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HR Practices (hr + practice)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	90%

Distribution within Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting

Human Resource Management	82%
Management	4%
4 Other Subdomains	14%

Selected Abstracts

EMPLOYEE ATTRIBUTIONS OF THE "WHY" OF HR PRACTICES: THEIR EFFECTS ON EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
LISA H. NISHII
The construct of human resource (HR) attributions is introduced. We argue that the attributions that employees make about the reasons why management adopts the HR practices that it does have consequences for their attitudes and behaviors, and ultimately, unit performance. Drawing on the strategic HR literature, we propose a typology of 5 HR-attribution dimensions. Utilizing data collected from a service firm, we show that employees make varying attributions for the same HR practices, and that these attributions are differentially associated with commitment and satisfaction. In turn, we show that these attitudes become shared within units and that they are related to unit-level organizational citizenship behaviors and customer satisfaction. Findings and implications are discussed. [source]

Unravelling the complexities of high commitment: an employee-level analysis

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009
Edel Conway
Research within HRM has faced criticism for failing to focus adequately on employee experiences of HR practice. In particular, the ,high-commitment' models fail to recognise employee perspectives on HRM, the complexities of the commitment construct and the possibility that organisations configure HR systems in various ways. This paper explores the impact of employee attitudes towards HR practices on affective, continuance and normative commitment, and intention to leave in three organisational contexts. The findings suggest that different HR systems can yield different attitudes towards HR practices, which in turn can impact on different forms of commitment and levels of intention to leave. The findings provide insights into the ways in which organisations manage the commitment process through HR practices and the response by employees to these interventions. [source]

HRM as a predictor of innovation

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006
Helen Shipton
There is growing evidence available to suggest that HR practice is an important predictor of organisational performance. In this article, we argue that HR practices also have the potential to promote organisational innovation. We describe a longitudinal study of 22 UK manufacturing companies and examine the relationship between such practices and product and technological innovation. Results reveal that training, induction, team working, appraisal and exploratory learning focus are all predictors of innovation. Contingent reward, applied in conjunction with an exploratory learning focus, is positively associated with innovation in technical systems. Furthermore, training, appraisal and induction, combined with exploratory learning focus, explain variation between companies in product and technological innovation above and beyond the main effects observed. [source]

Graduates' career aspirations and individual characteristics

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005
Wolfgang Mayrhofer
Using the basic distinction between organisational and post-organisational career orientation, this article examines preferences of business school graduates for different types of career fields and systematic differences between people with different career orientations in terms of behavioural characteristics as well as personality traits. The results show that business school graduates clearly distinguish between organisational and post-organisational career fields. Graduates with post-organisational career aspirations display attributes of high flexibility, leadership motivation, selfpromotion/self-assertion, self-monitoring, networking and less self-consciousness. For individuals preferring an organisational career pattern, inverse relationships apply. Some implications of the findings for HR practice are discussed. [source]

Designing and aligning an HR system

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2001
Kathy Monks
This article reports the results of a study conducted in the wholesale banking arm of a major international financial institution in Ireland. This took a multi-level perspective in exploring the construction of the HR system at group, divisional and strategic business unit (SBU) levels within the firm. The findings suggest that it is critical to consider the level of analysis in both the construction of theHR system and in its operation at different levels within the multi-divisional firm. The research found that it is at SBU level that a coherent HR system is most likely to emerge, as at this level appropriate processes can be adopted to implement HR policies, practices and philosophies. However, the negotiations and interpretations of HR practice that dominate traditional divisional/business unit arrangements may be detrimental to theemergence of a coherent HRsystem. [source]

HR practices perceptions, emotional exhaustion, and work outcomes: A conservation-of-resources theory in the Chinese context

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2008
Li-Yun Sun
The conservation-of-resources theory provided the theoretical underpinning for the relationship among HR practices perceived by employees, emotional exhaustion, and work outcomes ( job satisfaction and job performance). To fully understand the underlying mechanism of the relationship, the study examined (1) the main and interactive effects of HR practices and employee age on emotional exhaustion and (2) the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between emotional exhaustion and job performance. Data were obtained from manufacturing workers in a privately owned company in the People's Republic of China. Empirical results lent strong support for the main, moderated, and mediated effects mentioned previously. However, contrary to our hypotheses the research result indicated that the relationship between low-commitment HR practices and emotional exhaustion was stronger for older employees than for younger ones. This contrasting finding demonstrated the criticality of an organization's commitment to employees, particularly to older employees, which further supported and enriched the conservation-of-resources theory in the Chinese context. [source]

