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Challenges of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Research focus: project based public organisations in trade and industry sectors of uk.

The proposed research will be based on an exploratory and interpretive paradigm to understand the challenges faced in strategic human resource management (SHRM), with a particular focus on public organisations of the UK in trade and industry divisions of the UK government.

The reviewed literature depicted that in a project-based organisation (PBO), the achievement of long term competitive advantage is one of the essential goals in large public and private organisations that lead to the modifications in management practices of new modes of operations. The transition from traditional to optimised project management techniques in government organisation not only involves the management’s change of mindsets, but it also requires changes in operational compatibilities of human resources.

Proposed Title

Challenges of Strategic Human Resource management (SHRM) in Project based public organisations in trade and industry sectors of UK

Introduction

The successful progress of any organisation requires the adequate performance of Human resources as an integral component of organisational resources and capabilities. The studies of Hayton (2005), Peiseniece and Volkova (2010), and others have convincingly declared human resource management (HRM) as one of the most critical management functions as a driver of the value chain.

Project management is one of the contemporary management approaches with more concentration on achieving a single objective. With the increase in dynamics and complexity of the external business environment, the change management and project management approaches are widely used in public organisations (Kaufman and Miller, 2011).

This research proposal is based on analysing human resource challenges posed in the public PBOs during the transition phase. The literature is reviewed concerning the critical perspectives of studies about challenges in achieving the dynamic performance of HR in PBOs. Further, the discussion on research methodology is part of this proposal.

Rationale of Research

According to Mathis and Jackson (2011), strategic human resources management (SHRM) is one of the essential differentiation functions of a traditional management based organisation and a project-based organisation (PBO).

Pronjogo and McDermott (2011) argued the limitations of human resource management in public organisations project management approaches. Because of the traditional approaches followed in the bureaucratic setup of government or public departments, the transition towards PBO has specific challenges related to performance and skills management, adaptation to change, and modifications of operational strategies. Therefore, it is essential to analyse these challenges given the theoretical frameworks for HRM in public sector PBOs in the United Kingdom (UK).

Research Aim

This research aims to cover the essential aspects of SHRM to explore SHRM challenges in increasing the HR capacity and adaptation to change resulting from the transition of public sector project-based organisations (PBO) from the traditional public sector in the UK.

The proposed research will be related to the achievement of the following research objectives;

1. To understand the changing role of employees in a public organisation in context to PBO requirements in the UK.

2. To identify the modifications required in the HRM policies, practices, and designing of project teams in public sector PBOs.

3. To assess the capabilities and adaptation to transitional changes in human resources of selected PBOs in the UK

Research Questions

Given the complexities involved in the transition process faced by public sector organisations due to their size and diversity in human resource characteristics, the research will endeavour to answer the following questions;

1. What are the main challenges posed during the transition of a traditional public organisation to a PBO in the UK, and how do these challenges affect the modifications of HR practices to the new design of HRM in PBOs?

2. How do the roles and capabilities of HRM modify given the designing and management of project teams in public sector PBOs in the UK?

3. What is the consequence of the transition from a traditional to PBO on HR development and employees adapting to the new project environment in the context of public organisations?

Literature Review

This section reviews the relevant literature of project organisations and the challenges to HRM during the transition from traditional to project-based organisations (PBOs).

Transition to Project Based Organization (PBO)

The switching of traditional organisations to project-based, process-based, and change management-oriented organisations are pretty standard in the private sector. Similarly, public organisations also face the challenges of attaining the required performance in project-based settings. According to the proposed notion of Garies (2010), more frequent changes have been observed in recent eras due to the increased complexity and dynamic environment in consumers and business environments. Therefore, Turner (2009) declared the transition to a project-based organisational setup is essential to attain strategic organisational goals with a more focused approach. In contrast to the private organisations, the activities of PBO require a more focused and dynamic approach from public organisations due to their bureaucratic structure with less flexibility and large employee base to control HRM activities (Young and Howard, 2012).

Characteristics of PBOs in Public Sector

The category of the government sector in the UK is considered as Projectified organisations due to the transition made from traditional organisations to a more flexible and dynamic delivery of custom designs given the changes in the business environment.

Further, Gurbuz and Mert (2011) argued that the public organisations offered objectification to specific departments and service areas because of specified requirements of government projects, and the other sections and departments are governed through traditional management approaches. Hence, the requirement of practical human resources is one of the preliminary requirements in PBOs.

In view of the research of Perkins and White (2010) and Turner (2009), the changes in HR practices in PBOs are essential to address as the project’s development is associated with the designing of a new work environment on Projectified organisations. Jalocha et al. (2014) emphasise the development of critical competencies in project managers of Public organisations.

SHRM Challenges in the Public PBO

In addition, the increased requirements of soaring performance are difficult to achieve in view of the work concept in public organisation employees.

The other essential factors identified by the studies of Li-Yun, and Pan (2011) and Muller and Turner (2010) are linked to the development of career opportunities, flexibility in work routines and consistency in performance appraisal system for various projects in a single organisation are some important issues to be addressed.

Research Methodology

The exploratory research methodology governed by an interpretivist paradigm is selected for this research. The application of theoretical constructs of a PBO on the public organisational project settings needs a detailed and comprehensive study to align the concepts to the actual life practices of these PBOs.

The main areas of exploration are the development of SHRM practices in view of the challenges in current project-based working scenarios of public organisations in the UK. The studies of Li-Yun, and Pan (2011) and Jalocha et al. (2014) provided the necessary literature base for the HR settings in PBOs.

Further, the works of Crawford et al. (2013) and Snape and Redman (2010) will assist in determining the crucial variables of HR performance development in SHRM planning and HR linkages in PBOs.

The empirical research will be based on detailed personal and group interviews in five selected public organisations in the UK. The government departments operating in trade and industry are the main focus of the proposed research.

The nature of this longitudinal study will use an inductive approach in the collection of and qualitative data from interviews of project managers and HR managers in selected public organisations in the UK. Coding of data collected from interviews will be done by feeding qualitative data of interviews in RDA/QDA or ATLAS to convert qualitative data to quantitative.

The evidence in qualitative data will be collected through brainstorming, interviews, and focus group discussions with the project planners and HR managers in public sector organisations.

Summary and Conclusions

The changes in the environment and practices of individual employees in a public sector PBO are the most challenging aspects. The employees’ integration with project tasks needs a shift in mindset from traditional to task-based operations. The proposed research is expected to explore essential insights in the major transformations in public organisation SHRM to match the requirement of dynamic environments.

Proposed Work Plan

The span of the study is tentatively planned to three years, and a detailed plan is attached in Appendix.

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Crawford, E., Rich, B., Buckman, B. and Bergeron, J. (2013) ‘The Antecedents and Drivers of Employee Engagement, in Truss, C., Alfes, K., Delbridge, R., Shantz, A. and Soane, E. (Eds) Employee Engagement in Theory and Practice. London: Routledge

Gareis, R. (2010). Designing changes or permanent organizations by processes and projects. International Journal of Project Management, 28, 4, 314-327.

Gurbuz, S. and Mert, I. (2011) Impact of the Strategic Human Resource Management on Organisational Performance: Evidence from Turkey. The International of Human Resource Management. 22(8), pp.1803-1822

Hayton, J. C. (2005). Promoting corporate entrepreneurship through human resource management practice: A review of empirical research. Human Resource Management Review, 15, 21–41.

Ingason, H. T. & Jónasson, H. I. (2009). Contemporary knowledge and skill requirements in project management, Project Management Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2.

Kaufman, B. and Miller, B. (2011) The Firms Choice of HRM practices: Economics meets Strategic Human Resource Management. Industrial & Labor Relations Review. 64(3), pp.423-626.

Li-Yun, S. and Pan, W. (2011) Differentiation Strategy, High -Performance Human Resource Practices, and Firm Performance: Moderation by Employee Commitment. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 22(15), pp.3068-3079.

Mathis, R.L., & Jackson, J.H. (2011). Human Resource Management (14th ed.). South-Western: Thomson. 592 p.

Müller, R. & Turner, R. (2010) Leadership competency profiles of successful project managers, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 28. Peiseniece, L., & Volkova, T. (2010). The necessity to evaluate human resource management in companies of Latvia. Economics and management, 15, 698-703.

Perkins, S. White G. (2010) Modernising Pay in the UK Public Services: Trends and Implications. Human Resource Management Journal. 20(3), pp. 244-257

Pronjogo, D. and McDermott, C. (2011). The Relationship between multidimensional Organisational Culture and Performance. International Journal of Operations and Production Management.31(7), pp. 712-735.

Shaw, J., Park, T. and Kim, E. (2013) A Resource-based Perspective on Human Capital Loses, HRM Investments, and Organizational Performance. Strategic Management Journal. 34(5) pp. 572-589.

Snape, E. and Redman, T. (2010) HRM Practices, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, and Performance: a Multi-level Analysis. Journal of Management Studies.47(7), pp.1219-1249.

Turner, J. R. (2009). The Handbook of Project-based Management. Third ed. McGraw-Hill, New York and London. Van Jaarssveld, D. and Yanadori, Y. (2011) Compensation Management in Outsources Service Organisations and its Implications for Quit rates,

Absenteeism and Workforce Performance: Evidence from Canadian Call Centres. British Journal of Industrial Relations. 49(s1), pp.s1-s26

Young, Y. and Howard, B. (2012) Financial Incentives, Professional Values and Performance: a Case Study of Pay-for-performance in a Professional Organization. Journal of Organizational Behaviour. 33(7), pp. 964-983.

Appendix – Detailed Research Schedule

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HRM practices and innovation: an empirical systematic review

International Journal of Disruptive Innovation in Government

ISSN : 2516-4392

Article publication date: 22 April 2020

Issue publication date: 28 January 2021

The relationship between human resource management practices (HRMP) and innovation has been described as a black box, where a lot still needs to be investigated. Thus, the aim of this paper is to investigate the nature of the link that exists between HRMP and innovation in both public and private organizations. To do so, theoretical underpinnings and existence of a mediating or a moderating mechanism is inspected.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an empirical systematic review of research conducted between 2010 and 2018, content analysis has been conducted for 31 peer-reviewed articles in the English language.

Inspecting the nature of relations existed in the chosen articles, interesting findings are addressed relative to the nature of the human resource management systems (HRMS) used, practices encompassed and their different utility. HRMS has been shown to be associated with product innovation yet more evidence is needed for supporting process innovation.

Practical implications

The HRMS/HRMP and innovation relationship is inspected, important practices that would guide managers to induce innovation are highlighted. Usage of multiple HRMS and contingency in constructing such systems is indicated.

