Human resource issues in outsourcing: Integrating research and practice

Fisher, Sandra L.; Wasserman, Mark; Wolf, Paige Porter; Wears, Katherine Hannan

doi:10.1002/hrm.20229

Cited by 45 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…In line with Fisher et al's (2008) argument, our data suggest this is potentially easiest to achieve when different employers across the network share broadly common goals, and most problematic when partners see collaboration primarily in terms of economic exchange, with little in common beyond maximizing short-term profits. Thus, more problems were encountered in private-private or public-private partnerships.…”

Section: Multi-employer Network Promoting Factors Impeding Factorssupporting

confidence: 65%

“…For example, aligning HR systems may be problematic if a client competes based on reliability, but the supplier operates on tight margins to provide justin-time delivery (Marchington & Vincent, 2004). In their review of outsourcing and HRM, Fisher, Wasserman, Wolf, and Wears (2008) argued that the strength and exclusivity of the relationship can reduce the likelihood of problems arising, and that workers experience discomfort if the goals of the organizations involved are not aligned.…”

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confidence: 98%

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Alignment, integration, and consistency in HRM across multi‐employer networks

Marchington

Rubery

Grimshaw

2011

Human Resource Management

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Most studies of human resource management (HRM) have been conducted within the context of the single employing organization, which is strange given the recent growth in multi-employer networks. In this study, the authors examine whether alignment, integration, and consistency—concepts central to or implicit in most analyses of HRM—has meaning and relevance in the multi-employer context. They focus specifically on networks in which collaboration is intended to deliver high levels of product quality or customer service, precisely where one might expect employers would be attracted to “strong” HRM systems. Data was collected via interviews and document analysis in four networks, spanning both the public and private sectors in the United Kingdom. Despite a set of potentially favorable conditions within these networks to promote alignment, integration, and consistency, implementation was impeded by other equally powerful forces, including differences in employer goals within networks, especially between public and private sector organizations; intraorganizational tensions within internal labor markets for organizations involved in networks; using divergent HR policies between organizations within multi-employer networks; and contradictions between the pursuit of “among employee” or “temporal” consistency for workers. Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all solution for these problems, it is argued that detailed analysis of each network is necessary. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

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Section: Multi-employer Network Promoting Factors Impeding Factorssupporting

confidence: 65%

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Alignment, integration, and consistency in HRM across multi‐employer networks

Marchington

Rubery

Grimshaw

2011

Human Resource Management

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“…The growing literature on outsourcing and alternative work arrangements (e.g., Fisher, Wasserman, Wolf, & Wears, 2008;George & Chattopadhyay, 2005) provides some guidance for managing workforces that span organizations. Based upon contingency models of HR strategy, Snell (1999, 2002) argued that the value and uniqueness of the human capital firms need influences whether organizations should make or buy their human capital (i.e., hire and develop employees versus arrange for work to be done by supply chain partners).…”

Section: Human Resource Management September-october 2010mentioning

confidence: 99%

Guest Editors' Note: Don't miss the boat: Research on HRM and supply chains

Fisher

Graham

Vachon

et al. 2010

Human Resource Management

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This paper provides an introduction to the special issue on human resource management (HRM) in supply chains. To this point, HRM researchers have paid little attention to the fi eld of supply chain management (SCM) and how HRM practices may help fi rms manage their supply chains more effectively. We provide an overview of supply chain management for readers new to this fi eld. We conceptualize three potential applications of HRM in supply chains, and then use our framework to introduce and link the papers that comprise the special issue. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Keywords: human resource management, supply chain management Introduction H u man resource researchers and managers need to devote attention to supply chain management, because increasingly, opportunities for competitive advantage rest in managing people within and between firms in supply chain relationships (Ketchen & Hult, 2007). For example, Wal-Mart's systematic, intensive management of its supplier relationships and supplier logistics results in cost savings that are passed along to Wal-Mart customers (Weier, 2008). While many organizations recognize the importance of strategically managing their supply chains, they are less likely to grasp that successful supply chain management rests on the performance of the people in supply chains (Gattorna, 2006). At the same time, human resource practitioners and scholars have made great strides in understanding HR practices and processes that improve worker and firm performance, but rarely do they consider the supply chain implications of their research.The challenges of human resource management in supply chain settings are magnified by today's exceedingly complex business environments, which are characterized by shorter product life-cycles, product proliferation, ongoing outsourcing, and the globalization of the supply base and markets (Bozarth, Warsing, Flynn, & Flynn, 2009;Closs, Jacobs, Swink, & Webb, 2008).In our observation, the current body of human resource scholarship appears to be "missing the boat" in terms of recognizing the importance of "supply chains," which are HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm defined as multiple organizations that work together to provide raw materials, produce goods and services, and deliver finished products to customers (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, 2010). Despite calls for organizations to manage the human capital in their supply chains better (Carter & Carter, 2007;Lummus, Melnyk, Vokurka, Burns, & Sandor, 2007) and some promising empirical work in this direction from supply chain management (SCM) researchers (e.g., Koulikoff-Souviron & Harrison, 2007), research on HRM in the supply chain literature remains paltry (Giunipero, Hooker, JosephMatthews, Yoon, & Brudvig, 2008). This is unfortunate because a diverse array of HRM research exists that taken as a whole and applied to the supply chain context can provide substantial insights into supply chain functioning (MacDuffie, 2007). There...

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“…Professional employer organizations are HR service providers that do not just recruit and select but also employ the workers carrying out tasks for a third party. On the contrary this practice is referred to as contingency working by others (Fisher et al, 2008), the underlying idea of which is that the "end-user" pays for the work as a service and not as payroll expense. In opposition to Haines' views the term PEO has been used differently by other authors, who define these types of service providers as firms that deliver services that enable organizations to engage more in differentiation, deal with complexity and respond to technological and market changes (Lepak and Snell, 1998).…”

Section: Scope Of the Outsourcing Marketplace During The Economic Recmentioning

confidence: 99%