Social capital and human resource management in international joint ventures in Vietnam: a perspective from a transitional economy

This study highlights the importance of social capital in international joint ventures (IJVs), and examines human resource practices as a factor shaping such social capital. Comprehensive measures of social capital are developed and tested, which extend prior work on ‘bonding’ and ‘bridging’ social capital. We also link social capital with its anticipated antecedents and consequences. The study's findings are based on data collected from 164 IJVs located in Vietnam. IJV performance was predicted by training and by the level of trust and cooperation between foreign and local personnel. Training (including acquisition of management skills, technology, and cross-cultural understanding) also was predictive of the measures of social capital. A key practical implication arising from this study is that the return on investment from training of joint venture personnel can stem not only from the transfer of technical and management skills needed for developing competitive advantage, but also from the positive impact on social capital, which further contributes to venture success. The establishment of written objectives and plans for the venture, as well as the IJV's level of control regarding its own HR functions also was found to be related to some components of social capital. The findings of this study reinforce the call to build on the contributions of local personnel in joint ventures, and in Vietnam in particular.     

A comparative study of human resource management practices in international joint ventures: the impact of national origin

This paper presents a comparative study of the effects of national origin, a company's strategic orientation and its investment profile on preference for the application of human resource management (HRM) practices as conducted in international joint ventures (IJVs). The approach extends understanding by offering a broader exploration of how national differences generate additional barriers that impact on specific HRM practices. The evidence from the study presented suggests that there is little support for national origin being a major independent influence. National distinctiveness does define the types of integration between parent companies and IJVs, but these collaborations do not necessarily reflect any specific national institutional bias. Examination of eighty-seven IJVs suggests that IJV management has a high degree of organizational autonomy in the implementation of a company's task-related inputs regardless of the national background of the foreign partner. The presence of a company's task-related effects on HRM practices plays a significant contextual role where the major attributes are the technology, management development and the compatible use of an IJV's resources. The results confirm that there is little evidence to suggest that partner-related influences derived from the partners' complementary resources and competences in the field of HRM development that are national origin specific have had significant influence over HRM development in the IJVs studied.     

Entrepreneurial performance of early-stage ventures: dynamic resource management for development and growth

Effective allocation of resources for the development and growth of early-stage ventures (ESVs) is a continuous challenge for their equity stakeholders. This paper explores the relevance of intellectual capital (IC) as a critical resource for entrepreneurial performance in ESVs driven by new knowledge development and technological innovation. An interdisciplinary literature review is conducted to examine prior studies on entrepreneurial performance and resource management for ESVs. A conceptual framework is developed using a taxonomy of IC that explains how the underlying network resources enhance the development and growth of ESVs. Utilizing a multiple case study approach, this paper suggests a dynamic process of resource allocation into heterogeneous IC that are optimally coordinated by the founders during an ESV’s development and growth through interaction with external networks. This approach in resource allocation complements the staged entrepreneurial finance and investment strategy for ESVs and their subsequent developments.     

Transferring the Toyota lean cultural paradigm into India: implications for human resource management

This paper argues that the successful international transference of Japanese lean manufacturing practices in general, and the Toyota Way and Toyota Production System (TPS) in particular, is in varying degrees contingent upon the sociocultural, historical and environmental context of the host nations into which such transfer occurs. This has significant implications for human resource management policies and practices. The paper contends that lean manufacturing is not simply a set of concepts, techniques and methods that can be implemented by command and control. In the course of transferring lean practices from Japan into overseas affiliates, either an absence of due consideration or disregard for a host nation's unique sociocultural and environmental factors could lead to unproductive organisational outcomes for the parent company. This viewpoint is examined through a case study analysis of the Indian affiliate of the Japanese automobile industry giant Toyota Motor Corporation, namely Toyota Kirloskar Motors, located at Bidadi, near Bangalore, India.     

The design and use of effective employee participation groups: Implications for human resource management

The use of employee participation groups is an increasingly widespread response to unrelenting environmental demands for higher levels of organizational performance. Guidelines for the design of participation groups are suggested, based on a study of participation group programs in nine organizational units of a major corporation. In order to be most effective, participation groups should include or have access to adequate skills and knowledge for systematic problem solving, should use formalized procedures, should be integrated horizontally and vertically with the rest of the organization, and should be a regular part of the organization rather than special entities. The appropriateness of using participation groups as a part of a larger human resource strategy is explored.     

