Peter J. Dowling

Global staffing: a review and thematic research agenda

This paper provides the context for the current special issue on global staffing and provides an up to date review of the state of the art in the literature in the area. We explore the key role played by global staffing in strategic international human resource management, with a particular focus on innovation, organisational learning and corporate integration. We then consider the evolution of global staffing research over time. Finally, we point to a number of key contemporary issues which could help to guide future research in global staffing.

Exploring the effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on the work-related well-being of Chinese hospital employees

This study addresses the recent call to restore employees well-being to the centre of high-performance work system (HPWS) research through investigating the effects of HPWS on the major dimensions of work-related well-being, such as emotional exhaustion, work engagement and job satisfaction. Based on data collected from a sample of 207 clinicians (medical practitioners and nurses) and administration staff in six Chinese hospitals, we introduced the perceived nature of the employee–employer relationship as a moderator to understand the complex mechanisms through which HPWS may influence employee well-being. Given that Chinas health care system is one of the most market-orientated systems in the world, the Chinese health care context provides an ideal site to study the implications of HR practices for employees. The findings demonstrated that HPWS may lead to work engagement or emotional exhaustion, depending on employee perceptions about the nature of the employee–employer relationship. The economic exchange perception increases the possibility that HPWS leads to employees emotional exhaustion, while the social exchange perception decreases the possibility that HPWS leads to employee work engagement. The findings have significant practical implications for hospital management.

An international perspective on human resource management and performance in the health care sector: toward a research agenda

In recent years, the role of human resource management (HRM) within the health care sector and its potential to effectively contribute to employee well-being and improved health care outcomes has become topical among hospital HR practitioners and academics across different national settings. The health care sector is a critical part of the health and welfare of communities. Consequently, throughout the world, efficient and effective health care delivery has been subjected to fierce debate and reform in a number of countries such as the USA, Australia, China and the UK. The health care industry operates within a complex web of stakeholders including government, private providers, health insurance companies, health care managers, clinicians and professional associations, trade unions and consumer lobby groups. The nature of each health care system and the subsequent use of HRM will differ depending on national context. However, the one constant across different national settings is the critical importance of human resources both in terms of their ability to impact patient outcomes and hospital costs. Impacting on this situation is a world-wide shortage of nurses, documented poor doctor and nurse commitment and job satisfaction and continued challenges of quality in patient care and patient safety (Leggat, Bartram and Stanton 2011; Townsend, Wilkinson and Bartram 2011). This special issue adopts an international perspective on examining the HRM/highperformance work systems (HPWS)-performance chain, which includes the use, implementation and effectiveness of HRM on health care performance outcomes in different national and institutional contexts, health care settings and occupational groups. International research on the performance of hospitals reports growing evidence that HRM can make a difference, although its effective use is patchy (Aiken et al. 2001; Khatri, Wells, McKune and Brewer 2006; West, Guthrie, Dawson, Borrill and Carter 2006; Bartram, Stanton, Leggat, Casimir and Fraser 2007). Despite these important advances, the impact of HRM on patient outcomes as a concept is still in its infancy and is often viewed with some reservation, particularly by clinicians, some managers and even governments (Stanton,Young, Bartram andLeggat 2010). Consequently, there is a limited understanding of how the various components ofHRM impact hospitalworkers and are used to impact care delivery and ultimately influence patient outcomes (Harris, Cortvriend and Hyde 2007). There has been relatively little research into the HRM/HPWS-performance chain within the health care context in either Western or non-Western settings. We argue that this is an important research agenda that needs urgent attention. This special issue advances the theoretical, conceptual and empirical base of the HRM/HPWS-performance chain within the international health care context. This special issue contains 10 papers

Psychic distance revisited: a proposed conceptual framework and research agenda

The concept of psychic distance has had a long but problematic history in the academic study of international business.xa0 Although inherently appealing, attempts to empirically validate the theoretical frameworks proposed by early psychic distance scholars have provided mixed results.xa0 This has led a number of academics to question the usefulness of the concept.xa0 Theoretical advances have been made in recent times with the introduction of revised definitions, but there is still the need for a conceptual framework of psychic distance that unambiguously identifies the determinants of psychic distance and demonstrates the relevance of this concept at the national, firm and individual level.xa0 The present paper proposes a revised definition of psychic distance and posits a conceptual framework of psychic distance that addresses these needs.xa0 It then concludes by putting forward a research agenda arising as a consequence of the new conceptual framework.

