...Is Best Practice Dead? Abstract In the light of globalization, HRM becoming from being a mere support function to one of strategic importance and researchers have argued that HRM policies and practices are more significant because they can act as mechanisms for co-ordination and control of international operations. Meanwhile, “best practice” on HRM has been acknowledged to constitute a major constraint when MNCs try to implement global strategies, mainly because of the different cultural and institutional framework of each country in which the MNC operates. Some even argue that best practice is dead. This essay will examine that although best fit play an important role in the practice of strategic HR management, best practice is still valuable in the context of a multinational corporation (MNC). Introduction In the light of globalization, HRM is evolving from being a mere support function to one of strategic importance and researchers have argued that HRM policies and practices are more significant because they can act as mechanisms for co-ordination and control of international operations. Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) involves the development of a consistent, aligned collection of practices, strategies and policies to facilitate the achievement of the organization’ strategic objectives (Mello, 2002). The theory of SHRM does, actually, advocate two ways of linking HRM to strategy. The “best fit” approach is associated with the contingency approaches....
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...Int. J. of Human Resource Management 18:1 January 2007 147– 158 HRM practices in Egypt: the influence of national context? Mike Leat and Ghada El-Kot Abstract In this paper we present the findings of a study which collected data on a range of HRM practices normally used in 58 Egyptian organizations operating in Egypt. The range of practices is concerned with job descriptions, recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, performance appraisal and employment security. We examine and discuss these practices in the Egyptian context. The dimensions of the Egyptian environment which we examine include: the socio-cultural context, Islam, the vocational education and training system and elements of the economic and legal environment. The practices and approaches being used by the sample organizations appear to be the product of both culture bound and culture free influences. The main contributions of the study are that it provides much needed information on the HRM practices and approaches being adopted by Egyptian-owned organizations in the early part of the 21st century and provides support for the influence of national context on the HRM practices pursued by indigenous organizations. Keywords Egypt; HRM practices; Islam; institutional context; culture. Introduction: HRM practices and national context Against a background of the increasing internationalization of business, globalization of markets and cross-national activity by multinational...
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...DigitalCommons@ILR. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visiting Fellow Working Papers by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@ILR. For more information, please contact jdd10@cornell.edu. The Role of Corporate HR Funcitons in MNCs: The Interplay Between Corporate, Regional/National and Plant Level Abstract The HR literature has been abundant in providing typologies of the roles of HR professionals in their organisation. These typologies are largely related to the changing nature of HRM over time, and the context in which empirical work was carried out. In this paper we focus on the context of the increasing internationalisation of firms and how this has an effect upon modern-day typologies of HR roles. We explore these roles by focusing on the way in which HRM practices come about. Especially in a MNC setting of increasing internationalisation of firms the issues of coordination, shared learning and standardisation versus leeway for adapting to the local context (customisation) are prominent. These issues present themselves both at the corporate and regional level and at the national and local (plant) level. On all these levels HR practitioners are active and find themselves amidst the interplay of both (de-)centralisation and standardisation versus customisation...
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...MANAGEMENT (HRM) UNIT 10 SHRM, SESSION 2 P R E PA R E D B Y: M S S H A B N A M Unit 10 SHRM, Prepared By: Ms. SHABNAM LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this session students will be able to: Understand the HRM system Explore various models of HRM To gain an understanding in relation to the application of the various HRM models within organisations Unit 10 SHRM, Prepared By: Ms. SHABNAM HRM SYSTEM HRM system operates through HR systems that bring together in a coherent way: HR philosophies describing the overarching values and guiding principles adopted in managing people HR strategies defining the direction in which HRM intends to go HR policies which are the guidelines defining how these values, principles and the strategies should be applied and implemented in specific areas HR processes consisting of the formal procedures and methods used to put HR strategic plans and policies into effect HR practices comprising the informal approaches used in managing people HR programmes which enable HR strategies, policies and practices to be implemented according to the plan Unit 10 SHRM, Prepared By: Ms. SHABNAM VARIOUS MODELS OF HRM The Harvard Framework Guest’s Model of HRM Best Practice Model Storey’s Hard and Soft HRM Patterson’s Model of HRM Best Fit/Contingency Model Unit 10 SHRM, Prepared By: Ms SHABNAM Theoretical Perspectives on HRM The HRM models: Provide an analytical framework for studying HRM Legitimate certain HRM practices Establish...