On the importance of a generalist conception of human resource management: A cross-national look

What is human resource management? The term risks becoming devalued if it is associated with particular approaches to the management of people, to labor relations, or to the development of the personnel function. These aspects of HRM have to be seen in context—indeed, HRM is best viewed as the management of organizational context, as “governance.” This is the challenge for general management, supported by personnel generalists.     

The transfer of human resource management technology in Sino-U.S. cooperative ventures: Problems and solutions

Differences between Chinese and U.S. human resource management systems are described with respect to fundamental organization and work-related assumptions about people and performance, rewards, training and development, and educational background of HR practitioners. We identify key differences that present impediments to the modernization of HRM practices in Sino-U.S. cooperative ventures, and then, present a normative framework for the introduction of modem HRM practices into these ventures. We conclude with implications for both research and practice that focus primarily on integrating individuals and the enterprise, as well as integrating the enterprise with social and economic goals.     

Configurations of human resource management practices: a model and test of internal fit

This study examined human resource management (HRM) configurations. A typology consisting of four bundles of aligned HRM practices (labelled the bureaucratic, market, professional and flexibility bundle) linked to organizational structures was developed. Support for the proposed ideal-typical bundles was found in an assessment by a panel of experts. Next, the distance between the ideal types and actual bundles of HR practices was assessed for 175 organizations. For each, senior HR managers' ratings of HRM practices and CEO ratings of outcomes were obtained. Support was found for two of the four proposed types and about one-third of the firms showed some fit with one of these two types. The ‘fit in general hypothesis’ (i.e. the closer an observed HR bundle resembles any of the ideal types, the higher organizational performance) did not receive support. However, fit with a specific type of bundle (the professional bundle) did relate positively to outcomes. Organizations with observed HRM practices fitting the professional bundle score significantly higher on measures of firm performance, employees' going beyond contract, and firm innovativeness.     

Human resource management and cultural diversity: a case study in Mozambique

A limited number of studies in Africa have reconciled human resource management (HRM) programs with cultural diversity as represented by Hofstede's cultural dimensions. The objective of this study is to examine how Western-based HRM can be modified to embrace cultural diversity in an African context. A mixed methodology employed a survey, as well as a case study in Mozambique. The results indicate high levels of power distance, collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and feminism that are very similar to Kenya. These dimensions differed across a spectrum of employee levels illustrating cultural hybridization at firm level in a multinational operating in Africa. The results also illustrate the importance of a range of health, family, and societal beliefs in the workplace. Finally, a series of HRM recommendations were developed in an African context with respect to the selection, training, performance measurement, and management programs of the company.     

Transforming multinational enterprises: towards a process model of strategic human resource management change

How MNEs control and co-ordinate their subsidiaries' human resources has been a mtter of some debate in recent years. The corporate centre's human resource (HR) department is frequently accorded a key role in shaping direction through programme of strategic change involving best practice transfer or culture change. Such programmes, however, have been questioned by academics and practitioners for their ability to deliver on the promises made for them and for the failure to recognize the problems of top-down programmes of change. In this paper, we address the question of what it might take to deliver a coherent and acceptable corporate-wide strategic HR change initiative whilst allowing for simultaneous subsidiary development and innovation? Drawing on our direct experience of case studies and building on the more general strategic change literature, we develop a process model of strategic HR changes in MNEs, which identifies the key factors that lead to successful change outcomes. The main contribution of this work is to fill existing gaps in the literature and to provide some advice to practitioners who seek to implement universal HR change programmes in MNEs.     

