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Case studies of client relations in a call center and an information technology company's partnership with a government agency examined how new technology affects organizational structures and managerial control. Evidence suggests that new structures arise in tandem with technological changes and technology's use as a form of control differs in public and private organizations. (Contains 76 references.) (SK)

With heightened uncertainties and risks in the fluctuating business environment, existing studies have concentrated on elucidating how service organizations leverage human resource practices to adapt to and survive such unforeseen and disruptive threats. However, how such practices could serve the strategic objective of cultivating a sustainably thriving workforce across different situations is not well understood. Thriving is a core transitional state that fosters positive behaviors, such as creative customer‐related problem‐solving. Applying social information processing theory, we propose and test a model by exploring how organizations that engage in thriving‐oriented human resource management (HRM) encourage employees to take responsibility and promote constructive change, thereby activating their creative problem‐solving behaviors. Specifically, we theorize and develop measures to promote thriving‐oriented HRM in Study 1. In Study 2, we collected multisource and multi‐wave data from 296 frontline service employees and 45 supervisors in China. Our findings reveal that thriving‐oriented HRM is positively related to felt responsibility for change, which ultimately encourages creative problem‐solving. We also show that the threat imposed by a crisis, that is, the COVID‐19 pandemic, strengthens the positive relationship between thriving‐oriented HRM and felt responsibility for change. Our study contributes to the HRM literature, especially on thriving‐oriented HRM and employee perception, and has practical implications for service organizations in the uncertain context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International human resource management (IHRM) has covered two very distinct areas: comparative HRM (comparing HRM between national settings) and HRM in multinational enterprises (MNEs). Existing research has pointed to the multifaceted nature of contextual effects, and how they may differ qualitatively according to locale. This perspective article argues that a distinct and shared theme across this literature is much more than a recognition that many different sets of institutions and/or cultural features can make for viable alternative HRM models. We also consider whether or not MNEs seek to accommodate local realities or work to change them. Developing and broadening inquiry around these concerns may represent a solid way for researching IHRM in an age of polycrisis. Such understandings may be of great value in exploring the relationship between the present global polycrisis and HRM practice. We highlight potential concerns and opportunities for theorizing around the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars across disciplines (e.g., medicine and health, human resource management, organizational behaviour) have paid increasing attention to employee assistance programmes (EAPs) over the past 40 years. Our study systematically reviewed 327 EAP studies published in peer‐reviewed journals from 1980 to December 2021. We provided both descriptive and thematic analyses of this body of literature. We revealed that existing research has not paid sufficient attention to the role of multiple stakeholders, the importance of context and the strategic nature of EAPs, all of which are critical to EAP effectiveness. To fill these gaps, we develop an integrated conceptual model for EAP research that highlights the stakeholder perspective, strategic human resource management and contextual approach. We argue that EAPs cannot yield desirable outcomes without three forms of 'strategic fit': the internal fit between EAPs and a bundle of HR strategies; the organizational fit between EAPs and business strategies; and the environmental fit between EAPs and the environmental contexts. We suggest that employees and other diverse stakeholders should proactively engage in the EAP process to achieve mutual gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can human resource management (HRM), as both a scholarly discourse and a corporate strategic function, advance the sustainability agenda? We endeavor to answer this question by drawing together insights gleamed from the emerging sustainable HRM literature. First, we synthesize various conceptualizations and theoretical perspectives on the topic, including frames of reference from strategic HRM, institutional theory and institutional logics, stakeholder theory, and sustainable careers/life cycle theory. Second, we unpack and contextualize the sustainable HRM literature through the lens of international HRM. Third, we consolidate the extant literature and present an agenda for future research, calling for further exploration of topics that are likely to hit the next high wave of generating new strategic HRM insights and sustainable HRM knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although employee involvement is playing an increasingly important role in contemporary human resource management, the phenomenon of employee silence is prevalent in the workplace. This study examines how leader benevolence and authoritarianism, the two components of paternalistic leadership, affect employee silence in the Chinese context. Data from 415 employees nested in 42 workgroups provide evidence for a cross‐level, three‐way interaction between benevolent leadership and authoritarian leadership and employee collective identity predicting employee silence. Specifically, benevolent‐authoritarian leadership predicts the lowest employee silence behavior when an employee holds a high level of collective identity. This three‐way interaction effect is mediated by employee interpersonal justice. Our study extends the knowledge of employee voice/silence behavior in the Chinese cultural setting by shedding light on the role of leadership characteristics. To reduce employee silence, organizations should provide training to improve leaders' skills to balance authoritarianism with benevolence, as well as activate employees' collective identity to further enhance the effectiveness of paternalistic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HRMJ is a business and management journal: we seek to publish excellent work that