Mentoring and expressive network resources: their relationship with career success and emotional exhaustion among Hellenes employees involved in emotion work

Although mentoring has been identified as an important career resource for protégés in the Anglo-Saxon cultural cluster, pertinent research in other cultures is still scarce. The relationship of mentoring and expressive network resources with protégés' career success and emotional exhaustion was investigated in a sample of 104 Hellenes (Greek) bank employees performing frontline service jobs. The number of mentors that respondents reported they have had was related to their extrinsic career success. However, currently having a mentor was not related to intrinsic career success and was marginally related to emotional exhaustion. In contrast, the amount of expressive network resources was strongly related to both intrinsic career success and emotional exhaustion. The results are discussed with respect to extant research, the national cultural context of the study and the cross-cultural transferability of human resource systems. The general tentative conclusion is that relationships with mentors and expressive network resources appear to be important resources for employees across cultures, but the relative potency of their benefits is influenced by the national cultural characteristics.     

An empirical test of a correspondence model of expatriate managers' work adjustment

We develop and empirically test a model of expatriate managers' work adjustment. In this model we relate the fit between work-related abilities and needs of expatriate managers as well as the fit between the job requirements of, and incentives associated with, an international assignment to the level of expatriate managers' work adjustment. We test this model with data gathered by means of an electronic survey among 118 German expatriate managers. The empirical findings largely support our theoretical model. The paper enhances our understanding of expatriate managers' work adjustment and its antecedents and contributes to the theoretical and empirical basis of research into expatriate management.     

Innovation in work practices: a practice perspective

Dynamic capability theory argues that organizations' internal capabilities enable sustained competitive advantage. Innovations in work practices (commonly termed ‘high performance’, ‘high commitment’ or ‘high involvement’ practices) are an important source of these internal capabilities but research evidence shows low levels of penetration. Using a practice perspective, case study analysis of 7 establishments in the aerospace sector identifies three themes that are under-attended to in current research on innovations in work practices: industry and production context; distributed nature of management activity, and social embeddedness. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Labour flexibility and job market segmentation in Spain: a perspective from the labour demand side

The aim of this research is to conduct a quantitative analysis of the factors leading Spanish companies to adopt certain forms of organization that are typical of flexible businesses and high performance organizations. Despite the supposed inflexibility of the Spanish labour market, the results both point towards the high capacity of Spanish companies to select the form of work organization that best suits them and show the key role that competitive strategy plays when it comes to differentiating or segmenting types of work or workers, over and above the rigid working regulations that, purportedly, standardize labour relations in Spain.     

A cross-national study of work engagement as a mediator between job resources and proactive behaviour

This study investigates the mediating role of work engagement (i.e. vigour and dedication) among job resources (i.e. job control, feedback and variety) and proactive behaviour at work. This mediating role was investigated, using Structural Equation Modelling in two independent samples from Spain (n = 386 technology employees) and the Netherlands (n = 338 telecom managers). Results in both samples confirmed that work engagement fully mediates the impact of job resources on proactive behaviour. Subsequent multigroup analyses revealed that the strengths of the structural paths of the mediation model were invariant across both national samples, underscoring the cross-national validity of the model     

Employee commitment in MNCs: Impacts of organizational culture,HRM and top management orientations

This article tests a model of organizational commitment in multinational corporations (MNCs). According to the model, organizational culture and human resource management (HRM) affect employee commitment directly as well as indirectly through top management team orientations. Szpecifically, we examined the effect of top management team global orientation and geocentric orientation, which are seen as contributing uniquely to employee commitment in MNCs. The model was tested on a sample of 1664 core employees working in 39 affiliates of 10 MNCs. We found strong overall support for the model. In particular, organizational culture characterized by high adaptability and a HRM system characterized by high performance work practices were found to have a significant and direct effect on employee commitment. In addition, we found that the effect of these traditional elements of the human organization is partially mediated through top management orientations, specific to international firms. The validity and generalizability of these results are reinforced by the control of a set of demographic variables as well as nationality of parent company.     

Characterising human resources management practices in Portugal: an empirical analysis

The importance of human resources as a fundamental channel towards the competitiveness and sustainability of firms is now theoretically unchallenged. This article provides an overall characterisation of the main human resources management (HRM) practices implemented in Portugal and compares them with the benchmark models proposed in the literature.

To evaluate the degree to which HRM practices diverge from these benchmark models, this article relies on the analysis of five criteria: i) How do the main HRM practices fit the existing management models (familiar, professional or mixed); ii) How does the HRM conform to a work organisation of the matricial type; iii) To identify whether the role of HRM is essentially administrative or strategic; iv) To identify where the responsibility for HRM lies within the firms operating in Portugal; and v) To characterise the relation between HRM and work organisation in Portugal.

Drawing on a representative sample of firms operating in Portugal, we identify three clusters that allow us to characterise and analyse the stylised HRM practices implemented in Portugal (network-based, familiar-based or bureaucratised). Results show contrasting management patterns, which can be interpreted as different stages of evolution in terms of HRM practices in Portugal.     

Visibility in the workplace: still an essential ingredient for career success?

This article explores the extent to which a variety of different absences from the workplace affect perceptions of employee commitment and loyalty, and ultimately, how this ‘temporary invisibility’ might affect career success. Data were derived from 40 interviews (12 women and 28 men) in a public sector agency in Australia. Findings reveal that absences attract substantial career penalties for many employees, not only in relation to gendered flexible work options such as part-time employment and parental leave, but also traditionally uncontested entitlements such as annual and long service leave.     

HR practices and New Zealand firm performance: what matters and who does it?

We examine the impact of human resource practices, especially those considered as parts of high performance work systems, on firm performance. The analysis is unique in using data from an economy-wide official survey to determine whether firms that adopt high performance HR practices perform better than their rivals. We find that adoption of a suite of high performance practices (and adoption of specific practices pertaining to staff training and performance pay) has a causal impact on firm outcomes. The strength of the relationships differs by firm size and age. Firms that adopt high performance practices are predominantly young and in high-tech related sectors.