Richard Lacoursière

HRM Practice Clusters in Relation to Size and Performance: An Empirical Investigation in Canadian Manufacturing SMEs

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate whether the most successful small businesses (SMEs) can be distinguished from the less successful ones by their resorting more extensively to certain clusters of human resource management (HRM) practices. The result of sampling 176 Canadian manufacturing SMEs contributes substantially to answer this question. It turns out from the analyses that different clusters of practices are associated with the performance of an SME, whether it is a greater ability to retain employees or to encourage growth and innovation. More precisely, the practices of dissemination of information and of incentive compensation (bonuses, profit sharing and stock ownership) are associated with employee retention; the practice of involvement in decision-making is associated with innovation and the practices of job descriptions, recruitment, and performance appraisal, are associated with growth. Another interesting finding is that one can reduce the number of HRM practices applied in SMEs to a lesser number of clusters, which could facilitate further modeling in research attempting to establish causal relationships between HRM practices and the performance of manufacturing SMEs.

Strategic alignment of HRM practices in manufacturing SMEs: a Gestalts perspective

Purpose – This paper seeks to take a Gestalts perspective to analyze the alignment between the HRM practices and strategic capabilities of SMEs.Design/methodology/approach – Based on Miles and Snows adaptive cycle, this study examines the coherence of HRM practices with the strategic capabilities of manufacturing SMEs (n=176) in terms of products, markets, and networks. A principal component factor analysis was first made to reduce the HRM practices into a lesser number of factors. A clustering algorithm was then used to determine three groups of SMEs or Gestalts. Finally, an a posteriori examination of the performance of each group was made.Findings – SMEs align their HRM practices with their realized strategy within three configurations, namely local, international, and world‐class SMEs. Regardless of their strategic choices, these SMEs achieve comparable levels of performance.Research limitations/implications – The Gestalts perspective seems effective in its capacity to describe the role of the HRM fu...

Impact of high-performance work systems on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intention to quit in Canadian organizations

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the influence of high-performance work systems (HPWS) upon job satisfaction (JS), organizational commitment (OC) and intention to quit (QI). Design/methodology/approach - – The data come from a questionnaire administered to 730 employees in different organizations. All questionnaires were administered “live,” in the presence of one or more members of the research team, with the ability to answer any of the respondents’ clarification questions. Findings - – The results of this study allow the authors to better understand how the effects of HPWS are exerted on the intention to quit by highlighting the mediating role played by JS and OC. In addition, the results demonstrate a synergistic effect of HPWS, meaning that the combined effects of three sets of HR practices (skill-enhancing, motivation-enhancing and opportunity-enhancing practices) is greater than the sum of each set taken individually. Research limitations/implications - – The cross-sectional nature of the study prevents the authors from inferring true causality between human resource management (HRM) practices and the attitudes and behaviors of employees. Only a longitudinal study measuring levels of JS, OC and quit intention before and after implementation of such practices would establish such causality. Practical implications - – For leaders and managers of organizations seeking to reduce the rate of employee turnover, the results are eloquent: increased investment in a HPWS can significantly improve JS, helping to increase OC and reduce intention to quit. In the prevailing context of “talent war,” organizations that are the most proactive in the implementation of HRM systems, that is, systems designed to improve the skills of employees, to motivate them to use these skills and to empower them in their decision making at work, will be the employers that are more likely to retain skilled employees. Originality/value - – This paper focusses on the complementary rather than aggregate effects of three sets of HRM practices, thus contributing to the discussion on the notion of complementarity among HRM practices, a notion that has been called into question in certain studies.

HRM capabilities as a determinant and enabler of productivity for manufacturing SMEs

In this article we assume that the entrepreneurial capability of SME owner-managers is reflected in the choices they make to coordinate their action in terms of human resource management (HRM), research and development (R&D), and advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT). However, to what extent do managerial choices made in these areas affect the performance of SMEs? And to what extent do the interactions of HRM capabilities with R&D and AMT capabilities also affect the performance of these enterprises? In order to answer these questions, an empirical study was conducted among 182 Canadian SMEs. Emanating from a perspective based on human systems and contingency theory, the results of this study indicate that the development of HRM capabilities allow SMEs not only to improve their productivity but also to significantly amplify the effect of R&D and AMT capabilities on this same productivity.