Originality/value

Contribution to comprehend the black box and areas for future research has been offered.

Systematic review
HRM practices
HRM systems

Easa, N.F. and Orra, H.E. (2021), "HRM practices and innovation: an empirical systematic review", International Journal of Disruptive Innovation in Government , Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 15-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDIG-11-2019-0005

Emerald Publishing Limited

Published in International Journal of Disruptive Innovation in Government . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

Introduction

Human resource management practices (HRMP) have been gaining an increased attention especially in the fields of economics of the organization, strategic management and human resource management (HRM) ( Laursen and Foss, 2003 ). Moreover, the past two decades were characterized by noticeable progress in researching human resource management systems (HRMS) ( Wei and Lau, 2010 ). HRMS and innovation relationship in firms is growing as many researchers inspected this area (Vogus and Willbourne, 2003; Beugelsdijk, 2008 ; De Winne and Sels, 2010 ; Ma Prieto and Pilar Pérez-Santana, 2014 ; Chen et al. , 2018 ). This growing interest is because of the continuous search for having a competitive advantage in a highly turbulent environment ( Jimenez-Jimenez and Sanz-Valle, 2008 ; Shipton et al. , 2005 ).

Innovation can be promoted through proper management of people ( Shipton et al. , 2005 ). Moreover, firms intending to innovate consider HRMP as a precious resource ( Beugelsdijk, 2008 ). Furthermore, human capital when leveraged organizational expertizes are developed, thus innovation would emerge as new products and services ( Chen and Huang, 2009 ). Several ways can be adopted to inspect the HRMP and outcomes linkage. However, the current approach is the following: complementarities or bundle of practices or individual practice in isolation ( Wright and Boswell, 2002 ).

This study seeks to contribute for the comprehension of the HRM and innovation relationship. It has been identified as a black box by several researchers including ( Beugelsdijk, 2008 ; Laursen and Foss, 2003 ; Messersmith and Guthrie, 2011). Thus, this study tries to inspect the way by which HRM and innovation are linked. Moreover, if there is a need for a mediating or moderating mechanism to understand such a relation.

In what follows the paper is arranged accordingly, first the methodology of the papers selection is explained. Next, the papers are summarized according to the way that HRMP or human resources systems affect innovation. Then, the existence of mediators and moderators as an explaining mechanism is examined. Eventually, practical implication, directions for future research and conclusion of the study are presented.

Methodology of the review

The 31 studies analyzed were published from January 2003 to December 2018 in 18 Journals ( Table I ). The list is mainly based on high ranking journals with a proven history and impact in the HRM research. The database used includes the following: Academy of Management, Sage Journals, Wiley online library, Taylor and Francis online, science direct, Oxford Academic and Emerald insight.

As a start, the research objective is defined and the conceptual boundaries are set. HRMP and innovation are conceptualized according to the following dimensions: HRMP (bundle/single); characteristics of HRMP; definitions of innovation; dimensions of innovation; the existence of a moderator–mediator; outcomes of HRMP in an indication for innovation in all its forms. Moreover, the focus was on the firm level.

Data collection method

The database on HRMP and innovation in firms was built through specific inclusion criteria. Figure 1 resembles the selection process adopted; as a start, the AJG Academic journal guide for journal ranking was examined to select, which journals to include in the study. Second, the main concentration was on HRM and employment journals. Moreover, the secondary and supportive source of data were, namely, general management, organization studies, innovation, psychology, economics, international business and hospitality. Third, titles, abstracts and keywords are inspected within the selected journals using the following key terms: “HRMP;” innovation and firm.

Studies identified counted 3,118, however, those that were not listed in AJG (2018) academic guide for journal ranking was dropped. Moreover, books, reviews, case studies, introductions, editorials, proceedings and abstracts were also excluded; only empirical articles were taken into consideration. Studies that had zero citations, except those published in 2018 was dropped. Next, all articles published before 2010 and included in the study had at least 60 citations. Also, research papers having the workplace and the organization as their unit of study was dropped, leaving us with 29 articles. However, studies that used companies and firms interchangeably were adopted, which gave us an addition of 2 articles, leaving us with 31 articles.

Human resource management practices and innovation in firm research

The HRMP and innovation relationship in firms is tested in a variety of contexts in this systematic review. This review declares that HRMP and innovation in firms are being empirically explored and has an international appeal as different countries are encompassed.

Distribution of studies

Laursen and Foss (2003) declared that the attention to HRMP and innovation in firms goes back to the late nineties. Their paper is considered to be essential in inspecting the relationship between HRMP and innovation in firms. Thus, the current study took the year 2003 as a starting point to inspect the previously mentioned relationship. The variance of interest in such a relationship is quite noticed since 2010 ( Figure 1 ). The years 2010-2018 accounts for the most empirical output in the field of study ( n = 22). Moreover, the main journals in the study are the following: Human Resource Management (6 articles), The International Journal of Human Resource Management (6 articles), International Journal of Manpower (2 articles), Human Resource Management Journal (2 articles) and Journal of Management (2 articles). Two third of the articles were published in human resource management journals ( n = 20).

Furthermore, the quality of the journals used was distributed accordingly. Approximately 10 per cent of the studies used were published in Grade 4* journals; 41 per cent were published in Grade 4 journals; 31 per cent were published in Grade 3 journals and the remaining 18 per cent were published in Grade 2 journals.

In addition, articles revealed a spread over 15 countries, namely, China and Spain dominated the articles count, eight articles for China and seven for Spain, the USA, the UK and Korea counted for two articles each. The rest of the articles were distributed along 10 countries mainly located in Europe. Thus, suggesting an opportunity for a globalized research, if supported with more samples from different countries. Moreover, what has been noticed supports the claim that China is heading to be the world`s innovator ( Casey and Koleski, 2011 ).

Theoretical perspective

To identify the theories used, Nolan and Garavan (2016) approach is adopted, thus, relying on “what theory is not by” ( Sutton and Staw, 1995 ). Human resources theories were spotted such as, namely, human capital theory is used to explain the relationship between innovations and organizational culture; social context theory to explain the organizational culture and employee behavior relationship ( Lau and Ngo, 2004 ). Moreover, learning theories is noticed, for example: organizational learning theory used to explain the impact of knowledge enhanced on innovation ( Chang et al. , 2013 ; Shipton et al. , 2005 ); Upper echelon theory was used to stress the importance of managers’ knowledge in evoking innovation ( De Winne and Sels, 2010 ) ( Figure 2 ).

Furthermore, the resource-based view (RBV) usage is prominent either in isolation or in complementarities. As for the first, RBV has been deployed to explain, namely, the influence of competitive advantage, the support of the knowledge, skill and abilities and intellectual capital on innovation, respectively ( Jimenez-Jimenez and Sanz-Valle, 2008 ; Lopez‐Cabrales et al. , 2009 ; Donate et al. , 2016 ). While for the later, RBV has been combined with creativity theory as an antecedent for creativity, thus leading to innovation ( Beugelsdijk, 2008 ); institutional theory to grab a better understanding of the context as RBV alone fails to do so ( Cooke and Saini, 2010 ); and dynamic capabilities (DC) to enhance innovative performance ( Messersmith and Guthrie, 2010 ).

In addition, the social exchange theory was used in combination with equity theory. Both theories support the claim that employees value the relationship with organization relative to incentives and rewards received ( Jiang et al. , 2012 ). Thus, when employees are valued, they reciprocate the organization with an extra effort and novelty in doing things. Also, the job characteristics theory is used in combination with social cognitive theory to the support the impact of change-oriented HRMS ( Lee et al. , 2016 ). Job characteristics theory increases self-responsibility toward the change and social cognitive theory enhances self-efficacy. Also, organizational support theory was used to explain how managerial support and HRMP would enhance R&D activities, and thus innovation ( Stock et al. , 2014 ). Besides, the presence of knowledge-based view not to be ignored in explaining the importance of knowledge management's impact on innovation ( Andreeva et al. , 2017 ; Chen and Huang, 2009 ).

Finally, the usage of the ability, motivation, opportunity (AMO) framework developed by Bailey (1993) is noticed to be prominent after the year 2014. HRMP are declared to be channeled through, the ability enhancement, motivation and opportunity given for employees (Ma Prieto and Pilar Pérez-Santana, 2014 ; Fu et al. , 2015 ; Lee et al. , 2016 ; Diaz-Fernandez et al. , 2017 ).

Methodology

To analyze the methodology characteristics three aspects have been examined, namely, the industry, the unit of analysis and methods adopted.

The main industry that has been noticed in the chosen articles is the manufacturing sector as it is present in 11 articles. The information and communication technology, is present in 6 papers. The food and beverage, automotive and service industry is present in four research studies. The wholesale trade, computer software industry, electronics, chemical industry, construction and hotel industry was noticed to be covered in 3 articles. The catering, transportation, financial service and textile industry is allocated in two papers. The health and personal service, retail trade, internet and added values services, biotechnology and pharmaceutics and metallurgy industry were inspected in one article each. What is noticed of what been mentioned above that the focus is on the manufacturing industry and there are still some industries to be covered such as oil, education and advertising industries. However, what is interesting that one of the articles excluded the agriculture sector. This may raise some questions and would constitute an opportunity for future research.

Unit of analysis

The individual is the essential unit of investigation of HRMP and innovation in firm research. The human resource director (HRD) was exclusively the unit of analysis in five articles, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in one article and the manager. Top executives including (CEO, general manager) were the unit of analysis in three papers, the CEO and the HRD in two papers, the CEO, production manager and HRD in one paper. Moreover, the CEO, middle-level managers and local stake holders was the unit of analysis in one paper, the CEO, HRD and financial controller in one article. Furthermore, The HRD and owner/manager (entrepreneur), was the unit of analysis in two research studies, the HRD and technology manager in one paper, the HRD, operational manager and employee in one article, the HRD, strategic director, production manager and the employee in one paper. Also, the senior, middle and junior managers were the unit of analysis in one paper, the senior executives in one article and the marketing manager and R&D manager in one research. As noticed, almost all of papers have focused on either top or middle management to represent the firm without giving an attention to the lower level of employees. Thus, supporting the claim that employeès opinion and reaction to HR practices is usually not addressed in HRM literature ( Nolan and Garavan, 2016 ).

Methods used

The empirical systematic literature review revealed some aspects about the methodological trends used. In total, 27 studies used questioners or surveys (interchangeably) for data collection, only two of them were longitudinal, while the rest were cross-sectional. Moreover, two studies used a mixed approach of a questioner and an interview. Furthermore, the rest two articles have adopted an interview approach with a longitudinal nature, thus a total of four articles having a longitudinal approach.

