Shaun Tyson

Human resource strategy: a process for managing the contribution of HRM to organizational performance

This paper describes human resource strategy as a management process, as part of emergent strategy formation. A framework is proposed to describe the different levels of analysis, societal, organisational and individual, which managers seek to integrate so that the meanings organisation members bring to their work are managed. The consequences of taking this approach as opposed to the rational view of HR strategy are outlined and the benefits of a processual, interpretationist perspective to the study of strategy for example by studying symbols and the processes of meaning construction are discussed.

Comparing HRM in the voluntary and public sectors

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the practice of human resource management (HRM) in voluntary sector organisations providing substance misuse treatment services and to compare these findings with similar organisations in the public sector.Design/methodology/approach – HRM practices are examined using a survey of voluntary and public sector drug and alcohol treatment provider organisations. The survey data are supported with a number of case studies and qualitative interviews with the HR managers of such organisations.Findings – The data show that in many areas practice is broadly similar in the voluntary and public sectors. However, there are also a number of important differences, influenced by both their relative financial positions and the value‐led nature of the voluntary sector.Originality/value – Recent estimates suggest that over half a million people are in paid employment in the UK voluntary sector; however, relatively little is known about HRM within this sector. This paper provides a valuab...

International comparative studies in HRM and performance – the Cranet data

Research in the field of international and comparative HRM is becoming ever more available. The International Journal of Human Resource Management now usually publishes 12 issues per year, and the enormous range of the field is apparent from the scope of the topics covered. The papers published in this special issue are all drawn from the Cranet project. Cranet is a network of scholars from universities across the world, representing over 40 countries. Cranet conducts a survey of HRM in member countries approximately every four years, enquiring into policies and practices in people management through a set of common questions. In this introduction, we locate Cranet within this research field, and say how Cranet seeks to contribute to this growing body of knowledge.

A Positive Policy? Corporate Perspectives on Redundancy and Outplacement

The management of the job‐loss situation is becoming of central importance to top management and human resource executives in the current climate of redundancy. The current nature of severance packages and the provision of outplacement may be interpreted as a move towards normative practices within the policy making of many UK organizations. Reports on the results of a recent survey of over 600 UK organizations. The survey covered organizational perspectives on redundancies and the use of outplacement in the event of redundancy. The results indicated a change in corporate values in the 1990s. There appeared to be a move towards normative practices in the management of redundancy and in particular in the use of outplacement as a moderator of the potentially detrimental impact of the redundancy situation.

Downsizing and the changing role of HR

This paper examines the changing role of HR in the specific context of downsizing. It highlights the key dilemmas facing HR professionals - on the one hand, the contribution of HRM to the achievement of business results has come under increasing scrutiny and, on the other hand, most of the challenges of downsizing are people-related issues that require sophisticated HR interventions. The paper reports the key findings of a pilot study conducted in sixty organizations in the UK that downsized in the last three years. The key conclusion of the study is that the role of HR has become wide ranging, covering the strategic as well as implementation aspects. The clear message from the study suggests that, unless there is alignment between the two aspects, the envisaged benefits of downsizing are unlikely take place. Key challenges facing HR professionals are managing middle managers, managing careers and managing employee expectations. There are indications to suggest that the process role of HR is likely to bec...

Outsourcing payroll: beyond transaction‐cost economics

Purpose – There are continuing pressures to improve administrative efficiency in human resource management (HRM). Following the professional and academic literature, proposes “payroll” as an ideal candidate for outsourcing in order to drive costs down.Design/methodology/approach – The research uses a transaction‐cost‐economics perspective to identify efficiency implications of varying governance decisions. Ten distinct payroll activities that account for a generic payroll workflow are identified. Then the costs of carrying out these distinct payroll processes, either market‐ or hierarchy‐based, are analysed in 20 case studies of UK‐based organisations.Findings – While key payroll activities were more costly when outsourced, there were efficiency gains in supplementary activities and lesser investment in IT software and maintenance.Originality/value – These insights are important for cost‐based make‐or‐buy decisions. Influence factors on governance decisions, however, went beyond considerations of transact...

Psychological Similarity in Work-Based Relationships and the Development of Self-Efficacy Beliefs

The subject of work-based relationships as a source of support, feedback and development has centrality in much of the research into management development. Specifically, work dealing with manager/subordinate and peer relationships, as well as more formally defined developmental relationships such as that of the mentor, coach or counsellor, are of interest to the management researcher. This article examines the concept of psychological similarity through shared meanings, in relation to the maintenance and development of self-efficacy beliefs. This examination is carried out through comparative case studies in two very different organizational settings; the corporate and the not-for-profit sector. It was found that in work-based relationships in which the parties are psychologically similar, such relationships are more likely to support the maintenance and development of self-efficacy beliefs.

Organizational reactions to UK age discrimination legislation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use neo‐institutional theory to examine organizational responses to the age discrimination at work legislation, recently introduced in the UK. The paper examines reasons managers advanced for the introduction of human resource (HR) policies about age discrimination, in addition to legal compliance.Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal survey of HR managers and four case studies within a range of UK organizations are used to elicit data on organizational responses.Findings – Unsurprisingly, the introduction of the new legislation has created strong coercive pressure on organizations. However, the results also provide evidence of mimetic and normative pressures within organizations. There is a complex range of factors that influence changes to policies and practices. In addition, the impact of organizational context, manager stereotypes and public and private sector differences are examined. The implications for explaining coercive change in organizations in ...

Top pay transparency in Europe: codes, convergence and clichés

Following the waves of corporate scandals and the increasing attention to corporate governance, the transparency of reporting on director-level pay has increased across Europe. This article examines the extent of convergence in laws, codes and corporate reporting practices in regard to director-level pay in France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. The paper analyses annual reports and the websites of 23 companies, using institutional theory to discuss the coercive, normative and mimetic pressures for convergence that are revealed, not just in the laws and codes in each country, but also in the standardized wording in the relevant sections of reports which have become clichés.

What Do French Annual Reports Reveal About the Internationalisation of Companies

The current strategies used by companies emphasise the international dimension. There is an increasing trend for larger French companies to merge and enter into joint ventures with other European counterparts. If French companies are more and more concerned about conducting international activities, how do they communicate this dimension to their stakeholders through annual reports? From a consideration of the aims of these reports which highlights the difficulties in disclosing sensitive information, this paper gives a typology of disclosures in the annual reports of 42 leading French companies. This shows that the companies sometimes did not disclose as much information as they could about the international dimension of the firm, but sometimes they provided overwhelming information. The French leading companies seem to emphasise descriptive information (about their foreign activities and the results or their internationally diverse partnerships) rather than information concerning international human resource management or international growth opportunities.