The strength of HR practices in India and their effects on employee career success, performance, and potential

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2010
Stephen A. Stumpf
Abstract This study explores the role of HR practices for individual and organizational success via a survey of 4,811 employees from 32 units of 28 companies operating in India. We report on employee perceptions of the effectiveness of three specific human resource practices within their firms and the relationship of these practices to career success, performance, and potential. Companies operating in India appear to be creating strong human resource climates based on structured HR practices in performance management, professional development, and normalized performance ratings. The perceived effectiveness of these HR practices influences employees' perceptions of career success and, to a lesser extent, organizationally rated performance and potential. We report differences in perceptions of HR practices among national, international, and global companies and among the industries of information technology (IT), manufacturing, and services. The relationship to perceived HR practices and outcomes was partially contingent on firm geographic scope and industry sector. Implications for research and practice are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Strategic HRM in China: Configurations and competitive advantage

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2008
Irene H. Chow
The strategic HR literature suggests that a firm will perform better through internal appropriate fit among HRM practices (the configuration fit) and through external appropriate fit between a firm's HRM practices and business strategy. The present study adopts a configuration approach to identify unique patterns of HR practices and business strategy that are posited to be maximally effective. The proposed relationships were empirically tested by surveying with a sample of 241 business firms in Guangzhou, South China, to find out the extent that four HR configurations could be successfully adopted in the Chinese context. The results revealed that HR configurations are significantly related to effect in predicting overall outcome performance and turnover, but not significantly related to effect on sales growth and profit growth rates. Research findings showed not only competitive strategies are significantly related to effect on HR configurations. The results also showed significant interaction effects between HR configurations and business strategy in their effect on profit and sales growth. These results further extended support for a contingency perspective in strategic HRM to the Chinese context, with significant practical implications for managing HRM in China. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

High-involvement work practices and analysts' forecasts of corporate earnings

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006
George S. Benson
Research has shown that high-involvement work practices are positively related to corporate financial performance. However, it is unknown if investors are able to use information on high-involvement practices to predict the performance of specific companies. In this study, we examine earnings forecasts for a sample of Fortune 1000 firms and find professional stock analysts consistently underestimated the earnings of firms that made greater use of high-involvement practices during the 1990s. Based on data collected from newspaper articles and annual reports, we argue that these lower estimates resulted from a lack of information on innovative HR practices. Recommendations to managers for disseminating information on and leveraging highinvolvement HR practices are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Why organizations adopt some human resource management practices and reject others: An exploration of rationales

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006
Mahesh Subramony
This article explores reasons why organizations adopt or reject human resource practices. Four theoretical approaches are brought to bear on this issue. According to the economic approach, organizations adopt HR practices that are economically beneficial to them. Similarly, the alignment approach views firms as adopting HR practices if these practices are aligned with strategic objectives. In contrast, the decision-making approach invokes a constrained-ra-tionality model of managerial judgment, and the diffusion approach attributes the adoption/rejection decision to institutional pressures that encourage imitation. Literature in these areas is reviewed and the implications for HR research and practice are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Closing science-practice knowledge gaps: Contributions of psychological research to human resource management

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2004
Michael J. Burke
Evidence of science-practice knowledge gaps among managers (Rynes, Colbert, & Brown, 2002), coupled with major changes occurring in the workplace over the last ten years, suggest the need for human resources practitioners to become as current as possible on how research findings can assist in improving the management of HR. Nine articles in this special issue provide rich information for understanding the contributions of psychological theories and research findings to HR management and, consequently, for closing science-practice knowledge gaps. More specifically, the articles bring together pairs of scientists and practitioners to address science-practice knowledge gaps in the areas of recruiting and selecting workers, managing performance, training and developing individuals, managing groups and teams, compensating employees, leading others, assessing employee attitudes, managing diversity, and managing downsizing. We hope these articles will stimulate and promote a broader perspective concerning the relevance and value of psychological research for improving HR practices and organizational functioning. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Outsourcing HR: The Impact of Organizational Characteristics