Content analysis

The content analysis of HRMP and innovation in firms focused on the following aspects: HRMP (bundle/single); existence of a moderating or a mediating variable, namely, characteristics of HRMS; definitions of innovation; outcomes of HRMP in an indication for innovation in all its forms.

Human resource management systems or human resource management practices

Lado and Wilson (1994) defined an HRMS as “a set of distinct but interrelated activities, functions and processes that are directed at attracting, developing and maintaining or disposing of a firm’s human resources.” Thus, indicating for the complementary and interrelated nature of the practices formulating an HRMS that imposes a competitive advantage for the firm. Moreover, high-performance work systems (HPWS) in accordance with what have been mentioned earlier is defined as “a system of HRMP designed to enhance employees’ skills, commitment and productivity in such a way that employees become a source of sustainable competitive advantage” ( Pfeffer and Jeffrey, 1998 ).

Moreover, the majority of researchers have adopted HMR practices in isolation to inspect its impact on performance ( Wright and Boswell, 2002 ). However, there is a call for adopting sophisticated HRMS to induce product and technological innovation ( Shipton et al. , 2005 ). HRMP when adopted as a system, is expected to evoke innovation as noticed in many research studies, for example: De Winne and Sels (2010) , Lopez-Cabrales et al. (2009) and many others.

The notion of complementarities is essential for HRMP to induce innovation ( Laursen and Foss, 2003 ). However, it has been found that isolated HRMP induce innovation to a certain extent. However, their interactive impact will be more significant ( Beugelsdijk, 2008 ; Shipton et al. , 2006 ). Furthermore, the impact of a single practice of HRM on a firm`s performance is not beneficial ( Lau and Ngo, 2004 ). Additionally, Jimenez-Jemenez and Sanz-Valle (2005) in their study announced a lack of support for the claim that HRMP in isolation would induce innovation.

Moreover, the aspect of integration and fit is highlighted as; HRM system alone might not induce innovation unless accompanied by an organizational culture that supports innovation. Furthermore, the existence of an innovative strategy accompanied by the HRMP is essential for firm innovation (Jimenez-Jemenez and Sanz-Valle, 2005). On the other hand, the alignment of HRMP toward the same goal may have a negative effect ( Andreeva et al. , 2017 ).

In summary, papers that used HRMP as a bundle was ( n = 26); in isolation ( n = 4); a mixture of a bundle and isolation ( n = 1). It is noticed that most researchers agree on the notion of the bundle, however, lack of agreement is noticed relative to the type of practices to integrate in the system (Jimenez-Jemenez and Sanz-Valle, 2005).

Human resource management systems characteristics

A variety of HRMS is used in literature with different HRMP and purposes. HRMS are categorized according to their purpose, namely, innovation-oriented encompassing practices that help build an innovative culture ( Lau and Ngo, 2004 ); a learning supportive ( De Saa-Perez and Díaz-Díaz, 2010 ; Laursen and Foss, 2003 ; Shipton et al. , 2005 ; Shipton et al. , 2006 ); an exploration and behavior fit to strategy ( Cooke and Saini, 2010 ); flexibility and adaptive capability-oriented system to face the rapid environmental changes ( Chang et al. , 2013 ; Jimenez-Jimenez and Sanz-Valle, 2008 ; Martínez-Sánchez et al. , 2011 ; Wei and Lau, 2010 ); a system that allow firms to evoke knowledge and build expertize ( Andreeva et al. , 2017 ; Chen and Huang, 2009 ; De Winne and Sels, 2010 ; Lopez-Cabaralez et al. , 2009; Sung and Choi, 2018 ); high performance work systems used to motivate and build human and social capital ( Fu et al. , 2015 ; Donate et al. , 2016 ; Messersmith and Guthrie, 2010 ); commitment oriented that establish social relations and evokes employee commitment toward the organization and risk taking ( Ceylan, 2013 ; Chen et al. , 2018 ; Neives and Osorio, 2017; Zhou et al. , 2013 ); a collaboration HRMS that helps in the development of equality relationship ( Zhou et al. , 2013 ); high involvement work practices that induce management coworkers support ( Ma Prieto and Pérez-Santana, 2014 ); a change oriented that impact employee psychological status such as self-efficacy and responsibility to change ( Lee et al. , 2016 ); and a creativity inducing system ( Liu et al. , 2017 ).

In summary, HRMS that builds knowledge capabilities evokes flexibility and learning is highly used in research. Moreover, commitment systems are quite noticed, however, the concepts of fit, culture and collaboration need to be more research as few studies have been encountered. Additionally, the same systems encompassing different HRMP were used for different purposes. Furthermore, different systems have been used for the same purpose.

Systems used for different purposes are high performance work system, high commitment human resource system. The first was used to; motivate, build human and social capital ( Messersmith and Guthrie, 2010 ); to enhance adaptive capability ( Wei and Lau, 2010 ); and induce innovative work behavior ( Fu et al. , 2015 ). The latter, was used to support learning ( De Saa-Perez and Díaz-Díaz, 2010 ); enhance innovative capability ( Zhou et al. , 2013 ) and innovative behavior, evoke organizational commitment and employee risk-taking Chen et al. (2018) and alignment of strategy ( Cooke and Saini, 2010 ). This supports the notion that HRMS are used interchangeably especially HPWS, high involvement work system (HIWS) and high commitment work systems (HCWS) ( Chen et al. , 2018 ).

Human resource management practices in isolation

Utilization of HRMP in isolation is quite noticed and adopted in recent research studies. The practices used can be categorized according to their purpose of usage. Lau and Ngo (2004) used three practices directed toward mindfulness; Jiang et al. (2012) adopted eight practices to evoke employee creativity; Stock et al. (2014) used four innovation-oriented practices; and Diaz-Fernandez et al. (2017) incorporated four practices aiming at enhancing employee abilities, motivation and opportunity to innovate.

Innovation by definition

Different definitions of innovation have been encountered, thus a trial has been conducted to set a certain trend for the definitions adopted. The definition by West and Far, used by Jiang et al. (2012) , Shipton et al. (2005) and Shipton et al. (2006) . It captures the deliberate behavior directed toward new (products, ideas and processes), that is new to the adopting unit and beneficial for the organization and society. Moreover, its usage has been noticed to be mainly for the technological products and processes.

Next, the prominent author relied upon in defining innovation was Damanpour, as there has been three definitions established during the following years 1989, 1991 and 1998. The articles are developed by: Diaz-Fernandez et al. (2017) , Ceylan (2013) , Chang et al. (2011) , Chen and Huang (2009) , Fu et al. (2015) , Jemenez-Jemenez and Sanz Valle (2008), Wei and Lau (2010) and Zhou et al. (2013) . Such definitions consider innovation as a performance outcome. Moreover, it captures the innovative strategy, product, project, process and organizational innovation. Furthermore, the measuring scale of patents and the classification of radical and incremental innovation was realized.

Additionally, innovation as newness in products, services, work and practices is addressed relying on ( Rogers, 1983 ). In addition, innovation has been considered to be embedded in knowledge according to kogut and Zander (1992) , Nonaka (1994) and Smith et al. (2005) .

In summary, the definition of innovation adopted is mainly that of Damanpour, which states that, namely, “the adoption of an idea or behavior, whether a system, policy, program, device, process, product or service, that is new to the adopting organization” ( Damanpour et al. , 1989 ).

Mediator or moderator

Almost half the studies ( n = 17) have used a mediator or a moderator as an explaining tool for the indirect linkage between HRMP and innovation in firms ( Lau and Ngo, 2004 also Wei and Lau, 2010 ). The mediators used are as follows: Organizational culture, knowledge management capacity, unique knowledge, valuable knowledge, adaptive capability, innovation-oriented strategy, employee creativity, cross-functional research and development, absorptive capacity, innovative work behavior, human and social capital, firm ownership and middle managers innovative behavior. On the other hand, the moderators incorporated are, namely, environmental dynamism, strategic activities, compensation and benefits, employee creativity, work-family conflict and work climate.

In the following section, the outcomes of the articles included in the review are presented accordingly; and the HRMP and innovation relationship (direct/indirect). Moreover, the direct relationship is categorized into bundles, isolation and utilization of both approaches.

Human resource management systems

First, trying to find the best bundle of practices for product innovation in firms, Laursen and Foss (2003) adopted two systems, namely, the first composed of nine practices and the second composed of two; however, both having a learning objective. Their sample was 913 Danish firms with at least 100 employees. Results indicated that the complementarities effect between practices enhances their impact on innovation, however, only seven of the first system had a positive significant impact. Moreover, Shipton et al. (2005) examined the British context by sampling 32 firms having at least 70 employees. The system adopted is learning-oriented composed of six practices. Results indicated a significant impact on product production and technology innovation, however, no impact on the process. This notion was supported by Jiménez-Jiménez and Sanz-Valle (2008), when exploring the Spanish context, with a sample of 173 firms having more than 50 employees.

Also, De Winne and Sels (2010) , with a sample of 294 startup firms in Belgium inspected the impact of HRMP as a bundle on product, process and service innovation. The systems composed of five practices directed toward knowledge creation and retention. Results indicated high positive significance between the bundle of practices and the mentioned types of innovation. In addition, De Saa-Perez and Díaz-Díaz (2010) , while investigating the Canary Islands by sampling 157 firms having more than 10 employees. High commitment HRMP was used such as internal promotion, group-based performance appraisal among six practices. It was noticed the existence of a positive influence on product and process innovation, yet this influence varies relative to sectors.

Furthermore, Messermith and Gutherie (2010) handled a sample of 2018 firm in the USA having 20 to 100 employees. HPWS was adopted, it supported the emergence of product, organizational but not process innovation. Besides, Zhou et al. (2013) inspected two systems of HRMP, commitment and collaboration in the Chinese context of 125 firms having 50 employees and above. Both systems indicated a positive impact on organizational innovation, however, when implemented together, a negative interactions emerges this hindering innovation. The commitment-based system was used by Ceylan (2013) , which enhanced various forms of innovation This positive impact on innovation is also reflected when studying 109 firms with 50 employees or more in Spain ( Nieves and Osorio, 2017 ).

In summary, different usage of HRMP systems shown a positive association with product innovation, however, little evidence is provided to support the emergence of process innovation. Moreover, innovation level varies among sectors as some are influenced by specific types of system of practices. Thus, according to the sector, careful selection of practices should be adopted. Furthermore, it was noticed that when implementing two different types of systems, the impact of both systems on innovation is diminished. This is explained according to ambidexterity as there should be a balance if more than one system is adopted.

