232, 233, 237, 240,
244, 245, 246, 545
Marcus, B. 313
Marginson, P. 496 , 497, 602
marketing:
and HRM 8
643
and services management 431
challenges facing 432 3
conception of quality 435
interactive marketing 433
task of 433
markets, and transformation of 420
Marks, M. A. 200, 306
Markus, H. R. 510
Marr, C. M. 574
Marsden, D. 38, 75, 77, 80, 81 2, 478
Marshall Plan 31
Martell, R. F. 373
Martin, G. 495
Martin, J. 35, 420
Martin, R. L. 450
Martinez Lucio, M. 496
Martins, L. L. 314
Marx, Karl 110
Marxism, and organization theory 117 19
Mason, G. 75
Masters, M. 472, 483, 484
Matsushita, Konosuke 333
Matusik, S. F. 211, 226
May, T. Y. 450 , 454, 455, 456, 457, 462, 465
Mayo, E.lton 28, 110
mechanistic work systems 194 6
Meckling, W. H. 73, 346
MedoV, J. 231, 238
Meek, L. 419
Meiksins, P. 406
Menezes, L. de 585, 588
mentoring programs 266
mergers, and selection procedures/practices 314
Merkle, J. 25
Meshoulam, I. 53, 95, 96, 170
Metcalf, H. 23
methodological individualism 70
methodology, and modeling HRM/performance
linkages 575 6
and construct validity 560
and control variables 565 6
and eVect sizes 554 6
and Wxed eVects 564 5
and inferring causality 556, 572 3
and instrumental variables 567 9
and LISREL 569 70
and mediators 572 3
and multilevel models 575
and non random measurement error 559 60
644
index
methodology, and modeling HRM/performance
linkages (cont.)
and omitted variable bias 560 2
and propensity scores 562 3
and random measurement error 557 9
and selection bias correction 564
and simple model of 553
and simultaneity 567 72
and testing for Wt 573 5
and time precedence 570 2
and two stage least squares 567 9
and types of error 552 3
Meyer, H. H. 350
Meyer, J. 102, 129, 168, 173, 397
Michel, J. G. 352, 355
Michigan approach 169
micro human resource management
(MHRM) 2 3
and research in 3
Miles, D. E. 312
Miles, R. E. 91, 129, 169, 219, 220
Milgrom, P. 84
Milkman, R. 130
Milkovich, G. T. 348, 356, 357, 359, 570
Mill, John Stuart 556
Miller, D. 92 , 310
Miller, F. B. 110
Milliken, F. J. 595 n6
Mills, D. Q. 606
Mills, P. 431 , 433
Millward, N. 231, 586
Milton, C. R. 603
Minbaeva, D. 516
Mintzberg, H. 192, 457
Mir, A. H. 509, 524
Miroshnik, V. 514, 515
Mitchell, D. 38
Mitchell, W. 500
modularization, and production 438
Molander, C. 333
Moldoveanu, M. C. 450
Molina, D. J. 352
Monden, Y. 411
Moore, J. H. 177
Mor Barak, M. 256, 257 8
Morgan, G. 111
Morgan, K. 408
Morgan, P. 115
Morgeson, F. P. 195 , 198, 199, 200, 202
Morris, G. 471
Morris, T. 457
Morrison, D. 193
Morrison, E. 133, 134, 137
Mosakowski, E. 518
motivation:
and cost eVectiveness 58
and incentive theory 73 5
and motivational work systems 196 9
and organizational justice 180
and pay form/system
incentive eVects 346 9
sorting eVects 349 50
and performance appraisal/
management 375 6
see also incentives
motivational work systems 196 9
Motowidlo, S. J. 303, 305, 306, 309, 310, 312
Mounce, H. O. 112
Mounier, A. 159
Mount, M. K. 334
Mouvement des Entreprises de France 335
Moye, N. A. 198, 200
Moynihan, D. 474
Moynihan, L. 154, 443
Mueller, F. 6, 59, 456
multiculturalism, and diversity
management 256
multinational companies:
and cultural diversity 509, 510, 514, 518 19
convergence divergence debate 512 13
cultural intelligence 518
diversity management initiatives 520
employees in developing countries 523
expanded role of HRM managers 521 2
future research on 524 5
HRM practices 519 20
HRM structure 520 1
integrated approach to 516, 525
knowledge sharing 516 17
managerial competencies 522 3
negative impact of 514 15
performance appraisal/management 520
positive impact of 515 16
recruitment/selection 519 20
transnational teams 517 18
universalistic assumptions 523 4
and equal employment opportunity
policies 254 5
index
and global HR strategy 490
alignment with business strategy 499 501,
503
analytical framework for 490 1, 501 2
context of 491
corporate social responsibility 498 9, 503
diVusion of preferred strategies 494 6, 502,
519 20
economic/socio political context 497 8
foreign direct investment 492 3, 502
implementation 503 4
international staYng 504
social capital 504
trade unions 495 7, 502 3
and growth and spread of 489 90
and HRM 510 11
and impact of 490
and international work assignments 510 11
and terrorism/security concerns 522
Murnane, R. J. 434
Murphy, K. R. 306
Murray, B. C. 355
Murray, G. 416
Myers, C. 29, 602
Myloni, B. 513 , 519
Nagarajan, A. 500
Nahapiet, J. 223 , 453
Naquin, S. S. 335
National Academy of Human Resources 605
National Advisory Group for Continuing
Education and Lifelong LEarning
(UK) 328
National Health Service (UK) 470
and management growth 476
and professional roles 477, 482
National Institute for Economic and Social
Research 327
National Personnel Association 23
Naumann, S. E. 310
Netherlands:
and HRM 24
and institutional setting 168
and New Public Management 479
networks, and knowledge workers 457 8, 460 3
Neuman, J. H. 313
Neumann, J. 137
Neumark, D. 237, 241, 308, 408, 409, 535 n1,
565 n13
645
New Deal 26
new institutional economics 79
new institutionalism 166
and decision making 174 5
and HRM 173 4, 181
institutional theory and change 175 7
and isomorphism 173 4
and organization theory 117
New Public Management (NPM)
and changing organizational
structures 478 80
and criticisms of 481
and employee voice 477
and executive agencies 479
and impact on management 476 8
and internal markets 479
and motivations behind 475
and outsourcing 479
and performance related pay 477 8
and practices of 475
and privatization 478 9
and professionals 476 7
and public sector reform 470
and reluctance to use local discretion 479 80
and resource utilization 480 1
and target culture 481
New United Motors Manufacturing Inc 609
New Zealand, and New Public Management
(NPM) 475
Newell, S. 419
Newsome, K. 151, 155
Newton, T. 120
Ng, K. Y. 518
Nijs, W. F. de 171
Nishii, L. 540
Niskanen, W. 472
Nitardy, C. N. 335
Niven, M. 21, 22
Nobeoka, K. 461
Noble, D. 266 7, 493
Nohria, N. 516
Nonaka, I. 223, 463
non substitutability:
and competitive advantage 98 9
and resources 90
Noon, M. 246
Noonan, L. E. 373
NordenXycht, A. von 613
Nordhaug, O. 333
646
index
Norris, N. 336
Norton, D. 8
O’Connell Davidson, J. 479
oVshoring 212, 216 17
Ogbonna, E. 311, 312, 313
Ohno, T. 409 , 411
Oiry, E. 335
Oldham, G. R. 190, 196, 198
O’Leary Kelly, A. M. 311, 312
Oliver, C. 176 7
Oliver, N. 412
Oman 332
Ones, D. 303 , 305, 306, 312, 313
operations management:
and HRM 8
link with Wrm performance 546
and services management 431, 433 4
conception of quality 435
use of technology 433 4
Ordez Fuertes, M. 396
O’Reilly, C. A. 74, 193, 199, 202, 547
Organ, D. W. 303 , 305, 306, 353
Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) 332
and performance related pay 478
and training and development 325,
326 7
‘organization man’ 28
organization theory:
and authority 109
and bureaucracy 109, 116
and central idea of 35
and deWnition of 109
and emergence of 110 11
fragmentation of 111
inXuence of engineers 110, 113 14
and HRM 2, 6, 33, 34 5
contribution to theorizing about 120 3
and situated social action 109 10
and strategic HRM 3
and varieties of:
contingency theory 114 15
functionalist/systems approach 113 16
Marxian strand 117 19
new institutionalism 117
paradigm debate 111 12
post structuralist/discursive
approach 119 20
pragmatic pluralism approach 112
Weberian strand 116 17
organizational capital, and deWnition of 223
organizational justice 179 80
Orlitzky, M. 294, 498
Orth, M. S. 334
Osterman, P. 38 , 56, 57, 58, 141, 155, 212, 232, 236,
237, 245, 246, 410, 430, 583, 585, 594, 606
OstroV, C. 135, 137, 141, 239, 310, 395, 396, 537, 539,
542, 545, 547, 557, 560, 575
Oswald, F. L. 306
Ouchi, W. 51 , 412 n6
outcomes, and analytical human resource
management 6 7
outsourcing:
and customer segmentation strategies 443
and externalization of labor 211, 213, 273
and knowledge work 608 9
and make or buy decisions 76 8
and modularization 438
and New Public Management 479
and oVshoring 212, 216 17
and services industry 438
and transaction costs 75 6
Paauwe, J. 3, 5, 56, 92, 96, 102, 117, 166, 167, 168,
170, 178, 181, 239, 244, 247, 537, 552 n1, 573
Park, H. Y. 350, 351
Parker, M. 153, 155, 159, 410
Parker, P. 49
Parker, S. K. 190, 193, 196, 198, 199, 588
partnership approach, and public sector 483 4
Pascale, R. 412 n6
Pasmore, W. A. 199
Patten, T., Jr 33
Patterson, M. 139
Paul, A. 543
pay, see remuneration
Peccei, R. 58, 141, 168, 245, 432, 436
Peel, M. J. 350
Peel, S. 7
Pelled, L. H. 514
Pemberton, C. 133, 158
Pendleton, A. 56, 168, 479
Peng, M. W. 513
Penney, L. M. 313
Penrose, E. 69
performance appraisal/management 130
and cultural diversity 520
index
and decision making 365, 376 7
and deWning job performance 365 6
appraisal instruments 367 8
behavioral observation scales 367, 368 70
behaviorally anchored rating scales 367 9
context 371
electronic performance monitoring 370 1
practicality of instruments 368 70
requirements of appraisers 369 70
theoretical framework for 366
trait scales 368 9
use of technology 370 1
and desire for improvement 364 5
and elements of 365
and equal employment opportunity
policies 266
and feedback/goal setting 374 6
teams 376
and high performance work systems 131
and knowledge workers 462
as leadership requirement 364, 365
and micro HRM 2
and observation of performance 372 3
context 373 4
gender 374
training for 372 3
and public sector 484 5
see also Wrm performance
performance indicators, and limitations
of 116 17
Perrow, C. 420
Perry, E. L. 374
Perry, J. 473
Perry Smith, J. E. 585
personnel economics 72 6