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...Course Structure 4 4 Learning Objectives 5 5 Study Materials and Resources 6 6 Teaching and Learning Strategy 6 7 Assessment 7 International Human Resource Management 2 University of London Course Introduction and Overview Centre for Financial and Management Studies 3 1 Course Objectives This course aims to introduce you to the study and practice of International Human Resource Management (IHRM). To benefit from this, you need, of course, to have a basic understanding of Human Resource Management (HRM) itself. HRM has developed from personnel management, but instead of concentrating primarily on the hiring and firing of staff, it is the strategic and coherent approach to the overall management of an organisation’s most valued assets – the people working there who contribute to the objectives of the business1. Its main aim is to develop personnel policies that improve employee relations at work. This course will, therefore, begin with an examination of the history and nature of Human Resource Management, before embedding it in its international context. In Unit 1, you will learn about the main tasks involved in HRM: • human resource planning • job...
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...HRM in an MNE Human Resource Management involves a broad set of managerial activities focused on developing and maintaining a qualified workforce in ways that contribute to an effective organization. HRM is becoming more important every day and requires dedicated employees who can balance legal and ethical issues for organizations to be successful; which result from the importance of people as a source of competitive advantage. For a company to produce its goods and services in a productive manner, HRM accommodates employees with the right skills and training, and provide them with an environment in which they can make a powerful impact (Denisi/Griffin, 2012). Compare and contrast two main differences between domestic and international HRM. One main difference between domestic and international HRM is that staff are transferred to different countries to work various roles within the international company’s foreign operations; these employees are called expatriates, who temporarily work and live in a foreign country. For a human resource department to operate in international HRM, they must participate in a variety of activities, such as international taxation, administrative services for expatriates, and services for language translation (Dowling/Festing/Engle, 2013). The second difference between domestic and international HRM, is that IHRM requires a greater involvement in the personal life of the employees. The HRM are responsible for making sure the expatriate understands...
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...STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: THREE-STAGE PROCESS AND INFLUENCING ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS Sandeep Krishnan Personnel and Industrial Relations Area D-18, Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015, Gujarat, India. Email: sandeepk@iimahd.ernet.in Tel: ++91-79-26327816 Fax: ++91-79-26306896 Manjari Singh Personnel and Industrial Relations Area Wing 12-D, Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015, Gujarat, India. Email: manjari@iimahd.ernet.in Tel: ++91-79-26324914 Fax: ++91-79-26306896 1 Abstract: A three-stage model for the process of strategic human resource management is developed in this paper. The three stages cover strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation. The inter-linkages in this dynamic model have been explored. The organisational factors that have enabling or deterring influence on the success of each of these three stages have been discussed. The paper highlights the key role played by HR professionals in these three stages. 2 STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: THREE-STAGE PROCESS AND INFLUENCING ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS Organisations are increasingly looking at human resources as a unique asset that can provide sustained competitive advantage. The changes in the business environment with increasing globalisation, changing demographics of the workforce, increased focus on profitability through growth, technological changes, intellectual capital and the never-ending changes that organisations are...
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...cultural contexts that shape what strategic human resource management practices are possible in Ghina. A detailed review of the main components of the high-performance work systems model suggests that when they are introduced into the Ghinese socioeconomic and political context, the cost-benefit calculus for high-performance work system human resource management practices is different from that in the U.S. context. Yet, in our review of Ghina-based strategic human resource management research we find the expected positive relationship between high-performance work systems and organizational performance in companies operating in Ghina. We conclude with a case example to illustrate how Ghinese firms might be both adopting and adapting the high-performance work system model to better fit their current cultural and economic context. T he Study of strategic human resource management (SHRM) emerged out of researchers' interests in understanding the relationship between human resource management and organizational performance (Delery & Doty, 1996; Kaufman, 2007). Since the late 1980s, most research evidence in this vein has been collected from firms located in the United States (see Combs, Liu, Hall, &. Ketchen, 2006; Huselid & Becker, 2011; Kaufman & Miller, 2011; Lepak & Shaw, 2009; Lengnick-Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrale, & Drake, 2009). In the last decade, however, researchers have expanded their scope of inquiry to examine SHRM practices in other national contexts. Such research...