Next, Vogus and Wellborne (2003) examined the USA by a sample of 184 firms having an average of 238 employees. HRMP was used in isolation, results indicated that innovation output is strongly increased by these practices. Moreover, Beugelsdijk (2008) examined the Dutch context with a sample of 988 firms having a minimum of 5 employees. Outcomes highlighted the importance of adopting practices that stress training and incentives to induce incremental innovation such as follows: training, performance-based pay. While, for radical innovation the adopted practices should induce autonomy.

Combination

Then, Shipton et al. (2006) inspected the UK context through 22 firms having an average of 236 employees. They adopted a set of practices that evoke exploratory learning; results indicated that induction, appraisal, training and teamwork had a significant impact on product innovation yet; appraisal had no impact on technical system innovation. Moreover, contingent reward had no impact on both types of innovation, however, when combined with other practices as a system its impact becomes obvious. In addition, the combined influence had a stronger impact on technical innovation.

Moreover, Chang et al. (2011) when adopting selection and training practices in isolation both had a positive impact on incremental and radical innovation. However, the joint adoption had a negative impact on incremental innovation. Thus, a proper identification of practices so that, they won` t impact each other negatively. Besides, Andreeva et al. (2017) adopted 3 knowledge-oriented practices to inspect jointly and separately in 259 companies with at least 100 employees in Finland. The separate impact of rewards and appraisals was positive on incremental innovation, however, no interaction impact. While, for radical innovation rewards had a positive impact while the interactive impact was negative. This supports the notion of careful selection when combing practices.

In summary, various HRMP have been examined if being used would enhance innovation, surprisingly most studies revealed that single practices would evoke innovation. However, when combined with each other innovation will be hindered. Thus, contradicting what has been mentioned above relative to the impact of bundles of HRMP on innovation.

Mediators and moderators

Finally, the existence of a mediating or moderation mechanism to explain the HRMP and innovation linkage is noticed. Lau and Ngo (2004) used innovation-oriented HRMP as a bundle in 332 firms having more than 50 employees in Hong Kong. The system used to create cross-functional teams that support change. It had a positive impact on innovation through the organizational culture. Moreover, knowledge management capacity as a moderator was adopted by Chen and Huang (2009) while examining Taiwanese firms. Results supported the mediating impact between HRMP as a bundle and innovation (administrative and technical). Furthermore, Lopez-Cabrales et al. (2009) examined the Spanish context with a sample of 86 firms having more than 50 employees. Two types of bundles was adopted; knowledge-based and Collaborative HRMP mediated by valuable knowledge and unique knowledge respectively. Hence, both systems had no direct effect, while only collaborative HRMP has an impact on innovation mediated by unique knowledge.

In addition, partial support has been recognized when examining the HPWS and product innovation relationship mediated by adaptive capability ( Wei and Lau, 2010 ). Also, Cooke et al. (2010) inspected the impact of high commitment work practices on product, process and customer service innovation through alignment of strategy. Strong influence has been noticed, which was explained by the adoption of practices supporting each other. Also, Jiang et al. (2012) tested the impact of HRMP in isolation on technological and organizational innovation mediated by employee creativity. All practices indicated a positive mediation, however, training and performance appraisal were not.

Next, cross-functional R&D was inspected as a mediator between HRMP in isolation and product program innovativeness. The test conducted in the German context with a sample of 125 firms having 50 employees and above ( Stock et al. , 2014 ). Training and rewards had a strong influence on product program innovativeness, however, recruitment had no impact. Besides, the mediating role of absorptive capacity between flexibility-oriented HRMS and incremental innovation was inspected in China. Both systems indicated a significant association with firm innovativeness, however, when implemented together the positive impact fades ( Chang et al. , 2013 ).

Then, Ma Prieto and Pilar Pérez-Santana (2014) adopted a supportive work environment as a mediator between high involvement HRMP and innovative work behavior. The study was conducted in Spain handling sample of 198 firms. Outcomes indicated that direct and the mediated relationship between HRMP targeting employee’s abilities, skills and opportunities and innovative work behavior is significant. As well, Fu et al. (2015) when examining the Irish context adopted HWPS and organizational innovation relationship mediated by innovative work behavior. The sample included 120 firms and results supported the direct and the mediated relationship.

Subsequently, Donate et al. (2016) sampled 72 firms in Spain, where two systems are adopted. High profile performance systems composed of five practices and a collaborative system composed of seven practices. The relation with product and process innovation was examined through human and social capital. Results indicated that both systems positively impacted product and process innovation when mediated through human and social capital respectively. In addition, Lee et al. (2016) investigated the Korean context sampling 11 firms while adopting a change-oriented HRM system. The suggested relationship between HRM system and group innovation is through employee proactively. Primary results indicated a channeling effect of employee proactive behavior, however, no mediating effect.

As for the moderated relationship between HRMP and innovation, environmental dynamism was used by Martínez-Sánchez et al. (2011) in the Spanish context. The study encompassed two flexibility-oriented systems; internal and external numerical. Moreover, the internal system is composed by its turn from functional and numerical. Results indicated that for both direct and moderated relationship the following. The internal system with both its subsystems indicated a positive relationship with innovativeness, however, only consulting contracting firms in the external system is in positive relation.

Furthermore, Diaz-Fernandez et al. (2017) conducted a longitudinal study in the Spanish context encompassing a sample of 1,363 firms. He used four HRMP in isolation to be moderated by compensation and benefits. Results indicated that only employment security and investment in new training technologies had a significant impact on innovation as long as this relationship is moderated by high salaries. However, employment security, compensation when implemented in isolation had no impact on innovation. Moreover, the language training and training in new technologies had not impact.

Additionally, what is interesting is the existence of a mediator and a moderator in three studies encompassed in the review. First, Liu et al. (2017) investigated the Chinese context by sampling 57 firms. Two systems are adopted, the employee experienced performance HRM and employee experienced maintenance-oriented HRM. The two systems implemented with employee creativity as moderator and firm ownership as a mediator. The multilevel relationship indicated a positive impact on firm innovation. Next, Sung and Choi (2018) examined the Korean contest with a two-set of knowledge stock and flow-oriented practices. The mediators used firm knowledge flow and stock, while the moderator is the strategy. Flow and stock facilitating HRMP indicated a positive impact on firm innovation through firm knowledge flow. Moreover, the moderating effect is partial as innovation is impacted through knowledge stock. Thus there is a need for a proper implementation of high levels of firm knowledge flow if to make use of firm knowledge stock in inducing innovation.

Finally, Chen et al. (2018) inspected 113 firms in the Chinese context where a high commitment work system is used. The system impact on innovative behavior is studied through middle managers innovative behavior; this relation is moderated by work-family conflict and work climate. The managers’ innovative behavior successfully mediates the relationship between HCWS and firm innovative performance. However, the direct relationship was not significant, moreover work-family conflict had a negative impact on innovative behavior. Furthermore, the combined effect of HCWS with both moderating variables indicated a positive impact on innovative behavior.

In summary, the research is rich with trials to explain the relationship between HRMP and innovation through a mechanism. However, the mediating mechanism is more popular among research, thus, what would be beneficial is search for further moderators to explain the above-mentioned relationship. In what follows managerial implications for practice are presented.

Important practical implications are uncovered for managers that need to acquire human resources skills and competencies, which would enhance the firm`s survival rate. First, it has been noticed that the existence of training in most of the HRMS is present and plays a vital role in inducing innovation. Lack of training might be reflected in the absence of innovation, however, presence of training would prevent employees from being square minded. Thus, managers are required to focus on human capital development and adopt practices that foster knowledge and enrich employees` skills. Fostering knowledge includes the process of acquiring and sharing information among employees. Sharing information can be motivated through a bonus system that reward combined effort rather than individual ones. Moreover, managers can promote a learning environment by having the proper infrastructure needed and through nurturing social ties. On the other hand, it was noticed that training had no impact on innovation; this case needs to be investigated closely.

Second, managers have to be aware to what practices to use in the HRMS, as some practices when combined together would negatively impact the learning process in the organization. Just as the presence of individual appraisal and pay for performance. Such a case will result in conflict, which can be resolved by careful selection and proper fit among HRMP to be included in the system. Moreover, the fit is not restricted to the practices only, as the fit should take into consideration the company strategy. Third, managers who provide a secure working environment for their employees as replacing contracts with full-time schedules, tolerate and encourage risk-taking, will lead provoke innovation. Forth, cultural aspects should be treated carefully, as when ignored will have negative impact on innovation, as cultural changes require the adjustment of management approach.

Fifth, the importance of selecting and hiring employees with unique knowledge and high education and take the proper measures to retain talents and key persons that are considered vital. This can be done through career development, promotions, flexibility, autonomy, motivation and investment in leadership practices in a dynamic environment. Finally, managers would implement more than one HRM system, however, these systems should be implemented in synergy.

Future research

As noticed in the review the theoretical underpinning of the HRMP, innovation relationship is quite noticed. However, there is still a space to examine more theories to explain this relationship, for example. Trait theory can be adopted as it explains the individual-level factors, which might impact HRMS positively or negatively ( Tett and Burnett, 2003 ).

Moreover, regarding the methodology, sampling size in most studies was limited, thus, it would be beneficial to in large it. Furthermore, the impact of the context in which the practices were implemented should have been closely inspected ( Vogus and Welbourne, 2003 ). In addition, the sector was controlled for; however, it would of interest to inspect the type of practices that would impact each sector. Also, the longitudinal approach is scarce as noticed only four articles adopted it ( Diaz-Fernandez et al. , 2017 ; Shipton et al. , 2005 ; Shipton et al. , 2006 ; Sung and Choi, 2018 ). Hence, longitudinal studies could grab the impact of the HRMP on innovation in different time intervals. Moreover, the field lacks studies that examined the sample of investigation before and after implementing the HRMP. Finally, face to face interviews when conducted would yield more in-depth information about the field of study.

Furthermore, tow contradicting perspectives have been encountered regarding the parsimony of practices. As for the first, a call is noticed for a limited number of practices, thus inducing flexibility (Jimenez-Jemenez and Sanz-Valle, 2005). While, the latter the inclusion of enormous sets of practices is noticed ( Donate et al. , 2016 ; Martínez-Sánchez et al. , 2011 ; Zhou et al. , 2013 ). Moreover, substitution of practices or using alternative practices would be an area of interest to be inspected. Additionally, agreement on the type of practices that are aligned and fit is missing. Finally, the inclusion of more variables to portray the linkage between HRMP and innovation is appealing such as organizational structure, psychological contract and organizational capital.