and approach of 73
and claims of 72
and Cobb Douglas production function 75
and incentive theory 73 5
and transaction costs 75 6
personnel management, and origins of 21 2, 117
Personnel Research Federation 23
Peters, G. 481
Peters, T. 35 , 89
Peterson, R. 238
Pettigrew, A. 40, 170
PfeVer, JeVery 5, 35, 74, 88, 112, 136, 168, 180, 193,
199, 200, 201, 202, 210, 282, 293, 333, 353,
386, 391, 399, 414, 538
647
Phillips, J. M. 293
Pierce, W. D. 347
Pierson, P. 83
Pil, F. K. 193, 408, 409, 609
Pine, B. J. 443
PinWeld, L. 55
Piore, M. J. 79, 430
Plimpton Press 22
Plowden, F. 475
Ployhart, R. E. 302, 303, 306, 307, 309, 310, 311
Polanyi, M. 336, 452
Pollitt, C. 470, 476
Poole, M. 49, 50, 168, 170, 171 2
Porter, L. 473
Porter, Michael 35, 71, 89, 170, 220, 500
Posner, M. I. 329
Posthuma, R. A. 254 5
post structuralism:
and managerial control 152
and organization theory 119 20
Potosky, D. 314
Powell, T. C. 281
Powell, W. 117, 166, 168, 173 4, 175, 180
pragmatic pluralism 112
Prahalad, C. K. 333, 437, 513, 519
Pratkanis, A. 373
prejudice, and employment discrimination 253
Premack, S. L. 293
Priem, R. 71, 90, 94, 100, 281
Prien, E. P. 372
Princeton University 24
principal agent theory, and personnel
economics 73
Pritchard, R. D. 348
privatization, and New Public Management
(NPM) 478 9
problem solving, and employee voice 232 3,
236 7
procedural justice 179
Proctor, R. W. 329
product markets, and employee voice 244
productivity, and pay incentives 346 9
and sorting eVects 349 50
productivity based HR systems, and compulsory
knowledge 214 15
proWtability:
and determinants of 89
and optimization of 491
proWt sharing, and pay for performance 348 9
648
index
project based work, and knowledge workers 457
Prusak, L. 419
psychological contract 128, 142
and breaches of 134, 137 8
and changing nature of 133 4
challenges posed by 134 5
idiosyncratic contracts 134 5
relational contracts 134
transactional contracts 133 4
and communication of 136
and deWnition of 133
and employee characteristics 136 7
and employment subsystems 213
and impact on behavior 135 6
and organizational climate 135
and presence of HR practices 137, 138 9
and role of 132 5
and violations of 134, 137 8
and worker well being 138 9
public choice theory, and public sector 472
public sector:
and deWnitional diYculties 469 70
and diversity of 470
and employment relations:
fairness 474
model employer approach 473 4, 483
public administration tradition 474 5
sovereign employer approach 473
trade union density 473 4
traditional approaches to 473 5
and Wnancial pressure on 471
and governance/network approach to 481 2
emphasis on performance 484 5
partnership approach 483 4
skill development 485
user centered service provision 482
and limited attention to 469
and New Public Management 470
changing organizational structures 478 80
criticisms of 481
employee voice 477
executive agencies 479
impact on management 476 8
internal markets 479
motivations behind 475
outsourcing 479
performance related pay 477 8
practices of 475
privatization 478 9
professionals 476 7
reluctance to use local discretion 479 80
resource utilization 480 1
target culture 481
and political inXuences on 471 2
and public expenditure, control of 471
and reform of 470, 485 6
and role of the state 470 1
accountability 471 2
pay and conditions 471
and signiWcance of 470
and size of 470
and trading/non trading distinction 471
and workforce characteristics:
educational attainments 472
labor intensity 472
part time workers 472
proportion of women in 472
values 472 3
Pugh, D. S. 169 n1
Pulakos, E. D. 303, 306
Purcell, J. 3, 5, 6, 8, 35, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 54 5, 57,
58, 59, 61, 63, 70, 71, 77, 88, 95, 97, 117, 118,
129, 148, 149, 167, 170, 178, 179, 199, 202,
212, 217, 219, 222, 227, 232, 239, 245, 247,
274, 292, 294, 304, 389, 392, 416, 422, 430,
469, 481, 500, 504, 537, 538, 539, 541, 543,
548, 559, 572, 573, 595, 600, 607, 610
Purcell, K. 38, 330
Purcell, W. 496
Pursell, E. D. 372
Putnam, H. 112
quality circles:
and employee voice 237
and lean manufacturing 414
Quality of Work Life Programs 234
Quinn, J. B. 437
Quinones, M. A. 439
Quintanilla, J. 242, 494
Race Relations Act (UK, 1976) 254
Raghuram, S. 191
Rainbird, H. 334, 338
Raja, U. 137
Ramamurti, R. 511
Ramsay, H. 140, 155, 232, 246, 415, 497, 546, 610
Ramstad, P. M. 300, 302
Rao, H. 290
index
rarity, and resources 90
Ray, L. J. 116
real options theory 102
reciprocity, and psychological contracts 136
recruitment:
and changing practices in 293 4
and contingency eVects 295 6
and cultural diversity 519 20
and deWnition of 273
and equal employment opportunity
policies 262 6
and future empirical research 293 4
and future theory development 291 3
and importance of 273
and Internet recruitment 293 4
