Strategic management of human resources in the multinational enterprise

The efficient operation of a multinational enterprise is contingent upon the availability and effective utilization of numerous strategic resources—technology, capital, know-how, and people. It is my contention that human power is a key ingredient to the successful operation of a multinational, without which all the other aforementioned resources could not be effectively and efficiently utilized or transferred from corporate headquarters to the various subsidiaries in the world; hence the need for multinationals to devote greater attention to the strategic management of human resources as part of the overall planning and control process in a firm. This article identifies the most common pitfalls to human resource planning in U.S. multinationals and offers guidelines for the development of a paradigm for the strategic management of human resources in the multinational enterprise.     

战略性国际人力资源管理初论——以A公司为例分析

全球化的趋势促使跨国企业内部的人力资源跨国移转，为能有快速有效的当地反应以达成企业跨国经营的目标，国际人力资源管理必须提升到战略的层次来探讨，并将它与环境因素、国际经营战略结合，才能赢得持久性的胜利。国际人力资源管理是跨国企业海外经营成功的重要保证，它是跨国企业非常值得研究的议题。本文以宝钢为例进行分析，抛砖引玉，以求有所裨益。     

A theory-based framework for strategic global human resource staffing policies and practices

As multinational enterprises increasingly globalize their operations, managing international human resources strategically becomes a critical factor contributing to overall organizational performance. The strategic management of international human resources has received extensive attention, focusing on staffing issues related to expatriate assignments. However, empirical findings indicate limited success of expatriation as an effective method for managing the breadth of international human resource opportunities. As market opportunities increasingly shift to countries with high cultural distance from the parent organization and as organizations evolve their strategic orientation from multinational to global activities, it appears that an exclusive reliance on expatriation-based staffing will impede effective management of international human resources staffing. The objective of this article is to review and clarify a theory base that can support a range of international human resource staffing systems that might be implemented in a global environment. This discussion uses the combined perspective of agency and expectancy theories and discusses conditions under which specific strategic staffing choices might be most effective.     

国有建筑企业战略人力资源管理系统构建研究

简要介绍了国有建筑企业人力资源管理存在的问题,并引入了战略人力资源管理理论。在基于企业发展战略的角度,构建了国有建筑企业战略人力资源管理系统模型。重点介绍了国有建筑企业战略人力资源管理系统的四个子系统以及它们之间的内在关系。     

An integrative framework of strategic international human resource management

The globalization of business is making it more important than ever to understand how multinational enterprises (MNEs) can operate more effectively. A major component of this understanding appears to be the field of human resource management and, in particular, the field of international human resource management (Brewster, 1991; Hendry, 1992; Desatnick and Bennett, 1978; Dowling, 1986; Dowling and Schuler, 1990; Evans, 1986; Evans, 1989; Laurent, 1986; Tung, 1984). The trend over the past few years has been to identify the linkage of human resource management with strategy and offer an understanding of how single country or domestic human resource management can facilitate organizational understanding and effectiveness (Wright and McMahan, 1992). In this article we attempt to extend this line of work into the international arena. We do this by offering a framework of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM). Anchoring SIHRM in the strategic components of MNEs, namely their interunit linkages and internal operations, strategic aspects of international human resource management are described. Using several theoretical bases, numerous propositions are offered. These propositions reflect the single and multiple influence of the strategic components of MNEs and several exogenous and endogenous factors on SIHRM. The intention is to offer a framework that can serve both academics and practitioners in furthering our understanding of strategic international human resource management.     

Auditing Human Resource Management in the Global Environment

The globalization of business is making it increasingly important to understand how multinational enterprises (MNEs) can operate more effectively. Human resource management can be a critical determinant of corporate effectiveness, particularly as it plays out in the global arena. This article discusses how MNEs enhance their ability to utilize human resources and internal labour markets for competitive advantage through audits of the international human resource management (IHRM) function. A multidimensional auditing framework is developed and applied to the strategic aspects of IHRM in MNEs and international joint ventures.     

浅谈知识经济时代勘察企业人力资源管理

知识经济条件下,人力资源已成为企业发展的关键性战略资源.文中在分析了知识经济时代人力资源的内涵基础上阐述了人力资源管理的特征和意义,然后以勘察企业为例,探索加快企业后备力量的培养、已有人力资源的配置、完善企业激励机制及营造一个优质高效企业团队.     