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...2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter you should be able to •• describe the basic characteristics of culture and explain how cultural dimensions can be used in global HRM, •• describe how the institutions of society can shape HRM policies and procedures, •• discuss the possibility of the convergence of HRM across countries, •• explain how the heritage of state socialism continues to influence the context of HRM in transition economies, and •• discuss the effects of cultural and institutional context on the HRM role and on employee expectations. 23 24 ESSENTIALS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Springtime in Paris As she savored the last bite of her croissant, Martha Pereaux, HR director for C3 Technologies, thought about how she would approach her latest “cross-cultural collision,” as she had come to think of them. In the year since she had moved to Paris from Houston, there had been many, but none quite as bizarre as this one. Martha had taken the big promotion to head up the HR division of the joint venture between Houston-based SuperChem and the French company. C3 developed technology for the oil industry, primarily new types of concrete that formed the barrier wall for offshore oil and gas wells. The joint venture was meant to take on the likes of the giant Schlumberger on its own turf and compete with them for valuable technical staff. Everyone said she was the perfect choice, having grown up in a bilingual family in Canada...
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...STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: THREE-STAGE PROCESS AND INFLUENCING ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS Sandeep Krishnan Personnel and Industrial Relations Area D-18, Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015, Gujarat, India. Email: sandeepk@iimahd.ernet.in Tel: ++91-79-26327816 Fax: ++91-79-26306896 Manjari Singh Personnel and Industrial Relations Area Wing 12-D, Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380 015, Gujarat, India. Email: manjari@iimahd.ernet.in Tel: ++91-79-26324914 Fax: ++91-79-26306896 1 Abstract: A three-stage model for the process of strategic human resource management is developed in this paper. The three stages cover strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation. The inter-linkages in this dynamic model have been explored. The organisational factors that have enabling or deterring influence on the success of each of these three stages have been discussed. The paper highlights the key role played by HR professionals in these three stages. 2 STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: THREE-STAGE PROCESS AND INFLUENCING ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS Organisations are increasingly looking at human resources as a unique asset that can provide sustained competitive advantage. The changes in the business environment with increasing globalisation, changing demographics of the workforce, increased focus on profitability through growth, technological changes, intellectual capital and the never-ending changes that organisations are...
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...description of the models of HRM discussed in the first chapter of the textbook, and explain how each one related to strategic human resource management. First there is the Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna model which “emphasizes the fundamental interrelatedness and coherence of HRM activities” (Bratton & Gold, 2012, pg. 18, para. 3). There are four main components consisting of selection, appraisal, development and rewards that attribute to the HRM cycle. This model ignores different stakeholder interests, situational factors and management’s choice, but gives strength to the “coherence of internal HR policies and the importance of ‘matching’ internal HR policies and practices to the organization’s external business strategy” (Bratton & Gold, 2012, pg. 18, para. 3) Second, is the Harvard model, which addresses the issue of management’s goals and the specific HR outcomes. The Harvard model has six components: situational factors, stakeholder interests, HRM policy choices, HR outcomes, Long-term consequences and a Feedback loop. Each of the components are a result of the previous which effects the HR outcomes and the long term consequences; and the feedback loop carries the outputs directly into the organization and to the stakeholders. The Guest model looks at labour management in the context of goals, employee behaviour, performance and long-term financial outcomes. “Managers are advised to consider the effects of a core set of integrated HR practices on individual and organizational...