and management practice 294 5
and methodological problems 281 2
and micro HRM 2
and organizational context 282 91
advertising/reputation 290
autonomous strategy 283 7
capital intensity 289
competitive strategy 290
evaluation of practices 289
Wrm size 288
Xexible strategies 287
impact on eVectiveness 288 9
innovative strategy 283
institutional inXuences 289 90
labor market conditions 288
muddling through strategy 287
networks 289 90
organization type 287 8
recruitment of experienced labor 288
recruitment strategies 283 7
retaliatory/defensive actions 290 1
status quo strategy 287
and organizational eVectiveness 281, 294
compensation policy 276 80
corporate advertising 280
corporate social performance 280
evaluation of practices 276
recruitment intensity 276
and regulatory environment 274
and remuneration policy and staV
turnover 349 50, 357
and resource based view of Wrm 275 82
competitive advantage 275 6
methodological problems with 281
649
and selection 273 4
and strategic features of 274
and utility analysis 275
see also selection
Redman, T. 545
Reed, M. 115, 116, 119, 452 3, 455, 459
Reeves, T. 99, 573
Reich, R. B. 212, 451
Reichers, A. E. 390
Reichheld, F. F. 441
Reilly, R. R. 293
Reinartz, W. 442
reinforcement theory, and pay incentives 346
relational contracts 134
Relles, D. A. 564
remuneration:
and Costco Wholesale Corporation 344 5
and disagreements over compensation
policy 345, 358 9
and internal Wt 399
and micro HRM 2
and pay eVects 345
and pay form/system 345
eVects of 350 1
impact on staV turnover 349 50
incentive eVects 346 9
sorting eVects 349 50
and pay level 345
above market rates 356 7
eVects of 356 8
eYciency wage hypothesis 356 7
impact on staV turnover 357
and pay structure 346, 351 2
basis of pay 346, 354 5
eVects of 355
pay dispersion 346, 352 4
and pay for performance 345, 348 9
New Public Management 477 8
sorting eVects 349 50
and recruitment 276 80
resource based view of Wrm 69, 71
and competitive advantage 89 90, 91 2, 222
and criticisms of 90
and HR performance links 546 7
and human capital 158
and internal Wt 387 8
and recruitment 275 82
competitive advantage 275 6
methodological problems 281
650
index
resource based view of Wrm (cont.)
and strategic HRM 89 90, 91 2, 102
HR practices and Wt 95 6
human capital and Wt 94 5
measurement and methodological issues 99
potential pitfalls of Wt 96 7
sustained competitive advantage 97 9
testing of RH practices 93 4
and strategic management 89 90
Richard, O. 94, 262, 514, 516
Richardson, R. 75, 478
Riche, M. 257 8
Rinehart, J. 410, 415, 416
Ritzer, G. 116, 154
Roach, S. S. 433
Roberson, Q. 391
Robert, C. 525
Robinson, S. 133, 134, 137, 306, 312, 313
Rockefeller, John D., Jr 23 4
Rodgers, D. 24
Rodgers, J. 338
Rodriguez, D. 334
Rodriguez, J. M. 92
Roethlisberger, F. J. 110
Rogelberg, S. G. 310
Rogers, E. W. 97, 99
Rogers, J. 20, 38, 232, 236, 613
Rogg, K. L. 436
Ronan, W. W. 372
Rorty, R. 112
Rosen, B. 200, 261
Rosen, S. 352
Rosenbaum, P. 562 3
Rosenthal, P. 153 , 432, 436
Rosenthal, R. 554
Rosnow, R. L. 554
Roth, P. L. 307, 308
Rothwell, W. J. 334
Rotundo, M. 305, 306, 312
Rousseau, D. 133 , 134, 135, 137, 213
Rowan, E. 102, 173
Royle, T. 494
Rozell, E. J. 276, 289, 303
Rubery, J. 49, 57, 58, 61, 75, 80, 158, 211, 216, 222,
233, 244
Rubin, D. B. 562 3
Rucci, A. 537
Russ Eft, D. 335
Rusticus, T. 568
Ryan, A. M. 267, 300, 306
Ryan, P. 81
Ryan, R. M. 196, 346
Ryle, G. 452
Rynes, S. 261, 274, 275, 276, 282, 283, 288 9, 291,
293, 294, 295, 345 n2, 346, 347, 349, 352
Sacco, J. M. 308
Sackett, P. R. 305, 306, 307, 308, 312, 313, 314, 351
Sadowski, D. 495
Safelite Glass Corporation 349, 351
St Onge, S. 348, 349
Sako, M. 245
Salancik, G. 136, 180
Salas, E. 374
Sam’s Club 344, 357
Sanchez Runde, C. 116
Sandberg, A. 417
Sandberg, J. 336
Sanders, W. G. 398
Sanz Balle, R. 53
Saunders, G. 266
Savage, E. 254
Scarbrough, H. 450, 451, 453, 465
Schmalensee, R. L. 601
Schmidt, F. L. 293, 300, 301, 306, 554
Schmit, M. J. 436
Schmitt, M. 495
Schmitt, N. 302, 308, 311, 568 n14
Schneider, B. 247, 303, 309, 310, 311, 390, 431, 432,
435, 436, 571, 572
Schonberger, R. 411
Schrader, B. W. 374
Schuler, H. 313
Schuler, R. 5, 39, 41, 53, 54, 115, 167, 170, 219, 220,
244, 390, 408, 504
Schulten, T. 497
Schwab, D. P. 368 , 560
Schwan, R. 287, 288, 292
Schwartz, S. H. 511
scientiWc management 431
and origins of HRM 21, 602
Scott, A. 141
Scott, D. 499
Scott, W. R. 168
Sears Roebuck 28, 537
Second World War, and origins of human
resource management 27 8
Sector Skills Council (UK) 328
index
security, and multinational companies 522
Seibert, S. E. 196
Seiders, K. 440
Seijts, G. H. 369, 375
selection:
and cultural diversity 519 20
and deviance and counterproductivity 311 14
and expatriate selection 314
and importance of 300
and job performance 305 7