An investigation of paradigm choice in Australian international human resource management research

This paper addresses the question of whether Australian international human resource management (IHRM) research is dominated by either a universalist or contextualist paradigm. Using a systematic review approach, 82 peer reviewed papers were analysed using a basic extraction tool to record publication and research design details. The universalist/contextualist distinction decision was based on the point at which theory became evident in each publication. Results indicated an almost even split in the universalist/contextualist paradigm choice suggesting a balanced rather than dominant research preference. This finding may reflect the impact of both European and North American influences in Australian IHRM research. A second finding is a high level of papers without proposed theoretical relationships: this second finding has a number of ramifications for IHRM research and practice in Australia.

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.

Career Capital Development of Self-Initiated Expatriates in China

Abstract nPurpose nThe purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of SIEs’ career development through international assignment. In particular, the research focus is on career capital acquirement and development of SIEs through their international assignment in China. n n nMethodology/approach nWe review studies on SIEs and comparative studies between SIEs and OEs. We apply the career capital theory to discuss SIEs’ career capital development in terms of knowing-how, knowing-why and knowing-whom through expatriation assignment in China. n n nFindings nThis chapter focuses on SIEs’ career capital accumulation through international assignments in China, and we develop three propositions that will guide future studies: the knowing-whom career capital development of SIEs through expatriation is increased more in network quantity than network quality in China; the knowing-why career capital development of SIEs through expatriation is influenced by the age and career stage of SIEs; and the knowing-how career capital development of SIEs through expatriation — task-related skills and local engagement skills — is influenced by the SIE’s intercultural ability and organization support respectively. n n nPractical implications nIn practice, a better understanding of SIEs’ career capital development in terms of knowing-how, knowing-why and knowing-whom help companies make the decision to select the relevant staffing pattern. This study also has practical implications in relation to the design and selection of the training, learning and development activities provided to the employees. n n nOriginality/value nThe chapter contributes to the expatriate management literature by focusing on SIEs’ career development through their international assignment in China. SIEs’ career development is related to their cross-cultural adjustment and has impacts on the completion and success of the expatriation assignment.

Addressing the Lack of Empirical Data on Global Performance Management: Developing a Research Strategy and Assessing Initial Empirical Evidence – A Research Note

This work aspires to improve the methodological way of empirical data collection and to provide data to validate global performance management (GPM) research frameworks. Despite the existing various conceptual and theoretical frameworks for global performance management, the empirical evidence is still in its infancy. We draw detailed implications for the empirical research on GPM based on the challenges already outlined in cross-national and cross-cultural research methodology. Our research in progress focuses at deepening our knowledge for investigating GPM using the interplay between frameworks and secondary data from case studies on global performance management systems in European MNCs.

Subsidiary responses to the institutional characteristics of the host country: Strategies of multinational enterprises towards hukou-based discriminatory HRM practices in China

Purpose n n n n nThe purpose of this paper is to examine the strategic responses of multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiaries in China toward a unique institutional characteristic – the structural discrimination against rural migrant workers. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nBased on surveys of 181 firms and 669 rural migrant workers, as well as a case study of eight firms in Jiangsu and Shanghai, the authors examined and compared the human resource management (HRM) policies of MNE subsidiaries and domestic Chinese firms toward rural Chinese migrant workers. n n n n nFindings n n n n nThis study found that MNE subsidiaries are more likely to accept local discriminatory HRM practices when managing migrant workers. In response to the institutional environments of host countries, MNE subsidiaries tend to share similar behavioral characteristics with local firms and are reluctant to show leadership in initiating institutional change in host countries. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThis study is important since it enables investigation of some prevailing assumptions in the literature. Contrary to common wisdom that MNEs are change agents that proactively engage in institutional entrepreneurship in host countries, this study found that MNEs’ responses to the institutional environment of host countries are shaped by their entry modes and the institutional environment in their home countries. MNEs are as diverse as their home countries and far from forming a unified organizational field with similar behavioral characteristics.

Gaining altitude on global performance management processes: a multilevel analysis

This conceptual review of global performance management (GPM) focuses on how individual performance results are aggregated in multinational enterprises. The authors propose a four-level vertical framework of the uses, metrics, systems and processes at the (1) individual, (2) local–regional, (3) strategic business unit and (4) global (corporate) levels. Based on a review of limited extant empirical literature and interviews with selected European human resource planning practitioners, the authors present a four-stage transformation framework. Individual GPM results are envisioned to be transformed via four processes, described as (1) ‘funneling’ of selective individuals to the attention of actors at the next vertical level in the firm, (2) ‘summation’ of individual performance metrics to the next vertical level, (3) ‘conversion’ of individual metrics into a different form of metric altogether before being forwarded to the next vertical level and (4) ‘sharpening’ or recalibration of macro-level firm strategic performance metrics as a consequence of how well individual and subunit performance targets are met. The paper concludes with a discussion of what qualities an effective GPM might have, namely the creation of a balanced but essentially centralized, strategically customized, bundled system of IHRM practices that combines culture and technology.