deals not simply with people and organisations, but with the management of people and the issues and tensions around the latter. As such, the journal is broadly multidisciplinary, the key focus being on advancing theory through empirical evidence, through consolidations and extensions of conceptual knowledge, through revisiting and extending existing theory, literature reviews, as well as the development of salient research methods. This extended editorial brings together a range of perspectives from and beyond the editorial team to advance understanding around developing work for publication. As such, it is intended not only to guide authors interested in publishing in HRMJ, but all with an interest in advancing their scholarly work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many empirical studies have elucidated the antecedents and psychological mechanisms of employees' proactive behaviors. However, there is limited knowledge about how a human resource (HR) system helps employees proactively adjust to their changing work environment. Drawing on social exchange theory and event system theory, we developed a theoretical model to examine whether, how, and when perceptions of the HR system strength impact employee proactive behavior during crises. Results from a three‐wave time‐lagged survey of 305 employees in 65 teams in eight Chinese companies indicate that HR system strength creates a strong situation by alleviating employees' uncertainty about how to behave during crises, which stimulates employees' work engagement and subsequent proactive behaviors. Moreover, employees' perceptions of HR system strength are more likely to influence work engagement when employees perceive the COVID‐19 crisis as more severe. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and outline important future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human resource outsourcing (HRO) has been an important development in the HRM function since the 1990s as organizations seek cost reduction and competitive advantages. Does HRO enhance organizational competitiveness and strategic capability? Based on a systematic review of 97 journal articles published between 1999 and 2022, we identify several key patterns of existing research on HRO, such as a heavy reliance on quantitative methods, the dominance of traditional economic theories, and a focus mainly on the perspective of client organizations. However, whether HRO services can accomplish organizational strategic capability remains equivocal. To unpack the relationship between HRO and organizational performance, we establish an HRO process model which includes several blocks: HRO decision, HRO implementation, HRO perception, HRO evaluation, and HRO maintenance. Among these blocks, there is a dynamic interplay between multiple stakeholders across fields. We call for future HRO research and practice to pay attention to employee perception to enhance HRO's effect and value as part of strategic human resource management, thus extending HR system strength theory. We also call for future research to clarify the contextual role of emerging technology in promoting HRO, given the increasing use of digital technology and HR data analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2023 witnessed intensified geopolitical tensions, military conflicts, and international economic sanctions, with heightened risks and uncertainties for businesses, especially multinational enterprises. In this editorial for 2024, we focus on two phenomena—international sanction and mental health—as critical issues for human resource management research and practice. These two issues are closely related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 3: Good health and wellbeing and Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions). We draw on dynamic capability theory to illustrate how organizations can develop corporate capabilities to survive and thrive in a volatile global business environment. We suggest sets of research questions to inform policy decisions and practice. We also outline practical implications for human resource professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the shared research interest in multinational enterprises (MNEs) in international business (IB) and international human resource management (IHRM), the two fields of studies have been criticized for the lack of dialogues and collaborations that might be beneficial to extending the scope of knowledge in each. At the same time, both IB and IHRM have expanded into the international development area, evidenced by the growing interest in the role of MNEs in promoting or hampering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This perspective paper aims to address some of the critiques, challenge existing assumptions, and provide examples of research that critically examines the role of MNEs in promoting or hampering the realization of the SDGs. This paper highlights the emerging common ground between IB and IHRM, and identifies agendas for future theoretical and applied enquiries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green human resource management (GHRM), a set of HRM practices targeted at environmental goals, has been proposed as the key to achieving organisational sustainable development. However, the mechanisms through which GHRM influences employee green behaviour are not yet well understood. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study presents an integrated model revealing the mixed effects of GHRM on employees' voluntary workplace green behaviour (VWGB). Path analysis based on two studies undertaken in China largely supported our hypotheses. Specifically, GHRM was found to positively influence employees' VWGB through environmental commitment, while simultaneously decreasing their VWGB through emotional exhaustion. Meanwhile, supervisory support for environmental behaviour mitigated the impact of GHRM on emotional exhaustion as well as the relationship between GHRM and employee VWGB via emotional exhaustion. This study contributes to the GHRM literature in particular and organisational environmental management literature in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on presenting cutting-edge research and thought leadership on policy, practices, trends, and issues aimed at understanding and advancing the field of HRM and the effective utilization of human capital and practice of HRM in organizations. Topics include consistent with its tradition of bridging research and practice, HRM seeks articles that both uniquely advance and contribute to the academic literature.

