How can schools and teachers benefit from human resources management? Conceptualising HRM from content and process perspectives

Abstract

The necessity for schools to implement human resources management (HRM) is increasingly acknowledged. Specifically, HRM holds the potential of increasing student outcomes through the increased involvement, empowerment and motivation of teachers. In educational literature, however, little empirical attention is paid to the ways in which different HRM practices could be bundled into a comprehensive HRM system (content) and how HRM could best be implemented to attain positive teacher and student outcomes (process). Regarding the content, and following the ‘AMO theory of performance’, it is argued that HRM systems should comprise (A) ability-, (M) motivation- and (O) opportunity-enhancing HRM practices. Regarding the process, and based on ‘HRM system strength’ literature, it is argued that when teachers perceive HRM as distinctive and consistent, and if they perceive consensus, this will enhance teachers’ and schools’ performance. By combining insights from educational studies on single HRM practices with HRM theories, this paper builds a conceptual framework which can be used to design HRM systems and to understand the way they operate.

The role of VET Colleges in stimulating teachers’ engagement in team learning

“…The social exchange theory has proven its value in explaining how individuals' perceptions lead to certain behavioural responses (e.g. Alfes, Truss, Soane, Rees, & Gatenby, 2013;Runhaar, 2016). It explains the reciprocity within social relationships (Blau, 1964): if teachers perceive the presence of team-oriented HR practices and their team leader's support through his/her enactment of these practices, teachers feel obliged to reciprocate with positive team behaviour, such as engagement in team learning.…”

“…However, even though VET colleges also recognise the importance of workplace learning, including team learning (Association of VET Colleges, 2016a;MBO15, 2015), they are often unsure how to foster learning (and team learning) in the workplace. Moreover, research on HRM in the VET context is limited (Runhaar, 2016), so that many questions on the effectiveness of HRM in VET colleges for fostering workplace learning, including team learning, remain unanswered. Research on the extent to which and how VET colleges' HRM influences teachers' engagement in team learning is therefore needed.…”

“…HRM can generally be regarded as a system of practices that attempts to influence employees' abilities, motivation and opportunity to perform in desired ways, with the goal to increase the organisation's performance (Jiang et al, 2012;Runhaar, 2016). Team-oriented HRM is therefore defined as a set of HR practices aimed at increasing teams' abilities, motivation and opportunities to perform in desired ways, with the goal to increase team performance.…”

“…HRM, which is the system of practices in an organisation that attempts to influence employees' abilities, motivation and opportunity to perform in desired ways, with the goal to increase the organisation's performance (Jiang, Lepak, Hu, & Baer, 2012;Runhaar, 2016), is viewed as a tool to create these expansive environments. However, the specific HR practices needed to achieve these environments remain unexplored (Fuller & Unwin, 2011).…”

“…To examine how they do this, this dissertation specifically focuses on VET colleges' HRM that is geared towards supporting teams and team learning, which is termed team-oriented HRM. In Chapters 2 and 3, the content of team-oriented HRM is determined based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) model that is often central to HRM research (Boselie, Dietz, & Boon, 2005;Jiang et al, 2012), and is also relevant in the educational context (Runhaar, 2016).…”