Nicola McNeil

Organisational climate and human resources: exploring a new construct in a cross-national context

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study which identifies aspects of organisational climate that relate to human resource management. A novel data analysis technique was employed to analyse qualitative data from interviews with 50 human resource managers in Australia, Canada and Turkey. The results identify four organisational climate dimensions that focus on HR issues and work environments. Based on the suggestions of the competing values framework and also on the literature concerning studies of societal culture, we labelled these climate dimensions as: 1) collaboration; 2) competition; 3) control; and 4) family-orientation. These dimensions are seen to offer a path for future research on organisational climate and human resource management, and how employees perceptions of the HR policies, practices and procedures may influence the efficacy of the HR function. Implications for studying these phenomena across different societies are addressed.

Human resource management, social connectedness and health and well-being of older and retired men: the role of Men’s Sheds

Abstract This study analyses human resource management (HRM) in Men’s Sheds in Australia. Men’s Sheds are volunteer-based, not-for-profit, grass-roots community organisations that provide health-related resources and an avenue for largely older and retired men to engage with each other and the community. The research is timely given the escalating numbers of retired men and rising national health care costs in Australia. We used a sample of over 200 Men’s Sheds throughout Australia and matched 419 member responses to 162 leaders. Based on mediation analysis, we found that perceived human resource practices support the retention of membership and enhance the social connectedness, and health and well-being of men members. The quality of relationships between leaders and members was also important for membership retention. The study demonstrates the importance of HRM in grass-roots community-based organisations and its role in supporting the health and well-being of the community.

Examining the ‘black box’ of human resource management in MNEs in China: exploring country of origin effects

We examine the impact of HPWS on the attitudes and retention of Chinese employees in multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in China. More specifically, we examine the extent to which the degree of HPWS and the impact of these practices differ according to the country of origin of the MNE. We surveyed a sample of 410 Chinese employees currently working in Western and Asian MNEs. The findings indicate significant ‘country of origin’ effects, where employees of Western and Asian MNEs perceive different levels of HPWS are in operation in their respective organisations. Employee trust, job satisfaction and affective commitment are all important factors in the retention of Chinese employees of MNEs, with high levels of commitment being the most significant factor. However, the relative impact of these factors on employee retention differs by country of origin of the MNE.