The take-up of business support by minority ethnic enterprises: The experience of South Asian businesses in England

This research contributes to a greater understanding of minority ethnic business (MEB) needs and practices and helps identify the support needs of minority ethnic firms in relation to existing support provision. The aims are, therefore, to examine the take-up of support by minority ethnic enterprises focusing mainly on the South Asian community with some representation from the African-Caribbean and Korean communities. Fifty minority ethnic businesses across South West London were contacted and semi-structured interviews took place with the owner/owner managers. The findings suggest that policy makers need to appreciate the diversity of MEBs and policies aimed at these businesses should reflect that diversity.     

The Link Between Diversity and Equality Management Practice Bundles and Racial Diversity in the Managerial Ranks: Does Firm Size Matter?

Invoking strategic human resource management (SHRM) theory and tenets of the resource‐based view of the firm, we explore how two bundles of diversity and equality management (DEM) practices influence racial diversity in the managerial ranks. By considering the conceptualization of DEM practices and the moderating role of firm size, our study disentangles subtle nuances in the DEM practices–racial diversity in managerial ranks relationship. Based on a sample of 137 Fortune 1,000 firms over a two‐year period, our results suggest that minority opportunity‐based DEM practices and manager accountability DEM practices positively relate to racial diversity in managerial ranks, and these relationships are stronger in smaller companies than large ones. Theoretical and practical implications for a strategic perspective on future diversity management research are elaborated.     

From circular business models to circular business ecosystems

The circular economy aims to minimize resource inputs and waste and emission outputs of the economy and its organizational subsystems. This can benefit both financial and sustainability performance of companies. To analyze industrial implementation of the concept, the prevalent unit of analysis on the firm level is currently the circular business model. Our investigation of nine Swedish biogas companies and one branch organization indicates a range of conceptual shortcomings that challenges this approach. Our comparative case analysis points towards circular ecosystems being a more appropriate concept to describe the high level of coordination between different stakeholders necessary to implement circular systems. This increases the suitability to analyze, plan, and communicate circular economy systems on an organizational level, especially if value chain integration is low. An ecosystem perspective can thus support innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of the circular economy.     

Linking individual performance to business strategy: The people process model

During the last five years, a team of researchers has worked with the senior human resource (HR) teams of seven large companies with United Kingdom operations. This research initiative has focused on a number of aims, one of which has been to understand and model how business strategies are translated through human resource strategies and people processes into individual and organizational performance. This article summarizes the key findings, provides a map of how this translation takes place in these companies, and discusses why some people processes are more strongly linked to business strategy. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Employment equity policy frames in the literature: ‘good practice’ versus ‘bad idea’

Work organisations considering policies against racial or ethnic discrimination and for recognising diversity can find many different and often conflicting recommendations in the literature, in particular regarding the aim of proportional representation of different ethnic groups. To better understand this controversy, this paper rigorously examines three key theories from a frame-critical and business ethics perspective. It introduces a fundamental threefold conceptualisation of ‘employment equity policy’ (EEP) as a catch-all term for related concepts such as ‘affirmative action’, ‘equal opportunities policy’ and ‘diversity management’, distinguishing between three different organisational goals: equal treatment, equal results and individual recognition. The analysis suggests that different authors emphasise some ‘facts’ rather than others and strategically interpret the limited available empirical research to support their policy positions, mixing both classical and newer ethical reasoning. In the ‘good practice’ frame, human resource management practitioners are urged to take ‘positive action’, to monitor the ethnic composition of the workforce and to formulate target figures to increase the representation of discriminated groups. In the opposing ‘bad idea’ frame, organisations are seriously advised against EEPs with ‘hard’ numerical goals: these policies supposedly are unnecessary and ineffective and have negative unintended consequences. The article draws implications from these findings for future research and practice in the field of EEPs.     

