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This study investigates gender-specific preferences in one important human resource management ( HRM) practice-namely, global performance management ( GPM). GPM has major consequences for the career advancement of women and can therefore also represent a barrier if it is rooted in traditional male corporate cultures. As prior research suggests that the underrepresentation of women in top management positions is a worldwide phenomenon with only minor national variations, empirical data were collected in five countries belonging to various cultural clusters: China, France, Germany, South Africa, and the United States. For all countries, the results show that preferences vary significantly between male and female managers for crucial parts of the GPM system (actors' roles, evaluation methods, feedback procedures, and GPM purposes). This study confirms that the preferences of female managers do not match more male-oriented GPM practices, indicating that female managers are less satisfied with existing GPM procedures. It was particularly surprising to find that these gender differences do not vary according to cultural background, but rather display the same pattern in all investigated countries. These findings not only have the potential to explain the often-limited career advancement of women, but also have major implications for multinational companies aiming to retain talented women. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article builds on the argument that research on the link between HRM and performance benefits from investigating how HR practices are envisioned by managers (in terms of underlying philosophies), and how they are perceived by employees (in terms of psychological climates). Our study focuses on the effects of a strengths-based HR philosophy assuming that employee performance can be maximized through leveraging individual strengths. This philosophy relates to a strengths-based psychological climate, that is, employee perceptions of the opportunities they get to identify, develop, and use their strengths. We hypothesized that a strengths-based psychological climate positively influences employees' positive affect, which in turn enhances their in-role and extra-role performance. In our study, 442 respondents working in 39 departments of eight Dutch and Belgian organizations gave ratings on the strength-based psychological climate of their organization, and indicated their level of work-related positive affect, in-role performance, and extra-role performance. Results of multilevel hierarchical regression analyses supported our hypotheses by indicating that strengths-based psychological climate was positively linked to in-role and extra-role performance, and that this link was mediated by positive affect. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) offer an important tool for rapid organizational growth, acquisition of new knowledge and capabilities, and entry into new markets at home or abroad. Although the importance of the involvement of the human resource management function has been widely extolled, evidence for the level of involvement remains limited. A significant gap in our understanding is created by the observation that not all M&As are motivated by the same objectives. We explore the significance of different forms of M&A for the scope and intensity of involvement of the human resource management function by examining a set of three cases of different M&As conducted by a single firm in Italy. The cases provide evidence that we should expect HR functional involvement to vary across the type of M&A. We offer a conceptual framework with testable propositions for scholars interested in further exploring these relationships. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of emerging markets' multinational companies ( MNCs) is a recent phenomenon and, as such, their nature and structure of key management processes, functions, and roles need further examination. While an abundance of low-cost labor is often the starting point of competitive advantage for many of the emerging markets' MNCs, it is the optimum configuration of people, processes, and technology that defines how they leverage their intangible resources. Based on case studies of four Indian IT services MNCs, involving 51 in-depth interviews of business and human resource ( HR) leaders at the corporate and subsidiary levels, we identify five key HR roles-namely, strategic business partner, guardian of culture, builder of global workforce and capabilities, champion of processes, and facilitator of employee development. The analysis also highlights that the HR function in Indian IT service MNCs faces several challenges in consolidating the early gains of internationalization, such as lack of decentralized decision making, developing a global mind-set, localization of the workforce, and developing a global leadership pipeline. Based on our exploratory findings, we propose a framework outlining the global HR roles pursued by emerging IT services MNCs, the factors influencing them, and the challenges facing their HR function for future research. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes variations in the international human resource management ( IHRM) approaches of Russian multinational enterprises ( MNEs) in the contexts of developed and developing countries. The data were gathered through interviews conducted at the headquarters of Russian MNEs and at their subsidiaries in developed and developing countries. The results indicate that Russian MNEs adopt HRM practices of Western origin. However, these MNEs differ radically in their choices of IHRM approaches. Many of these differences depend on the countries these MNEs target in their international expansion. In developing countries that belong to Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS, regional block of countries that were former Soviet republics), the IHRM approaches adopted by Russian MNEs typically reflect a feeling of superiority. However, in developed countries and in non- CIS developing countries, Russian MNEs actively promote a mix of global best practices and local HRM practices. We do not find any instances of the reverse transfer of management practices from subsidiaries in developed countries to the MNEs' headquarters or any examples of cross-pollination among subsidiaries. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the internationalization of Chinese firms has soared in recent years. However, studies that compare Chinese multinational corporations ( MNCs) in different industries and their human resource management ( HRM) remain limited. This study fills this research gap by examining the HRM practices of Chinese MNCs and the extent to which these are shaped by the institutional factors that are specific to industries. It focuses on the Chinese operations in the South/Southeast Asian and African regions because Chinese firms tend to have various competitive advantages in these regions. The article draws on a number of theoretical perspectives, particularly the political economy and institutional perspectives, to make sense of the different contexts under which Chinese MNCs invest and operate. It argues that in examining Chinese MNCs, it is important to contemplate the role of the government and a wider range of institutional actors in order to understand how the dynamic interactions of these actors may shape the HRM of these firms with broader economic and social impacts. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's international engagement is changing geopolitical dynamics to an extent that Western governments appear concerned. Negative reports of this engagement in Africa abound, not least in the area of employment relations and human resource management. Yet currently there is a lack of serious management research and theory development in this area, leaving international HR managers to rely on anecdotal information. The way Chinese management engages with African workforces may be quite different from Western managers'. The current work suggests that understanding this engagement should be informed by China's recent anti-imperialist involvement in Africa, its commercial motivation coupled with its political-seeking motive, the values such as paternalism that modify Western influences on Chinese HRM that are brought to Africa, and possible synergies with African values. Yet the current work identifies from the current published evidence a disparity between China's professed strategic level of engagement and what happens at the organizational level, indicating that many Chinese organizations may be contributing to employment, but not to upskilling of workers, mutual learning, or engagement with local communities. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We adopted Bowen and Ostroff's () HRM system strength concept so as to test it within the context of a management by objectives ( MBO) system, which was utilized by six independent firms owned by a large, diversified family business group in Turkey. For this purpose, we surveyed the middle managers to measure 10 context-specific metafeatures of the MBO system. By using aggregated scores at the functional group level (N = 47), we captured the distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus dimensions of this HRM practice. We tested and compared three alternative theoretical models of HRM strength where the three dimensions have compensatory, additive, and distinctiveness mediated effects on climate quality and strength. Results support the compensatory model and indicate that the strength of the MBO system (as a reflective latent variable representing the shared variance of the system's distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus) is positively related to business units' quality and strength of goal climate. In addition, distinctiveness-but not consistency and consensus-of the MBO system appears to be particularly critical for the emergence of a strong and high-quality goal climate. Lastly, implications and limitations of the study as well as possible future research directions are discussed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of Bowen and Ostroff's () human resource management ( HRM) process theorization, this study explores influences on individual employee perceptions of the visibility, validity, and procedural and distributive justice of performance appraisal in subsidiaries of multinational corporations, and at what levels these influences reside. The study adopts an embedded, multiple-case design with interview data from 33 managers and professionals in six subsidiaries of three corporations. The findings show that perceptions of the performance appraisal process are driven by a number of influences pertaining to the unit, relationship, and individual levels. Further, the study highlights differences and similarities of influences across four performance appraisal process features, and identifies overlaps and inter-linkages between the process features suggested by Bowen and Ostroff (). For practitioners, the value of our study lies in the identification of steps that can be taken to increase the likelihood that HRM practices are perceived positively and as intended by the organization. