Pedro Miguel Romero-Fernández

Strategic human resource management: integrating the universalistic, contingent, configurational and contextual perspectives

From its origins at the end of the 1970s, strategic human resource management has developed quickly. After its uncertain first steps, the number of models and explanations proposed grew exponentially, especially after some theoretical revisions presented in the 1990s. The present explosion of literature requires a systematic revision of the state of the art in this field of research. This is the objective of this paper, which classifies the literature theoretically into four generic perspectives. The principal conclusion derived from this analysis is that, despite the differences among the universalistic, contingent, configurational and contextual approaches, it is possible to make their contributions compatible balancing their limitations. Finally, to illustrate this, we present an integrative exploratory model representing our actual understanding of the complex phenomenon of strategic human resource management.

Human Resource Management as a Field of Research

Drawing on Snow and Thomass (Journal of Management Studies, 31 (1994), pp. 457480) matrix, we empirically explore the state of the art in human resource management (HRM) research. The data were obtained through a questionnaire directed to HRM scholars all over the world, in which they were asked about their particular theoretical and methodological approaches. The evidence obtained shows clearly that HRM scholars are progressively abandoning the universalistic perspective and completing their models with contingent and contextual variables. Trying to classify the different contributions proposed and discuss their integration, HRM is described as a field of research with three dimensions: subfunctional, strategic and international. The paper concludes that to provide reliable explanations and valid responses to professional problems, HRM research must advance simultaneously in these three dimensions. As follows from our analysis, there are certain HR issues that still need to be addressed: (1) the strategic use of HR practices, (2) their international applicability, (3) global HR strategies and (4) the synergic integration of HR activities. Nevertheless, to advance our knowledge in these issues, it seems necessary to integrate previous research in subfunctional, strategic and international aspects of HRM.

Research proposal on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and strategic human resource management

The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework in order to analyse the relationship between corporate social responsibility and strategic human resource (HR) management. Thus far, both disciplines have advanced in isolation. Therefore, this paper aims to examine if a combination of these research lines can provide competitive advantages for enterprises. Specifically, we will analyse how a socially responsible orientation in the HRs practices can contribute to the achievement of these advantages through performance variables, such as work environment and intellectual capital.

Human Resource Management on Social Capital

Over the past years, several researchers have analysed the relational dynamics that takes place inside and between organizations concept, mediating and moderating variables, effects, etc. considering it as a resource capable of contributing to the orientation and the strategic positioning of the organizations, and, as a last resort, to the support of the competitive advantages. Nevertheless, there are very few studies that include evidence about how the effective management of certain characteristics and properties of the network, such as the work dynamics developed or the interaction in the group may be useful for the operation of the work group itself in firms that develope its activity in high-tech sectors. Thus, the objectives of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for studying the relationship between Human Resource Activities and Social Capital while underlining the importance that human resource policies play in the management of this variable in a IT environment.

Towards a configuration of socially responsible human resource management policies and practices: findings from an academic consensus

Abstract The integration of socially responsible behaviour has become a strategic priority for companies in recent years. Academic contributions that merge the fields of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource management (HRM) have been expanding, demonstrating a broad sweep of benefits reflected in greater levels of commitment, motivation, and performance by employees. However, little has been clarified about what academics and business management understand to be a configuration of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) practices. This paper aims to define and provide an initial academic approximation of a set of socially responsible human resource practices. In order to accomplish this objective, a content analysis was conducted based on a review of the literature, CSR reports, and international CSR standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative and ISO 26000. The theoretical findings were supported by a panel of experts who inspected them over three rounds of reviews. The sample for the study was created by consulting the academic literature, strengthened by the input from the panel of experts. The results show an academic consensus of 80%, and support the existence of a valid configuration of 8 socially responsible human resource policies divided into 32 practices.

Key Factors in the Access of Women to Managerial Posts

Despite the social and political changes over the past decade that have taken place in the field of work, it is obvious that participation of women in managerial posts is limited. This paper supports the principle of equal opportunity of access to these posts for women and aims to examine the occupational segregation that exists in the labour market. The paper presents some key factors relevant to this situation and highlights the fact that women could offer knowledge to organisations that would otherwise be wasted.

Attitudes of University Students Regarding Potential Conflicts in Socially Responsible Companies

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly viewed as a strategic management tool for companies to draw in candidates. In this arena, international responsible rankings such as ‘The Great Place to Work’, ‘Family Responsible Employer Index (FREE)’ or ‘The Best Companies for Working Mothers’ put emphasis on the value of responsible behaviours, not only for surviving in the market, but also to ‘win the war for talent’. Using a sample of Spanish University students, this research aims to analyse the process of selecting responsible organizations to work and whether there is a possible future conflict of interest by students between their own and organizational values. Surprisingly, the university students assessed two opposing situations with the highest values: of looking to change employer and of letting time pass in order to ignore the conflict. The implications of the students’ assessments and the related factors which affect their decision-making criteria are explored in this article.

Evidence of different models of socially responsible HRM in Europe

Socially responsible human resource management (SR‐HRM) is becoming increasingly important for academics and managers. The interface between HRM and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the subject of analysis in this article. It adopts a contextual perspective to analyze whether the institutional context influences the implementation of socially responsible HRM (SR‐HRM). Considering the differences in the national institutional contexts across Europe, this study explores the different models of SR‐HRM in that region. The research is focused on a sample of 153 companies headquartered in Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The findings evidence the influence exerted by the national institutional context on the implementation of SR‐HRM. Differences among country clusters suggest the existence of different models of SR‐HRM in Europe. However, these models do not correspond to the blocks on HRM or on CSR identified by the literature but instead provide a novel categorization.

LA TRANSPARENCIA SOCIAL EN LA GESTIÓN DE LOS RECURSOS HUMANOS EN EUROPA: UN ANÁLISIS ENTRE PAÍSES

Currently, companies have become increasingly concerned with demonstrating their social engagement with their stakeholders, including their employees. Responsible management of workers and the transparency of that management is the subject of analysis in this paper. Because there are differences in the reporting requirements in European countries, this study analyses social transparency as determined by national institutional characteristics. The research is focused on a sample of 195 companies listed on the main stock exchanges of Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The results show quantitative differences in information about responsible human resource management practices as well as homogeneity in the employment of reference standards, with the exception of companies in the United Kingdom.

Emotional Capital in Family Businesses: Decisions from Human Resource Management Perspective

Nowadays, family businesses (FBs) have become a distinctive organizational model, not only for preserving the values of their founders in times of technological, political and economical changes but also for fostering a different kind of organization surrounded by emotional ties. This is particularly interesting to the human resource management (HRM) area, because managers must take decisions aimed at achieving economic and financial goals, which often affect the emotional stability of family members. Regarding this issue, the term emotional capital (EC) appears as a set of assets based on the emotions that the organization has developed over time with their employees. This chapter examines, from the HRM perspective, how human resource choices can be affected in order to preserve a positive EC for organizations. Due to the social implications emotions have in HRM, the chapter also links corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an important management strategy, focused on meeting employees and social concerns, as a way to strengthen the emotional bonds in companies. The literature review and institutional reports pointed the characteristics of FB in Spain, describing how companies could design human resource policies and practices aimed at keeping EC. Finally, the configurational approach of HRM is used to explain the design of the best possible human resource practices adapted to a particular context like FB.