Human resource management and performance: lessons from the Netherlands

The relationship between HRM and firm performance has been a hotly debated topic over the last decade, with the great bulk of the primary scientific research coming from the USA and, to a lesser extent, the UK. We start with an overview of this research to give a frame of reference to compare the findings from the Netherlands. By comparing the results of research in the Netherlands with those in the USA and the UK we hope to reveal the secret of achieving 'competitive advantage through people' (Pfeffer, 1994) in the Netherlands. The comparison may further allow us to supplement resource-based approaches with a more institutional perspective.     

Human resource management and the performance of Western firms in China

The study examines the relationship between human resource management and organizational performance in sixty-two manufacturing Chinese-Western joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries located in different parts of the People's Republic of China. A positive relation was found between firm performance and the extent to which firms used a 'high-performance' HRM system as well as the degree to which they engaged in the integration of HRM and firm strategy.     

Meta-analysis of the relationship between quality management practices and firm performance—implications for quality management theory development

Quality management (QM) has received a high degree of attention in extant literature. Several research papers attribute superior firm performance to adoption of QM practices. The availability of a large number of research papers that investigate the impact of QM practices on performance provide an ideal setting for theory extension and refinement using meta-analysis techniques. In this paper a meta-analytic study is presented that fulfills two objectives. First, the paper formalizes performance implications of adopting QM practices and present hypothesized relationship between QM practices and performance. Second, a meta-analysis of correlation (Hunter and Schmidt, 1990) approach is used to examine the empirical research in QM to determine which QM practices are positively related to improved performance. The study also examines the presence of moderating factors in the association between QM practices and performance. The results support many hypothesized relationships and also point towards the presence of moderating factors in almost all QM practice–performance relationships. A discussion of the findings is presented and directions for further development of QM theory are proposed.     

Human resource management research and practice in Asia: Past,present and future

The continuing emergence of Asia as a critically important continent for the foreseeable future has renewed interest in understanding theory and practice in this region. This special issue was designed to shed light on human resource management (HRM) issues in this region, and to help guide future research in and on this region. In this introductory article, we first analyze the growth of HRM scholarship in Asia, by examining the research published over the last twenty-five years. We then describe the genesis of this special issue, and summarize the key themes emerging from the review articles in the issue. These include: psychological contract; work-life interface; corporate social responsibility; multinational corporations and their subsidiaries; the challenges of global talent management; convergence-divergence; state socialism to post-state socialism; and incorporating the context. We further offer suggestions for future research by proposing critical topics and emerging themes, including: employee voice; diversity and inclusion; employee well-being and resilience; preparing and responding to crises; and green human resource management. We conclude by offering theoretical perspectives and highlighting key recent developments which are likely to impact future practice, and should be addressed by scholars.     

Human resource management in Indonesia

Until relatively recently, Indonesia has been one of the least known countries despite having the fourth largest population in the world. Nevertheless, there has been a relatively rich lode of scholarship in Indonesia in the social sciences such as economics, politics, and anthropology. Much less has been written on business and management in Indonesia. Writing on human resource management (HRM) has been rare and limited mainly to labor economics and macrolevel human resource development. However, interest in Indonesia has grown in the wake of major political and economic crises it has suffered since the onset of the Asian crisis in mid-1997. There is also an increasing awareness that HRM will be an important factor in shaping the future of the country. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to describe HRM in Indonesia with particular focus on the environmental context.     

Human resource management in China revisited: introduction

This introduction attempts to provide an overview of the Special Issue of the IJHRM on ‘Human Resource Management in China Revisited’. It deals first with the economic background of the recent changes in the PRC from 1978 to the present day, exploring the change from a command economy to a more market-led one, as well as the demise of ‘iron rice bowl’ policy dominated by a model to Soviet-inspired personnel management in favour of one gradually being characterized by possibly Japanese-/Western-influenced human resource management (HRM), albeit with ‘Chinese characteristics’. It then introduces the main debates in the field before summing up, at some length, the empirical contributions based on ‘state of the art’ field research contained in the papers submitted. Last, it deals with the comparative setting of the contributions on China vis-à-vis the national HRM systems of Japan and South Korea.     

中国特色的人力资源管理观

2003年7月1日,中共中央总书记胡锦涛在"三个代表"研讨会上指出--"三个代表"重要思想的本质是立党为公、执政为民,学习贯彻"三个代表"重要思想必须以最广大人民的根本利益为根本出发点和落脚点.相信准、依靠谁、为了谁,是否始终站在最广大人民的立场上,是区分唯物史观和唯心史观的分水岭,也是判断马克思主义政党的试金石.     

Emerging issues in theory and research on electronic human resource management (eHRM)

In the past several decades, technology has had a dramatic impact on human resource management (HR) processes and practices. For example, technology, especially the World Wide Web, has helped modify many HR processes including human resource planning, recruitment, selection, performance management, work flow, and compensation. These new systems have enabled HR professionals to provide better service to all of their stakeholders (e.g., applicants, employees, managers), and reduced the administrative burden in the field. Despite the widespread use of these systems, there has been a surprising dearth of theory and research on the topic. As a result, the purpose of this special issue is to (a) advance theory and research on human resource management systems (HRMS) and electronic human resource management (eHRM), (b) offer new directions for research on the topic, and (c) enhance the effectiveness of these systems in organizations. As a result, this article reviews the evolution of HRMS and eHRM, provides a brief overview of the existing literature, and introduces the articles in the special issue.     

The evolving theory of quality management: The role of Six Sigma

While Six Sigma is increasingly implemented in industry, little academic research has been done on Six Sigma and its influence on quality management theory and application. There is a criticism that Six Sigma simply puts traditional quality management practices in a new package. To investigate this issue and the role of Six Sigma in quality management, this study reviewed both the traditional quality management and Six Sigma literatures and identified three new practices that are critical for implementing Six Sigma's concept and method in an organization. These practices are referred to as: Six Sigma role structure, Six Sigma structured improvement procedure, and Six Sigma focus on metrics. A research model and survey instrument were developed to investigate how these Six Sigma practices integrate with seven traditional quality management practices to affect quality performance and business performance. Test results based on a sample of 226 US manufacturing plants revealed that the three Six Sigma practices are distinct practices from traditional quality management practices, and that they complement the traditional quality management practices in improving performance. The implications of the findings for researchers and practitioners are discussed and further research directions are offered.     

Human resource management implications of dual-career couples

The dual-career couple is a contemporary phenomenon in Western industrialized nations. This Australian qualitative investigation explored the organizational issues associated with dual-career couples from the perspective of both dual-carrer couple members and their employing organizations. Overall, it was found that organizational responsiveness to dual-career issues was limited, and consequently dual-carrer couples themselves were forced to make most of the necessary accommodations. Human resource management implications of the dual-career couple are discussed. To date, however, such implications have been largely ignored by organizations. The findings of this study suggest that the failure of organizations to respond to dual-career issues results in costs, not only to the couple, but also to their employing organizations. Predictions for continued growth of the dual-career phenomenon mean that an organization s willingness to address dual-career issues may become an important element in achieving and retaining competitive advantage.