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2001
Brian S. Klaas
This study investigates the relationship between a number of organizational characteristics and the decision to outsource HR. Determinants of the outsourcing of four categories of HR are examined: HR generalists activities (e.g., performance appraisal), transactional activities (e.g., payroll), human capital activities (e.g., training), and recruiting and selection. HR executives in 432 organizations provided data on outsourcing levels and organizational characteristics. Reliance on HR outsourcing was associated with idiosyncratic HR practices, strategic HR involvement, positive HR outcomes, promotional opportunities, demand uncertainty, and pay level. As predicted, however, the impact of organizational characteristics varied among the different types of HR activities outsourced. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]

Exploring alternative relationships between perceived investment in employee development, perceived supervisor support and employee outcomes

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010
Bård Kuvaas
The purpose of this study was to explore alternative relationships between perceived investment in employee development (PIED), perceived supervisor support (PSS), and employee outcomes in the form of attitudes (affective commitment and turnover intention) and work performance (work effort, work quality and organisational citizenship behaviour). A cross-sectional survey among 331 employees from a Norwegian telecommunications organisation showed that the relationship between PSS and employee attitudes was partially mediated by PIED. In addition, PSS was found to moderate the relationship between PIED and three self-report measures of work performance. The form of the moderation revealed a positive relationship only for high levels of PSS. These findings suggest that line managers are of vital importance in implementing developmental HR practices, either because they influence how such practices are perceived by employees, which, in turn, affects employee attitudes, or because positive experiences with both line managers and HR practices seem to be needed in order for developmental HR practices to positively influence employee performance. [source]

Broad-based incentive plans, HR practices and company performance

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009
Maya K. Kroumova
The purpose of this paper is to further develop our knowledge of the complementarities between broad-based incentives and human resource (HR) management practices, and their combined impact on company performance. We focus on three HR practices that are expected, separately and in combination, to enhance the effectiveness of broad-based plans: information sharing, upward communication, and training in team skills. Using a sample of 305 Canadian firms, we find that companies with broad-based incentive plans have lower levels of upward communication and higher levels of information sharing compared with companies that do not offer incentives to the majority of their workforce. Further, we find that companies with broad-based incentive plans are more productive compared with companies with no such plans, and the presence of supporting HR practices increases their productivity advantage even further. In particular, upward communication combined with broad-based incentives has a strong positive relationship with productivity. [source]

Unravelling the complexities of high commitment: an employee-level analysis

Transferring HR practices within multinational corporations

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007
Ingmar Björkman
There is extensive evidence that planned transfers of management practices by the headquarters of multinational corporations (MNCs) to foreign subsidiaries are not always successful. In this article, we outline a model of factors influencing the transfer of HR practices to MNC units abroad. The article has two main contributions. First, we develop a more holistic understanding of the outcome of HR practice transfer as encompassing three dimensions: implementation, internalisation and integration. Second, we expand current explanations of transfers of practices to foreign units. We argue that transfer of HR practices is a social process where the governance mechanisms used by the MNC, characteristics of the subsidiary HR systems, the social relationship between the subsidiary and MNC headquarters, and the transfer approach taken by headquarters management will influence the outcome of the process. [source]

Front-line managers as agents in the HRM-performance causal chain: theory, analysis and evidence

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007
John Purcell
Research on the link between HRM and organisational performance has neglected the role of front-line managers, yet it is these managers who are increasingly charged with the implementation of many HR practices. Using an employee survey in 12 ,excellent' companies we explore the extent to which employee commitment towards their employer and their job are influenced by the quality of leadership behaviour and by satisfaction with HR practices. Both have a strong effect on employee attitudes. The article concludes with a case study of a planned effort to improve front-line managers' skills in people management. [source]

A comparison of HRM systems in the USA, Japan and Germany in their socio-economic context

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006
Markus Pudelko
This article provides a comparative analysis of the HR practices of American, Japanese and German companies. The starting point is an investigation of the managerial, economic, socio-political and cultural contexts of the three HR systems. It will be demonstrated that the socio-economic contextual factors of the American and Japanese HR systems are in many ways at opposite ends of the spectrum, with the German factors in between. Subsequently, the three HR systems themselves are analysed. The data show that the same pattern, USA and Japan at the extremes and Germany taking a middle position, is valid also for the HR systems. This suggests that the relevant socio-economic context is highly pertinent for the establishment of an HR system. This outcome does not exclude either the integration of HR practices from a foreign HR model into the domestic one or standardisation efforts of HR practices of multinational companies, but confines the potential for cross-cultural learning and standardisation to what is within the ,fit' of the relevant socio-cultural context. [source]

