Tanuja Agarwala

Innovative human resource practices and organizational commitment: an empirical investigation

In the contemporary business environment, human resource (HR) is an indispensable input for organizational effectiveness. Hence, an effective management of human resources has an important role to play in the performance and success of organizations. Competitive pressures have encouraged organizations to be proactive in diagnosing HR problems and to adopt more innovative HR practices since these were no longer a matter of trend, but rather of survival. The present study attempted to explore the relationship of three dimensions of innovative human resource practices (IHRPs): that is, the extent of introduction of IHRPs, their importance for organizational goal achievement and satisfaction with implementation of IHRPs, with organizational commitment (OC). Regression analyses showed that the perceived extent of introduction of innovative human resource practices by the organizations was the most significant predictor of organizational commitment.

Factors influencing career choice of management students in India

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the influence of a range of factors on the career choice of management students in India. The importance of different individuals in the family and at work in making career choices among these students is also to be explored. In addition, the study seeks to address the relationship of the cultural values of individualism‐collectivism and the protean/conventional career orientations of MBA students from India, with factors as well as people influencing the choice of a career.Design/methodology/approach – Participants consisted of 93 students from India entering management, who were starting their first year of the two‐year full time MBA program. Self‐administered questionnaires were used to gather data on factors and types of relationships influencing career choice, individualism/collectivism, and protean/conventional career orientation.Findings – “Skills, competencies, and abilities” was the most important factor and “father” was the most significant individual influen...

Influence of managerial support on work–life conflict and organizational commitment: an international comparison for India, Peru and Spain

This paper analyses work–family issues and related variables in three different countries (India, Peru and Spain) from a cross-cultural perspective. The level of conflict that employees feel between their working and personal lives is examined, as well as the relationships between work–life conflict (WLC) and employee commitment to the organization in each country. We also seek to understand whether managerial support is associated with WLC and affective commitment. Participants were 329 employees from different business organizations. Results suggest that the extent of WLC experienced by employees is similar for Spain and Peru, and also for Peru and India. Employees from India reported significantly higher levels of WLC compared to Spanish respondents. Results also show that in all three countries both the WLC and the managerial support in relation to work–family demands are associated with affective commitment. High levels of managerial support also lead to lower experiences of WLC in Peru and Spain, but not in India. The influence of individual differences in these variables was also examined. Whereas no gender differences emerged, marital status and elder/childcare responsibilities influenced perceptions of WLC as well as affective commitment. Results are discussed in terms of how cultural, social and economic differences between India, Peru and Spain may influence work–family issues.

Software Services Industry Context and Performance Management

Performance management as a process raises several issues related to its effectiveness and contribution to organizational performance. Particularly, in context of software services industry difficulties inherent in managing employee performance seem to grow. This article discusses the research conducted in software services industry with the purpose of understanding industry context and its relationship with performance management. Results of this study indicate that software service sector was unique with respect to its nature, that is, knowledge intensive and dynamic, resulting in far greater complexity for performance management. The nature of this industry rendered uniqueness to individual performance context and underscored the role of line managers in performance management. The article also sheds light on issues regarding expatriate performance management, competency assessment and expectations of software professionals from the performance management system. Findings of this study have implications for facilitating greater alignment between software service industry context and performance management in the achievement of organizational objectives and goals.

The Practice of HRD: Internal Customers' View

The present study attempts to explore employee perception of the adequacy of performance of HRD practices. Analyses indicated that large percentage of employees viewed HRD practices as being inadequately performed in their organizations. The practice of HRD was found to have a highly significant positive correlation with the HRD climate of the organization.

Who Promotes a Gender Agenda? An Indian Case Study

This case study is of a premier central university in India that is characterized by a notable increase in the representation of women at professorial and senior management levels. The focus is on the period 2001–2016 during which there have been three different vice-chancellors and the percentage of women professors increased from 16% (2001) to 30% (2015). This chapter seeks to deconstruct the factors contributing to this increase, including the role of senior university leadership in furthering the gender agenda. The chapter uses secondary data and reflections of a key informant to explore whether this increase in the proportion of senior women reflects a real transformation in the gendered nature of university culture and is a true indicator of gendered change.

Balance trabajo-familia: Cultura, nivel de conflicto y voluntad de permanencia en la empresa

El balance trabajo-familia ha sido ampliamente estudiado por la literatura referida a la gestionhumana. La busqueda de dicho balance esta asociada a practicas de retencion del talento.Diversos autores anotan que la existencia de politicas corporativas sobre este tema no resultasuficiente para reducir el conflicto que experimentan los trabajadores por las presiones laboralesy familiares. Segun afirman, se requerira de una cultura que acepte y apoye el balance trabajofamilia.Esta investigacion empirica sugiere que, en el contexto de las empresas peruanas delsector industrial, financiero y de telecomunicaciones en el que trabajan los 96 encuestados, unacultura organizacional que apoya el uso de estas practicas reduce el conflicto que experimentael trabajador y, mas aun, ambas variables —cultura y conflicto— permiten estimar su voluntadde permanencia en la empresa. No obstante, los resultados obtenidos tambien sugieren que,si bien el conflicto familia-trabajo (FWC) guarda una relacion negativa con la voluntad de permanencia en la empresa, el conflictotrabajo-familia (WFC) no muestra estamisma significancia cuando aparece unacultura que apoya este balance.