Age diversity and firm performance in an emerging economy: Implications for cross‐cultural human resource management

This study tests the effect of age diversity on firm performance among international firms. Based on the resource‐based view of the firm, it argues that age diversity among employees will influence firm performance. Moreover, it argues that two contextual variables—a firm's level of market diversification and its country of origin—influence the relationship between age diversity and firm performance. By testing relevant hypotheses in a major emerging economy, that is, the People's Republic of China, this study finds a significant and positive effect of age diversity and a significant interactive effect between age diversity and firm strategy on profitability. We also find a significant relationship between age diversity and firm profitability for firms from Western societies, but not for firms from East Asian societies. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this study's findings. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An analytical model for human resource management as an enabler of organizational renewal: a framework for corporate entrepreneurship

This article presents the development of a model of types of work based on organizational theory. It analyzes the different characteristics of work and efficient forms of Management, and joins all these aspects together in terms of corporate entrepreneurship. Organizational theory provides the instruments needed to manage work, the causes that make decentralization desirable and the technical, social and institutional mechanisms for its control. The literature on corporate entrepreneurship provides material for forms of discovery or creation of opportunities based on accumulated experience in the firm, on the collective relationships linked to entrepreneurship and on the way in which resources are managed. This article contributes to existing knowledge by systematically addressing these two fields, showing how the instruments that allow for the efficient management of work are the same as those necessary for corporate entrepreneurship and how the efficient management of work is a prerequisite and an enabler of entrepreneurial activity.     

Assessing the value of human resource certification: A call for evidence-based human resource management

We are delighted that our article on the value of human resource (HR) certification (Lengnick-Hall & Aguinis, 2012) has generated so much interest. In this brief response, we identify two key similarities across all of the articles published in this special issue (including our own). First, all commentators care deeply about the field of human resource management (HRM). Second, all commentators believe that additional empirical research is needed to assess the value of HR certification for stakeholders inside and outside of the field of HRM. We offer a concrete course of action. Specifically, we issue the following challenge to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation: Issue a call for proposals for empirical research on the value of HR certification. Such a call would provide funding so that teams including both researchers and practitioners are encouraged to conduct research on this topic. Moreover, such a collaborative approach involving the SHRM Foundation, the HRM scholarly community, and the HRM practitioner community is likely to elevate the field of HRM and produce valuable knowledge about the value of HR certification for stakeholders inside and outside of the field, which in turn will also help narrow the much-lamented science–practice gap.     

High-involvement practices in human resource management: concept and factors that motivate their adoption

Using data on 250 Spanish firms, we examine the incidence of high-involvement practices and investigate what variables are associated with the adoption of these practices. Particularly, we analyse the influence of size, age, competitive advantage, activity sector, the existence of a recent crisis, culture, leadership style and the competitiveness of the environment on the adoption of high-involvement work practices. With all this, we try to offer an exploratory view of nature of the contexts that condition the adoption of such practices, with the aim of motivating future research more thoroughly.     

Creating and sustaining a strategic partnership: A model for human resource development

Human resource development (HRD) leaders have been challenged to become strategic business partners in order to link people, strategy, and performance. In spite of a critical need, there has not been an empirically testable systemic framework that pulls together the wide variety of strategic imperatives that have been suggested. This article presents a conceptual model identifying the essential system elements that provide a framework for how HRD might create and then sustain its full leadership potential as a strategic partner.     

The role of cultural values on a firm's strategic human resource management development: a comparative case study of Spanish firms in China

This paper attempts to better understand the role of cultural values as a human resource contributor to a firm's strategic development. Comparative case studies of two Spanish subsidiaries in China were made using on-site, in-depth qualitative research in both Spain and China. We then examine how this difference in management affects the firm's overall strategic development and, hence, its performance. The results of the study suggest that cultural values, as a human resource contributor, do indeed affect a firm's overall strategic development and, hence, the firm's resulting success or failure. Throughout the paper, the management by values (MBV) framework is used as a lens to further examine and better understand this process.     

Human resource function strategic role and trade unions: exploring their impact on human resource management practices in Uruguayan firms

Organizations worldwide are confronted with different contextual constraints. Jackson and Schuler [1995, ‘Understanding Human Resource Management in the Context of Organizations and their Environments,' Annual Review of Psychology, 46, 237–264], in their classical review, highlight the importance of the impact of the internal and external organizational context on human resource management (HRM) practices. This paper uses data collected through a survey of firms located in Uruguay, in a context where HR function and trade unions have gone through significant changes, to determine their impact on the adoption of different HRM practices. The authors find that organizations with an HR function strategically involved and with higher degree of union presence have more person-centred HRM practices, while performance-centred HRM practices were positively influenced by HR function strategic role. However, the findings do not support the moderating role of trade union presence on the relationship between the HR function strategic role and HRM practices.