adaptive behaviors 306 7
changes in meaning of 305
non task behaviors 305 6
and mergers/acquisitions 314
and methods used 300 1
tests 301
validation of test use 302
validity of 301 2
and micro HRM 2
and multilevel nature of work 309 11
and new developments in 302 3
and organizational eVectiveness 303 5
and recruitment 273 4
and subgroup representation 307 9
aYrmative action 308 9
and team based performance 309 11
and technology 314
and turnover 399
and work Xexibility 314
Selznick, P. 111 , 173
Sen, Amartya 74
Sennett, R. 600
service industries:
and aesthetic labor 159
and customer satisfaction:
decline in 428
importance of 429
and emotional labor 191
and HRM strategy 55, 57, 59 61
and interactive service activities 429
see also services management
services management 431 7
and competitive strategy 444
customer relationship management 439
diVerentiation/branding 438 9
service bundling 439
and consumers 431
and core competencies 437 9
competitive strategy 438 9
651
and customer satisfaction:
attitude to quality 435
complaint websites 440
consumer backlash 444
consumer reaction to decline in 444 5
consumers’ expectations 441
customer segmentation strategies 441 3
decline in 440, 444
inXuences on 435 6
limits to eYciency improvements 434
manufacturing/services comparison 441
service climate 436
service fairness 440
survey on 440 1
and customer segmentation strategies 441 3
assumptions of 443
and evaluation diYculties 432
and Wrst time quality 432
and goal setting diYculties 432
and HRM 432, 435 6
challenges for 444
and importance of 429
and interactive services 431 2
quality/cost tensions 435
role ambiguity and performance 435
skill requirements 434
and marketing 431
challenges facing 432 3
conception of quality 435
interactive marketing 433
task of 433
and modularization 438
and nature of production 432
and need for integrated approach to 436 7
and operations management 431, 433 4
conception of quality 435
use of technology 433 4
and principles of 428
and quality:
customers’ attitudes towards 435
diVerent conceptions of 435
importance of HR practices 435
Sewell, G. 152, 155, 157, 236
Shadish, W. R. 562, 563
Shafer, R. 59, 178, 389
Shapiro, D. L. 193
shareholder value 537
Sharf, J. C. 307
Sharma, A. 439
652
index
Sharp, J. M. 178
Shaw, J. B. 515
Shaw, J. D. 211, 212, 221, 347, 353, 355, 357, 358, 385,
386, 388, 391, 395, 398, 399, 400, 539, 540,
543
Shenhav, Y. 110, 114, 116
Sherer, P. D. 177
Sherman, S. 96, 97, 430
Sherman, W. S. 385 6, 396, 398, 573, 607
Shiarella, A. H. 306
Shingo, S. 411
Shirai, T. 30
Shore, L. 136
Siegel, D. 498
Silverman, D. 115
Simon, Herbert 69, 74
Simons, T. 391 , 595 n6
Sinclair, J. 120
Sinegal, Jim 344, 345, 346
Singapore 332
Singh, B. K. 568 n14
Singh, H. 95
Singh, J. V. 217, 218, 432
Sinha, K. K. 189, 190
Sisson, K. 40, 171, 496, 497, 583
Skaggs, B. 59 61
skill formation:
and future of 337
and HRM 157 9
and labor process theory 159 60
and lean manufacturing 413 14
and political economy of 326 8
Anglo American approaches 327
Asia PaciWc Economic Cooperation 326
European Union 326, 327, 328
Germany 327
inXuence of international
organizations 326 7
International Labor OYce 326 7
labor markets 327
national diversity 326 7
Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development 326 7
over education 327 8
skills mismatches 328
supra state organizations 326
United Kingdom 327, 328
and public sector 485
see also training and development
Skills Task Force (UK) 328, 332
Skinner, B. F. 346
Skocpol, T. 83
Slaughter, J. 153, 155, 159, 410
Slichter, S. 26, 607
Smircich, L. 419
Smith, Adam 72, 110, 187, 194
Smith, C. 397, 406, 412, 585
Smith, K. G. 450, 453
Smith, L. 153
Smith, P. C. 367, 372
Snape, E. 49, 545
Snell, S. 5, 54, 58, 70, 77 8, 95, 96, 101, 131, 202,
210, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 222, 225, 226,
292, 294, 296, 304, 386, 387, 389, 391, 392,
395, 408, 413, 414, 437, 452, 537, 574 n21
Snow, C. 129, 169, 219, 220
social action, and strategy 172
social capital:
and deWnition of 223
and ego networks 453
and knowledge Xows 223
and multinational companies 504
social exchange theory 135, 545, 548
and psychological contracts 136
social exclusion, and internal labor market
theory 79
social identity theory 516
social networks, and knowledge Xows 224 5
societal embeddedness, and human resource
management 166, 167, 181
and industrial relations 171 2
and institutional settings 168
and new institutionalism 173 4, 181
deinstitutionalization 176 7
institutional theory and change 175 7
isomorphism 173 4
and social action categories 172
and strategic balancing 177 9, 181
organizational justice/fairness 179 80
organizational legitimacy 180
and strategic choice 171
and strategic contingency approaches 170
Society for human resource management