The 31 empirical articles reviewed suggest some improvement toward understanding the HRMP and innovation relationship in firms. The context diversity in which the studies have been conducted reveals that the HRMP and innovation relationship is a rich field yet a lot to be discovered. Practical implication are indicated, which would act as guidance for what of practices would induce innovation if implemented. However, as noticed there no specific system to apply as firms and cultural has to be dealt with according to contingency. Moreover, it suggests some additional theories to be used for inspecting the HRMP and innovation relationship.

In addition, the study encompasses areas of strength and weaknesses, as for the first the types of journals selected are high ranking, which reflects reliability of review. While the latter, the study included only empirical articles, which can be considered a weakness, as many conceptual articles was dropped. Moreover, the studies interpreted the HRMP as a bundle in different ways, with different inclusion of practices for the same system. Furthermore, all unpublished studies, Grade 1 journals, books and abstracts were excluded.

Chart of articles selection method

Distribution of empirical HRMP and innovation publications

List of journals and ranking

Summary of HRMP and innovation publications

*The presence of a Moderator; **the presence of Mediator

Andreeva , T. , Vanhala , M. , Sergeeva , A. , Ritala , P. and Kianto , A. ( 2017 ), “ When the fit between HR practices backfires: exploring the interaction effects between rewards for and appraisal of knowledge behaviours on innovation ”, Human Resource Management Journal , Vol. 27 No. 2 , pp. 209 - 227 .

Bailey , T. ( 1993 ), “ Organizational innovation in the apparel industry ”, Industrial Relations , Vol. 32 No. 2 , pp. 30 - 48 .

Beugelsdijk , S. ( 2008 ), “ Strategic human resource practices and product innovation ”, Organization Studies , Vol. 29 No. 6 , pp. 821 - 847 .

Casey , J. and Koleski , K. ( 2011 ), Backgrounder: China’s 12th Five-Year Plan , US-China Economic and Security Review Commission .

Ceylan , C. ( 2013 ), “ Commitment-based HR practices, different types of innovation activities and firm innovation performance ”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management , Vol. 24 No. 1 , pp. 208 - 226 .

Chang , S. , Gong , Y. and Shum , C. ( 2011 ), “ Promoting innovation in hospitality companies through human resource management practices ”, International Journal of Hospitality Management , Vol. 30 No. 4 , pp. 812 - 818 .

Chang , S. , Gong , Y. , Way , S.A. and Jia , L. ( 2013 ), “ Flexibility-oriented HRM systems, absorptive capacity, and market responsiveness and firm innovativeness ”, Journal of Management , Vol. 39 No. 7 , pp. 1924 - 1951 .

Chen , C.J. and Huang , J.W. ( 2009 ), “ Strategic human resource practices and innovation performance – the mediating role of knowledge management capacity ”, Journal of Business Research , Vol. 62 No. 1 , pp. 104 - 114 .

Chen , Y. , Jiang , Y.J. , Tang , G. and Cooke , F.L. ( 2018 ), “ High‐commitment work systems and Middle managers’ innovative behavior in the Chinese context: the moderating role of work‐life conflicts and work climate ”, Human Resource Management , Vol. 57 No. 5 , pp. 1317 - 1334 .

Cooke , F.L. and Saini , D.S. ( 2010 ), “ (how) does the HR strategy support an innovation oriented business strategy? an investigation of institutional context and organizational practices in Indian firms ”, Human Resource Management: Published in Cooperation with the School of Business Administration, the University of MI and in Alliance with the Society of Human Resources Management , Vol. 49 No. 3 , pp. 377 - 400 .

Damanpour , F. , Szabat , K.A. and Evan , W.M. ( 1989 ), “ The relationship between types of innovation and organizational performance ”, Journal of Management Studies , Vol. 26 No. 6 , pp. 587 - 602 .

De Winne , S. and Sels , L. ( 2010 ), “ Interrelationships between human capital, HRM and innovation in Belgian start-ups aiming at an innovation strategy ”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management , Vol. 21 No. 11 , pp. 1863 - 1883 .

Diaz-Fernandez , M. , Bornay-Barrachina , M. and Lopez-Cabrales , A. ( 2017 ), “ HRM practices and innovation performance: a panel-data approach ”, International Journal of Manpower , Vol. 38 No. 3 , pp. 354 - 372 .

De Saa-Perez , P. and Díaz-Díaz , N.L. ( 2010 ), “ Human resource management and innovation in the canary islands: an ultra-peripheral region of the European Union ”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management , Vol. 21 No. 10 , pp. 1649 - 1666 .

Donate , M.J. , Peña , I. and Sanchez de Pablo , J.D. ( 2016 ), “ HRM practices for human and social capital development: effects on innovation capabilities ”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management , Vol. 27 No. 9 , pp. 928 - 953 .

Fu , N. , Flood , P.C. , Bosak , J. , Morris , T. and O’Regan , P. ( 2015 ), “ How do high performance work systems influence organizational innovation in professional service firms? ”, Employee Relations , Vol. 37 No. 2 , pp. 209 - 231 .

Jiang , J. , Wang , S. and Zhao , S. ( 2012 ), “ Does HRM facilitate employee creativity and organizational innovation? A study of Chinese firms ”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management , Vol. 23 No. 19 , pp. 4025 - 4047 .

Jimenez-Jimenez , D. and Sanz-Valle , R. ( 2005 ), “ Innovation and human resource management fit: an empirical study ”, International Journal of Manpower , Vol. 26 No. 4 , pp. 364 - 381 .

Jimenez-Jimenez , D. and Sanz-Valle , R. ( 2008 ), “ Could HRM support organizational innovation? ”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management , Vol. 19 No. 7 , pp. 1208 - 1221 .

Kogut , B. and Zander , U. ( 1992 ), “ Knowledge of the firm, combinative capabilities, and the replication of technology ”, Organization Science , Vol. 3 No. 3 , pp. 383 - 397 .

Lau , C.M. and Ngo , H.Y. ( 2004 ), “ The HR system, organizational culture, and product innovation ”, International Business Review , Vol. 13 No. 6 , pp. 685 - 703 .

Lado , A.A. and Wilson , M.C. ( 1994 ), “ Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: a competency-based perspective ”, The Academy of Management Review , Vol. 19 No. 4 , pp. 699 - 727 .

Laursen , K. and Foss , N.J. ( 2003 ), “ New human resource management practices, complementarities and the impact on innovation performance ”, Cambridge Journal of Economics , Vol. 27 No. 2 , pp. 243 - 263 .

Lee , H.W. , Pak , J. , Kim , S. and Li , L.Z. ( 2016 ), “ Effects of human resource management systems on employee proactivity and group innovation ”, Journal of Management , p. 149206316680029 .

Liu , D. , Gong , Y. , Zhou , J. and Huang , J.C. ( 2017 ), “ Human resource systems, employee creativity, and firm innovation: the moderating role of firm ownership ”, Academy of Management Journal , Vol. 60 No. 3 , pp. 1164 - 1188 .

Lopez‐Cabrales , A. , Pérez‐Luño , A. and Cabrera , R.V. ( 2009 ), “ Knowledge as a mediator between HRM practices and innovative activity ”, Human Resource Management , Vol. 48 No. 4 , pp. 485 - 503 .

Ma Prieto , I. and Pérez-Santana , M.P. ( 2014 ), “ Managing innovative work behavior: the role of human resource practices ”, Personnel Review , Vol. 43 No. 2 , pp. 184 - 208 .

Martínez-Sánchez , A. , Vela-Jiménez , M.J. , Pérez-Pérez , M. and de-Luis-Carnicer , P. ( 2011 ), “ The dynamics of labour flexibility: relationships between employment type and innovativeness ”, Journal of Management Studies , Vol. 48 No. 4 , pp. 715 - 736 .

Messersmith , J.G. and Guthrie , J.P. ( 2010 ), “ High performance work systems in emergent organizations: implications for firm performance ”, Human Resource Management , Vol. 49 No. 2 , pp. 241 - 264 .

Nieves , J. and Osorio , J. ( 2017 ), “ Commitment-based HR systems and organizational outcomes in services ”, International Journal of Manpower , Vol. 38 No. 3 , pp. 432 - 448 .

Nolan , C.T. and Garavan , T.N. ( 2016 ), “ Human resource development in SMEs: a systematic review of the literature ”, International Journal of Management Reviews , Vol. 18 No. 1 , pp. 85 - 107 .

Nonaka , I. ( 1994 ), “ A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation ”, Organization Science , Vol. 5 No. 1 , pp. 14 - 37 .

OECD/Eurostat ( 2005 ), “ Guidelines for collecting and interpreting innovation data ”, available at: www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/science-and-technology/oslomanual_9789264013100-en (accessed 8 August 2015 ).

Pfeffer , J. and Jeffrey , P. ( 1998 ), The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First , Harvard Business Press .

Rogers , M.E. ( 1983 ), Diffusion of Innovations , The Free Press .

Shipton , H. , Fay , D. , West , M. , Patterson , M. and Birdi , K. ( 2005 ), “ Managing people to promote innovation ”, Creativity and Innovation Management , Vol. 14 No. 2 , pp. 118 - 128 .

Shipton , H. , West , M.A. , Dawson , J. , Birdi , K. and Patterson , M. ( 2006 ), “ HRM as a predictor of innovation ”, Human Resource Management Journal , Vol. 16 No. 1 , pp. 3 - 27 .

Smith , K.G. , Collins , C.J. and Clark , K.D. ( 2005 ), “ Existing knowledge, knowledge creation capability, and the rate of new product introduction in high-technology firms ”, Academy of Management Journal , Vol. 48 No. 2 , pp. 346 - 357 .

Stock , R.M. , Totzauer , F. and Zacharias , N.A. ( 2014 ), “ A closer look at cross‐functional R&D cooperation for innovativeness: innovation‐oriented leadership and human resource practices as driving forces ”, Journal of Product Innovation Management , Vol. 31 No. 5 , pp. 924 - 938 .

Sutton , R.I. and Staw , B.M. ( 1995 ), “ What theory is not ”, Administrative Science Quarterly , Vol. 40 No. 3 , pp. 371 - 384 .

Sung , S.Y. and Choi , J.N. ( 2018 ), “ Building knowledge stock and facilitating knowledge flow through human resource management practices toward firm innovation ”, Human Resource Management , Vol. 57 No. 6 , pp. 1429 - 1442 .

Tett , R.P. and Burnett , D.D. ( 2003 ), “ A personality trait-based interactionist model of job performance ”, Journal of Applied Psychology , Vol. 88 No. 3 , p. 500 .

Vogus , T.J. and Welbourne , T.M. ( 2003 ), “ Structuring for high reliability: HR practices and mindful processes in reliability‐seeking organizations ”, Journal of Organizational Behavior , Vol. 24 No. 7 , pp. 877 - 903 .

