Eleanna Galanaki

The Decision to Recruit Online: A Descriptive Study

Online recruitment is a new tool, at the disposal of the HR departments, which has known a phenomenal success in very short time. This paper presents the findings of some descriptive research, involving UK IT companies. The research tries to identify the effect that the perceived attributes of the practice have on the decision of companies to recruit through the Internet. The attributes tested are cost effectiveness; recruitment cycle time; response rate; quality of response; impact on the image of the company; targeting of specific niches; targeting of the passive job‐seeker; worldwide coverage; necessary resources, time and effort to implement; attractiveness of the mean to the job seekers (especially IT professionals and young graduates); risk of overload of answers; and impact of the size and reputation of the company. The paper provides an insight on how the companies perceive and value online recruitment.

E-HR Adoption and the Role of HRM: Evidence from Greece

Purpose - This paper attempts to investigate the transformation in the role of the HR function in Greek firms, as a result of the use of internet and technology. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on both quantitative and qualitative methodology. A survey and focus groups took place in order to meet research objectives. Findings - This paper examines and discusses the development of e-HR use in Greece and the reasons for adoption of e-HR practices focusing on strategy, process and HRM issues. Findings show that e-HR facilitates the transformation of HRM role into a more strategic one. Driving forces and critical success factors of e-HR adoption and implementation are identified and discussed. Research limitations/implications - Limits its usefulness to countries that experience a stage of HRM professionalisation and technological development similar to that of Greece. Practical implications - Identifies critical success factors in e-HR adoption as well as main problems associated with it. Originality/value - Qualitative results provided by the focus groups give an illustrative picture of the companies presented.

Leadership’s Impact on Employee Engagement: Differences Among Entrepreneurs and Professional CEOs

Purpose: This study aims at identifying similarities and differences between the leadership practices of managing entrepreneurs and professional CEOs and to investigate how these impact on their immediate subordinates’ satisfaction, commitment, motivation, and effectiveness (Engagement). Design: A multiple-respondents survey, aiming at CEOs and their immediate subordinates was conducted. Factor analysis, correlations and moderated regression analysis were used in order to reach conclusions. Findings: Two leadership dimensions are found to be most influential: (a) being a good manager/mentor and (b) articulating vision. Although good manager/mentor characteristics prove crucial for both types of CEOs, the effect of vision articulation on subordinates is moderated by the type of company the CEO is leading. No significant differences are found in the leadership style that the two types of CEOs adopt, except for their calmness and self-possession, which is lower among entrepreneurs. Implications: The findings raise questions regarding the differences in subordinate expectations from owners-CEOs, as opposed to professional CEOs and points at certain characteristics which could be developed in order to enhance leadership effectiveness in both groups of top managers. Originality/Value: The study underlines the importance of sound vision development and articulation in entrepreneur-run firms, as it appears that people working for such firms expect more direction from the Head. It is also sustained that good management and mentoring is essential in any kind of firm, in order to develop an effective, committed and motivated top management team, which will bring corporate success.

Outsourcing of Human Resource Management Services in Greece

Purpose: Outsourcing is gaining considerable popularity in the field of business services and management. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the practice of outsourcing human resource management (HRM) functions, such as training, staffing, rewards and restructuring, in Greece. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis draws upon both primary and secondary data. The findings of the 1999 CRANET survey and a study on the companies that offer HRM services in Greece are used to set the frame of analysis. A series of in-depth interviews with HR managers and senior HRM consultants are used to support the quantitative data. Findings: The analysis suggests that the Greek market of HRM services is still at an initial stage of development, with limited credibility, while the customers lack the experience of managing outsourcing relations and are reluctant to establish a partnership- type HRM outsourcing agreement. Considerable differences are identified between the Greek market for HRM services and those of more developed markets. Originality/value: The description of the Greek market of HRM services can be useful to vendors and users of HRM services, as well as researchers dealing with outsourcing in small markets.

Entrepreneurial and Professional CEOS: Differences in Motive and Responsibility Profile

Purpose --To shed some light on the motivationalprofile of entrepreneurial as opposed to professional CEOs in Greece. Design/methodology/approach -- Based on McClellands motivational patterns,i.e., power, achievement and affiliation, as well as responsibility; interviewswith Greek entrepreneurial and professional CEOs were conducted. Then,interviews were content-analysed, in order to identify differences inmotivational profiles of those two groups of CEOs. Findings -- Achievement, motivation and responsibility were found to be themost significant discriminating factors between entrepreneurial andprofessional CEOs. Research limitations/implications -- The current research focuses only onMcClellands typology. Other aspects affecting entrepreneurial inclination arenot studied in the current paper. Practical implications -- One of the major implications deriving from theidentified characteristics of successful entrepreneurial and professional CEOshas to do with the preparation and training of young leaders for both largerand smaller firms. Originality/value -- This paper studies, for the first time, the leadershipprofile of CEOs in Greece and identifies differences between professional andentrepreneurial ones. This is of great value in an SMEs dominated economy, suchas Greece, where these research findings can be used for the development ofentrepreneurship. (Publication abstract)