Strategic human resource management (SHRM) has been an important strand of research in the HRM field for over three decades, and has attracted heated debates in recent years. One main critique of the state of SHRM research is its increasing detachment from HRM practice, in the pursuit of more theoretical rigor and methodological sophistication. Our review article has two main tasks. First, we review SHRM research published in two leading HRM journals—Human Resource Management and Human Resource Management Journal—in the light of the criticisms on SHRM research and use this as a backdrop of our second task. Second, we critically examine SHRM research conducted in the Chinese context by drawing on a systematic review on extant literature. In doing so, we draw on a wider range of HRM journals such as Human Resource Management Review, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, and so forth. We find that while the trend of psychologization in SHRM research is gathering pace, the range of theoretical perspectives mobilized to inform the studies is actually expanding. We call for SHRM research to be more contextualized and more practical phenomenon‐driven SHRM research. We indicate several avenues for future research, using China as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how to effectively stimulate creative potential in the workplace through strategic human resource management (HRM) practices is critical to enhancing organizational competitiveness. This study investigates the effects of high‐involvement work systems (HIWS) on team creativity in terms of ability–motivation–opportunity theory and a team input–process–output model. It draws on a data set consisting of 668 employees from 112 teams in 41 organizations in China. The results reveal that HIWS are positively related to team creativity, not only directly, but also indirectly through a sequential mediating mechanism of involvement climate and shared leadership. We argue that when employees are placed in an autonomous work environment underpinned by HIWS, they will be more likely to be involved in creative activities and engage in mutual influence behaviors in their work teams, and lead each other to achieve a higher level of creativity. Our study extends the knowledge on strategic HRM/HIWS, shared leadership, and creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research on diversity and minorities in the Asia–Pacific region has not kept pace with the rapid politico-socio-economic development of this region. This article provides an indicative summary of extant research and emphasizes the need for more attention to addressing the research gap in the field. It outlines how the special issue contributes to advancing knowledge and suggests several future research avenues that align with the Sustainable Development Goals as a global vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mick Marchington's highly innovative research and writings on 'Fragmenting Work' have transformed our understanding of organisations, human resource management (HRM) and the world of work. He led a series of in‐depth case studies of networked organisations—including airport operations, supply chains, multi‐client call centres, public‐private partnerships and information technology outsourcing—and argued for the significance of inter‐organisational networks in directly informing HRM theory and also shaping HRM practice. The resulting highly cited body of published work captured and further developed Mick's intellectual interests in pluralism and complexity in relation to HRM theory. In this article, we reflect on Mick's theoretical contributions and also consider how core theoretical insights derived from the Fragmenting Work research programme can be applied to new questions about the future of work concerning digital platforms, career ladders and global supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview on the state of research in the field in human resource management (HRM) issues in multinational corporations (MNCs) in and from China. We integrate previous studies from multiple disciplines to articulate the contextual importance of research on this topic, and suggest overarching themes to expand the field of research. HRM research in the intercultural, interinstitutional context of MNCs in and from China has the potential to provide contextualized insights for longstanding debates in the field such as HRM standardization versus localization and convergence versus divergence and contextual factors behind these patterns. To this end, we call for future research to center on the changing cultural, institutional, technological, and globalization context in understanding HRM and industrial relations issues in these MNCs. Practically, knowledge in this area can help global managers and top management teams in multinational organizations navigate various context complexity, foster more productive coordination and cooperation across borders, and gain legitimacy and MNCs in and from China additional competitive edge in the global marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study responds to calls for more in‐depth and qualitative studies, the return to a focus on external factors, and the inclusion of business strategy and industrial relations in human resource management (HRM) research, as well as more research in the retail sector in the Chinese context. We examine the coevolution of the business strategy and HR strategy of Walmart (China) in the last two decades and identify tensions in the context of intensifying competition in the Chinese retail market. We highlight the interactive effect of business and HR strategies through a historical lens. Our study reveals a shift from the original employee‐oriented win–win strategy through rent sharing between the firm and the employees to a win–lose strategy through the introduction of more cost conscious HR policies and practices. Findings of our study challenge the conventional wisdom that firms adopt either the cost or quality strategy and, along with it, the suggestion of matching the quality strategy with employee‐oriented HR policies and practices, and cost leadership with a transactional approach to HRM. We argue a cost and quality business strategy may be adopted, which requires the support of employee‐oriented, rather than cost‐oriented, HR policies and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon positive psychology and a social relational perspective, this article examines the relationship between well‐being‐oriented