The effects of diversity on business performance: Report of the diversity research network

This article summarizes the results and conclusions reached in studies of the relationships between race and gender diversity and business performance carried out in four large firms by a research consortium known as the Diversity Research Network. These researchers were asked by the BOLD Initiative to conduct this research to test arguments regarding the “business case” for diversity. Few positive or negative direct effects of diversity on performance were observed. Instead a number of different aspects of the organizational context and some group processes moderated diversity‐performance relationships. This suggests a more nuanced view of the “business case” for diversity may be appropriate. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Clarifying the construct of human resource systems: Relating human resource management to employee performance

Strategic human resource management researchers have strongly advocated a system perspective and provided considerable evidence that certain systems of human resource practices have a significant impact on individual and organizational performance. Yet, challenges of understanding the construct of human resource systems still remain in the literature. Specifically, few efforts have been made to explicate the internal fit in human resource systems referring to how the practices in human resource systems work together. For the purpose of clarifying human resource systems construct, we review the components of human resource systems and delineate how the parts of human resource systems work together to influence employee performance. Theoretical and empirical implications for future research are also discussed.     

For the greater good: business networks and business social responsibility to communities

Business networks (co-operative arrangements between independent business organizations) may be the signature organizational form of the contemporary global economy. Many policy-makers and local leaders advocate business network membership as an alternative development strategy for regional economic vitality. The extant literature on business networks has focused on their association with business success. However, little is known about their impact on other aspects of community life. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the role of network membership on one non-economic dimension of the business community interface. We examined the relationship between business network membership and business social responsibility to communities, defined as the provision of leadership and support for community betterment projects. Data were gathered from telephone interviews with a random sample of 460 non-metro small business operators in the USA. Independent t-tests and ordinary least squares regression analyses controlling for theoretically important variables were conducted. Findings show that networked businesses provide more leadership and support for their communities than non-networked businesses. However, networked businesses were no more likely than non-networked businesses to use local suppliers of goods and services.     

The integration–differentiation puzzle: a resource-capability perspective in international human resource management

This paper is concerned with the management of the human resource agenda in international business. It begins by examining the critical question of how to balance the organizational need for co-ordination and control (integration) at the centre and the increasing pressures for sensitivity and flexibility (differentiation) at the subsidiary or unit level. A resource-capability (RC) view is then offered to re-examine the integration–differentiation (IN–DI) debate, proposing how firms might resolve some of the dilemmas inherent in IN–Dl decisions by cultivating their stock of knowledge and expertise. This perspective also enables us to assess the underlying paradigmatic foundation upon which strategic decisions in international human resource management are based.     

Waiting for innovation in the human resources department: Godot implements a human resource information system

The implementation of a new human resource information system (HRIS) represents a major form of planned organizational change for the Human Resource function, yet little research has been conducted on this issue. This article presents a longitudinal case study of the reactions of the Human Resource community in a large energy company to the planned implementation of a new corporate HRIS. Implementing an HRIS to enhance strategic and business decision-making has important organizational development implications. A new HRIS (1) represents an attempt to enable Human Resources to become more of a business partner, (2) changes the nature of HR work to encompass a greater information broker and decision support role, and (3) alters power dynamics and communication patterns involving Human Resources. Varying levels of resistance and ambivalence were found regarding the extent to which human resource information systems skills were valued as a critical competency. While there is a trend, toward attitudinal convergence within the human resource community, over time, the results suggest that user skill level may be more strongly related to variance in attitudes toward the value of a new HRIS than to hierarchical level or business unit affiliation. The study also found that face-to-face seminars were a significantly more effective intervention than was written communication in influencing favorable intention to use the HRIS.     