Internationalisation as a Determining Factor of HRM Outsourcing

This paper examines the effect of company internationalization on the practice of outsourcing HRM functions in Greece. It holds the assumption that HRM outsourcing is perceived as an innovative practice and that foreign multinationals (MNCs) will use this practice more than native ones do. In doing that, the study aims at examining whether ‘diffusion’ of loosely- regulated management practices such as HRM outsourcing, is sustained by foreign multinationals. The findings of the 2000 CRANET survey are presented to show that HRM outsourcing is used to a lesser extent in Greece than other Western economies. Then the hypothesis that MNCs outsource more HRM services than Greek companies do is tested. The analysis draws upon the findings of a survey addressed to HR directors of both foreign multinationals and Greek companies. A significant difference is found in the extent of HRM outsourcing between Greek companies and foreign multinational subsidiaries. This is adequately explained through the comparison of the way HRM is conducted in Greek each type of company, as well as the segregation of the Greek market for HRM services. The paper adds to the discussion on the role of multinationals in the diffusion of innovative managerial practices, as well as to the HRM convergence–divergence debate.

Measuring workplace bullying in organisations

This paper intends to explore alternative ways to measure workplace bullying and to propose to HR professionals and academics a uniform and common way to assess the phenomenon. Based on a survey on 840 junior and middle managers from diverse sectors in Greece, we are trying to extract conclusions on the incidents and characteristics of workplace bullying, in a country where empirical evidence on bullying is very limited and where cultural dimensions differ from countries with extensive research evidence on workplace bullying and wide application of preventive measures. In Greece, workplace bullying is found to follow grossly similar patterns to those reported in relevant studies in Europe. The results vary according to the measurement methodology used. The latent class cluster analysis on the negative acts questionnaire scale, as previously proposed by other authors, is found to reflect more accurately the reality of workplace bullying occurrence, than other instruments (self-labelling or operational methodologies, which are tested here). The conclusions of this study are valuable to researchers and practitioners who wish to measure or compare the occurrence of workplace bullying in their organisations, based on specific and acceptable standards, around the globe.

A Decision Model for Outsourcing Training Functions: Distinguishing between Generic and Firm/Job Specific Training Content

Employee training plays a crucial role in the success of most organizations. Due to its developmental aspect, training is closely linked to core competencies and strategic focus. However, it is also one of the most widely outsourced HR functions in most Western economies. This article attempts to illustrate and propose a decision model for the factors that shape the expected benefits and subsequently the extent of outsourcing training functions. A distinction is made among generic training (for the development of competencies) and job- or company- specific training (for example, induction training, job specialization, etc.). Two decision models are extracted with structural equation modelling. Asset specificity, market availability, in-house development of training and firm size are discussed. The factors shaping the decision to outsource, as well as the perceived benefits from outsourcing employee training, are different for each of the two types of training (generic and specific). The reasons underlying those differences are discussed. For both types of training service it is proposed that the expected quality benefits, not cost ones, induce companies to outsource training. Thus, this study attempts to offer a useful insight into the factors shaping the extent and the expected benefits from outsourcing training services. The outcomes can further assist HRM professionals (managers and providers of HRM services), as well as academics to gain a better understanding of the nature of HRM outsourcing decisions in general, and a ‘basic’ HRM outsourcing practice – training – in particular.

Adoption of Electronic Systems in HRM: Is National Background of the Firm Relevant?

This paper explores how the national background affects the use of e-HRM, using data from 13 European countries. Findings suggest that the adoption of e-HRM is region-specific and affected by multiple factors. They also support the existence of two distinct sets of HRM technological systems, that is, back-end and front-end ones.

Revisiting leadership styles and attitudes towards women as managers in Greece: 15 years later

Purpose: The current paper deals with the attitudes towards women as managers, and the leadership style that women managers adopt. By replicating a study that was conducted in 1990, we intend to explore how things have changed during the last 15 years, in terms of attitudes towards women in management, as well as in terms of the leadership style that each gender tends to apply at work. Design/Methodology: A longitudinal survey, first run in 1990 and repeated in 2006, with a similar to the original sample of 229 Greek middle managers. Three very popular research scales were used to study the phenomenon: the Women as Managers Scale (WAMS), the Satisfaction with the Supervisor and the Likert 4 types of Leadership styles. Findings: The 2006 initial findings indicate greater presence of women in managerial positions, and relatively stable attitudes towards women as managers. Satisfaction with supervisor does not appear to be significantly correlated with the managers’ gender, while, at the same time, no significant difference appears to exist between the leadership styles that male and female managers adopt. Originality/Value: This research is unique in drawing on cross-time, large pool of data, to support the existence of persisting effects in the attitudes towards women as managers, as well as the effect of gender on the satisfaction with supervisor.