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to recruit and retain employees with disabilities are often tempered by employers' concerns over potential workplace accommodation costs. This study reports on accommodations requested and granted in intensive case studies of eight companies, based on more than 5,000 employee and manager surveys, and interviews and focus groups with 128 managers and employees with disabilities. Two unique contributions are that we analyze accommodations for employees without disabilities as well as for those with disabilities, and compare perspectives on accommodation costs and benefits among employees, their coworkers, and their managers. We find people with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to request accommodations, but the types of accommodations requested and the reported costs and benefits are similar for disability and non-disability accommodations. In particular, fears of high accommodation costs and negative reactions of coworkers are not realized; all groups tend to report generally positive coworker reactions. Multilevel models indicate granting accommodations has positive spillover effects on attitudes of coworkers, as well as a positive effect on attitudes of requesting employees, but only when coworkers are supportive. Consistent with recent theorizing and other studies, our results suggest the benefits from a corporate culture of flexibility and attention to the individualized needs of employees. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to shed light on the implementation of HR practices as a key piece of the human resource management ( HRM)-performance puzzle. Although the literature suggests that discrepancies between the organization's intended and implemented HR practices are essential to understanding employees' perceptions of and reactions to HRM, little attention has been devoted to this issue. Drawing upon a multiple-case study of German health and social services organizations, we therefore explore the linkages (and potential gaps) between intended, implemented, and perceived HR practices. Our study provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms of this relationship, highlighting an organization's ability to leverage its resources as playing a crucial moderating role in implementing intended HR practices, while employees' expectations of HRM moderate the link between implemented and perceived HR practices. We advance a set of propositions that contributes to a more nuanced, multilevel understanding of the complex phenomenon of HRM implementation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of a human resource management ( HRM) system, which integrates both content and process of human resource ( HR) practices, on organizational performance, through collective employee reactions. The analysis is based on a sample of 1,250 Greek employees working in 133 public- and private-sector organizations, which operate in the present context of severe financial and economic crises. The findings of the structural equation modeling suggest that content and process are two inseparable faces of an HRM system that help to reveal a comprehensive picture of the HRM-organizational performance relationship. Based on the findings that collective employee reactions mediate the HRM content (i.e., organizational performance relationship) and HRM process moderates the HRM content (i.e., employee reactions relationship), the study has several theoretical and practice implications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the twenty-first century, work activities tend to span organizational boundaries and take place in projects or networks. This cross-boundary working has major implications for current HRM models that are more suited to an industrial economy, which assumes a single employer and where work is carried out within a set of clearly defined boundaries. We draw on a decade of empirical research in cross-boundary contexts to identify: (1) three types of networks (interactive, interwoven, and integrated) that vary according to their boundary properties, the focus of the work activity, and the prominent identification; (2) the particular structural, relational, and knowledge-based tensions (Phelps, Heidl, & Wadhwa, 2012) that are inherent in each networked context; and (3) three HRM models (buffering, borrowing, and balancing) that are appropriate to sustain networked working in these contexts. The main contribution of the article is the identification of HRM models in networked contexts. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the relationships between human resource management practices associated with New Ways to Work (employee empowerment, home-based teleworking, and creating trust relationships) and work-related flow as experienced by employees (absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation). Hypotheses, based on a combined perspective integrating insights from the HRM-process model and the job demands-resources model, are tested using multiactor multilevel data comprising employees (N = 1,017) and their line managers (N = 89), across 89 job categories in 30 organizations. Although organizations may implement management practices aimed at empowering employees in particular job categories, this study showed that anticipated effects on work-related flow (particularly work enjoyment) are not achieved when employees themselves do not experience being empowered, and when they do not use and experience their working conditions as job resources (home-based teleworking and trust relationships characterized by supporting leadership, collegial support, and collegial commitment). The article concludes with recommendations regarding organizational change aimed at implementing New Ways to Work and suggestions for future research. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical study contributes to the debate in the field of strategic HRM on whether HRM systems should differ across employee groups within the firm. It explores differences in the efficacy of two HRM systems-high-involvement HR and internal labor market systems-across top management teams, middle managers, and professional employees. In addition, it examines factors that may prevent the adoption of effective HRM systems for these groups of knowledge workers. A model is proposed depicting how four job-level moderators influence the HRM-performance relationship and how these moderators apply to each of the three employee groups. Short-term performance pressures and favoritism in staffing are proposed as factors that may hinder the adoption of effective HRM systems. Finally, HRM systems for different employee groups are classified based on their gains potential and barriers to implementation, yielding four categories of strategic HRM activity metaphorically labeled low-hanging fruits, high-hanging fruits, peanuts, and barren land. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically examines how outsourcing and devolvement of HR activities influence the strategic position of HR departments. Past research has offered conflicting predictions about their impact, ranging from a very positive move of HR departments to powerful strategic positions to a rather negative move toward marginality as their tasks are being taken over by either external providers or line managers. In an effort to resolve existing inconsistencies in the literature, we base our propositions on the strategic contingency theory of subunit power (Hickson, Hinings, Lee, Schneck, & Pennings, 1971). Our results suggest that the strategic position of HR departments is negatively influenced by devolvement to line management and positively influenced by outsourcing of noncore HR tasks. No significant effect of outsourcing core HR activities was found. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Line managers are today seen as increasingly important in effectively implementing HRM practices. Based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, we predict that line managers' performance in this regard will depend on their ability to apply HRM practices, and that their motivation and the opportunity provided will enhance this effect. Through a survey of 174 line managers and 1,065 of their direct subordinates in two organizations, we found ability to be the best predictor of a line manager's HRM performance. Motivation did not moderate the effect of ability on performance as predicted, and our results suggest this relationship needs further attention. Opportunity did enhance the effect of ability on HRM implementation effectiveness. Therefore, HRM departments should aim to enhance line managers' abilities and provide adequate opportunities for them to carry out the expected HRM duties. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of a strategic role for human resource management (HRM) on organizational financial performance. Survey data from 118 financial and manufacturing organizations in Jordan is analyzed to investigate a moderated mediated pathway between a strategic role for HRM and organizational financial performance. The first finding, that high-performance human resource practices (HPHRPs) mediate the relationship between the HR strategic role and performance, suggests that the position of the HR professional as a strategic partner enhances the legitimacy of HR initiatives, as well as facilitating the resourcing and support for their implementation. The second finding, that line management devolvement moderates the relationship between the HR strategic role and HPHRPs, suggests a trade-off between a strategic and operational focus for HR professionals, and also indicates the value of embedding HR practice execution in operational administration. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we empirically examine the consequences of devolving HR responsibilities to first-line managers (FLMs) who make daily contacts with frontline workers. Drawing from HR strength theory, we propose that FLMs' involvement in HR enhances HR effectiveness. We also argue that the positive relationship between FLMs' HR involvement and HR effectiveness is compromised when a company employs an institutionally emerging HR system, and that this negative combinative effect will be alleviated by transferring HR knowledge to FLMs. We tested the hypothesized relationships using panel survey data from South Korea (N = 215). The results of our hierarchical regression analysis generally support our claims. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current competitive environments have created a growing interest in employee flexibility in firms. Recently researchers have differentiated between two facets of employee flexibility: behavior flexibility and skill flexibility. This study proposes a model of relationships between these two facets of employee flexibility and the extent to which HR practices influence them. This model is tested by estimating structural equation models on a sample of 226 commercial departments in Spanish companies. The results of the study show that the two facets of employee flexibility are interrelated, in that skill flexibility influences behavior flexibility. Furthermore, findings confirm the influence of job enrichment on employee flexibility and the significant effect of the internal fit among HR practices on employee flexibility. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we challenge the prevailing view that global staff transfers are a necessary cost of doing business globally by contending that such deployment is integral to successful strategic implementation. We use three scenarios-learning from failure, failure to learn, and lost opportunities-to illustrate how awareness of the consequences of decisions related to international staffing can facilitate their efficacy. Learning awareness therefore can lead to improved policies and outcomes for the management of global staff transfers and demonstrate the value HRM brings to the implementation process. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to generate empirical knowledge on how employees perceive and respond to competency models at work. A cross-sectional survey of 278 employees in four Norwegian organizations showed that competency models perceived as strategically and personally relevant and fairly rewarded were positively related to supervisor-rated work effort and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and self-rated 'employability' outcomes. Exchange relationships mediated the link between competency model perceptions and work effort and OCB. Social exchange relationships marginally mediated the link between competency model perceptions and employees' openness to job-related changes and engagement in activities aimed at improving one's employability. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine the effect of talent identification on employee attitudes. Building on social exchange theory, we analyze the association between employees' perceptions about whether or not they have been formally identified as 'talent' and the following attitudinal outcomes: commitment to increasing performance demands, building skills, and supporting strategic priorities; identification with the unit and the multinational enterprise; and turnover intentions. Our analyses of 769 managers and professionals in nine Nordic multinational corporations reveal a number of differences between employees who perceive that they have been identified as 'talent' and those who either perceive that they have not been identified or do not know whether they have been identified. We found only limited differences between the two latter categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers line managers and HR professionals an actionable, research-based framework for developing psychological contracts with employees that suit their organizational and human resource (HR) strategy. Leadership styles supporting the firm's HR strategy are key to making psychological contracts that benefit both the firm and its members. When managers' styles are out of sync with HR strategy, this mismatch can lead to poorer performance through ineffective and unfulfilled psychological contracts with workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the demographic, economic, and psychographic characteristics of 324 blue-collar workers who were offered four options for either retirement or severance from the organization. Consistent with previous research, individuals who accepted retirement options have more organizational tenure and believed that the packages would provide stable financial futures. A key finding for those who accepted the nonretirement options is that comparable employment would be available. The study concludes with research limitations and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementing previous research that showed a positive effect of general human resource management (HRM) systems on general firm performance, this article undertakes an integrative approach to compare the main effects and examine the interaction effects of two particular HRM systems on influencing firm innovation and performance. Using data from 179 organizations in China, we found that both the commitment-oriented system, which emphasized internal cohesiveness, and the collaboration-oriented system, which was intended to build external connections, contributed to firm innovation and, subsequently, bottom-line performance. We also found an attenuated interaction between the two HRM systems in predicting firm innovation. We employed a mediated-moderation path model to extricate the relationships. Results suggested that organizations that implemented both HRM systems to promote innovation might face ambidexterity challenges. Ideas for future research and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors examine the effects of commitment-based human resource management practices on the performance of small businesses. These effects are examined through the mediators of employee involvement and quit rates. In addition, they contribute to arguments that the effect of human resource management practices on performance takes place through the establishment and support of exchange relationships with employees. Using responses from CEOs and employees of small businesses, their results indicate that human resource practices in small businesses that are based on leaders' views of employee commitment are positively related to revenue growth and perceptions of performance. Further, the authors found that employee involvement and quit rates mediate these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

While strategic human resource management (SHRM) theory has largely supported the importance of 'fit,' the empirical research evidence has been mixed. In this study, we employ an ethnographic, case-study approach to provide a more comprehensive assessment of fit and consider key contextual factors influencing HRM in the organization. Our findings suggest that the misalignment of HR practices can produce conflicting signals for employees, leading to reduced motivation and commitment. Furthermore, our study suggests that attempts to adopt isolated best practices without sufficient consideration of fit can have negative consequences. We conclude with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on employee-turnover intention has focused mostly on a single level of analysis. This multilevel study of 1,149 employees and 144 managers from a 21-store Taiwanese retail home improvement chain demonstrated that individual and store-level factors were significantly associated with employee-turnover intention. Job characteristics explain within-store variance. In addition to age and tenure similarity among employees, transformational leadership and compensation explain between-store variance. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study how high-involvement work practices (HIWPs) may enhance a firm's economic performance through the development of a proactive environmental strategy (PES). HIWP systems facilitate the implementation of a PES by promoting employees' ability, motivation, and opportunities to behave in ways consistent with environmental management goals. In turn, PESs contribute to the development of strategic competitive advantages and drive superior performance. The results of our empirical analysis of 233 firms broadly confirm our hypotheses and suggest that although the direct effect of HIWPs on performance was not signifi cant in our sample, HIWPs do have a significant indirect effect through a PES as a mediator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategic model of human resource management is proposed as a framework to support sustainable adaptation to the disruptive and dynamic challenges in the business context related to environmental sustainability. The implications of a whole-systems ecological approach to the design and implementation of human resource systems are explored, and the literature on best HR practices to support environmental sustainability is summarized. Implications for practice and research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports featured within the issue, including one by Cathy and David DuBois on the role that human resource management plays in helping organizations achieve environmental sustainability, one by Vera Ferrón- Vilchez, María Dolores Vidal-Salazar, and Eulogio Cordón-Pozo on how firms can develop a sustainability mind-set and behaviors in employees and one by Kimberly Merriman and Sagnika Sen on the role of pay incentives in business.

Utilizing perceived organizational support (POS) as the mechanism linking HR practices to employee behaviors in the workplace, we examine a broad set of HR practices in order to understand the relative importance of each HR practice (i.e., those that explain incremental variance over other practices) in influencing employee behaviors. We differentiate between discretionary and transactional HR practices to test the discretionary investment requisite of POS theory. The results show that of the eight discretionary practices, only participation and decision making directly influenced the extra-role behaviors that employees exhibit, and only training and development directly impacted the customer-oriented behaviors. Furthermore, one of the transactional HR practices was found to have a direct effect on organizational citizenship behavior. Our findings indicate that the performance management process, promotional opportunities, participation, and involvement in decision making affect how employees behave toward the customer and the extra-role behaviors they exhibit. Furthermore, this occurs through the view employees develop of the organization as a place to work. That is, these four HR practices demonstrate to employees that they are valued, and, in turn, this feeling of being appreciated impacts their commitment to delivering high-quality service to the customer and going beyond their job responsibilities. Implications for research and practice are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived supervisor support (PSS) has been found to predict employee in-role and extra-role performance at the individual level of analysis. With respect to the unit level of analysis, the research on the predictive role of PSS remains limited. In particular, calls have been made for research on the role of leadership in facilitating perceived HR practices at the business-unit level and on the role of line managers as implementers of such systems. In response to such calls, this study investigated the associations between PSS climate, perceived investment in employee development (PIED) climate, and business-unit performance among 75 gas stations located in Norway. The results showed that the PSS climate was positively related to both the PIED climate and the business-unit performance. This study contributes to research on PSS by extending the prior findings at the individual level to the unit level of analysis. Also, the study contributes to the research on perceived HR practices by demonstrating the facilitative role of the PSS climate. Finally, the study contributes to the research on shared perceptions of HR practices generally and the concept of the 'strength' of the HRM system in particular. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is well established that high-performance work systems (HPWSs) affect firm-level outcomes within large, complex organizations, less is known about how they create benefits for firms within the small-business sector. Using a knowledge-creation perspective, this study examines the impact of HPWSs in small and medium enterprises and examines whether the impact observed depends on the small-business leader's capacity to obtain additional HR knowledge from an external expert, as well as the leader's HR background and knowledge. Archival and survey data were obtained from 294 small-business organizations, with survey responses obtained from both the small-business leader and an HR consultant assigned to the small business. Findings suggest that leader perceptions of HR effectiveness are positively related to the use of HPWSs and that this relationship is moderated both by the communication patterns between the small-business leader and the HR consultant assigned to the firm and the small-business leader's HR knowledge. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study intends to uncover the strategic contribution of human resource management by introducing a unique construct of options-based (vis-à-vis project-based) HRM and examining its links to intellectual capital and exploratory and exploitative learning in the context of law firms' practice groups. Empirical results show that options-based HRM is positively related to the practice group's explorative and exploitative learning. The intellectual capital mediates the relationships between options-based HRM and the practice group's learning for exploration and exploitation. This study makes a valuable contribution to the HRM literature by establishing the mechanisms by which HRM enables organizational learning and extending the scope of HRM research to professional service firms. Our findings also provide valuable implications for the literature of organizational learning. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies increasingly make use of geographically dispersed teams to capture knowledge residing at different locations. In this context, shared leadership is considered a key enabler of team performance. Taking a functional perspective on shared leadership, we thus investigate the relationship between shared leadership behaviors and team performance in dispersed teams. Furthermore, we analyze how socio-demographic factors that are characteristic for dispersed teams (i.e., high female-to-male ratio, high mean age, and high levels of national diversity) affect shared leadership behaviors. Based on data from 96 dispersed teams, we show that shared leadership behavior fosters team performance. Further, we find the socio-demographic characteristics typical for dispersed teams to foster shared leadership. Theoretical and managerial implications for human resource management are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on two studies, the current article responds to urgent calls in the literature for more empirical research on how to identify leadership potential. Based on an extensive review of the 1986-2010 literature, and applying a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques, we developed a model of leadership potential consisting of four quadrants: Analytical skills (containing the factors Intellectual curiosity, Strategic insight, Decision making, and Problem solving); Learning agility (containing the factors Willingness to learn, Emotional intelligence, and Adaptability); Drive (containing the factors Results orientation, Perseverance, and Dedication); and Emergent leadership (containing the factors Motivation to lead, Self-promotion, and Stakeholder sensitivity). Notably, the developed model steers clear from some of the typical issues that tend to hinder valid assessments of leadership potential (i.e., the confound between performance and potential, as well as that between leadership potential and successful, mature leadership). Furthermore, high consensus was found between top managers, line managers, and HR managers about the practical relevance of the proposed model. The article concludes with some specific future avenues for research and practice. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to recent calls for more research on micro-foundations, we seek to link human resource management (HRM) and knowledge transfer through individual-level mechanisms, arguing that individual-level conditions of action influence the extent to which employees engage in knowledge exchange. We examine four such conditions empirically using data from 811 employees in three Danish multinational corporations (MNCs). Our findings suggest that individual-level perceptions of organizational commitment to knowledge sharing, and extrinsic motivation, directly influence the extent to which employees engage in firm-internal knowledge exchange. We also find that intrinsic motivation and engagement in social interaction significantly mediate the relationship between perceived organizational commitment and knowledge exchange. Given that HRM can influence such conditions through an overall signaling effect and various practices, an understanding of these micro-foundations will shed light on how organizations can effectively enhance knowledge transfer through HRM. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares and contrasts the Renault-Nissan and DaimlerChrysler-Mitsubishi mergers to consider the relative and combined effects of national and organizational culture on the performance of Nissan and Mitsubishi. It also examines the reasons why the Renault-Nissan merger was successful and the DaimlerChrysler-Mitsubishi merger failed. It finds that Japanese national culture influenced organizational culture and HRM practices, which created organizations that had no sense of urgency, profit orientation, or accountability and led to poor market and financial performance. It also finds that leadership was a major factor impacting on the success of the turnaround efforts of these two organizations. These findings have implications for leaders and human resource management practitioners engaged in international business and are of particular relevance to Western organizations working with organizations in high-context countries with a collectivist rather than individualist orientation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing workforce demographics have highlighted the need to provide training and development opportunities for older workers. This article critically examines the current state of research on the use of systematic instructional design procedures to develop work-related training that is inclusive of older workers. The review reveals a disconnect between what the literature recommends to achieve age-inclusive design and what is offered as evidence of age-inclusive design. Age-related generalizations about cognition and learning capacity often serve as the basis for design decisions, with little attention paid to the role of training context and content. The article recommends that this disconnect be resolved and offers some specific suggestions about how human resource managers can integrate sound instructional