Jordi Trullen

Sharing and expanding academic and practitioner knowledge in health care.

The purpose of this paper is to expand understanding of academic-practitioner knowledge-sharing in the service of enhanced knowledge creation in health care. To this end, we describe the tacit and explicit knowledge of academics and practitioners and how this knowledge exists within their communities of practice. We also discuss benefits of, difficulties with, and some underlying dynamics of academic-practitioner knowledge-sharing. We then propose what might be done, based on appreciation of these dynamics, to foster joint knowledge-sharing and knowledge creation. We illustrate our arguments with examples from health care settings.

What a Design Approach Offers to Organization Development

In this article, the authors describe characteristics of design science as a type of organization development (OD) intervention and as an approach to actionable theorizing. The authors discuss ways that design science approaches are typically but not necessarily consistent with OD’s values as well as the types of intervention motors they typically use. That is, they often reflect humanistic values, but they need not necessarily do so. Design science typically uses action research and participation intervention motors but does not include as much self-reflection as is the case in much OD work. Design approaches focus much more on action than do most current OD interventions; thus they add an important dimension to OD practice. In addition, they suggest ways of linking this focus on action with hypothesis testing and theorizing more than do most current OD interventions. Thus, they offer the possibility of revitalizing OD.

Faculty perceptions of instrumental and improvement reasons behind quality assessments in higher education: the roles of participation and identification

While the stated aim of quality assessments is to improve the quality of the products and services offered by universities, some faculty view them as instrumental in justifying government budget cuts in education. By means of a survey administered to more than 300 faculty from 20 academic programmes undergoing quality assessments, we studied perceptions of the reasons behind the assessments. The results of our analysis show that faculty participation in the assessment process significantly decreases the chances that faculty believe quality assessments are carried out for instrumental reasons. In addition, those who believe assessments are carried out for quality improvement reasons are more likely to rate the assessments as legitimate and to be more identified with the academic programme that is being assessed. This study emphasizes the significance of faculty attributions about quality assessments and shows that faculty participation is crucial in overcoming initial scepticism towards external interventions.

Special Issue of International Journal of Human Resource Management: Conceptual and empirical discoveries in successful HRM implementation: call for papers

As the body of evidence has grown over the years showing a positive association between HRM and firm performance (Becker & Gerhart, 1996; Boselie, Dietz, & Boon, 2005; Combs, Liu, Hall, & Ketchen, ...

The acceptance of newly introduced HR practices

Purpose - – HR practices are only effective if they are well accepted by employees. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of two forms of support on the acceptance of newly introduced HR practices (NHRPs): that of top managers and of supervisors. In addition, the authors analyze how these two forms of support work in conjunction with one another. The authors argue that a lack of consistency between the two impairs NHRP acceptance. The authors also explore variations in acceptance under different organizational climates. Design/methodology/approach - – The analysis is based on an original sample of 307 employees from nine multinational companies operating in Spain. Multilevel regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. Findings - – The authors found that top management support, supervisor support, and innovation climate are all predictors of NHRP acceptance. The authors also found that low supervisor support reduces the effect of top management support. Finally, the authors found that innovation climate is not a substitute for management and supervisor support. Practical implications - – The findings suggest that top management and supervisor behavior is critical to gaining employee acceptance of NHRPs, no matter how well designed such practices are or how well they address the needs of the organization and its employees. The findings also indicate that top managers and supervisors should coordinate the introduction of NHRPs, since employees perceive support signals from these two agents not only individually but also in conjunction. Originality/value - – Recognizing that employee acceptance is an important determinant of the effectiveness of HR practices, the authors make a unique contribution to the literature by investigating some critical contextual enablers of acceptance.

Perceived organizational culture and engagement: the mediating role of authenticity

Purpose – The idea of being authentic at work is gaining traction in both academia and organizations. The purpose of this paper is to test whether four types of perceived organizational culture (hierarchical, clan, market, and adhocracy) influence employees’ authenticity and whether behaving more authentically at work influences the extent to which employees are engaged with their jobs. Design/methodology/approach – The sample includes 208 professionals working in a variety of industries in Brazil. Hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – Results indicate that environments that are perceived to be more inclusive and participative, and that incentivize autonomy (i.e. clan and adhocracy cultures) neither nurture nor inhibit authenticity. On the other hand, cultures perceived to emphasize stability, order, and control (i.e. hierarchy and market cultures) are negatively related to authenticity. In addition, employees who behave more authentically at work are more engaged with their...

Top management: the missing stakeholder in the HRM literature

Abstract Despite the significant influence that top management exerts on different aspects of people management, it remains the missing stakeholder in the HRM literature. In this paper, we take stock of previous research, and conclude that it is scarce and lacks consolidation. On the basis of our findings, but also thinking in terms of what is still missing, we develop a conceptual framework that may guide further research, advocating for the need to consider co-evolutionary approaches in an attempt to integrate selection and adaptation perspectives, as well as multi-level and multi-actor factors. Future work should systematically address and distinguish top management characteristics from top management agency and link these more clearly to a diversity of HRM dimensions. By doing so, scholars will help to firmly incorporate the role of top management in the research agenda of HRM and pursue different avenues that can be scientifically sound as well as practically relevant.

Easier said than done: a review of antecedents influencing effective HR implementation

Abstract Despite the importance of effective implementation of HR policies and practices for the achievement of HR outcomes, this remains an area of research to which HR scholars have paid limited attention, without a clear conceptualization of constructs and a lack of consolidation of research findings. Moreover, the field does not avail of an organized corpus of knowledge to guide how to accomplish the successful implementation of HR practices. As a response to this situation, the present study provides a review of empirically grounded evidences about antecedents that can influence effective HR implementation. With the results of the review, we generate a model that organizes the elements identified according to content, context and process, and that proposes relationships among them. The study also delineates much-needed avenues for further research on this topic, and constitutes a first step to claim attention for the phenomenon of HR implementation among HR scholars.

Workplace authenticity as an attribute of employer attractiveness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relevance of authenticity as a possible attribute of employer attractiveness. Additionally, the study compares authenticity to other factors of attractiveness, such as economic, development, social, interest and application values. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with a total of 937 respondents. The questionnaire consisted of the employer attractiveness scale developed by Berthon, Ewing, and Hah (2005) and an adapted version of the authentic living scale (Wood et al., 2008). Findings The results show that workplace authenticity is equally valued as an attractiveness attribute as having opportunities for economic and personal development, and that it is significantly more highly valued than other attractiveness dimensions of the work environment, such as interest value, social value, and application value. The results also show that authenticity matters more as an attribute of attractiveness for top management, older professionals as well as women. Practical implications The findings suggest that firms become more competitive in attracting talent if their recruitment strategies place more emphasis on authenticity as a psychological benefit that can be obtained through working in the company. The use of social media (e.g. employee testimonials, chats, and blogs) can help to this end. Originality/value The subject of workplace authenticity has been receiving increasing attention in the academic literature, and the studies reveal the benefits that it may entail for both developing and retaining a more engaged and productive workforce. However, previous research has not considered how perceptions of workplace authenticity may also help organizations become more attractive in the eyes of potential job applicants.