human resource management (HRM) practices and employee performance. Our multilevel model examines relationships among collectively experienced well‐being‐oriented HRM practices, social climate (characterized by trust, cooperation, and shared codes and language that exist among individuals within the organization), employee resilience, and employee (in‐role) performance. Based on the two‐wave data obtained from 561 employees and their managers within 62 bank branches in 16 Chinese banks, our multilevel analyses provide support for our four hypotheses. First, we found a positive relationship between well‐being‐oriented HRM practices and social climate. Second, social climate mediated the relationship between well‐being‐oriented HRM practices and employee resilience. Third, we found a positive relationship between resilience and employee performance. Finally, employee resilience mediated the relationship between social climate and employee performance. This study is one of the first to unpack the social mechanisms through which well‐being‐oriented HRM practices increase development of resilience and subsequent employee performance at the workplace, namely through influencing group feelings of social climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this annual editorial for The International Journal of Human Resource Management, we project a vision of a sustainable ecosystem of human resource management (HRM) research by reflecting on key trends of HRM research and provide suggestions for future research efforts for the HRM research community. We outline the evolution and development of six areas of HRM research that are highly relevant to the policy and practice in the current global political-economic context. These research pursuits are shifting from firm-oriented and technology-oriented to becoming more employee-oriented and society-oriented. We extend these lines of enquiry with suggestions of what future research can examine to keep pace with practice and to offer policy and practical recommendations. We argue that different sub-fields of HRM research can complement, reinforce and interact with each other to enable us to build a robust and expanding research programme, intellectually and practically, to reflect the world of work and to demonstrate the relevance of our research to society with scientific rigour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on labour disputes in China has primarily adopted a political economy perspective to focus on state-owned enterprises inland and foreign-invested plants in economically developed zones. Research has neglected community-based protests in small private firms in urbanising areas and their implications for human resource management and employment relations. This paper addresses this gap through an in-depth case study of a community-based, village cadres and clan leaders-led protest (including strike actions) against a privately-owned metal work factory located in a local community. Deploying the notion of community politics and 'acquaintance society', the study enriches our knowledge of industrial actions in China by extending the analytical scope of the context to understand the motive and choice of actions of individuals in participating in the disputes, and modes of dispute resolution. The study reveals the important role of social institutions and cultural norms, as well as the significance of discrete interventions of bureaucrats in the outcome of the dispute. We find that the settlement of community-based (labour) disputes may not officially involve key formal institutional actors, such as the trade union and legal/government authority. Rather, these institutional actors may be involved in an unofficial capacity, though drawing on power derived from their bureaucratic position in the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) are designed to provide organisational support to employees, which is increasingly critical to improving employees' well‐being in the current macro and micro environment of pandemic and work pressure. Despite their potential significant role as part of human resource management (HRM), EAPs in China are under‐researched. Drawing on academic and practical sources of literature in both English and Chinese, this review study sheds light on the current state of research and practice of EAPs in China. We examine why, what and how EAPs are adopted in organisations in China and highlight differences between the public and private sectors in their EAPs, as well as the role of Chinese culture and guanxi with leaders in the delivery of EAPs. We also point out research avenues to extend the research field both theoretically and thematically, including the role of artificial intelligence and digital technology as part of effective EAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the largest workforce to provide patient care in the healthcare industry, nurses' well‐being issues have attracted increasing research and practical attention. Extant studies have identified diverse causes of nurses' poor states of well‐being. However, little research has offered a holistic evaluation that brings cross‐level factors together to untangle the complexity of nurses' well‐being. Current literature has yet to capture the different but inter‐connected nature of three dimensions of nurses' well‐being (health, happiness, and relationships). In 2020 and 2021, we conducted a systematic search of various academic databases. Based on a systematic review of 91 articles published between 1994 and 2020, we have created a multi‐perspective, multi‐level, and multi‐faceted model of nurses' well‐being. In doing so, we contribute to contemporary literature in three ways. First, based on a combination of the job demands‐resources (JDR) model and social exchange theory, we provide a comprehensive understanding of multi‐level factors influencing nurses' well‐being. Second, we identify three different but inter‐linked facets of nurses' well‐being (health‐, happiness‐, and relationship‐related well‐being). Third, we adopt various perspectives to identify the process through which well‐being‐oriented human resource management (HRM) enhances nurses' well‐being. We encourage healthcare organizations to implement well‐being‐oriented HRM by investing in nursing staff, providing engaging work, improving nurses' voices, creating nursing‐friendly work environments, and offering multiple job‐related supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee perceptions of human resource management (HRM) have attracted increasing attention in recent years. This review study aimed to examine the extent to which employee perceptions of HRM have been contextualized in China. We conducted a systematic literature search and review of 25 China‐based empirical studies published in peer‐reviewed academic journals in English. The review demonstrates that extant research mainly focuses on three distinct but inter‐related dimensions: perceived HRM content, HRM system strength, and HRM attributions. We identify several research avenues and call for qualitative studies to go beyond interview methods and quantitative research to develop context‐driven measurement scales. We also suggest that future research should integrate multi‐level theoretical paradigms to identify the organizational and institutional contexts within which HR perceptions are framed. Finally, future research needs to examine HR perceptions across different employees, employment groups, and nations, with the aim of addressing the complex and context‐specific nature of HR perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research synthesizes social exchange, organizational culture, and social identity theories to explore the boundary conditions of the relationship between high-performance work systems and employee organizational citizenship behavior. In particular, it draws on the China-specific management context. In this country, in spite of the wide use of a long-term-oriented and loose-control-focused Western-styled strategic human resource management (HRM) model, a short-term-focused and tight-control-oriented error aversion culture is still popular. The study uses multi-source individual-level survey data in a large state-owned enterprise to test the hypotheses. It is found that employee-experienced, Western-styled high-performance work systems positively impact a China-specific employee's organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and the—joint—moderation effects of employee-perceived error aversion culture and organizational identification are significant. The research findings deepen the understanding of the HRM-OCB relationship by demonstrating that culture and identity can jointly adjust the effects of HRM on OCB. The findings also challenge an established argument in the HRM-OCB literature that compatibility between employees' personalities and organizational values – organizational identification – can enhance OCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we argue that adopting a human-centred approach to human resource management (HRM) will contribute to building sustainable workforces, organizations, communities and societies against a backdrop of a global pandemic and political and economic uncertainty. The economic and social cost of the pandemic will continue to be felt for years to come, and the road to recovery should be human-centred and sustainable, with built-in climate actions as part of the socio-economic rejuvenation programme. We draw on several cross-cutting themes to illustrate how the use of digital technology and how remote working, for example, may impact workers from different socio-economic backgrounds in diverse ways. We call for researchers to engage in in-depth qualitative research to identify new phenomena related to work and HRM in the context of accelerating adoption of digital technology and post-Covid recovery to explore power dynamics and forms of exclusion in the labour market and workplaces. Findings of these studies can contribute to positive policy actions to prevent the exacerbation of existing socio-economic inequality and exclusion. They will also contribute to new ways of conceptualizing HRM models and practices and extending HRM theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the status quo of workplace gender (in)equality research in the Chinese context. By reviewing 173 articles from 96 English journals throughout 1988–2020, it reveals that various forms of discrimination still exist against women in the labour market and workplaces. In particular, the persisting, and arguably widening, gender pay gap reflects not only the sticky floor, but also the glass ceiling, effects. The review also shows that researchers have tended to favour quantitative more than qualitative methods. While a range of theoretical perspectives has been mobilized to explain manifestations of gender inequality, a critical feminist approach has been rare for political, institutional, cultural, and research capability reasons. Moreover, there is limited interest in the notion of (gender) diversity management, suggesting that diversity management has not yet become part of the strategic HRM research in the Chinese context. Similarly, extant HRM and organizational behaviour research rarely treats gender (in)equality as a key construct to illuminate the potential effect of such a (perceived) form of organizational injustice on the well-being of female and minority male employees. Based on our review analysis, we identify several opportunities for future research to advance workplace gender scholarship and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops and extends the existing body of literature on human resource management (HRM) and contextual uncertainty. We identify and explore the consequences of present uncertainties of a broad scale and scope for the practice of HRM. We then review salient bodies of theorising, and map out relevant areas of application. This is followed by a presentation of some of the most recent work on uncertainty and HRM that is encompassed in this collection, which brings to bear evidence from around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human resource management (HRM) environment in China has been undergoing significant changes due to institutional, demographic and technological changes and heightened business competition domestically and internationally. At the same time, traditional cultural values remain influential in workplace relationships and affect not only the configuration of HR practices but also the way they are perceived by the workforce. In this opening paper for the special issue on Human Resource Management in China, we highlight a few organizational phenomena and challenges to HRM in China, with implications for future research. We then outline several research directions that will reflect these changes and/or incorporate cultural values. Finally, we introduce five papers included in this special issue as exemplars to encourage more research with a focus on China but with relevance to other parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the utility of social identity and social climate theories in explaining individual and group behaviour within organizations, little research has been conducted on how these approaches interconnect to explain the way high-performance work systems (HPWSs) may increase job performance. This study extends one's understanding of the human resource management (HRM)–performance relationship by examining the interconnections between these disparate social approaches within the Chinese banking context. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on a sample of 561 employees working across 62 bank branches in China, the authors test four hypotheses: (1) HPWS is positively related to social climate; (2) social climate mediates the relationship between HPWS and social identification; (3) psychological empowerment mediates the relationship between social identification and job performance; and (4) social climate, social identification and psychological empowerment sequentially mediate the relationship between HPWS and job performance. Data were collected over two waves and job (in-role) performance was rated by managers. Findings: The authors confirm the four hypotheses. Social climate, social identification and psychological empowerment sequentially mediate the relationship between HPWS and job performance. Research limitations/implications: This study contains some limitations. First, the authors' research sites were focussed on one main region in state-owned banks in China. Second, this study examined only one industry with a relatively homogeneous workforce (i.e. relatively young and highly educated employees). Practical implications: HPWS may translate into individual performance through a supportive social climate in which staff identify themselves with their work team. This suggests that organizations should pay close attention to understanding how their HPWS system can foster a strong social climate to enhance employee identification at the work group level. Second, as the nature of work is becoming increasingly more complex and interdependent, enabling not just individuals but also work groups to function effectively, it is critical for departments and work groups to promote a collective understanding of HRM messages with shared values and goals. Originality/value: This research contributes towards a more comprehensive understanding of the HRM–performance chain as a complex social process underpinned by social identity theory. The authors demonstrate that social identification and social climate both play an important role in explaining how HPWS positively affects psychological empowerment and subsequent job performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we take stock of what The International Journal of Human Resource Management (IJHRM) has achieved in the past 30 years since its inception in 1990. By analyzing the publication trends indicated by keywords, we find that research published in IJHRM has shifted from a collective focus with institutional implications towards more individual concerns with organizational implications with relevance to HRM practices. We present research theme and approaches that distinguish IJHRM from other HRM journals, and offer suggestions of what we see as some of the important issues for future research that will take us beyond the current trajectory of HRM studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review study was conducted in memory of Professor David Lepak, the late Editor-in-Chief of The International Journal of Human Resource Management, for his contribution to the development of strategic human resource management (HRM) research and the influence of his work in strategic HRM research in the Chinese context. Drawing on 133 articles from 49 English journals, we show that Lepak and colleagues' four major theoretical frameworks (universal and contingency perspectives of HRM, HR architecture, employee-oriented perspective of HRM and multiple dimensions of HR systems) have been the most instrumental in guiding strategic HRM research in China. We also assess the extent to which China-based studies have extended the conceptual arguments and analytical frameworks that Lepak and co-authors have put forward. By discussing some of the changes in the way businesses in China have (re)configured their business models, we draw attention to several avenues to make strategic HRM research more reflective of the societal context and relevant to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Third, despite calls for employee-oriented HRM research, including perceptions of employees of HRM practices (e.g. Bowen & Ostroff, [1]) and employee well-being oriented HRM practices (e.g. Guest, [4]), research in this area in the international HRM context remains insufficient. Given the enduring influence of distinctive historical, cultural and institutional factors in HRM in different societal contexts, further research that is sensitive to contextual settings would help us understand what types of (indigenous) HRM practices are implemented, how they are perceived by employees, and what effects they may have on employee well-being. The authors examine how researchers conceptualise and operationalise employee perceptions of HRM practices, and whether and how employees' idiosyncratic or collective perceptions of HRM practices may shape employee outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

Over the past two decades, there has been a proliferation of research on human resource management (HRM) in Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as a result of the wide-reaching state-sector reform of the late 1980s. This article aims to provide a systematic review of literature on this topic and capture the nature of HRM in Chinese SOEs, both in research and practice. The article draws on 178 studies from 43 English academic journals over a period of 25 years (1993–2017). In analysing this literature and by taking stock of theoretical frameworks, research methods, themes and analysis of academic articles in this area, we have gained a number of insights. The study has found that the research methods used have shifted from qualitative and interpretive methodology toward quantitative and sophisticated modelling. A further insight is that there has been a relatively heavy reliance on institutional theory in the earlier studies reviewed, and since then a switch towards organizational behaviour perspectives. The level of