An investigation into international assignment directions of R&D MNE employees: evidence from Greece

In this study, we explore the effects of the roles of research and development (R&D) laboratories, roles of subsidiaries and level of technological intensity of the sector in which multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiaries operate on international assignment directions of R&D employees. International assignments are an underinvestigated issue in the international human resource management literature despite its significant research and managerial importance. In particular, to the best of our knowledge, no prior research on international assignments of R&D employees has been undertaken and so the current study aims at filling this void in the literature. Based on a large quantitative research on MNE subsidiaries operating in Greece, the findings suggest that variables of the aforementioned categories of factors influence different international assignment directions, with roles of the R&D subsidiary exerting the most crucial effect. Researchers may examine the unexplored issue of R&D employee international assignments to a larger extent, while MNE management can particularly take into account the micro (laboratory) context of R&D international assignees when developing effective international human resource management programmes.     

浅谈如何提高人力资源的开发与管理

在市场竞争环境下,人力资源作为企业的战略性资源越来越得到决策层的重视,而如何提升现有人力资源的潜能和主观能动性,使资源效益最大化,成为人力资源管理部门关注和研究的课题,本文从"引才、用才、留才"等几个方面浅谈了人力资源的开发与管理。     

The emergence of the pluralism construct and the inpatriation process

The concept of centric (i.e. ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric and geocentric) orientations, applied to strategic international human resource management (SIHRM), has been argued to reflect the corporate top management dominant logic of managing and staffing multinational subsidiaries in hierarchical multinational corporations (MNCs). In this paper, we introduce a new, complementary concept of pluralistic strategic global human resource management (SGHRM) orientation for network-oriented global organizations. Moreover, we develop an integrative framework for SIHRM/SGHRM orientations, which accommodates both centric and pluralistic perspectives. The dimensions used in the framework development include: 1) nature of the headquarters-subsidiary exchange (transactional/relational); and 2) the differentiation of dominant relational norms governing co-operation in the multinational network (obligatory/consensual). By focusing on the interaction between formal and informal contractual and normative dimensions, we derive four distinct SIHRM/SGHRM orientations (exportive, adaptive, integrative and pluralistic). This conceptual framework offers insights into how the innovative global staffing practice of inpatriation may foster the emergence of the unique outcomes of social capital, trust, commitment and legitimacy in global networks.     

中国石油企业战略人力资源管理探究

中国石油企业加强战略人力资源管理对企业持续有效发展起着至关重要的作用。从战略人力资源管理的含义入手,结合石油企业当前人力资源管理现状,分析中国石油企业战略人力资源管理存在的问题,提出当前中国石油企业战略人力资源管理对策。     

International human resource policies and practices in japanese,european, and united states multinationals

This article presents the results of a survey comparing international human resource policies and practices in Japanese, European, and United States multinational companies. The survey focused on the use of expatriates over local nationals in overseas management positions, adoption of nonethnocentric policies, and incidence of international human resource management problems. Regression analysis using the entire sample indicated that ethnocentric staffing and policies are associated with higher incidence of international human resource management problems. Also, Japanese companies as a group are shown to have more ethnocentric staffing practices and policies, and they experience more international human resource management problems than do American and European firms.     

A strategic contingency approach to expatriate assignment management

This exploratory study examines how expatriate management practices differ with respect to three international management strategies (local, centralised or global) in 27 mature multinational corporations. In particular, this study examines the categories of expatriate assignments, the strategic integration of expatriate assignments into leadership development and the types of human resource practices that firms utilise to manage expatriates. Results indicate that organisations differentially assign expatriates based on the firm's respective international management strategy. Firms with a global management strategy made greater use of developmental expatriates, had a greater number of senior managers with expatriate experience and had a stronger focus on leadership development through expatriation. Firms did not differ with respect to their use of expatriate management practices based on their international management strategy.     

民营中小企业管理意识提升前提下的人力资源管理对策分析

民营中小企业在经济发展中发挥了越来越重要的作用,但在发展过程中往往忽略战略管理,缺少完善的人力资源管理体系,在一定程序上制约了企业的发展。本文拟从人力资源管理角度对问题进行探讨,找出相应对策。     

跨文化背景下国际企业人力资源管理研究

国际企业人力资源管理是目前人力资源管理研究的一个热点领域。人力资源管理理论具有深层次的文化内涵,文化差异通过人们行为对组织效率和竞争力的影响是十分巨大和不可回避的。在人力资源日益成为国际企业核心竞争力的今天,国际企业的人力资源管理者应积极探索跨文化调适的有效措施和方法来消除文化差异的负面影响,以促进企业可持续发展。     

