The Role of Human Resource Management: An Exploratory Study of Cross-Country Variance

Abstract

We explore how the role of human resource management (HRM) varies across countries on two dimensions. One is how the status of HRM departments may vary (e.g., perceptions of its importance and involvement). Second is whether there is cross-country strategic HRM (SHRM) in terms of the conventional contingency approach (linking HRM practices to strategy), as well as a resource-based view of the firm (e.g., developing 'organizational capability' as competitive advantage). Results included significant differences in HRM status across countries; significant correlations between status and 'organizational capability'; and in Asian countries, a slight tendency for HRM practices to be linked more to a 'differentiation'strategy, whereas, in Anglo countries, a strong linkage between HRM practices and 'organizational capability'.

Appraising Performance across Borders: An Empirical Examination of the Purposes and Practices of Performance Appraisal in a Multi‐Country Context

“…Next, we needed to ensure that the countries selected were appropriate for hypotheses testing. Reflecting on the fact that European and Asian human resource practices are held to differ from those in North America, we drew on the guidance offered by earlier work as well as that on cultural clusters to select countries for sampling (Bowen et al., 2002; House et al., 2004; Ronen and Shenkar, 1985). [1] The expectation is that management practices can be transferred between countries within the same cluster (e.g.…”

The effect of SHRM practices on perceived firm financial performance: Some initial evidence from Australia

“…Much of the research for evidence of the link between SHRM and firm performance has focused on intermediary performance indicators such as absenteeism, commitment, customer satisfaction and innovation (e.g. Pfeffer 1994; Chew and Chong 1999;Bowen, Galang and Pillai 2002). There is a need for research to focus on bottom-line indicators (Richard and Johnson 2001) such as return on equity and profitability as HRM is under pressure from CEOs, CFOs and senior managers to quantify added value to the bottom-line when HR managers join the senior management team (Buyens and De Vos 1999;Sullivan 2003).…”

“…Our literature review indicates that little research has been conducted on strategic integration and devolvement in Australia, despite evidence that Australia perceives the status of HRM more highly than almost any other country in the developed world (Bowen, Galang and Pillai 2002). We aim to address this lacuna in this paper by examining the extent to which strategic integration and devolvement of HRM is practised in a sample of publicly listed firms.…”

From ‘tucked away’ to ‘joined at the hip’: understanding evolving relationships within the HRBP model in a regional energy company

“…When investigating the future of the HRM function since the 1990s, numerous scholars (Schuler, 1992; Legge, 1995; Beer, 1997; Ulrich, 1997; Teo, 2002; Lawler and Mohrman, 2003; Ulrich and Brockbank, 2005; Zhu et al ., 2010) have proposed that the function should be ‘upgraded’ in the face of greater competition, globalisation and change (Bowen et al ., 2002: 103). The fundamental premise of this strategic ‘ramping up’ has been based upon the notion that it will release HRM professionals from day‐to‐day activities and give them more time to be strategic (Hall and Torrington, 1998; Caldwell, 2003; Truss, 2008).…”