Wright , P.M. and Boswell , W.R. ( 2002 ), “ Desegregating HRM: a review and synthesis of micro and macro human resource management research ”, Journal of Management , Vol. 28 No. 3 , pp. 247 - 276 .

Zhou , Y. , Hong , Y. and Liu , J. ( 2013 ), “ Internal commitment or external collaboration? The impact of human resource management systems on firm innovation and performance ”, Human Resource Management , Vol. 52 No. 2 , pp. 263 - 288 .

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52 Human Resources Management Topics for Research Paper

Non-trivial human resource research topics to use for your own project.

A Bit About Human Resource Management Research Topics

Human resource management is focused on hiring, training, and managing staff. Another important goal of the human resources (HR) department is to make sure the best working practices are implemented in the company. The choice of human resource management research topics is broad. It may vary from the analysis of workplace conditions and the problem of equal employment opportunities in the future to the solutions & proposals for talent management and career development.

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The human resource subject is very broad as it targets lots of areas. It means students can work with proposals about various hiring approaches and modern recruiting practices used in big companies or discuss hybrid work structures in various contexts. And these are just a few concepts of human resources research topics, as there are dozens of other topics to cover. For example, you can delve deeper what is human resources to find more promising study areas. Still, how to ensure your choice is good? It’s easy to understand when you follow these tips to select a proposal.

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Compelling Human Resources Management Topics for Research Paper

Today, human resources is a proper science distinct into specific areas. Using various tools and innovations allows one to expand the academic scope and bring up complex business outcomes. It would be impossible without research. However, proper research is possible only when choosing an appropriate direction. Below are some interesting human resources research paper topics you might want to cover:

Why Is Job Analysis Important
How to Handle Overqualified Employees
Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses During an Employment Interview
The Effectiveness of Social Media in Human Resource Management
Should Human Resource Managers Hire Students
How Important Are Soft Skills
Using Virtual Reality to Train Employees
The Significance of HR KPIs in Employee Performance
Job Rotation and Job Redesign: What’s the Difference?
Are Online Video Courses Efficient to Train Stuff?
Significance of Corporate Universities
Effective Disciplining Methods
360 Degree Feedback: Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages of a Multigenerational Workforce
How Performance Assessments Impact Employee Productivity
Career Development and Employee Morale
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Employee Motivation and Workplace Stress Management
How Can Human Resource Managers Establish Successful Communication During Remote Work
Identifying Workplace Bullying in Multiple Ways
How to Prevent Employees From Emotional Burnout
The Rise of the Global Labor Market
The Diversity Gap at the Workplace
Effective Methods of Workplace Monitoring
Facts Affecting Employee Retention

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Identifying Workplace Bullying
The Main Challenges of Human Resource Managers
Religious and Sexual Discrimination in the Workplace
Dealing With Sexual Harassment at the Workplace
How to Control Employees Following Safety Protocols
What Happens if Not Following Workplace Safety
Cases When HR Should Take Legal Action
Ways the Human Resource Specialist Protects the Employees or the Company
Preventing Osha Violations at Work
Training the Workplace to Minimize Potential Risks
The Role of Human Resources in Risk Management
What to Do When an Employee Is Assaulted at Work?
Ethical Considerations Regarding Monitoring Employees During Remote Work
The Importance of Having Equal Employment Opportunities
Direct and Indirect Workplace Discrimination
How to Report About Workplace Harassment
Consequences of Violating Safety Rules at the Workplace

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The research–practice gap in the field of HRM: a qualitative study from the academic side of the gap

Review Paper
Published: 15 June 2020
Volume 15 , pages 1465–1515, ( 2021 )

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Jesús de Frutos-Belizón ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3194-6910 1 ,
Fernando Martín-Alcázar 1 &
Gonzalo Sánchez-Gardey 1

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In recent studies, researchers agree that there is a substantial gap between research and practice in the field of human resource management (HRM). The literature exploring the causes and consequences of this gap does not represent a finely structured discourse; it has focused on analysing the gap from the practitioner side, and it is based on opinions and theoretical discussions rather than on empirical evidence. In this paper, we try to shed some light on this so-called “valley of death”. We attempt to identify the causes underlying the disconnect between academics and professionals in our field by drawing on empirical qualitative evidence obtained from interviews with 15 expert academics in the field of HRM. Thus, the approach presented in our work differs from that of the prior literature in that it is focused not on the opinions of individual authors but on the personal experiences of a larger expert sample composed of independent, experienced scholars in the area. Based on in-depth semi-structured interviews, we analyse the factors explaining why academics are not always willing to focus their research on professional needs or orientate their research outputs to the practitioner community.

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Exploring the gap between research and practice in human resource management (HRM): a scoping review and agenda for future research

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Acknowledgement

This study has benefited from financing from the Research Project ECO2014-56580-R of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitively, and the Research Projects P12-SEJ-1810 from the Andalusia Government (Spain) and PR2016-018 (Research Projects University of Cadiz).

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Department of Business Management, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain

Jesús de Frutos-Belizón, Fernando Martín-Alcázar & Gonzalo Sánchez-Gardey

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Notes: The academics interviewed appear in alphabetical order. This order is not related to the number assigned to each academic interviewed. All information about the interviewees was obtained through Elsevier’s Scopus database and public information in their CVs
*The Centre for Performance-led HR (CPHR) at Lancaster has been successful at bringing together world–class academic experts to work with top HR directors to overcome the most pressing issues facing senior HR specialists. It is a unique partnership between Lancaster University Management School and major corporations and was nominated as one of five Outstanding Employer Engagement Initiatives in the 2009 Times Higher Education Awards
**NIHR Patient Safety Translational Research Centres (PSTRCs) work to pull advances in basic research with potential relevance to patient safety into an applied research setting
***The LINK Research Institute, based at Dublin City University Business School, sets out to understand the factors that contribute to successful organisations, both private and public, in Ireland and internationally. The LINK Research Institute enjoys mutually beneficial collaborations with a wide range of organisations. This includes various consulting projects with a wide range of organisations such as: Fáilte Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, The Electricity Supply Board, The Health Service Executive, The Department of Social Protection, Novartis, Intel, Mars, Airbus and Pfizer
****The Global Future of World Foundation aims to help Business, Academia and Goverments around the globe to prepare the workforce of the future for a sustainable world by detecting and predicting trends and paradigms for successful transformation ( http://globalfutureofwork.com/ )
+ The Institute for Business Research serves as the hub for externally funded business research within the Broad College of Business, and as part of the Michigan State University (MSU) campus-wide research infrastructure, collaborates with other MSU Colleges/Departments as well as the Offices of Regulatory Affairs, MSU Technology, Sponsored Programs, Business Connect and Contract and Grant Administration
++ The People Management Center (PMC) is an organization located with the department of Human Resource Studies at Tilburg University, which serves as a platform for global HR excellence to connect staff and students of the department, TIAS Business School and the business partners in the HR field

Appendix 2: Interview guide

According to your research experience, do you consider that research is individual or collective? What individuals or agents do you collaborate with in the development of your research projects?

Could you say that you have a stable research group? Do you have stable relationships with agents outside the group?

Could you briefly describe how work is normally organized in the research projects in which you participate?

Do you engage with professional partners in the development of research? How was this experience? What difficulties and benefits did you find in these collaborations?

Normally, what motivates your choice of research topics?

Could you specify the different steps of the research processes conducted in your group?

Which of them do you think are more important?

Do you think your research is relevant to the professional community?

Have you ever carried out a research project collaboratively with the professional community?

Do you consider that research in our field must be produced only for academics? Is it considered possible or viable to produce research jointly with the professional community?

How much time would you say that the whole process takes, from the time you have a stimulus to research until the time an output is generated?

What specific steps of the process do you feel are more time-consuming?

Do you usually change your research ideas and initial impressions after contrasting them with the rest of the members of your research team? Do you also do this with non-academic agents?

Does your research group have formal procedures (such as regular meetings) established? Do they incorporate external agents?

Could you say that the group has established routines to develop research activities?

Does your research team have a strong shared culture?

What do you think are the skills, knowledge or experience necessary to carry out a successful academic career? How would you describe a successful researcher in terms of knowledge, skills and experience?

How are these skills distributed in your group? Are there members specialized in some specific activities or phases of the research process?

How would you describe internal relationships within your research team?

Have you ever had communication problems between the members of the unit? How would you describe your communication with external and/or professional agents?

How is your research normally funded?

Do you receive funding from non-academic institutions, such as firms or professional foundations?

How do you think that the prevalent academic culture affects the development of your research?

Could you describe the process through which your research results are disseminated?

What are the criteria used to select the specific means through which research results are disseminated? To what extent do you make use of non-academic or professional channels?

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de Frutos-Belizón, J., Martín-Alcázar, F. & Sánchez-Gardey, G. The research–practice gap in the field of HRM: a qualitative study from the academic side of the gap. Rev Manag Sci 15 , 1465–1515 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-020-00397-x

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Received : 27 June 2017

Accepted : 01 June 2020

Published : 15 June 2020

Issue Date : August 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-020-00397-x

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Human resource management research
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Human Resources Research Paper Topics For 2024

Table of contents

1.1 Human Resources Management Research Topics
1.2 Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Topics
1.3 Career Development HR Research Topics
1.4 Research Topics on Recruitment and Selection
1.5 HR Risk Management Topics
1.6 Workplace Safety HR Topics
1.7 Trending HR Topics

Human Resources is one of the most popular and essential topics for the business minded. If you remember your basic economics, you may remember that the basic components necessary for production in any kind of economy are Land, Capital, and Labor.

Human labor is an essential resource that keeps a business running. Like any other resource, it must be managed. This is where the term “Human Resources” and Human resources research topics come in.

Having relevant data for research paper is easy if you know where to look. There are lots of online sources and books in libraries to use in your task. Make sure you spend enough time on planning before writing your task.

How to choose a Human Resources topic for your project?

Selecting research topics in human resource management is not as simple as simply choosing the title and proceeding to write it. In order to get a good grade, the paper must be original and well researched. It needs to cover all relevant aspects of the chosen HR topics. Writing a hr related research topics is a very structured and analytical process. This is true for all fields, including human resources research topics.

The first step is topic selection . This is where we can help you. This page features a list of over 90 human resources topics. If you are having problems coming up with your own ideas, please choose hr related research topics from this list instead.

These titled papers all have a great deal of material about human resource management research topics out there. They are each trending topics in hrm topics for research and have plenty of resources available out there on the internet. Each of them is also relevant to the actual field of human resources management.

So, while writing a hr related research topics is not a typical or common activity for an HR employee, it will give you a lot of insights and information. These insights could give you a leg up in the future when you have graduated from School and College.