The ‘newcomer’ MNC and the re-organization of national industrial relations actor network: the case of the Finnish food-retailing sector

This article looks at the institutional-level negotiations and configurations between a ‘newcomer’ multinational, the trade union and the association of employers. Developing a relational approach based on Actor Network Theory, the article goes beyond the currently used convergence and divergence perspectives by looking at the effect of MNCs on human resource and industrial relations systems as a process of re-organizing identities and power positions of the actors. A qualitative study on the case of the entry of the first international company (Lidl) into the Finnish food-retailing sector suggests that an international company tends to become positioned as an authorial representative of the global market forces, superior to the national actors. A closer analysis reveals, however, that the trade union is granted with some strategic discretion in the emerging actor network whereas the association of employers appears as the least powerful actor in the evolving configuration. At a general level, the analysis of the Finnish case underlines the importance of examining the MNC effect from a theoretical perspective that pays full attention to the complexities and particulars of the process. Implications for internationally oriented human resource management and industrial relations research are discussed.     

浅论战略人力资源管理的价值原理

企业在发展过程中,人力资源发挥着重要的作用。为此,熟悉了解战略人力资源管理对组织价值创造的贡献原理,在一定程度上有利于组织开展人力资源管理工作。通过获取和保持恰当的人力资源,使之与人力资源管理战略相互匹配,进一步对战略人力资源进行管理,通过激发员工潜能,进而为企业组织创造价值。     

In search of the changing role of the corporate human resource function in the international firm

There has been considerable research on the issues of board-level representation by personnel/HR directors and senior HR managers' involvement in strategic decision making. Since the early 1990s there has been a growing interest in international HRM, reflecting the growing recognition that the effective management of human resources internationally is a major determinant of success or failure in international business. There is also evidence that HR constraints often limit the effective implementation of international business strategies. More recently, it has been argued that the more rapid pace of internationalization and globalization leads to a more strategic role for HRM as well as changes in the content of HRM. Yet, while there have been some attempts to integrate international corporate strategy and human resource strategy, surprisingly, the role of the corporate human resources function has been neglected, particularly in the context of the international firm. This article seeks to redress the balance. The question addressed is: what is the role of the corporate HR function in the international firm? To answer these questions empirical research was conducted in thirty UK international firms. We found an emerging agenda for corporate HR in international firms which focuses on senior management development, succession planning and developing a cadre of international managers. We conceptualize this as a strategic concern with developing the core management competences of the organization, and argue that it can be usefully analysed from the perspective of the learning organization.     

Managerial mindset as the mechanism of the country-of-origin effect: evidence from Chinese multinational enterprises’ approach to employer associations

The country-of-origin effect (COE) on employment practices in multinational enterprises (MNEs) has become an important area of international human resource management research. However, research on the mechanisms of the COE, a fundamental and critical aspect of the country-of-origin phenomenon, is scant. This study seeks to empirically explore the mechanisms through which country-of-origin influences Chinese MNEs’ approach to host-country employer associations. Analysis of qualitative data from 13 Chinese MNEs revealed that country of origin affected the approach of Chinese MNEs to host-country employer associations in the form of transfer of managerial norms. It also revealed that it was the mindset of those home-country nationals who were key decision-makers at subsidiaries that enabled the COE in Chinese MNEs. This paper highlights the importance for future studies of international strategic human resources management to pay attention to micro-foundations of cross-border practice transfer and to incorporate analyses of managerial cognition in the investigation of MNEs’ management practices.     

基于人力资源培训的竞争优势——中国企业集团人力资源培训的动因及实证分析

作为企业获取持续竞争优势的工具,人力资源管理在新经济时代面临着诸如经济全球化、社会知识化、信息网络化、人口城市化以及企业管理广泛变革等方面的挑战,从而使得战略性人力资源管理、全球化企业人力资源管理的趋势愈加明显,并引起了一些新的人力资源管理问题。我们清楚地看到:越来越多的企业重视人力资源管理,并开始全面提升企业的人力资源能力。本文通过问卷调查采集了31家企业集团的人力资源培训方面的数据,从人力资源培训政策、预算、培训时间、优先程度和培训原因、考核方法等方面分析了中国企业集团人力资源管理的现状。在此基础上,应用主因子分析方法对影响人力资源培训与开发的动因进行了研究,揭示了战略人力资源培训在中国企业集团成长中的作用和进一步发展的方向。