design principles into the training and development component of their talent management strategies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most influential current idea in the theory of conflict management concerns the design features and supposed superior outcomes of conflict management systems combining interest-based and rights-based practices for resolving conflict in organizations. Yet much of the literature in the area is highly prescriptive and draws heavily either on exemplary case studies or descriptive data. Using focus groups of HR practitioners and experts in conflict resolution to develop a questionnaire covering the main conflict management practices associated with the theory of conflict management systems, the study analyzes data from a survey of firms in the Republic of Ireland to examine quantitatively the effects of conflict management systems on organizational outcomes. While proactive line management and supervisory engagement in conflict resolution as a key dimension of conflict management systems is found to be positively associated with a range of organizational outcomes, no evidence is found for the kind of system effects proposed in the theoretical and prescriptive literature. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between perceived training intensity and knowledge sharing, including the moderating roles of intrinsic motivation and social and economic exchange perceptions. Data from 310 employees working in three organizations located in Norway revealed a positive relationship between perceived training intensity and knowledge sharing for employees with low levels of intrinsic motivation and economic exchange perception, and high levels of social exchange perception. These findings suggest that perceived training intensity increases knowledge sharing only under specific motivational influences. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both researchers and managers are increasingly interested in how firms can pursue ambidextrous learning-that is, simultaneously exploring new knowledge domains while exploiting current ones. In this study, we attempt to bring human resource management into this forum by introducing and testing how high-involvement human resource practices shape the social climate that affects the firm's ambidextrous learning and subsequent performance. A field study of 198 companies from Spain showed that high-involvement human resource practices were positively related to the social climate that, in turn, facilitates ambidextrous learning and improved performance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business periodicals, such as Fortune magazine, rank organizations in lists such as the 'Best Companies to Work For,' providing applicants with information about firms' human resource practices, including pay, benefits, work-life, and diversity practices. It is not clear what influence this reputational information about HR practices has on applicant interest in pursuing employment or, more important, why it does so. Given that firms invest substantial resources in HR practices to vie for positions on these lists, the current study sought to fill these gaps in the literature. In the 2 (compensation) × 2 (work-family) × 2 (diversity) factorial design, 232 college students read about magazine rankings in which a firm's reputation in each HR practice was manipulated as ranking either high or low relative to competitors. We examined perceptions of organizational prestige, anticipated organizational support, and anticipated role performance as mechanisms that explain the influence of HR practice reputation on job pursuit intentions. Our results indicate that a firm's reputation in compensation, work-family, and diversity efforts increase college students' intentions to pursue employment with a firm. They do so because college students perceive that the organization is prestigious, will be supportive, and will foster their job performance. Our results suggest that a strong employer brand derived from employee-centered HR practices is important for recruiting college students. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift toward individualistic career management requires a supportive and developmental career approach. Using coaching practices as a manifestation of such an approach, this study reports on coaching and other career practices that are part of supportive and developmental career management in a Belgium sample ( n = 154). Three other types of career management were identified as well. Supportive and developmental career management was most present in organizations that had a past or current prospector strategy, and was the least present in past or current defenders. The type of business strategy organizations indicated to pursue in the future did not have an influence on the type of career management they currently had. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of optimal human resource practices is often contingent on the accurate statistical testing of potential interventions. Testing the efficacy of HR interventions can be enhanced by taking additional measures to improve statistical power, but the traditional means of increasing power through sample size are often beyond the cost and ability of HR professionals to pursue. This article, therefore, focuses on measurement procedures as an alternative way to increase statistical power for detecting HR intervention effects. Selection of reliable and appropriate measures and subsequent instrumentation are examined as efficacious and cost-beneficial techniques that can be employed during the planning and designing stage of a study for augmenting statistical power to optimize business decision making. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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