(SHRM) 37, 603
socio technical systems (STS), and industrial
relations approaches 430 1
Soeters, J. 287, 288, 292
Solomon, C. M. 212
index
Sorbom, D. 569
Soskice, D. 56, 80, 82, 327
South Africa 332
South Korea 332
Spain, and public sector 472
Sparrow, P. 519
specialization, and work content 190
Spector, Bert 34
Spector, P. E. 313
Spencer, D. A. 118
Spencer, E. 20
Spencer, L. M. 334
Spool, M. D. 372
Spreitzer, G. M. 196, 201
Sprigg, C. A. 202
Srivastava, A. 200
Staiger, D. 568
Standard Oil 22
Stanton, J. M. 191
Starbuck, W. H. 110 11, 450, 454
Starke, M. 274, 293, 295
Starkey, K. 119
Stasz, C. 330
Staw, B. M. 200, 377
Steedman, H. 55, 75, 327
Steel, B. S. 308
Steeneveld, M. 1, 59
Steiner, D. D. 374
Stepanek, M. 440
stereotyping, and employment
discrimination 253
Stevens, C. D. 349
Stevens, C. K. 280
Stevens, M. J. 310
Stewart, D. M. 433
Stewart, G. L. 310
Stewart, J. 333
Stewart, T. A. 450
Stock, J. H. 568
Stolzenberg, R. M. 564
Storey, John 40, 49, 58, 130, 148, 150, 171, 538
strategic balancing 178 9, 181
and organizational justice 179 80
and organizational legitimacy 180
strategic contingency approaches, and human
resource management 169 71
strategic human resource management
(SHRM) 3
and central premiss of 429 30
653
and competitive advantage 385
and conWgurational perspective 387
and context 94
and contingency perspective 387
and credibility of 166
and deWnition of 36, 88
and development of 91 2
horizontal alignment 91
strategy formulation 91
vertical alignment 91
and employment subsystems 219 21
research implications 221 2
and equal employment opportunity
policies 261 2
and expanding role of 101 2
and Wt 385, 386, 387, 429 30
and future research on 99 100
and industrial relations approaches 430 1
and knowledge management 228, 500
and multilevel theory 395
and origins of 35 6
and reframing role of strategy 606 7
and resource based view of Wrm 89 90, 91 2,
102
HR practices and Wt 95 6
human capital and Wt 94 5
measurement and methodological issues 99
potential pitfalls of Wt 96 7
sustained competitive advantage 97 9
testing of 93 4
and strategy concept 89
strategic management
and employment subsystems 219 21
research implications 221 2
and HRM 2
inXuence on 35 6
and resource based view of Wrm 89 90
and strategic HRM 3
and strategy concept 89
strategy:
and concept of 89
and institutional settings 171
and proWt optimization 491
and reframing role of 606 7
and social action categories 172
Strauss, A. 109
Strauss, G. 33, 40, 232, 410, 414
Strauss, J. P. 374
Streeck, W. 58
654
index
stress:
and HR practices 139, 140, 538
and psychological contract 139
Strock, J. 463
Strodtbeck, K. 511
structural functionalism, and organization
theory 113
Sturman, M. C. 350
Subramaniam, M. 223
Suchman, M. C. 166, 180
Sudadolnik, D. 332
Suder, G. G. S. 516, 522
suggestion schemes, and employee voice 236 7
Sulsky, L. M. 370, 371, 373, 375
Sundstrom, E. 310
sustained competitive advantage:
and Wrm’s resources 71
and HRM 59 61
and HRM practices 97 9
see also competitive advantage
Sutton, J. 603, 607
Suutari, V. 504
Swan, J. 450
Swanson, D. 294
Swart, J. 456, 457, 458, 463, 464
systems thinking, and organization
theory 113 16
Tacorante, D. V. 215 , 216
Taiwan 332
Takeuchi, R. 314, 504
Tanaka, S. 494, 495
Tansik, D. A. 431, 433
Taras, D. 23
target culture, and public sector 481, 484 5
task based participation, and employee
voice 232, 234 6
Tayeb, M. 252, 261
Taylor, B. 417
Taylor, Frederick 21, 30, 110, 187, 195
Taylor, J. C. 187
Taylor, M. S. 273, 274, 275, 291, 294, 295
Taylor, P. 152, 153
Taylor, S. 504
Taylor Report (UK, 1994) 332
Tead, O. 23
team based work:
and concertive work systems 199 201
and employee voice 241
and joint team based practices 417
and lean manufacturing 414
and performance appraisal/management 376
and Scandinavian model 417
and selection procedures/practices 309 11
and task based participation 234 6
and transnational teams 517 18
technology:
and impact on HRM goals 54 5
and management of 500
and performance appraisal/
management 370 1
and selection procedures/practices 314
and services management 433 4
and work systems 192
Teece, D. J. 76, 90, 101, 500
Teng, B. 377
Terpstra, D. E. 276, 289, 303
terrorism, and multinational companies 522
Terry, D. 198
Thailand, and recruitment practices 267 8
Thayer, P. W. 193
Theorell, T. 140
Thomas, D. 262, 510, 520
Thomas, K. W. 196
Thomason, T. 474
Thompson, J. D. 116
Thompson, M. 102
Thompson, P. 149, 151, 152, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159,
160, 161, 407, 420 1, 422
Thurley, K. 412
Thurow, L. 37, 288
ThursWeld, D. 150
Tichy, N. M. 115
Tomei, M. 254
Toosi, M. 257
tournament theory, and pay dispersion 352
Towers, B. 494
Townley, B. 119 20, 177
Toyota Production System 411
see also lean manufacturing
trade unions:
and collective bargaining 26 7, 29
and decline of 37
and employee voice 231, 232, 245
and HRM 49
status of 612
and multinational companies 502 3
cross national cooperation 497
index
impact on foreign direct investment 493
resistance to practices of 495
resisted by 496
in New Deal America 26
and public sector 473 4, 483 4
and worker well being 141
training and development:
and analysis of needs 330
and competence 325, 333 6
criticism of approach 336
drivers of competence approach 333 4
France 335
future of 338
Germany 335 6
lack of deWnition 334
United Kingdom 335
United States 334 5
widespread adoption of approach 336
and development 331 3
economic development/growth 331 2
focus of 331
future of 338
United Kingdom 332
United States 332 3
and development of provision 330 1
and diVerent approaches to 324, 339
and diversity training 261, 266
and evaluation 331
and future of 336 8
competence 338
development 338
politics of skill formation 337
training policy 337
training practice 337 8
and Human Resource Development 325, 332 3
and individual development 339 40
and lifelong learning 327, 328, 332, 338
and micro HRM 2
and organizational performance 339 40
and skill formation, political economy
of 326 8
Anglo American approaches 327
Asia PaciWc Economic Cooperation 326
European Union 326, 327, 328
Germany 327
inXuence of international
organizations 326 7
International Labor OYce 326 7
labor market 327
655
national diversity 326 7
oer education 327 8
Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development 326 7
skills mismatches 328
supra state organizations 326
United Kingdom 327, 328
and training 328 31
European variation 330
future of 337 8
objective of 328
practice of training 330 1
responsibility for 328 9
theories of learning 329
training policies 329 30
and varieties of capitalism approach 82 3
and vocational education and training 325
European Credit Transfer System 338
European variation 330
training policies 329 30
see also skill formation
Trank, C. Q. 349
transaction costs:
and internal labor markets 79
and personnel economics 75 6
transactional contracts 133 4
transnational companies, see multinational
companies
Tregaskis, O. 495
Trevor, C. 350
Trigeorgis, L. 102
Trist, E. L. 199, 430
Truss, K. 545
trust:
and decline in 601, 605
and rebuilding 613 14
Tsai, W. 504
Tsang, E. W. K. 101, 293, 504
Tsogas, G. 499
Tsoukas, H. 112, 419
Tsui, A. S. 213, 214
Tsutsui, W. 25
Tubre, T. C. 435
Tung, R. L. 523
Turban, D. B. 280
Turkey 337
Turnbull, J. 29
Turnbull, P. 407, 412
Turner, B. S. 116
656
index
Turner, N. 199
Turnley, W. 137, 138
Tyson, S. 92
Tziner, A. 369, 374
Uhl Bien, M. 545
Ulrich, David 39, 193, 604
United Emirates 332
United Kingdom:
and HR practices 586
associations between 592 4, 595
equal opportunity management 587 8, 590
family friendly management 586 7, 590
high involvement management 588 9
integrated approach to 590 2
performance 594 5
and HRM 601 2
in contemporary period 39 40, 41
origins and early development of 22, 24, 31
and New Public Management:
changing organizational structures 478 80
executive agencies 479
impact of target culture 481
impact on management 476 8
internal markets 479
motivations behind 475
outsourcing 479
performance related pay 477 8
privatization 478 9
professionals 476 7
reluctance to use local discretion 480
and public sector:
employment relations 473
partnership approach 483
pay and conditions 474
trade unions 483 4
user centered service provision 482
workforce characteristics 472, 473
and training and development:
competence 335
development 332
skill formation 327, 328
vocational education and training 330
United Nations Development Program 332
United States:
and equal employment opportunity
policies 253 4
and HRM:
contemporary development of 32 9, 603 5
origins and early development of 21 3,
26 9, 602 3
and public sector 473 4
and training and development:
competence 334 5
development 332 3
skill formation 327
United States Academy of Management 8
United States Supreme Court:
and Griggs v. Duke Power (1971) 254
and McDonnel Douglas v. Green (1973) 253
universities, and origins and development of
HRM:
in 1920s 23 4
in contemporary period 37, 39
and post war academic development 32 6
and post war period 31 2
Ure, Andrew 110
Valcour, P. M. 583
Vallas, S. P. 200
value, and resources 90
value appropriation, and knowledge
workers 460, 465
values, and organizational culture 546 7
values orientation theory 511
van Buren, H. J. 453
Van de Ven, A. H. 189, 190
Van de Vliert, E. 524
Van den Berg, R. H. 239
Van Dyne, L. 306
Van Ruysseveldt, J. 4
Van Scotter, J. R. 305
Vandenberg, R. J. 397
variability, and work content 191
varieties of capitalism 69, 82 3, 537
Velthouse, B. A. 196
Ventura, J. 92
Verburg, R. M. 397
vertical Wt 91, 95
see also Wt