Human Resources Management Research Topics

At most large companies, ‘Human Resources’ is an entire department of its own. Most other departments at the company typically deal with producing a good or service. Others, like the public relations department, work with the media and other external affairs. Hence, there are many ways to approach HR research topics.

How HR helps companies remain competitive in a global market.
Managing part-time, full time, and freelancing employees.
How much paid leave is optimal?
What occasions deserve raises and bonuses?
The simplest way to resolve interpersonal conflicts.
The most effective team-building strategies.
Organizing teams according to personalities.
Can an introverted employee be a good team leader?
How to improve productivity through a goal-oriented approach.
The agile method and how it helps.
The best way to utilize productivity metrics.
Methods for disciplining employees.
How to manage international employees.
Preventing workplace violence.
Benefits of regular psychological counseling for all employees.

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Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Topics

Are women more likely to get paid less for the same position as a man?
Do men and women deserve the same pay?
How to manage equal opportunity employment?
The best tactics for implementing equal opportunity.
Recruiting as an equal opportunity employer.
How to recognize and manage discrimination in the workplace.
The glass ceiling and how to break it.
Best practices for mediating disputes between employees.
Dealing with intimate relationships between employees.
How to create a diverse workplace?
Making the workplace an inclusive and accessible place for disabled employees.
Preventing unfair discrimination against LGBT+ employees.
The costs of an unequal workplace.
The benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Government requirements for equal opportunity.

Career Development HR Research Topics

Those who are interested in working in the field could take their first steps by writing a paper on human resource management topics. There is a huge variety of possible human resource topics for research papers, so it is likely that everyone will find some aspect of it they enjoy.

Creating leaders among employees.
Why does professional career development matter?
How career development helps both employees and organizations.
The best approaches to on-the-job training.
Should training be prioritized over completed current work?
Best practices for training interns.
Should interns be paid more?
Professional certification training for employees.
How does active professional development affect productivity?
Is it worth it to help an employee develop if they find a new, better-paid job afterward?
Skills that all employees should develop.
Must-have training and development for all employees.
Advantages and disadvantages of paying for an employee’s professional training.
Advantages and disadvantages of leading professional development sessions.
Should companies help employees pay for school?

Research Topics on Recruitment and Selection

Studying human resources is a crucial part of management studies. Whether you are a college or university student, you can buy paper online to save time and effort. There are lots of reputable services that can provide excellent assignments to boost your academic performance.

What does the ideal new employee look like?
When is the best time to recruit a new employee?
When is the worst time to recruit a new employee?
Should highly skilled but untested individuals be recruited for senior positions?
Best practices for improving employee retention.
How to attract good employees?
The best platforms to recruit on.
Is social media an effective way to recruit?
What kind of employees should small businesses look for?
What kind of employees are needed for a large company?
Criminal background checks – Do’s and Don’ts.
How to effectively assess skills during an interview.
How does HR evaluate a potential new recruit?
Is it better to recruit an employee with experience but no skill, or the other way around?
Recruiting university graduates directly – a good idea or a bad one?

HR Risk Management Topics

With so many moving parts working together in one company, it is natural for confusion or conflicts to arise. In order to make sure all these departments, employees, and managers work together, Human Resources is essential. In companies with hundreds of employees, their job simply cannot be understated.

What kind of risks does HR have to manage?
What role does HR take in risk management?
How does HR ensure worker protection?
Is HR there to protect employees or protect the company?
Legal measures HR can take.
Risk management during the covid-19 pandemic.
How HR managed risks revolving around covid-19.
Reasons to carry out regular internal audits.
Risk management among the ‘#metoo’ movement.
Training the workplace to minimize potential risks.
Risk management when working from home.
Ways to ensure all your employees follow masking and social distancing rules.
Ways to ensure all employees get vaccinated.
Responding to a legal action taken by an employee.
When should HR take legal action?

Workplace Safety HR Topics

How to ensure compliance with workplace safety rules.
The consequences of not following workplace safety.
Ways to prevent osha violations.
How to ensure all employees follow health and safety protocols?
How to ensure all employees get vaccines?
Fines and penalties for violating workplace safety rules.
Consequences of violating safety rules.
Steps to minimize or prevent burnout.
Bringing dangerous weapons into the workplace.
Steps to take when an employee is assaulted at work.
How to ensure psychological wellbeing during remote work.
Ensuring company leadership also follows safety roles.
Combating sexual harassment at the workplace.
Monitoring employees during remote work – is it ethical?
Developing specialized safety standards for the workplace.

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Introduction, hospitals go green research proposal samples, technical writing.

Introduction Many hospitals go against the practice of sustainable of development and environmental conservation. They contribute to pollution and environmental destruction through emission of carbon into the atmosphere, water wastage, unhealthy food and misuse of energy. These actions not only destroy the environmental but also contribute to high disease prevalence (HealthIT 2012). The concept of green hospitals has evolved over time to offer answers to some of the challenges.

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Blockbuster Inc. vision is to be a market leader in the film and video industry. A host of factors affect the competitive nature of the company in the short and long run. Blockbuster Inc. exists in a highly competitive and volatile environment. Technological dynamism over the past decade has far reaching effects on the performance of Blockbuster Inc. in the industry. For the company to remain in the market and retain its position proper strategies have to be put in place.

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Company managers are faced with growing pressure to improve on the performances of their organizations. Given the high competitiveness of the business world today, achieving these objectives may at times be challenging to managers. This study sets out to determine the impact of e-governance and the role of human resource development in improving organizational performance. The study will seek to determine how managers can harness on the effective use of these vices in meeting their organizational performance objectives. The project is targeted at top managers and executives in both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

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The purpose of our proposal is to request authorization to conduct a research concerning 3D printer, scanner and plotter usage in IRC: to suggest the practices of optimal equipment usage and staff assistance aimed to use equipment properly, to discuss the innovative interdisciplinary methods of technology usage.

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Research Proposal On Diversity Management In Contemporary Companies

I: introduction.

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Research Proposal: Human Resource Management

Research Proposal: Human Resource Management Table of Contents Introduction3 Main Concepts Definition3 Topic and Justification5 Literature Review and Research Gap6 Research Methodology9 Anticipated Outcomes and Conclusion10 Bibliography11 Appendix15 Proposed Interview Questions15 Introduction Human Resource Management is a crucial aspect of an organization's life, one that guides and appraises the performance of its employees and manages the work force in alignment with the corporate strategies. HRM polices create significant effects on the organizational performance, since it directly relates to the internal equity of the organization, which are its valued employees. This proposal is based on a comparative assessment of the effects and relationship of Human Resource Management policies and regulations in the developing and the developed countries. This research will seek an in-depth analysis of the policies that are penetrative in the industrial sector of both the developed and the developing countries; in an attempt to study what are the differences that exist in either of the two industries. We will seek to identify and distinguish between polices of the West (mainly of the United States) with those of Iran (a developing country), that will conclude into justifiable comparisons among the rules and regulations related to the personnel management in these countries. Main Concepts Definition Human Resource Management: The human resource management (HRM) is a set of practices of management aimed at mobilizing and developing human resources for greater performance of the organization (Jaeger, 1990). Organizational performance: According to Richard et al. (2009) organizational performance encompasses three specific areas of firm outcomes: Financial performance (profits, return on assets, return on investment, etc.); Product market performance (sales, market share, etc.); and Shareholder return (total shareholder return, economic value added, etc).The term Organizational effectiveness is broader (Richard, 2009). Developed Countries: Developed countries have a high income per capita, i.e., a higher average per capita income above $ 10,000 a year, a powerful and technologically advanced industry, a high standard of living, reflected in the development of infrastructure and in the quantity and quality of health services, educational, cultural, etc. Moreover, a good part of the population has a high level of consumption (Coyle, 2000). Developing Countries: The underdeveloped countries have low per capita income, which normally does not reach $ 2,000 per year, a small or emerging industrial development, but often depends on foreign investment and is based on labour and the high potato energy, natural resources primarily for export, a strong dependence on foreign technology, trade and credit, a reduced standard of living, with poor services and inaccessible to a large proportion of the population, poor infrastructure, a high rate illiteracy, a very high population growth, and low consumption (Gabris, Mitchell, 2005). In addition, political instability, corruption and social inequality are commonplace in these States (Mullins, 2010). Topic and Justification The proposed topic of the research will be: “A comparative study of the relationship and effects of HRM (Human Resources Management) policies, on the Organizational performance of Industrial Sectors in both the Developing and the Developed Countries”. HRM policies are a key to the progress of organizations in developed societies where it is an important element to develop and maintain the human ...

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Research Proposal On Relationships between human resource dimensions and environmental management in companies Course Code: HRM-527 Section: A (HRM) MBA 21

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DR. Hersh Shkak

This paper determining extent and manner of the importance of development of human resources enhancing performance in environmental protection organizations. There is recognition that the practice of (development of human resources) has a significant and direct impact on individual and institutional performance. So this finding is based on the idea that an employee can play an important and key role in the success of the organization (Garavan, 2007). For (development of human resources) to make a significant contribution, it needs to move away from the process-oriented approach and the managerial approach and change it to a more strategic approach, thus taking on a successful leadership role in employee energy development (Gold et al, 2011). Whereas, the development of human resources requires that professionals who have some responsibility in organizations for continuous learning and development think about the job requirements and activities for the development of HR as a set of important organizational practices. In return, this requires abandoning and moving away from more low-value operational “training and development” activities, and in return giving more time and opportunities to develop competencies to perform a variety of strategic roles in the service of enterprise and individual development. In fact, the idea of this study crystallized through the researcher's practice in environmental institutions for fourteen years, and his participation in many environmental projects, and from 2004 to 2014 the researcher's work in the Greenpeace Organization, In addition to his experience in the public sector at the Environmental Protection board, and his continuation in it to the present time. As during the continuous increase and accumulation of experience during these years of work in environmental protection, the researcher believes that it is very necessary to study this vital and sensitive topic as an academic study. The paper found that the “development of human resources” is very important. The possibility of environmental protection institutions achieve their goals needs continuous strengthening in their performance, and this is done through the “development of human resources”. The “human resources” in “environmental protection” activities need to continue “training and development”, and also need adequate funding and the participation of advanced technology, as well as strengthening and motivating human resources staff. Key words: Development of Human Resources, Enhancing Performance, Environmental Protection Institutions.