analysis has moved from macro to micro level and thematic foci have become more diverse and complex. We highlight a number of avenues, theoretical and empirical, for future studies in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates changes and continuity in the performance appraisal and reward systems of four Chinese IT firms after they were acquired by US-owned multinational corporations. Drawing on different perspectives, it examines changes in the appraisal and reward systems of the acquired units and the extent to which they may be influenced by the interplay of business strategy, organizational structure, resource-based power of the acquiring and acquired partners, management competence, labor market factors, and the cultural norms of China. The study reveals that the guiding principle of performance management and reward policy of the acquired firms have experienced changes. However, the structure of compensation remains largely unchanged. There is a high level of resistance from the Chinese managers to adopt more sophisticated performance appraisal techniques and to widen the wage band to differentiate employees' performance. The foreign acquirers have taken a cautious and pragmatic approach to implement changes. As a result, the relatively slow speed of change and limited substantive changes in the performance and reward practices make it impossible to achieve a full strategic alignment of human resource practices at the corporate-level post-acquisition. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how human resources are managed in firms of different ownership forms in India and the extent to which strategic human resource management (hereafter strategic HRM) techniques have been adopted to support an innovation-oriented business strategy. Based on a qualitative study of 54 Indian managers from different firms, this study highlights the Indian institutional context for strategic HRM. It reveals the extent to which the Western approach to and configuration of high-commitment/performance models of HR practices may differ from those found in Indian firms. This study also has a number of practical implications for HR professionals, HR practices, and organizations in the global context. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategically managing workforce diversity is a value-adding HR function that enhances organizational performance. Managing diversity is a complex and unique HR issue in India due to its religious and cultural diversity and the use of legislation by the Indian state to tackle societal inequities and complexities. This paper contributes to existing knowledge on diversity management and strategic HRM in the Indian context through an in-depth case study of 24 firms of different ownership forms in a number of industries in India. The main method of data collection was semi-structured interviews with 110 managers at various levels and 102 non-managerial employees. Each interview was conducted individually. This paper takes the U.S.-originated concept of diversity management in the HRM context as a starting point. It uses this as a guide to investigate how the concept is understood and operationalized in several leading business organizations across different ownership forms and industrial sectors in India. Results reveal the differences between Western MNCs and Eastern firms as well as the varying views of Indian managers and employees on issues related to diversity management. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of large and multinational organizations are moving to shared services models in delivering the human resource function. It is commonly believed that the adoption of an HR shared services model can transform the role of HR by enabling the HR function to be more strategic at the corporate level and more cost-effective at the operational level. However, few academic studies have been carried out to investigate challenges to implementing an HR services center successfully and the impact of adopting an HR shared services model on different groups of employees. Through a case study of a multinational corporation, this article reveals that there remains a significant gap between literature espousing the efficacy and utility of HR shared services and the extent to which the adoption of such a model is successful. The financial and emotional cost of moving to a shared services model can outweigh the tangible cost savings predicted by firms. The idea of separating the HR function into strategic, operational, and administrative components may prove to be too simplistic, although it underpins the initiative of HR shared services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Knowledge hiding as an organisational phenomenon has started to attract research attention only in the last decade or so, although it may be a common behaviour in the workplace. Emerging research findings suggest that knowledge hiding is not necessarily a negative act with detrimental outcomes. Why do employees hide their knowledge? What can organisations do to encourage knowledge sharing in the workplace? Drawing on 52 studies published in academic English and Chinese journals over the period of 1997–2017, this study conducts a systematic review on knowledge hiding to clarify the concept, analyse existing research findings, identify research gaps and shed light on future research direction theoretically and empirically. The study has practical implications for organisations in terms of what human resource management interventions may be adopted to minimise undesirable knowledge hiding behaviours and to build trust among employees and enhance organisational effectiveness. Key points Knowledge management is seen as an important part of strategic human resource management to enhance performance.Employees may hide knowledge for various reasons, not least to protect their self‐interest, such as to avoid work intensification or job loss.Knowledge hiding is not always harmful to the organisation, and employees may do so to protect the organisation.Increased understanding of knowledge hiding will help organisations develop appropriate human resource management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented, including one on collaborative human resource management (HRM) practices and their relationship to open innovation, another on the need for HRM research that includes the chief executive officer (CEO) and top management team, and one on qualification-matched employment of skilled migrants in their host country.