Satisfaction with HR practices and commitment to the organisation: why one size does not fit all

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005
Nicholas Kinnie
This article examines the links between employees' satisfaction with HR practices and their commitment to the organisation. It draws on recently collected data to examine these links for three groups of employees: professionals, line managers and workers. Satisfaction with some HR practices appears to be linked to the commitment of all employees, while the link for others varies befuwn the three employee groups. These findings pose a challenge to the universalistic model of HRM and have implications for those seeking to design practices that will improve organisational commitment. [source]

Financial performance and the long-term link with HR practices, work climate and job stress

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005
Marc van Veldhoven
Using data front a large financial services organisation in the Netherlands, this article reports a longitudinal study at the business unit level. The study addresses the question of which longitudinal relations exist between survey data on perceived HR practices, work climate and job stress on the one hand, and prospective and retrospective financial performance on the other. Data from 223 business units were available for this study. Eight scales were selected from an employee survey answered by 18,142 respondents. These were aggregated to mean scores at the business unit level. Financial performance is operationalised by a yearly profits-to-costs ratio. Correcting for employee and business unit characteristics, the eight survey scales predict 22 per cent of the variance in business unit financial performance in the year after the survey.,Co-operation between departments' appears to be the most important predictor. Equally strong evidence was friund for a reverse causation sequence: business unit financial performance in the year before the survey was a significant predictor for four out of eight survey scales, especially for ,co-operation between departments' and ,job security'. The results underline the importance of studying variance in HR and performance variables within large organisatiuns, and the possibilities of using employee surveys in this research context. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed. [source]

Foreign firms in China: modelling HRM in a toy manufacturing corporation

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2004
Fang Lee Cooke
This article reports the study of a large, wholly foreign-owned toy factory in China. It explores whether foreign direct investment (FDI) manufacturing firms in China inevitably operate in a Taylorist fashion, in contrast to the much praised HR model of blue chip multinational corporations (MNCs) in the country, or whether there is a ,third way' in which good HR practices may be adopted on the ground. The article concludes that a more nuanced approach is needed in our study of FDI companies in order to gain a fuller understanding of the institutional and cultural factors at play and of the consequent diversity in the HR and employment practices of FDI firms, instead of being trapped in a simplistic and polarising typological framework of analysis. This study is necessary in light of the growing diversity in the patterns of FDI companies operating in China in terms of their ownership structure, product market, management style and HR strategy, both for managers and for workers. [source]

Labour scarcity and the survival of small firms: a resource-based view of the road haulage industry

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2003
Mick Marchington
This article is concerned with the problem of labour scarcity in the road haulage industry and how it affects small firms. The recruitment and retention of lorry drivers is critically important for the industry because driving is no longer seen as an attractive occupation, and there are worries that there is an insufficient supply of new recruits to replace the experienced drivers who are leaving the industry. In order to investigate this issue, we make use of a modified version of the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, focusing on the notion that a minimum set of ,table stakes'(HR practices) is necessary for the continued survival of small firms. Drawing on longitudinal data from seven small road haulage companies, we argue that owner-managers have developed an astute combination of path-dependent and socially complex networking abilities, embedded within an extensive understanding of both product and local labour markets. We conclude that the RBV needs extending to make greater allowance for different ownership goals and diversity in markets, and to consider the forces that promote similarity rather than difference among firms within an industry. [source]

The impact of HR practices on the performance of business units

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003
Patrick M. Wright
This article examines the impact of HR practices and organisational commitment on the operating performance and profitability of business units. Using a predictive design with a sample of 50 autonomous business units within the same corporation, the article reveals that both organisational commitment and HR practices are significantly related to operational measures of performance, as well as operating expenses and pre-tax profits. [source]