Fernando César Almada Santos

Ranjit Mehra

Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR)

Robert Steiner

Little management theory or empirical results exist to guide managers in maximizing employee efforts to successfully implement Environmental Management Systems (EMS). In response, this study examines the relationship among Human Resource (HR) factors and employee perceptions of environmental performance. Four hundred thirty-seven (437) employees were surveyed in an organization with a well-developed EMS program and ISO 14001 certification. Results suggest that management support for EMS, EMS training, employee empowerment, and EMS rewards are related to perceived environmental performance. Furthermore, EMS teamwork plays a mediating role between some of independent variables and perceived environmental performance. Finally, implications for managers are discussed.

Journal ijmr.net.in(UGC Approved)

The goal of a company's HRM practices; we contended, is empowering and supporting employee practices to drive successful technique execution. As we perceived and recognized at that point, others had just started to examine the potential for HRM to add to OE. However our article was the first to portray the systemic relationships among HRM practices, and particular methodologies firms could use as they endeavour to increase upper hand. That 1987 article might not have been the principal article to talk about HRM utilizing a strategic focal point (i.e., taking a gander at HRM's role from an outer perspective) as opposed to utilizing the more well-known specialized focal point (i.e., peering from inside the human resource (HR) work outward), yet it was one of the first. The proposed linkages were supported by our contextual investigations. However, that was quite a while prior. Enough time has gone from that point forward that we would now be able to think back and consider how that prior model of strategic HRM has advanced into today's model of HRM and EO. As was genuine when we previously proposed yesterday's model, our new model is grounded in our investigation of a lot of research done by academics and also perceptions of HRM in firms worldwide. Before portraying our current model, be that as it may, we first quickly audit the fundamental components of our unique model of the linkages among HRM and OE, for these components are incorporated into today's model.

Michelle Thomas

The basic aim of this study is to present and examine environmental factors affecting

Slobodan Camilovic

Abstract: In the process of organizational adaptation to environmental demands, primarily through the anticipated outputs, human resources play a key role. The procuring of necessary human resources, their working commitment and development, are the basic assignments of the management of human resources. The appliance of a contemporary concept of management of human resources, based on theoretical and practical cognizance of successful organizations, contributes to a successful execution of these and other assignments. In order to develop such a concept it is necessary to provide, in addition to the relevant basics, a whole chain of professional and managerial activities.

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Carolina Feliciana Machado

Neda Nikolic , Prof. dr Vladimir M . Cvetković , Miodrag Zečević

Starting from the fact that the units of local self-government of the Republic of Serbia are not sufficiently oriented towards innovations related to human resources and the environment, the application of quantitative research tradition examines the positioning and understanding of certain procedures and decisions of human resources management regarding the functioning of the environmental protection system, on the one hand, and future strategies for changing the given system, on the other. A series of 105 face-to-face interviews were conducted during the whole of 2016 in 105 of the 191 municipalities in the Republic of Serbia. Examination of the attitudes of the local self-government was carried out using a specially designed closed electronic questionnaire. The results of the multivariate regressions show that the most important predictor of the possible improvement of the environment is the size of the municipality. The remaining variables (e.g., human resources policy, human resources service) did not have significant effects on the ability to improve the environment. In more than half of local self-governments, there was no clearly defined human resources strategy in the field of environmental protection, an environmental protection service, an Environmental Action Plan, as well as an employment plan for waste management in local governments, etc. The research has shown that top managers of local governments agree that the management of human resources in environmental protection represents a significant opportunity to improve the quality of the environment. The results of the research can be used to improve the organization of human resource competence in environmental protection and the quality of a working and sustainable environment in the area of local self-government.

Science Park Research Organization & Counselling

The globalization of economic activities in the last decade brings changes in the world of work; there is uncertainty, inequality, new risks. The new requirements apply to the management of human resources and the sustainability development. To make the company successful in the long term, it must meet the new expectations of their surroundings, which necessarily include the responsible behaviour towards the society in which it operates. Man limits reliability of the features of the system. As a result of the failure to adapt labour conditions humans began to appear health, economic and social consequences. Through human resources and people management can be designed to target the working system and increasing the efficiency of human labour. The paper focuses on the sustainable management of human resources in the context of the requirements of social responsibility, identifying current problems in this area in practice and proposes solutions.

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Best Research Proposal Topics in Human Resource Management by PhD
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(PDF) HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT: A PROPOSAL FOR ...
the Human Resources Management (HRM) function should focus on achieving the sustainability. goals related to People, a component that tends to be neglected in discussions of sustainability ...
(DOC) Title: The impact of human resource management ...
A Research Proposal by N. Mkalipi Student No: 21812773 To be submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the BBA/BPP Honours degree at SOUTHERN BUSINESS SCHOOL Supervisor: Ms B.S Mphailane Date: 16 November 2017 TABLE OF CONTENT PAGE NO 1.INTRODUCTION 3 2.1.BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM 4 2.2.MAIN PROBLEM STATEMENT 4 3.RESEARCH QUESTIONS 4 ...
A Systematic Review of Human Resource Management Systems and Their
Strategic human resource management (SHRM) research increasingly focuses on the performance effects of human resource (HR) systems rather than individual HR practices (Combs, Liu, Hall, & Ketchen, 2006).Researchers tend to agree that the focus should be on systems because employees are simultaneously exposed to an interrelated set of HR practices rather than single practices one at a time, and ...
Full article: Context and HRM: Theory, Evidence, and Proposals
In this article, we outline the need for HRM to take full account of context, particularly national context, and to use both cultural theories and, particularly, institutional theories to do that. We use research publications that utilize the Cranet data to show how that can be done. From that evidence, we develop a series of proposals for ...
PDF The Role and Impact of Human Resource Management
Figure 1. Model of the mediation design: HRM practices affect work engagement indirectly through relational psychological contracts. The present study contributes theoretically to research on HRM (Jiang et al., 2012) by examining HRM practices with work engagement as an outcome. Despite the high likelihood
100s of Free HRM Dissertation Topics and Titles
HRM Dissertation Topics for 2023. Topic 1: Effect of employee engagement on customer loyalty in the service-based industry. Topic 2: Contingent workforce and its impact on organisation's performance - Evaluating the IT Industry.
Sample PHD HRM Dissertation Proposal
This research proposal is based on analysing human resource challenges posed in the public PBOs during the transition phase. The literature is reviewed concerning the critical perspectives of studies about challenges in achieving the dynamic performance of HR in PBOs. Further, the discussion on research methodology is part of this proposal.
AI-Augmented HRM: Literature review and a proposed multilevel framework
Though the research on HRM (AI) started in 1990, the most relevant research articles in line with this study's focus were published between 1995 and 2021. In particular, HRM(AI) research witnessed increasing growth, specifically after 2018. A steep rise in research articles on HRM (AI) was noted in the 2018-2020 period. For example, 2019 ...
HRM practices and innovation: an empirical systematic review
Introduction. Human resource management practices (HRMP) have been gaining an increased attention especially in the fields of economics of the organization, strategic management and human resource management (HRM) (Laursen and Foss, 2003).Moreover, the past two decades were characterized by noticeable progress in researching human resource management systems (HRMS) (Wei and Lau, 2010).
52 Human Resource Research Topics You May Want to Cover
Unusual Research Proposals on Human Resource Management. If you want to move away from default proposal concepts and cover competitive human resource research topics, you may need a more comprehensive look at the whole area. Think about HR in the context of social and ethical issues, or try to seek through psychology research proposal topics ...
The research-practice gap in the field of HRM: a ...
In recent studies, researchers agree that there is a substantial gap between research and practice in the field of human resource management (HRM). The literature exploring the causes and consequences of this gap does not represent a finely structured discourse; it has focused on analysing the gap from the practitioner side, and it is based on opinions and theoretical discussions rather than ...
(Pdf) the Impact of Human Resource Management on Organizational
INSTITUTE OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH Business Administration Department THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: Case Study of Private Banks in TRNC (MBA Thesis) Ugonna I. AGUTA Supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasret BALCIOGLU Nicosia - 2013 CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH ABSTRACT In recent years, the Turkish ...
Best Human Resources Research Topics [2024]
1.1 Human Resources Management Research Topics. 1.2 Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Topics. 1.3 Career Development HR Research Topics. 1.4 Research Topics on Recruitment and Selection. 1.5 HR Risk Management Topics. 1.6 Workplace Safety HR Topics. 1.7 Trending HR Topics. Human Resources is one of the most popular and essential topics ...
How to Write a Research Proposal
Research proposal examples. Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We've included a few for you below. Example research proposal #1: "A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management" Example research proposal #2: "Medical Students as Mediators of ...
Research Proposal for Sustainable Human Resource Management
But recently, sustainable human resource management (S-HRM) has garnered a significant amount of attention from industry practitioners and academicians due to the escalation of adverse impact of existing HRM approaches on employees, society and the environment ( Mariappanadar, 2003 , International Journal of Social Economics, 30(8), 906-923 ...
Human Resource Management Research Proposal Examples That Really
Free Research Proposal On Grief And Nursing Personnel. According to information from the "CIA Factbook, 2012" there are just about 6,744 deaths in the National Health Service hospital facilities in the United states. This is roughly 41% of the number of patient admissions in the year 2011.
Research Proposal: Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management: The human resource management (HRM) is a set of practices of management aimed at mobilizing and developing human resources for greater performance of the organization (Jaeger, 1990). Shareholder return (total shareholder return, economic value added, etc).The term Organizational effectiveness is broader (Richard, 2009).
(PDF) Research Proposal On Relationships between human resource
Research Proposal On Relationships between human resource dimensions and environmental management in companies Course Code: HRM-527 Section: A (HRM) MBA 21 ... Milkovich, G. (1997). Human resource management. Chicago: Irwin. Daily, B. F., & Huang, S. (2001). Achieving sustainability through attention to human resource factors in environmental ...

Sample PHD HRM Dissertation Proposal

Challenges of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Proposed Title

Introduction

Rationale of Research

Research Aim

Research Questions

Literature Review

Transition to Project Based Organization (PBO)

Characteristics of PBOs in Public Sector

SHRM Challenges in the Public PBO

Research Methodology

Summary and Conclusions

Proposed Work Plan

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Appendix – Detailed Research Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

HRM practices and innovation: an empirical systematic review

Design/methodology/approach

Practical implications

Originality/value

Introduction

Methodology of the review

Data collection method

Human resource management practices and innovation in firm research

Distribution of studies

Theoretical perspective

Methodology

Unit of analysis

Methods used

Content analysis

Human resource management systems or human resource management practices

Human resource management systems characteristics

Human resource management practices in isolation

Innovation by definition

Mediator or moderator

Human resource management systems

Combination

Mediators and moderators

Future research

Further reading

Corresponding author

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The research–practice gap in the field of HRM: a qualitative study from the academic side of the gap

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Human Resources Management Research Topics

Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Topics

Career Development HR Research Topics

Research Topics on Recruitment and Selection

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