The majority of work engagement studies have been conducted using a quantitative approach with limited attention to the institutional and social contexts. Meanwhile, the role of religion in shaping people’s philosophy and behaviour in life and work has been gaining attention from management researchers. Studies have revealed the positive impact of religiosity on a number of human resources and organizational outcomes. However, few studies treat religious belief as a job or personal resource from a HRM perspective. This study fills part of this research gap by focusing on the relevant factors that may affect work engagement in the Malaysian Islamic context. Drawing on data from 41 semi-structured interviews with mid-ranking professionals from the finance sector, this study responds to calls for more focus on contexts and for deeper qualitative investigations into individual dynamics that concern religiosity and work engagement. It provides evidence that religiosity plays an important role in work engagement. Our findings have implications for people management in organizations that have a diverse workforce representing multiple religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the topics of articles to be submitted and published in a special issue of the journal, including international human resource management (IHRM) practices, work and employment relations, and the operations of multinational enterprises (MNE).

Abstract: Why is context important in human resource management (HRM) research? What and how contextual factors may be studied when investigating an organisational phenomenon? Against a positivist trend of decontextualisation in HRM research, this paper addresses these questions by situating them in an international context. It argues that context is important in making sense of what is happening at workplaces in order to provide relevant solutions. It also outlines three layers of context and draws on an empirical story to illustrate how the utilisation and conceptualisation of context may be underpinned by the researcher's intellectual and social upbringing and theoretical orientation. The paper calls for more qualitative studies to redress the imbalance in HRM research. It also calls for a more open‐minded, inductive, and inclusive approach to indigenous research that may present very different contexts, ways of contextualising, and knowledge paradigms from the dominant discourses prevailing in HRM research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including work-life balance, personnel management, and globalisation of China's economy.

Significant progress has been made in the research on variations in HRM across national boundaries, in both the quantity of studies and theoretical advancements since the mid-1980s. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review of existing literature on cross-country comparative studies of HRM as an important strand of the international HRM field in order to shed new light on dominant key concerns and themes, and emerging syntheses. More specifically, we conducted a systematic review of cross-country comparative HRM studies published in academic journals in the English language in the 15-year period of 2000–2014. Our paper charted the development of cross-country comparative studies of HRM as a sub-field of HRM research. Our analysis of 125 articles from 30 business and management journals shows the countries/regions that have been studied, topics, and research methods used. We also highlight a number of research avenues for further study in this field. Although there are a number of distinct strands to the literature, our study concludes that there is an emerging common ground in underlying concerns and theoretical assumptions both within the field, and with other areas of management inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little attention has been paid to causes of worker grievance or the human resource management (HRM) mechanisms that organizations may deploy to detect and resolve emerging grievances without invoking legalistic/procedural actions, especially in the Chinese context. This qualitative study examines sources of grievances from an HRM perspective. It identifies how grievance issues may be addressed within a national setting that has neither an institutional regulatory framework nor procedures for resolving milder forms of workplace grievances, internally, before they escalate into confrontational labour disputes. We study workers’ and managers’ views on grievance issues in four case study firms in the manufacturing industry in China. In so doing, we extend the disciplinary coverage of a people management topic traditionally studied by non-management disciplines from a legalistic and procedural angle. The study highlights a number of demographic, institutional, cultural and firm-specific factors related to grievance occurrence and management, and identifies a number of future research avenues. Our study contributes to deepening the contextual understanding of an organizational phenomenon in China that is of growing significance, but is yet to attract research and management attention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A key feature contributing to the rapid economic development of China is the deregulation of the labour market and the dramatic growth in the use of informal employment. This paper reviews recent developments of informal employment in China and the role of institutional actors. It also examines the role of government policy and regulation in improving or worsening, directly and indirectly, the terms and conditions of those engaged in informal employment. The study contributes to the understanding of the situation of informal employment in China as one of the countries that contains the largest number and proportion, in relation to formal employment, of informal workers, not only in the semi- and manual skilled segment, but also increasingly extended to include highly educated workers, notably university graduates. It has implications for employment relations and social policy for foreign firms wishing to enter or already operating in China in terms of their human resource acquisition and management. The paper concludes that strong state intervention is necessary to uplift the employment prospect of workers in informal employment, particular in labour markets where workers hold weak bargaining power and are largely unorganised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented which discusses article published within the issue on topics including gender diversity within the senior management ranks of the Australian public sector, green human resource management, and developing sustainable business practices and employee behaviours.