Patrick M. Wright

Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human Resource Management

Critics have argued that the field of human resource management (HRM) lacks a coherent theoreticalframework. This article attempts to further the theoretical development of SHRM through discussing six theoretical models (behavioral perspective, cybernetic models, agencyltransaction cost theory, resource-based view of the firm, power/resource dependence models, and institutional theory) that are usefulfor understanding both strategic and non-strategic determinants of HR practices. Finally, the implications of a stronger theoretical approach to SHRM research and practice are discussed.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategic Implications

We describe a variety of perspectives on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which we use to develop a framework for consideration of the strategic implications of CSR. Based on this framework, we propose an agenda for additional theoretical and empirical research on CSR. We then review the papers in this special issue and relate them to the proposed agenda.

On becoming a strategic partner: The role of human resources in gaining competitive advantage

Although managers cite human resources as a firms most important asset, many organizational decisions do not reflect this belief. This article uses the value, rareness, imitability, and organization (VRIO) framework to examine the role that the human resource (HR) function plays in developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Why some popularly cited sources of sustainable competitive advantage are not, and what aspects of a firms human resources can provide a source of sustainable competitive advantage are discussed. The role of the HR executive as a strategic partner in developing and maintaining competitive advantage within the firm is also examined.

Human resources and sustained competitive advantage: a resource-based perspective

This paper integrates the theories and findings of micro-level organizational behaviour/human resource management research with the macrolevel resource-based view of the firm, specifically presenting a firms human resources as an important potential source of sustained competitive advantage. Unlike practice-oriented discussions that assume the role of human resources as a source of sustained competitive advantage, we use the theoretical concepts from the resource-based view of the firm (Wernerfelt, 1984; Barney, 1991) to discuss how human resources meet the criteria for sustained competitive advantage in that they are valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable. The implications for developing human resources as a source of sustained competitive advantage are discussed, particularly examining the role of HR practices and managers in this process.

Human resource management and labor productivity: Does industry matter?

There has been growing interest in the degree to which human resource systems contribute to organizational effectiveness, yet limited research attention has been paid to the contextual conditions that moderate the efficacy of these practices. In this study, we examined how industry characteristics affect the relative importance and value of high-performance work systems. Findings indicate that the impact of these human resources systems on productivity is influenced by industry capital intensity, growth, and differentiation.

Desegregating HRM: A Review and Synthesis of Micro and Macro Human Resource Management Research

Since the early 1980s the field of HRM has seen the independent evolution of two independent subfields (strategic and functional), which we believe is dysfunctional to the field as a whole. We propose a typology of HRM research based on two dimensions: level of analysis (individual/group or organization) and number of practices (single or multiple). We use this framework to review the recent research in each of the four subareas. We argue that while significant progress has been made within each area, the potential for greater gains exists by looking across each area. Toward this end we suggest some future research directions based on a more integrative view of HRM. We believe that both areas can contribute significantly to each other resulting in a more profound impact on the field of HRM than each can contribute independently.

The Impact of High-Performance Human Resource Practices on Employees’ Attitudes and Behaviors:

Although strategic human resource (HR) management research has established a significant relationship between high-performance HR practices and firm-level financial and market outcomes, few studies have considered the important role of employees’ perceptions of HR practice use or examined the more proximal outcomes of high-performance HR practices that may play mediating roles in the HR practice–performance relationship. To address recent calls in the literature for an investigation of this nature, this study examined the relationships between employees’ perceptions of high-performance HR practice use in their job groups and employee absenteeism, intent to remain with the organization, and organizational citizenship behavior, dedicating a focus to the possible mediating role of affective organizational commitment in these relationships. Data in this study were collected from surveys of employees at a large multiunit food service organization. The model was tested with CWC(M) mediation analysis (i.e., centered within context with reintroduction of the subtracted means at Level 2), which accounted for the multilevel structure of the data. Results indicate that employees’ perceptions of high-performance HR practice use at the job group level positively related to all dependent variables and that affective organizational commitment partially mediated the relationship between HR practice perceptions and organizational citizenship behavior and fully mediated the relationship between HR practice perceptions and intent to remain with the organization. The discussion reviews the implications of these results and suggests future directions for research in this vein.

Toward an integrative view of strategic human resource management

Abstract This article presents an integrative perspective of the human resource system based on the notion of managing competencies and behavior. Six basic HR strategies are derived by juxtaposing the three fundamental elements of a system (input, process, output) with the two strategic foci of HRM (competencies and behavior). These HR strategies are referred to as Competence Acquisition, Competence Utilization, Competence Retention, Competence Displacement, Behavior Control, and Behavior Coordination. The implications and advantages of this reconceptualization are discussed.

Measuring organizational performance in strategic human resource management: Problems, prospects and performance information markets

Abstract A major challenge for Strategic Human Resource Management research in the next decade will be to establish a clear, coherent and consistent construct for organizational performance. This article describes the variety of measures used in current empirical research linking human resource management and organizational performance. Implications for future research are discussed amidst the challenges of construct definition, divergent stake-holder criteria and the temporal dynamics of performance. The concept of performance information markets that addresses these challenges is proposed as a framework for the application of multi-dimensional weighted performance measurement systems. “What are you doing?” inquired the policeman of the drunk crawling on the pavement under the glow of a lamppost. “I am looking for my quarter”, came the reply. “Where did you lose it?” asked the officer helpfully. “I dropped it over there by that payphone”, retorted the drunk. Incredulous, the officer asked, “Then why are you looking in the middle of street?” “Because there is more light over here”, he replied with his nose nearly to the ground.

The role of human resource practices in petro-chemical refinery performance

This study examined the impact of human resource (HR) practices (selection, training, compensation and appraisal) and participation on the financial performance of US petro-chemical refineries. Survey results from HR and operations respondents indicated that appraisal and training were significantly related to workforce skills and that training and compensation were marginally related to workforce motivation. In addition, only training was significantly related to refinery performance, although the relationship was negative. However, selection, compensation and appraisal interacted with participation in determining refinery financial performance such that each of these practices was strongly positively related to financial performance only under highly participative systems. Implications are discussed.