Exploring the potential of SMEs to build individual,organizational, and community resilience through sustainability-oriented business practices

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can have significant resources, capacities, and influence in their communities, suggesting they have the potential to be agents for transformative sustainability. However, SMEs will need to move beyond firm-centered sustainable business practices towards strategic approaches that encompass and contribute to resilience-building processes. Amid the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, we explored what types of sustainable business practices of SMEs can contribute to individual, organizational, and community resilience. We identified six clusters of practice that are important in this regard. The clusters are not solely technical or “environmental” but rather illustrative of deeper sustainable values shaped by organizational structure, culture, and behavior. This paper suggests that SMEs can pursue transformative approaches to sustainability that are more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable and better able to withstand shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and can be significant contributors to community resilience. We conclude with a series of future research priorities critical to examine a largely unexplored nexus in the private sector, the linkages and dynamics between sustainability practice, resilience building, and broader community pathways.     

Organizational achievement values,high‐involvement work practices,and business unit performance

This study examines the relationships among organizational achievement values, high‐involvement work practices (HIWP), and business unit performance. Specifically, we examine whether HIWP mediate or moderate the effect of achievement values on retail store performance. Using data collected at three points in time from more than 1,000 employees, we found support for the mediation model. The article concludes with directions for future research and implications for management practice. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Transnational networking and business performance: Ethnic entrepreneurs in Canada

It is generally acknowledged that transnational networking plays an important role in promoting the performance of ethnic entrepreneurial firms. Yet distinctions between the different types of transnational networking and their effects on business performance have received scant attention in the literature, probably because ethnicity has been considered to be the main actor in the networking–performance relationship. This paper argues that one of the reasons why business performance differs across ethnic entrepreneurial firms is that ethnic entrepreneurs engage in dissimilar types of transnational networking. Analyses of the data generated by 720 ethnic entrepreneurs in Canada revealed that ethnicity, along with human capital and push/pull factors, both of which are part of our conceptual framework, plays a central role in the engagement of different types of transnational networking and that the different types of transnational networking affect business turnover (sales) and business survival (age). Push/pull factors were found to play a marginal role in business performance. These results highlight the competitive market that immigrants and members of ethnic minority groups encounter in the hosting economy and stress the value of transnational networking.     

Inclusion climate: A multilevel investigation of its antecedents and consequences

This study investigates the antecedents and consequences of organization‐level inclusion climate. A national sample of human resource decision‐makers from 100 organizations described their firms' formal diversity management programs; 3,229 employees reported their perceptions of, and reactions to, their employers' diversity management. Multilevel analyses demonstrate that identity‐conscious programs (programs that target specific identity groups) generate an inclusion climate. Moreover, the analyses provide evidence of multilevel mediation: In organizations with an inclusion climate, individual employees perceive the organization as fulfilling its diversity management obligations and respond with higher levels of affective commitment. This study represents an important step toward understanding how a shared perception of organizational inclusiveness develops and how inclusion climate facilitates the achievement of diversity management objectives. The findings also shed light on the important role of identity‐conscious programs in promoting organizational commitment within a diverse workforce.     

Ethnic diversity,corruption and ethical climates in sub-Saharan Africa: recognizing the significance of human resource management

Most experts agree that human resource management plays a critical role in furthering ethics. The human resource management function can play an instrumental role in creating an ethical culture. However, a literature review shows that researchers have mostly ignored ethics in the African context. Given the growing importance of Africa in terms of global trade, it is critical to study ethics on the continent. This paper documents an exploratory study of ethical climates in sub-Saharan Africa. We develop propositions linking key social institutional factors, i.e. ethnic diversity and corruption, with three types of ethical climate, i.e. self-interest, benevolence and principle. The propositions are empirically investigated using a qualitative case study approach in five companies in Nigeria and South Africa. The results provide varying support for these propositions and highlight the critical role that both the national context and the organizational context play in shaping ethical climates in companies. Furthermore, given the role of human resource management in managing both ethnic diversity and ethics, we discuss the implications of our results for this critical management function.     

How does a diversity climate shape the relationship between demographic diversity and organizational social capital in the U.S. federal government?

