Procedures and Consistency Versus Flexibility and Commitment In Employee Relations: A Comment On Storey

Clark, Jon

doi:10.1111/j.1748-8583.1993.tb00334.x

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…For instance, one could imagine that line managers may be less familiar with relevant labor and employment laws than would an organization’s corporate HR function, such that deviations from certain corporate HR practices by line managers could expose the organization to legal issues (e.g., due to bias in selection processes or outcomes). Line managers’ local HR practice deviations could also create confusion or perceptions of unfairness among employees in other parts of the organization (Clark, 1993), which could result in negative spillovers in the form of unfavorable attitudes and even reduced performance in other organizational units even if a focal unit benefits from a line manager’s local HRM delivery behaviors. Thus, there is an important need for future research to examine a broader array of both positive and negative outcomes that are not constrained to the typical foci of the disciplinary traditions of a particular line of inquiry, and more specifically to consider how and when deviation of different forms is likely to yield positive or negative consequences across an organization’s multiple relevant contexts (e.g., strategic, legal, interunit) and stakeholders.…”

Section: An Aspirational Research Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

An expanded conceptualization of line managers’ involvement in human resource management.

Kehoe

Han

2020

Journal of Applied Psychology

119

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Recent research provides evidence that, contrary to implicit assumptions in much of the strategic human resource management (SHRM) literature, human resource (HR) systems and practices are in fact enacted with substantial variation across units even within organizations, with such variation largely a function of the line managers involved in implementing HR practices in the units under their supervision. While instrumental in demonstrating the critical role that line managers play in facilitating the causal chain linking organizations' HR practices with intended employee and organizational outcomes, we contend that the focus of this research on HR practice implementation as a singular and unidimensional characterization of line managers' involvement in human resource management (HRM) represents an oversimplification on several counts. Broadly, we propose that this focus fails to account for the varied nature of line managers' downward influences in the context of HRM. Thus, we integrate insights from research on HR practice implementation, workforce differentiation, and autonomous strategic behavior to develop a more complete understanding of line managers' downward involvement in HRM. Based on our synthesis of relevant insights from these literatures, we propose a research agenda focusing on questions spanning four broad areas with the aim of fostering and guiding future SHRM scholarship to further our understanding of the antecedents, processes, and consequences associated with line managers' influences on HR system content and process in organizations.

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Section: An Aspirational Research Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

An expanded conceptualization of line managers’ involvement in human resource management.

Kehoe

Han

2020

Journal of Applied Psychology

119

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“…As they evolved in North America in the post-World War II era, they are largely rules-based (Clark 1993) In combination, these practices came to be identified with "internal labor markets" (Osterman 1984:2-5) and with the personnel/industrial relations function within employers (Kochan and Cappelli 1984). These practices are largely consistent with the pluralistic and contractualist model of employment relations traditionally dominant within North America; they were initially de veloped in response to worker discontent and union pressures, and came to be institutional ized within personnel management systems in the 1930s and 1940s (Brody 1996).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Environments, Work and Human Resource Practices, and Unions: Canada versus England

Godard

2009

ILR Review

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This analysis of data from a 2003–2004 telephone survey of 750 Canadian and 450 English workers finds that work practices and human resource (HR) practices had important implications for unions. The effects differed by the type of practice (for example, traditional versus “new” HR), and were mediated by each country's institutional environment. For example, traditional personnel/HR practices were strongly positively related to the likelihood of union representation and strongly negatively related to workers' propensity to vote for a union in Canada, but made little difference to either of those union outcomes in England; and “alternative” work practices bore an inverse U-shaped association with union representation in Canada, versus a positive relationship with that outcome in England. In general, the Canadian findings are consistent with an adversarial dynamic, and the English findings with a more collaborative one.

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“…It is by no means obvious that an emphasis on rules and procedures is outdated. Indeed, a belief in consistency and fairness is central to gaining the commitment of employees in any organisation (Clark, 1993); what may appear as flexibility to managers may seem to be arbitrary treatment to an employee. The non-formal system which operates in many small firms takes the form of the owner speaking to an employee, who in turn speaks to the``problem'' employee.…”

Section: Managing People In Smesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employment relations in SMEs

1999

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.Abstract Most of the HRM literature is based on large firms despite the growing significance now accorded to smaller firms. In this paper, we explore employment relations in SMEs and argue that the existing literature tends to polarise into a``small is beautiful'' or``bleak house'' perspective. The paper examines some of the key issues in relation to employment relations in SMEs.

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Procedures and Consistency Versus Flexibility and Commitment In Employee Relations: A Comment On Storey

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

An expanded conceptualization of line managers’ involvement in human resource management.

An expanded conceptualization of line managers’ involvement in human resource management.

Institutional Environments, Work and Human Resource Practices, and Unions: Canada versus England

Employment relations in SMEs

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