Vibert, C. 111
Villanova, P. 305 , 306, 366
Virick, M. 349 50
Visser, J. 168
Viswesvaran, C. 305, 306, 312
Vladimirou, E. 419
vocational education and training (VET) 325
and European Credit Transfer System 338
index
and training policies 329 30
European variation 330
voice, see employee voice systems
Vroom, V. H. 346
Wadhwani, S. B. 357
Wageman, R. 191, 200
wages, see remuneration
Wagner, K. 55, 75, 327
Wagner, S. H. 366, 371
Wahba, S. 563
Walker, Jim 91
Walker, K. F. 171
Wall, M. 357
Wall, T. D. 6, 188, 190, 192, 196, 197, 198, 199,
200, 534, 535, 540, 558 n11, 582, 585,
593
Wal Mart 344
Walton, R. 35, 129, 151, 187, 199, 410, 582
Wanek, J. E. 313
Wanous, J. P. 293
Ward, K. 517
Warhurst, C. 159
Warner, M. 406 n2
Wasti, S. A. 525
Waterman, R. 35, 89
Watson, T. J. 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119,
120, 123, 150, 154
Watts, H. W. 555
Way, S. 535 n1
Weber, A. 32
Weber, M. 109, 110, 116, 172
Webster, J. 370
Weichselbaumer, D. 257
Weisenfeld, B. 191
Weiss, A. 349, 350, 351
Weiss, H. M. 191
Weitz, E. 110
Weitzman, M. L. 348, 350
Welbourne, T. M. 348
Welch, D. E. 4, 510, 521, 573
Welch, Jack 364
Welfare Capitalism 23, 25, 26, 27
welfare work, and origins of human resource
management 20, 22
Welford, A. T. 329
Wenger, E. 418, 419
Wenner, S. 254
Wentling, R. M. 515, 520
657
Wernerfelt, B. 89, 91, 167
Western Electric Company 28
Weston, S. 496
Westwood, R. 119
Wever, K. 602
Wexley, K. N. 367, 369
Wherry, R. J. 369, 375, 376
White, G. 479
White, M. A. 102
White, R. H. 334
Whitener, E. M. 541, 545
WhitWeld, D. 479
WhitWeld, K. 241, 245, 355, 414
Whitney, D. J. 559
Whittaker, S. 545
Whittington, J. L. 192, 198
Whyte, G. 275, 295
Wickens, P. 410, 412
Wiersma, U. J. 347, 368
Wilkinson, A. 236, 237, 240, 245, 246
Wilkinson, B. 412, 417
Wilkinson, F. 80
Wilkinson, L. 556, 569
William, S. 349 50
Williams, C. R. 349
Williams, M. L. 276, 280
Williams, R. 375
Williamson, I. O. 289
Williamson, O. 79, 213
Willmott, H. 149, 152, 419
Wilson, J. 335
Wilson, M. C. 92
Wilson, N. 350
Winchester, D. 473, 480
Windolf, P. 283 , 287, 292
Winter Ebmer, R. 257
Winterton, J. 326, 330, 332, 333, 334
Winterton, R. 332, 333
Wisconsin, University of 23
Wolkinson, B. 253, 254
Womack, J. 409, 609
women:
in HR profession 614
and labor market participation 257
Wong Mingji, D. 509, 524
Wood, S. 6, 39, 232, 410, 534, 535, 540, 546, 582,
585, 588, 590 n4, 591
Woodward, J. 167, 169 n1
Wooldridge, J. M. 556, 569
658
index
work enrichment 582
work intensiWcation 140, 159
work organization:
and changes in 188
and deWnition of 188
and HRM 154–6
and labor process theory 155–7
and manufacturing 408
and micro HRM 3
and strategic balancing 178–9
see also employment systems; employment
sub-systems; lean manufacturing; work
systems
work systems:
and advantages of systems approach 189–90
and archetypal conWgurations 203
concertive 199–201
mechanistic 194–6
motivational 196–9
and assessment criteria for 193–4
and characteristics of 188–9
and eVectiveness of 201–3
concertive work systems 201
internal consistency 202
mechanistic work systems 195–6
motivational work systems 198–9
and leadership 192
and management policies/practices 193
and technology 192
and work content 190–1
discretion 191
feedback 191
interdependence 191
scope of 190
variability 191
workloads 191
and workforce capability/commitment 193
see also employment systems; employment
sub-systems; high-commitment work
systems;
high-performance work systems
work teams, and concertive work
systems 199–201
worker participation 231
see also employee voice systems
workers, see employees
work-life balance 611–12
and growth of interest in 134
see also family friendly management
workloads, and work content 191
Workman, M. 199
Workplace Employee Relations Survey
(Australia) 155, 156
Workplace Employee Relations Survey (UK) 141,
155, 156, 481
and HR practices 586
associations between 592–4, 595
equal opportunity management 587–8, 590
family friendly management 586–7, 590
high-involvement management 588–9
integrated approach to 590–2
performance 594–5
World Bank 332
World Trade Organization 332
Wren, D. 28, 30, 33, 35
Wrench, J. 268
Wright, B. M. 197
Wright, C. 24
Wright, M. 540, 542
Wright, P. 3 , 4, 5, 6, 36, 58, 59, 70, 77, 88, 90, 91,
92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 102, 128, 135,
202, 213, 220, 225, 232, 239, 274, 275, 294,
296, 304, 375, 385–6, 387, 388, 389, 390,
392, 396, 398, 430, 500, 524, 534, 535,
536, 537, 539, 543, 547, 557, 570, 573,
574 n21, 607
Yang, S. 433
Yates, C. 199
Yellen, J. L. 356
Youndt, M. 5, 53, 54, 59–61, 92, 202, 215, 223,
413, 430
Yukl, G. 135
Zacharatos, A. 397
Zander, U. 223
Zeithaml, V. 431 , 435
Zellner, W. 345 n1, 357
Zhu, C. J. 519
Zidan, S. S. 331
Zilber, T. 177
ZuboV, S. 451
Zucker, L. 174
Zweig, D. 370