Although intergroup conflict caused by demographic differences in organizations disrupts social interactions between employees, little empirical research has been conducted to understand how to effectively manage demographic diversity in the public workforces. By combining two theories of diversity and inclusion, this article explores the independent and joint effects of three dimensions of demographic diversity (gender, race, and age) and a diversity climate on organizational social capital in the US federal government. Statistical analysis shows a negative relationship between age diversity and organizational social capital and a contrasting positive relationship between a diversity climate and social capital. More important, the diversity climate as a key moderator conditions the impact of racial diversity and age diversity on social capital. The findings suggest the importance of a supportive diversity climate in improving the quality of social relationships within demographically diverse organizations.     

Effective teamwork at the top: the evidence from China

Effective teamwork is an important topic of human resource management, and how top-level managers work effectively as a team is critical to business success. Prior research indicates that the diverse background of top managers influences the effectiveness of their teamwork, and the effects of top management team (TMT) diversity on organizational innovation varies. In this study, we propose that functional team dynamics plays a crucial role in facilitating TMT effectiveness. On the basis of a sample of Chinese firms, our findings support the distinction between demographic and network diversities and the moderating effect of functional team dynamics on TMT diversity–firm innovation relationships.     

Employment equity,human resource development and institution building in South Africa

The process of economic and social reconstruction in South Africa (SA) has harnessed capital, organized labour and state agencies in emergent tripartite macro-policy forums; in particular, the National Economic Development and Labour Commission. Public policy on human resource development, affirmative action and diversity issues is increasingly an outcome of negotiations in these structures. However, although significant legislative developments on these issues are envisaged in the near future, institutional adaptation has not been adequately researched. The apartheid state was constructed on the ideological basis of ethnic fragmentation rationalized by ethnic and cultural diversity. At the same time, diversity is a social reality in building common national and organizational goals, symbols and identity.

This paper discusses structural and labour market factors associated with the process of employment equity and diversity management in South African organizations. A research project, the Breakwater Monitor, at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, has established a national database covering some one million employees, which enables benchmarking of company and sectoral practices in regard to affirmative action, diversity policy, training and development and skills formation. The project has also begun to track diversity representation at all levels across major sectors longitudinally, using a common job evaluation standard for comparability. The project considers both quantitative and qualitative factors in human resource development. Findings from this project are presented and discussed in the context of human resource development.     

Identification of values relevant to business research

In the face of increasing global competition, Human Resource (HR) professionals have been charged with ensuring that their organizations' human assets are adding the maximum value to products and services. One way to do this is to make an effective match between individual values and those that the organization espouses and requires. This article suggests that advances in maximizing human assets are being impeded because HR professionals lack a meaningful vocabulary with which to discuss values. Lists or taxonomies of values currently in the literature (Allport, G. W., Vernon, P. E., & Lindzey, G. (1960). A study of values. Boston: Houghton Mifflin; England, G. W. (1967). The manager and his values: An international perspective from the United States, Japan, Korea, India, and Australia. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger; Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. New York: The Free Press) are not framed in the common language of contemporary business. This article presents an alternative list of values derived from interviews with representatives from the business community including senior HR managers and executive recruitment professionals. The implications of this empirically derived list of value statements for the management of human resources are discussed, including the integration of HR and strategic functions and applications within traditional HR practices.     

Increasing perceived work meaningfulness by implementing psychological need-satisfying performance management practices

To further investigate the relationship between human resource practices and organizational performance, research suggests focusing on psychological employee outcomes. In this paper, it is proposed that the positive psychological concept of work meaningfulness constitutes a mediator between human resource practices and performance which is worth investigating. The author argues that performance management practices can potentially lead to an increase in employees' perceived work meaningfulness, if they focus on satisfying the three psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Based on findings from research focusing on performance management trends, goal setting, performance appraisal, performance feedback, and self-determination theory, the paper suggests a new perspective on how to incorporate concepts rooted in the science of positive psychology in performance management practices to contribute to positive workplace outcomes such as well-being and performance.