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...Management Practices: A Case Study of South Asian Countries Rafique Ahmed Khan Faculty of Management Science Bahria University Karachi, Pakistan Mohammad Khasro Miah School of Business North South University Dhaka, Bangladesh Amir Manzoor Faculty of Management Science Bahria University Karachi, Pakistan ABSTRACT Purpose: The central point of this study was to demonstrate the similarity and difference of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices amongst the countries in South Asia. Through this paper, an in-depth study was undertaken to evaluate the validity of existing HRM practices in South Asian (SA) countries. An effort was made to examine the influences from the economic emergence in South Asia, force of colonization, historical panorama, cultural similarities and dissimilarities, legal, economic and political factors causing the change.. Methodology/Sampling: The study is based on secondary data collected through extensive research on present and past literature available on the topic. Findings: HRM is in a reforming process towards the development of organizational transformation in South Asia. In addition, contextual and contingency factors are determining the outcome of restructuring HRM practices in South Asia, identified as FDI, foreign MNCs’ influence, and bilateral relations among the SAARC members. Practical Implications: Due to cultural impediments, organizations are finding it difficult to implement modern HRM practices in true letter...
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...Changing HRM Landscape Changing HRM Landscape Table of Contents 1) Introduction2 2) The theoretical and changing HRM landscape2 Insight of HRM history for modern practitioners 3 3) Significance of HR best practices and organisational behaviour (OB) tools within a MNC 3 4) Assumptions underpinning the way in which HR best practices are being propagated within a MNC, particularly in different cross-cultural environments. 5 5) The influence of culture on HR best practices………………………………………………………. 5 6) Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6 7) References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6 Introduction Human Resource Management (HRM) has brought profound change and debate to how employees are seen within an organisation. A review of HRM history with a look at relevant theories being propagated today for a better understanding of the HRM context with insights to the HR Practitioner moving forward. This is followed by a breakdown of the HR best practice, recruitment and selection and its challenges for MNCs. The accompanying OB tools are reviewed to see how MNCs would be able to best address talent acquisition. Assumptions are then looked at underpinning the way in which HR best practices are being propagated within a MNC, particularly in different cross-cultural environments with focus on MNC originating from emerging economies. Finally the influence of culture on HR Best Practice with OB solutions is reviewed. ...
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...of Mississippi The theory, research, and practice of Human Resource Management (HRM) has evolved considerably over the past century, and experienced a major transformation in form and function primarily within the past two decades. Driven by a number of significant internal and external environmental forces, HRM has progressed from a largely maintenance function, with little if any bottom line impact, to what many scholars and practitioners today regard as the source of sustained competitive advantage for organizations operating in a global economy. In this 25th anniversary Yearly Review issue, we conduct a less comprehensive and more focused review of the field of HRM. In doing so, we attempt to articulate some key concepts and issues that can be productively integrated with HRM to provide some interesting and important directions for future work, and consider ways to bridge the gap between the science and practice of HRM. © 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. This 1999 Yearly Review marks the 25th anniversary of the Journal of Management, and indeed, over this quarter century, the organizational sciences have witnessed an evolution of this journal from start-up phase to its present status as one of the well-respected publications in the field. It is on this auspicious occasion that we take the opportunity to review the evolution, developments, and directions in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM). If we target the Direct all correspondence...
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...relevant paper in the first instance or email copyright@brunel.ac.uk with details of your request. The Impact of Saudi Culture on Recruitment and Selection Practices in the Privet Sector in Saudi Arabia By Rajeh T. Albugamy Submitted to BBS Doctoral Symposium Brunel University 4th & 5th March, 2010 -2- Abstract The ultimate goal of recruitment and selection is to hire or get the right people for the right positions, i.e. qualifications; skills and merit are the criteria that should determine who would occupy the job rather than nepotism, favouritism or any other cultural elements (Alghailani, 2005). In Saudi Arabia like the other Arab countries , wasta for example, an Arabic term which means using connections for personal gains, is deeply rooted in the culture and having a big influence on people’s life and business among that obtaining a job depending on the strength of wasta (Hutchings and Weir, 2006). Employees in Saudi Arabia with strong family and tribal connections are often got promoted to higher positions (Mellahi, 2006). According to Al-Awaji (1971), the Saudi social-value system is based on three major subsystems: (1) Religion which is Islam for all Saudis, (2) Family and kinship, (3) Traditions. This research aims to explore the impact of the Saudi cultural factors on the recruitment and selection practices in the privet sector in Saudi Arabia...
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