Knowledge-intensive firms: the influence of the client on HR systems

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003
Juani Swart
HR systems play a critical role in growing knowledge-intensive firms (KIFs) by facilitating the conversion of human capital into intellectual capital, which has market value. However, the choice of HR system is constrained by the relatively small number of clients they have in business-to-business relationships. This article seeks to understand how and why these client relationships affect the choice of HR practices in these firms. We address this issue by drawing on extensive empirical research currently under way in KIFs. Our research shows that HR practices can be influenced strongly by the client, both directly and indirectly. However, some KIFs will use their HR practices as a means of managing the relationships they have with their clients by shaping their boundaries with their clients and building organisational, professional and client identities. The varying client influence can be understood by examining the nature of the power relationship between the client and supplier, which is influenced by the uniqueness of the services provided. This has implications for our understanding of the factors affecting the exercise of a constrained choice of HR systems. [source]

Employee wellbeing in call centres

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2002
David Holman
Call centres are often perceived to have a negative impact on employee wellbeing, mainly attributed to four factors: job design, performance monitoring, HR practices and team leader support. This article reports on a survey of 557 customer service representatives that examined the relationship of these factors to four measures of wellbeing: anxiety, depression and intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. One distinctive feature of this article is its focus on anxiety and depression, two major dimensions of wellbeing not addressed in call centre research to date. Results demonstrated that the factors most highly associated with wellbeing were high control over work methods and procedures, a low level of monitoring and a supportive team leader. Evidence also indicates that the level of wellbeing in some call centres is similar to that in other comparable forms of work. [source]

Changing patterns of human resource management in contemporary China: WTO accession and enterprise responses

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2004
Ying Zhu
ABSTRACT This study examines the increasingly complex challenges facing human resource management (HRM) in China following the country's accession to the WTO and, consequently, the implications for further reform of government policy and enterprise-level HRM practices. The article concludes that current HR practices among enterprises vary depending on ownership, industrial sector, location and history. The direction of future changes may depend on the level of involvement from external forces as well as internal strategies adopted by Chinese enterprises to survive. [source]

An Exploration of How the Employee,Organization Relationship Affects the Linkage Between Perception of Developmental Human Resource Practices and Employee Outcomes*

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 1 2008
Bård Kuvaas
abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine whether and how the quality of the employee,organization relationship (EOR) influences the relationship between employee perception of developmental human resource (HR) practices and employee outcomes. Analyses of 593 employees representing 64 local savings banks in Norway showed that four indicators of the EOR (perceived organizational support, affective organizational commitment, and procedural and interactional justice) moderated the relationship between perception of developmental HR practices and individual work performance. A strong and direct negative relationship was found between perception of developmental HR practices and turnover intention, but perceived procedural and interactional justice moderated this linkage. No support was found for a mediating role of the EOR indicators in the relationship between perception of developmental HR practices and employee outcomes. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. [source]

Assessing the nature of psychological contracts: a validation of six dimensions

JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2004
Luc Sels
The purpose of this study is to develop a feature-oriented assessment of psychological contracts, an underdeveloped approach to psychological contracts. Relying on theoretical frameworks in psychological contract research, industrial relations studies, and a cross-national study on psychological contracts, we identify six dimensions that capture the nature of psychological contracts: tangibility, scope, stability, time frame, exchange symmetry, and contract level. We validate this expanded conceptualization of psychological contracts by developing a nomological network and testing it in a large, representative sample of 1106 employees. The results indicate the significance of formal contract characteristics and HR practices as two antecedents shaping the nature of psychological contracts. In addition, the hypothesized relationships between the three dimensions of time frame, exchange symmetry, and contract level with affective commitment are confirmed as well as the relationships between tangibility, scope and flexibility with personal control. The results further indicate the importance of assessing both employer and employee obligations given the differential effect of the contract makers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

EMPLOYEE ATTRIBUTIONS OF THE "WHY" OF HR PRACTICES: THEIR EFFECTS ON EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

MEASUREMENT ERROR IN RESEARCH ON HUMAN RESOURCES AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: ADDITIONAL DATA AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2001
PATRICK M. WRIGHT
Gerhart and colleagues (2000) and Huselid and Becker (2000) recently debated the presence and implications of measurement error in measures of human resource practices. This paper presents data from 3 more studies, 1 of large organizations from different industries at the corporate level, 1 from commercial banks, and the other of autonomous business units at the level of the job. Results of all 3 studies provide additional evidence that single respondent measures of HR practices contain large amounts of measurement error. Implications for future research into the HR firm performance relationship are discussed. [source]